Sermon Notes

Some Things Never Change

2009-07-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Some Things Never Change
Grace Fellowship
Robb Yandian
6/6/2009

If something is the way that God made it, it is good and right. Conversely if it is not the way that God made it, it is not good and not right. Society and what God say is often at conflict. We need to go with what God says.

The Bible shows the success and the failures of its heroes. Why? It does it to show that we can be messed up and still succeed. Just as the problems of today are hurting us, the same problems were in the Bible. In reality, some things never change. We learn history but we do not learn from history. Maybe if we look at what happened in the past, and learn from it, things will be different.

The word of God never changes. In Matt 24:35, "heaven and earth will pass away, my word will never pass away". The Word of God is never changing. The Word of God is alive to us today, not some dry history lesson. Try taking a book from the 60's on how to fix computers and fix a current day thing, it will not help you. The Bible is not a book, it is the word of God. If society and the Bible agree, then fine. If society moves away, it is wrong and needs to move back to what the truths of the Bible are.

Genesis 2:23-24 KJV
(23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
(24) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

There is a unity that happens in a marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Society has moved away from that. Just because society accepts gay marriage does not make it right.

Ephesians 6:1-3 KJV
(1) Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
(2) Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
(3) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Verse 1 says that parents have authority over your children. Do you use the authority that God says you have. It is not a suggestion, it is a command.

Ephesians 5:25-26 KJV
(25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
(26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Instructions to husbands here. Love your wife like Christ loved the church. Do you do that. Jesus gave his life and we know from His prayers that he did not want to go but asked God for God's will. He thought of us before he thought of Himself. Husbands , do you think of your wife above and beyond yourself.

1 Timothy 5:8 KJV
(8) But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Husbands should be the primary bread winner in the family. Woman can have jobs, but her primary responsibility is to take care of the kids. Society says that is demeaning. Why? Proverbs 31 talks about how the woman teaches here children, preparing the next generation for following God. Where is that demeaning? Before Adam had been give the woman, he was given a job.

Ephesians 5:22 KJV
(22) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Society says male chauvinist pig. Bible never says for man to dominate the wife. You should not be hitting your spouse over the head with these scriptures, listen to the ones that are for you not the other person. Jesus loves us before we were even here. You need to do what it tells you even though the other party may not do their part. Jesus does not stop loving us because we do not accept Him. Jesus love is not conditional.

Ephesians 5:23 KJV
(23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Society would not say this is right. It is scripture. And we stated at the start scripture is good. But is does not say to be dominate. It says that the husband is responsible for the success or failure of the family. Bible says that through him (Adam) all sin came in the world. Who ate first? She ate first but it is Adam's fault. He was the reason for the failure just as men are the reason for the failure in families. Adam was there with her. He should have rebuked the devil and stopped him, he did not.
The Word does not say if the man is perfect he is the head, it says he is the head. We have a generation of men who are spineless. It does not have a generation of men who will say 'as for me and my house, we will server the Lord'. Stand up and be men and be the head and know and follow the word of God in their homes. The talk shows of today are not the standard of what is a man, the Bible is the standard.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
(15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We are not to take the Word of God and twist it to what we want, as society does, we are to study it to see what it really says.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

The Brighter Light

2009-06-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Brighter Light
Grace Fellowship
Bob Yandian
6/3/2009

Proverbs 4:18-19 KJVR
(18) But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
(19) The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Verse 18. Every single day of our life, it should get brighter. Unlike real daytime that starts to get darker at the end of the day, our life is to be like the dawn light that gets brighter and brighter unto perfection.

Verse 19. Darkness is the way of the wicked.

Our lives are often referred to as light in the Bible.
Psalms 113:3 KJVR
(3) From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised.

This is your whole life.

The dawn is to be like your spiritual birth:
Psalms 110:3 KJVR
(3) Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

Middle age:
Matthew 20:12 KJVR
(12) Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

Seasoned Christians get equal to what the new Christians get. They do not like it. It reflects how many seasoned Christians think, the ones that have gotten to middle age so to speak.

Back to verse 18 of Proverbs 4. A light gets brighter every day. Your natural body gets older and darker each day. Your spiritual life is what is referred to here. Now what does the perfect day mean? Two views:

Perfect day is rapture of Church
These people never knew what the church was. How could that be?
The day you meet Jesus.
This is to be the perfect day.

When growth stops, decay will start. You can not shift in to neutral and coast. If you coast, you will eventually stop moving. You need to keep growing. As you keep growing, the brighter the light will be. You can never say you are maxed out.

Proverbs 6:20-23 KJVR
(20) My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
(21) Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
(22) When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
(23) For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

Tie your self to the Word. It is the light that you will need to get to the brighter light.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

What Can We Learn From A Genealogy

2008-12-23T11:19:00.001-08:00

What Can We Learn From A Genealogy
Pastor Bob Yandian
Grace Church, Tulsa, OK
December 21, 2008

Matthew 1:1-17 KJV
1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;
14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;
15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;
16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

When we come to scriptures like this we wonder why they are here, and are tempted to skip over it. This is the genealogy that Mathew covers. This is a genealogy of a King of the Jews, from David and Abraham, going to Joseph. Luke shows a line that comes from Nathan the prophet that goes to Mary. You can get blessed from a genealogy. Let's see how.

Joseph was the legal father of Jesus but Mary was the natural mother. He had a legal and natural right to be what he was. Prophecy said Jesus in Genesis 22:18 would be the seed of Abraham. David was told that there would be a son that would sit on the throne forever. He would have to be a human to sit on the throne, and he would have to be divine to sit on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:8-17).

Some facts and names from the genealogy:

It contains both gentiles and Jews in the list.
Abraham was a gentile that became a Jew (there was no Jews before he became one). It happened when he put his trust in God.
This genealogy contains 5 woman. This is not normal in a Jewish Genealogy. It would be the men only
1. Tamar - a Jew who married Judah
2. Rahab - a gentile from Jerico, a Hitite
3. Ruth - a Moabite, a cursed race because of what they did to the Hebrew people. She married Boaz.
4. Bathsheba - who married David, also a Hitite.
5. Mary, a Jew who married Joseph and became the mother of Jesus.
The genealogy skips generations. Why does it does this?
v. 8 Joram begat Uziah, skipping three sons. v. 11 Josiah begat Jechoniah and his brothers, but he was the grandson.
The genealogy contains both good and bad people. But it also leaves out good and bad people.
Not-so-Godly people:
1. Tamar - wife of Judah. She married him by dressing up as a prostitute, because she could not get him to give his son as the law said to.
2. Rahab - a reformed prostitute.
3. Bathsheba - committed adultery with David

Godly people:
1. Mary
2. Jeruabel
3. Josiah

Those that are mentioned are believers, those that are not, are not believers.

God saves people from curses as this list of people show. You are free of a generational curse. You got that way when the blood of Jesus covers you. Anything in your family life at that point is covered.

God does not care about your heritage or your race. All of these people put trust in Jesus coming.

Matthew 1:11 KJV
11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

There were three sons ignored here. The uncles of Jechonias. They were the three Kings of Judah at the time of the captivity. Jechonias was called Jehoiachin and Coniah, the later being the one used most in the Old Testement. At this point the genealogy listing. Coniah was a beliver but did not know the strength of God. He went to Egypt for help. That is when the curse came in:

Jeremiah 22:28 KJV
28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?

The word vessel shows he is a believer, but one that God finds no pleasure.

Jeremiah 22:29-30 KJV
29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
30 Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

The line was cut off here by the curse, they would no longer prosper when they sat on the throne. How could God keep the promise. Well the Luke genealogy shows us through the line of Nathan. This was another line of David. The lines never crossed.

Matthew 1:16 KJV
16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

It does not say here that Joseph is the father of Jesus, it says that he married Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Matthew 1:21 KJV
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Jesus broke the curse of the line, saving them from their sins, and He also saves us from our sins as well.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

Tell the Children

2008-09-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Notes from Podcast

Jack Hayford

Living Way Ministries Radio Broadcast

Tell the Children

Living Way Podcast

OnePlace.com

Friday, August 8, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Psalms 78:4-8

4 We will not hide them from their children,

but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.

5 He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

6 that the next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children,

7 so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments;

8 and that they should not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

We all have influence over some child in our life, even if we do not have children. The people here are not being told to tell the children Bible stories, but that we should tell them stories about how God has worked in our lives. Tell them family stories. This is not to add to what God has put in the Bible, we are not to add or subtract from that, but as a was that they can understand it. You can tell the children John 3:16 and what it means, but tell them how it has affected your life, how you received Jesus and it will be more real to them because they know clearly who it happened to.

Things we are to tell our children:

1. Have regular times when you excite the childrens curiosity so that they ask what does this mean?

Exodus 12:21-27

21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb.

22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.

23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.

24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.

25 And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service.

26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’

27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

2. How the Lord has provided for you

Exodus 16:31-36

31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

32 Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations.”

34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept.

35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

36 (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)

Does your God provide all your needs? Do you teach the children the stories about what has been done for the people in Bible stories? How about what has happened in your life.

3. Tell them rebellion against God destroyed.

Numbers 16:36-40

36 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

37 “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy.

38 As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the LORD, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.”

39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar,

40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the LORD said to him through Moses.

You need to tell the children the own stories in your own life of the failures that you have had in your life. How you have sinned and come short of what you were to be and how God has taken care of that sin with the covering of Jesus blood.

4. Make memorials of the things the paths that you have taken.

Joshua 4:3-7

3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.

5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,

6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’

7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

Let them see that you have gone through the struggles that you have been through and how you have succeeded.

5. Set up celebrations

Esther 9:26

26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them,

Show them how God has delivered you. Not be a 4th of July celebration that people we do not know declared, but something that can be seen in your life, a healing or deliverance.

6. Teach the children that what is destroying the world is a result of human sin.

Joel 1:2-4

2 Hear this, you elders;

give ear, all inhabitants of the land!

Has such a thing happened in your days,

or in the days of your fathers?

3 Tell your children of it,

and let your children tell their children,

and their children to another generation.

4 What the cutting locust left,

the swarming locust has eaten.

What the swarming locust left,

the hopping locust has eaten,

and what the hopping locust left,

the destroying locust has eaten.

On A Dime

2008-05-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

On a dime

Al Poncel

Grace Church

1/23/08

God can turn your situation around on a dime.

2 Kings 6:24-25 KJV

(24) And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

(25) And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.

The donkeys head sold for about $51. The cab of doves dung was about the size of a 16 ounce cup of coffee and would cost about the same, $3.20.

The story goes on tell of two woman who eat their children to survive. Now our economy may be bad but we are not buying $50 donkey heads or eating our children. But Elisha talks abou it what will happen. In chapter 7:

2 Kings 7:1 KJV

(1) Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

8 quarts of flour will be 69 cents. Today you buy and eat donkeys heads and doves dung. Tomorrow, Elisha says, God will turn the situation around on a dime.

2 Kings 7:2 KJV

(2) Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

Unbelief stopped this guy from getting what God wanted for him. But look what happens to four leppers who decided to do something.

2 Kings 7:3-4 KJV

(3) And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

(4) If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

We can sit here and die, or we can go over their and die. So if they kill us what have we got to loose.

2 Kings 7:5-7 KJV

(5) And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

(6) For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

(7) Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

We have no idea what God is doing for us right at this moment. God gives us life more abundantly. We put God in a box and try to get Him to do things our way. God tool care of an economic situation. What ellse can God change on a dime.

The leppers got up courage and went over to the camp of the enemy. The bible says that the riches of the evil are for us and these men realized those words.

John 11:1-4 KJV

(1) Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

(2) (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

(3) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

(4) When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

God did not make him sick. We live in a fallen world. Jesus said that God woild get the glory out of it. Too show it Jesus waited till Lazarus was good and dead.

John 11:19-26 KJV

(19) And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

(20) Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

(21) Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

(22) But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

(23) Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

(24) Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

(25) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

(26) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Resurrection is not a time. It is a person, Jesus. Do not call dead what God has called alive. We all look for our own dime. God wants to do it on His dime. Jesus healed Lazarus on His dime not Martha's dime. We try to do the same thing. So the economy and heath God can handle. Any thing else?

Acts 16:19-21 KJV

(19) And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

(20) And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

(21) And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

People get offended in what blesses them.

Acts 16:22-26 KJV

(22) And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

(23) And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

(24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

(25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

(26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

On a dime God changed their situations around on a dime. God can do the same thing for you. Here they were being persecuted and they took the time to pray.

Do not tell God when you want Him to fix a problem because that would be your dime not His.

Four things you need to do while you are waiting for God's dime.

Have the ability to see what no one else can see.
1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV

(9) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

You need the see the things that God is speaking into your life that He is going to do for you. Many people have trouble seeing that.

Have the faith to believe what no one else will believe. If proof is possible faith is impossible.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV

(1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Have the courage to do what no one else will do.
The lepers went into the enemy camp. The epistle of James in the Message Bible, 'it is obvious that faith and work are yoked partners.'
You have the hope to endure what no one else will endure.
Proverbs 13:12 KJV

(12) Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Romans 8:25 KJV

(25) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Hope is the expectation of the future while we wait with enthusiasm for the vision to come to pass.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

Understanding the Anointing

2008-04-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Understanding the Anointing
Grace Church
Pastor Bob Yandian
Jan 20, 2008

Anointing seems to be one of those Christian buzz words that make others wonder what you are talking about. The anointing is the presence of the Holy Spirit. There are two types of the anointing found.

1 John 2:27 KJV
(27) But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Usually the Greek word used here is alapho, which means to rub with oil. This word here is charisma, which refers to the giftings and callings of God. This anointing is in me. It is in me even if I do not feel like it is or not. There is another anointing that can leave or come based on what you do. This will surround you from time to time. It is like walking into a church and feeling that God is there. This is anointing that is upon us.

The one that is inside of us .... No man needs to teach you. It is to reveal and teach you the word of God. If there are 100 people listening to a sermon they can hear 100 different things. God takes the word that is spoken by the minister and changed by the Holy Spirit to what you need to hear. How else can we hear so many different things when we all listen to the same minister. Yes we need the ministers and preachers. They put the word out that we hear and learn from.

The one that is upon us is to break the curse. The anointing that breaks the yokes of bondage that comes into our life. It is tangible. It will come when your heart is in unity with the heart of God. Take some time to praise and worship God. It is the doorway to the supernatural experience with God.

Matthew 18:20 KJV
(20) For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Psalms 22:3 KJV
(3) But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

The present day church could replace Israel. God inhabits the praises of the people of God. Praise and worship is like plowing up the ground before planting seed. By getting the people in one thought in place of all the things that they normally meditate on, it allows the minister to do his job easier. Praise was used in the Old testament. The cloud would come when they would praise God. It does not take a crowd. One or two people can bring it on. We do not see the cloud of the Holy Spirit as much any more because the cloud (Holy Spirit) is now in us. Like Paul in prison we need to lift up our voices and praise God even when we are not in the mood to do it. It prepares us for the movement of God among us.

If the joy of the Lord is in your heart it should show up on your face. A lot of things effect the anointing and a sour puss is one of them. Good apples do not make a bad one taste better. Sour dispositions do not help the anointing to flow. Your face can affect the anointing. If you are happy or discouraged can affect how others are. Make up your mind to be like God who is not sad or depressed.

Psalms 42:5 KJV
(5) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

Think about what God looks like the next time you are sad. He is smiling and happy.

Acts 2:28 KJV
(28) Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

Proverbs 15:13 KJV
(13) A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

How can a happy heart have a sad face. Yes there are things that you will go through that are not happy and those will happen but they should not bepermanently there

Proverbs 27:17 KJV
(17) Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

What you do will affect others around you. You will transfer your countenance to to others around you.

Psalms 133:1-3 KJV
(1) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
(2) It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
(3) As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

What is unity? Freedom from strife. Freedom from talking about each other. Freedom from Gossip (they are a child of God like you). Get together and the anointing flow. Where unity is God commands the blessing of life evermore. When we are in unity we become a Holy Spirit magnet.

Acts 2:1-2 KJV
(1) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
(2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

When they got in agreement then suddenly the Spirit was on them.

Acts 4:24 KJV
(24) And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
Acts 4:31 KJV
(31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

They lifted up their voice together and the place was filled with the Holy Ghost.

2 Chronicles 5:13 KJV
(13) It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments ofmusick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;

When they came together in unity, the Spirit came upon them.

2 Chronicles 5:14 KJV
(14) So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

What is one sound like they made? It means that the instruments could not be heard above the singers. Nothing was louder than the others. When praise and worship is taking place join in so that your voice can be one sound with the people.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

Suffering

2008-04-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

Suffering

Grace Church

Mike Goolsbay

January 16, 2008

God does not always answer our prayers. Sometimes He does better.

You have one job in your life, don't quit. The moment that you do you are being held hostage by the enemy. If you don't quit, you win.

Life is not about you. There is a word that you can learn about, most people do not, is to learn about suffering. Most people will not because it is not the most pleasant thing to read and learn about.

Psalms 119:50 KJV

(50) This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

Quicken could be preserved. Preserved does not mean just getting by, it means to continue and
flourish. You are the condition that is saving this earth. Live for something bigger in your life. Not just for yourself.

There are four basic types of suffering.

Suffering from stupidity (most common).
Suffering that does not belong to you (sickness was taken at the cross, why do you still have it?)
Suffering from living in an imperfect world.
Suffering that is a precursor to promotion.

My obstacles become my opportunities with the forth one. This where we will focus. Look at the obstacles in life and do not let them hijack your hopes and dreams.

Acts 5:40-41 KJV

(40) And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

(41) And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

Suffering here is atimazō, despise, dishonor, suffer shame, entreat shamefully. They thought a joy to suffer shame for the Gospel. This is not something that we want on a day to day basis. Do we suffer from the opinions of others more than we suffer from the opinion of God? We want to be the center of every solution to every problem. That moves God out of the center.

The greatest leaders in the Bible all had three things in common. They are pain, conflict, and loneliness. These are things that you will go through on the way to promotion. The enemy, Satan, will try to attack us at this point and make us question our anointing.

2 Timothy 1:11-12 KJV

(11) Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

(12) For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Where is your confidence (your persuasion)? If you can get where God is calling you on your own abilities, you are dreaming too small. God's call should always just be outside your reach. Many people will not like what you do. You have to make decisions. God offers clarity in those. Follow those, peace, do not follow those, you compromise and will not get where you need to be. Do not be afraid to be embarrassed in what you do. God can use it to move you forward in things. Even though it can be humiliating, it can be God ordained. It can be something better than what you wanted. Suffering can build confidence, reputation but most importantly character. God wants to build you from the inside out.

Romans 5:1 KJV

(1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

We are not justified by anything but by our faith.

Romans 5:2-5 KJV

(2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

(3) And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

(4) And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

(5) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

We want in the end to find hope. We can live through the day when we focus on God. If we focus on the man in the mirror, we fail. Suffering for promotion God uses for preparation in our life. Confidence, character and reputation cannot be based on you, it has to be based on Christ in you. People fall great of the greatest blessing because they quit when they are just about to win. The obstacle that gets in the way for our success is most likely ourselves.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

Discernment

2008-04-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Discernment

Grace church

Pastor Bob Yandian

Jan 13, 2008

God has given us a discerning heart and spirit to use for understanding how we should act.

Ezekiel 44:23 KJV

(23) And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

We are not born with discernment. It has to be taught. Just because a person claims to be a Christian, or even hangs around a church does not mean they have discernment. Jesus said ‘…if you continue in my word…’. That would mean you have to be taught it in the first place. In Acts 4:42 it says that they continued in studying the apostle's doctrine. We need to learn the clean from the unclean, the good from the evil. This is not a natural thing. In fact common sense is not common! We need Biblical sense.

The priest (in our days the ministers and pastors, the church) needs to know discernment. It is more important to get it however from the family. If your family did not, stick with God, he will guide you.

Titus 2:3 KJV

(3) The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

The older woman would be the more mature, preferably the mother.

Titus 2:4 KJV

(4) That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

They are to teach the young woman how to be sober mined and how to love their husband and children. A mother is not born with this; it needs to be taught, preferably from the mother of the woman, but it not, from mature woman in the church.

Titus 2:5-6 KJV

(5) To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

(6) Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

Young men are also need to be taught to be sober minded, preferably from his father. The church is to be a supplement to what they are supposed to learn at home. The family is the most important. You can take time off from going to church, but you cannot take time off from being a family. If this cannot or was not done in your life, then come saturate yourself in the Word, so that you can learn discernment.

We are not the only generation that needed to learn discernment. In Isaiah we learn the priest needed to learn as well. In Malachi it says that they have dung on their face. The only place to get dung was outside the walls. In other words, this was an example of the world.

Isaiah 5:20-21 KJV

(20) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

(21) Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Matthew 16:2-3 KJV

(2) He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

(3) And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Many people can discern the world but not the word. Listening to the world brings a lack of discernment. The world turns most every things around. If you have a choice between the World and the word, choose the word,

Many Christians are failing and because they do not see God's View point.

Discernment does not mean hate. We hate he sin, not the sinner.

Listen to what people say and follow it’s logic as the Word speaks about it. Most worldly things you hear are not Christian.

We need a lot spiritual food as well as natural food.

In Galatians 5:22 goodness is mentioned. It really should be virtue

II Corinthians 2:10 discernment of spirits is mentioned.

Hebrews 5:12 KJV

(12) For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Many Christians are not where they should be as they walk away from God and do not learn.

Hebrews 5:13-14 KJV

(13) For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

(14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

You should be so full of the spirit that it filters what you see and hear though the Gospel and the Word of God.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

Walking In the Light

2008-03-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

Walking in the light
Bob Yandian
Jan 9, 2008

Light represents walking in righteousness but it represents walking in what we know. God does not hold us accountable for what we do not know but what we do know. God wants us to constantly expanding what we know and decreasing what we do not. When first born again the questions started. Now those questions seem silly but they were difficult at the time. Sometimes we ask the question and may not get the answer right away. God does not have to answer right away. If He did we could get to be like spoiled brats that get what they want all the time.

Job 34:31 KJV
(31) Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:

The purpose of chastisement is so that we will not sin anymore. How did Job choose to sin no more?

Job 34:32 KJV
(32) That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

Teach me what I do not understand so that I will not offend you anymore.

Discipline is part of the Christian life. It is not taking your house or business away as some might think. Nor is it a tornado or some disaster. God is one who is to blessing. Chastening is done through the word. If you are in this, God will use people speaking the word to you from all sides. It will get to be sometimes that you want to tell God to shut up.

Hebrews 12:6-7 KJV
(6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
(7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

This is not sinners. Those he love would be Christians. It is part of the Christian life. Job brought out the goal that we should all have. He did not want to sin (offend God).

1 John 2:1 KJV
(1) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

God's desire is not for us to sin. As we get older we tend to move the sins internal to ourselves. It is in the heart. But it is still sin.

You have to admit that you sin. Once you do God most likely have to chastise you. A parent will most likely not punish a child who admits to their sins right away. It is like that with God. Some may need to be punished though.

The next step is to tell God, like Job did, that you do not want to sin. And to do that, God will have to teach you. That can often be difficult as God has to turn the light on you to show you the areas that you might not want to change. You need to judge yourself. God can reveal things to us when we pray. He can also speak by you reading the Word and getting it inside you so that you can see where areas are that need to be cleaned up.

1 John 1:7 KJV
(7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

The light is what you know. The darkness is what you do not know. God does not ask you to walk in what you do not know but what you do know. He wants that light to increase however. This verse shows that you can sin and still walk with God. You have to not know that it is a sin however. God is always in the light. God forgives us for that unknown sin.

1 John 1:9 KJV
(9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

You can only confess a sin that you know is a sin. If you do not know it you can not confess it. You must however confess that sin or you no longer walk in the light. And if you sin an unknown sin at this time it is like sinning a known one, at least till you confess that known one. At that point all unknown sins get cleaned.

Ephesians 5:13-15 KJV
(13) But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
(14) Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
(15) See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

The light here is the knowledge of God's Word.

Hebrews 4:12 KJV
(12) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Word of God needs to get inside of us. It needs to discern or judge us. Everything that we do needs to be judged before we do it. The Word will tell us if what we do is pleasing to God or not. Are you willing for God to shine the light of the Holy Spirit and His Word into the crevices of your heart? Job wanted to so that he would not offend God. Are you willing to reveal yourself so that God can expose the sins?

Job 34:31-32 KJV
(31) Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:
(32) That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

Job has told God, the chastening worked. Chastening is not to hurt a child but to line a child up with the right way to do something. When you chasten a child there will often be a peace in a child. Eventually that child will rise up and not want to offend you. You do not want the child to fear you but they will not do something because they love you and do not want to you. We need to be like that to God.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

Being Led By The Lord

2008-03-05T08:53:00.001-08:00

Being Led By The Lord
Bob Yandian
Jan 6, 2008

Grace Church

Proverbs 20:27 KJV
(27) The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

Word for candle is lamp in the Hebrew. This is the lamps of the ancient world. It is the part where illumination comes. We need to stay in contact with the Lord as He rarely leads the same way twice. This lamp is your human spirit. The Holy Spirit works with this area to lead you. We are creatures of habit and want to be lead the way that we have before, or in ways we have seen others be led.

Ephesians 1:18 KJV
(18) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Our spiritual (inward man) eyes receive the spiritual understanding. Our natural eyes receive it from the world. We need to get in tune with what the Spirit wants to say to us so we can be prepared for what is coming. He does not show us every thing. If that was true there would be no walk of faith. Still He will try to lead us.

Abraham in Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to go with his son and servants to sacrifice to Him. Earlier in chapter 12 he is told to go by himself to a new land. God did not lead the same way each time.

Why does God not tell us what is going to happen? A certain amount of uncertainty develops character. This is something that the world can not understand. It seems unusual to them.

If you still run your life, home or business the same way you did 20, 15 or 10 years ago you are not being affective. God will lead you differently now then He did then. If we do not treat a 15 year old the same way we do a 5 year old, why do we think God would work with us the same way.

David's life is a clear example of this. He went from a son, to a shepherd, to a slayer of Goliath, then a servant of Saul and lastly the King of Israel. All of these worked together to help him be what he was to be as a King. Good leaders look for something new to get into and learn from it.

1 Samuel 17:40 KJV
(40) And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

His plan here was that God led him to use a rock and a sling. He was good at this from practice while he was a shepherd. Why five stones though? Goliath had 4 other sons or brothers (the Hebrew is unclear) and David planned to go after the other four. He only got Goliath that day. He tries to kill the second one the same way. When Saul and Jonathan had been killed, the giants were there and David planned to use the rocks to get them. In stead, he almost gets killed himself.

We love ruts. God likes to break them up however. God is going to use another method to take care of them. It is immature to think that we will do things the same way every time. Things change. In every thing with prayer and supplication let your request be know to God. He will answer them. We must be open all times to find new ways to kill old giants. If Joshua had not listened to the Spirit they would have never made it past Jericho. They would have marched around the walls of each city. Jesus rarely used the same way to heal each time to get someone healed.

2 Samuel 21:15-22 KJV
(15) Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.
(16) And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
(17) But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.
(18) And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.
(19) And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
(20) And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.
(21) And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.
(22) These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

David went to fight, and was almost killed. Others had to come to his aide. In early life you do things alone. Later you get help. He got credit for the deaths though (v. 22). It is amazing what you can you do when you do not get the credit.

Any of the men could do what David did.

Judges 20:16 KJV
(16) Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

God could have lead them but they did not listen.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

One In A Million - Bob Yandian

2008-02-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

One in a Million
Bob Yandian
Jan 2, 2008

Grace Church

Psalms 65:1-3 KJV
(1) Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
(2) O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
(3) Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.

Verse 1 talks about praise, 2 about prayer and 3 about purging our sins.

Praise in verse 1 is silent praise. It refers to silently waiting on God. Praying to God and getting overwhelmed and getting silent is an example of this. There are times to praise God and times to be silent. This verse show that we should only praise God. We have no one else to turn to. Verse 2 shows we should only pray to God.

1 - If God cannot be praised at the moment - be silent
2 - If God cannot be prayed to at the moment - the only one to pray to will be God.
3 - There is no one else to go to that can forgive us of our sins - go directly to God, not someone on earth.

Vows may be made before man (verse 1) but they are really made before God. When you make a vow you are making it to God. Think before you make a vow.
All men will eventually go to God in prayer (verse 2). All men will come to God as well. So how does God hear your prayer when you pray. God may have a million people praying to Him but he does not necessarily hear them unless they are praying within the guidelines. But He hears all of those that do individually.

Five guidelines to God hearing and answering your prayers. They are guidelines not steps or rules. God can answer stupid prayers as well as ones done properly.

Approach God as He is not in heaven but right there with us.
Jeremiah 23:23-24 KJV
(23) Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
(24) Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

Speak to Him out loud. It helps you (and others) to get your thoughts right. God can recognize prayers not spoken out loud. Approach God like he cares and wants to hear us.
Approach God in simple faith. It does not make any difference how much faith you have, use what you have. One man said to Jesus 'help my unbelief.' Jesus took him where he was at and worked with it.
John 15:7 KJV
(7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

1 John 5:14-15 KJV
(14) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
(15) And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

James 1:6 KJV
(6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
There must be no sin in our lives (or at least ones that we know of).
1 John 1:9 KJV
(9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Do not dredge something up to find a sin in your past. You know when you sin. The old hidden sins God will let you know of when you are ready.

Psalms 66:18 KJV
(18) If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
This is when you know you have sin in your life and you do not deal with it.

Proverbs 15:8 KJV
(8) The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
You can do all sorts of sacrifices but if there is wickedness in your life He can not hear it.

John 9:31 KJV
(31) Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
This includes sinning Christians that God cannot hear.
There must be no unforgiveness in your life. If you have not forgiven someone God can not hear your prayer.
Mark 11:25-26 KJV
(25) And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
(26) But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

When Job forgave his friends his life was able to be turned around.
No discord in our marriage relationships.
1 Peter 3:7 KJV
(7) Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Weaker vessel is not that she is weak in many different things. The vessel is the body we have. Men are stronger than woman. Men need to use the strength to honor her. Men are to make it right first so that prayers shall not be hindered.

So how do you standout in the crowd praying to God. Follow these and you will most likely will. But many can be doing this. God will still hear you as you were the only one praying. When you go saved most likely others were doing so at the same time. God heard you. That should be an example to you.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

2007-11-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

The Problem With Evil
From Podcast - Edge Youth - Grace Church
02-14-07
Rob Yandian

Apologetics - defending your faith.
What reason do we have to believe that God is out there? Look at the prophecies in the Old Testament and compare them to real events. Start with Daniel 11. There is evidence.

There is order to the universe so there is evidence of an intelligent creator.

There is evil, bad stuff happens to people who do not deserve it.

(Psa 14:1 KJV) To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none thatdoeth good.

Atheism comes from foolishness. An atheist believes that there is moral being watching over you so you can do what ever you want. We believe in a God who does see us and that we want to please.

God is all good and all powerful according to the Christians. Bad stuff happens. If God is all good would he want the bad stuff happen, could he make it stop. He is either not all good or all powerful, right? Either that or God is sadistic.

Good and evil some believe are opposites. There is some good in evil and some evil and good, like the ying-yang pictures that you see. Where did evil come from. Evil had to come into existence at some time as it is not equal to God. It did not came from Lucifer like we would like to believe.

First define evil. Does evil have substance? Light versus dark. Light has substance, but darkness does not. Dark is the removal of the light. What is cold, the absence of heat. Cold is a measurement of heat. Absolute zero is a total absence of heat. Evil is the absence of good. Anything evil is a lack of something good.

Joh 1:1-4 KJV
(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(2) The same was in the beginning with God.
(3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
(4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Col 1:16 KJV
(16) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

God created evil. This does not mean that God is evil or wants bad things to happen to us. Evil is the absence of good, the absence of God Himself. God gave us a choice. We have to have at least things to choose from. It is either good (God) or evil (the absence of God). Satan chose the absence of God.

We are here to worship God. Is God an egomaniac? No. We can not out-give God at all. We are to worship Him and He is to bless us. If we did not have the choice to worship him, we would be nothing but robots. And that could mean nothing to God. It can only mean something to God, as it does to any parent, if it comes from the heart voluntarily.

Deu 30:19 KJV
(19) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

God's final exam. Choose one of the following: A)Life, B)Death. Hint, the answer is A.

Why is their evil in the first place? Adam made the choice to choose death. Every one since then has gotten that death in their life. Jesus came and undid all that Adam did.

Evil is here because we have the choice to go to the good or the evil. The worst that could happen is you could die an undeserved death. In that case you spend an eternity in heaven with God.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.
As of this writing the message is available as part of a podcast. The sermon is available here

2007-11-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

You Can't Lose For Winning
Loaded Dice 1
Bob Yandian

10/06/07

Dice are found in the word of God and we are playing with loaded dice.

Life works out when we follow God. God is in control.

Psalm 16: 5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

The word lot in the Old Testament is the Urim and Thurim that the priest would carry in a pouch over his heart. It is mentioned many times in the Old Testament, when dividing the land in particular. God guides us by the Holy Spirit which we keep in our heart.

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

Nothing happens by circumstance. God is in control of the things in our life. There is no such thing as luck in the Christian life.

Deuteronomy 28

1	And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2	And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

The simple pattern of the Christian Life. Do our best to follow the Lord and the blessings will over take you. If we do not know that we do wrong, then God takes care of it. We need not do the things that we know are wrong. Walk in what you know like the disciples who were told by Jesus at the Passover to go find a man with a water-pot and follow him. God had it planned for the man to be there when the disciples were there. God has it under control. Many old testaments figures had bad situations in their life like we would face. They all survived.

Ephesians 4:

11	And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12	For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13	Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14	That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

We need to grow up and stop being deceived. Slight here is Greek word kubia, it is where we get the word dice (cube). We are in a crap game with Satan and men, and it is cunning craftiness, they are cheating.

Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
When we delight in the Lord, God orders our steps. If not Satan does.

24	Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
25	I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

God takes care of us. David most likely had times he thought he would be begging for bread but in the end as he reflected, he did not have that experience. God was taking care of things behind the scenes. Do what God asks you to do and you will have the same experiences.

Ruth was a Moabite woman, from a nation that was cursed by God.

Ruth 2

2	And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3	And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

She happened? Nothing just happens. She stumbles into the right place but she was guided by the Holy Spirit.

4	And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
5	Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6	And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:

She walked in and went to the field of Boaz and he just happened to walk in the house at a time to look at her and say who is that.

We need the know that the back story here is that Naomi and her husband left with their two sons to escape a famine. While there, the children married Moabite woman. Later they and their father died. Naomi tries to tell them to go back. Ruth chose to stay with Naomi. They returned to Bethlehem. Ruth being now dedicated to her mother-in-law and her religious beliefs.

We need to look back and see these divine interventions in our life like we can see them in the life of Ruth. Do your best to follow the will of God in your life. Learn to count you blessings. Naomi lost her two sons and her husband trying to escape a famine. The famine did not look so bad at that point. How you handle your hardships determine your future. Our success's are made of the ingredients of our struggles. Life is not easy but you are still standing.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.

Welcome to Rocky Land

2007-11-07T17:22:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Rocky Land
Grace Fellowship
Al Poncel
10/03/2007

Five Biblical Principals from the Movie 'Rocky Balboa'

Round 1 - Great insults last a long time.

In the 1st movie there was a girl that insulted him. He meets her in this movie and they remember each other. He remembers her cause he told her to clean up her act and she called a bad name. She does not remember it, denies it and he replies that 'great insults last a long time.'

Proverbs 8:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: ...

Forgive is what we are encouraged to do. Words do not come back easy.

James 3: 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.
From the same mouth we can give good things and bad things. The bad things are what is remembered often.

Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Saying the right word at the right time is a great encouragement to people. We need more encouragement in the world.

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity:
Fire reproduces itself as long as their is oxygen to feed it. A wrong hear attitude and a listening ear will fuel a tongue fire.

I Peter 2: Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
Clean house, the insults should not come from you.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Corrupt here could be defined as putrid (like something that someone has thrown up.

Round 2 - The older I get, the more I need to leave behind
The commission does not want to give him back his licence to fight back, as he leaves he says, 'the older I get, the more I need to leave behind."

Forgiveness, you need to learn how to forgive.
Offence, learn not to get offended.
Change.
Definition of dead is something that never changes.
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Things are not constant in life. We change from child to teen to young adult to older adult. Life is journey that you did not volunteer for but that you were blessed to experience it. Life changes all the time.

Deuteronomy 1:6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
If you want to know something different than what you have, you have to do something different than what you are doing. Get out of the mountain and go through the valley to get to the next mountain. There is a time for things to happen. You need to get to new levels.

C = change
H = honest look at your self
A = action - do it.
N = Newness, what was is not better than what will be.
G = Growth, never is more common than unfulfilled potential
E = Eyes - get them on the future, do not be afraid to go slow, be afraid of stopping.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Round 3 - Life is not about how had you can get hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving.
Son comes over during the fight and tells him how hard his life has been cause his life has been in his shadow. Rocky says ' Life is not about how had you can get hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving.'
The energy to retreat can be the same as to succeed.

1. When you get hit often you try to hit back
Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Prov 20:22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

2. People put up a shell to keep people out.
3. Quit on life and run away.

James 2:

2	My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3	Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Look at Joseph's life. What would it have been if he gave up when his brothers sold him off.

Round 4 - the last thing to age is your heart
Rocky is in the hotel room and he is talking to a woman that he brefriended and helped her and her boy. She says to him while trying to encourage him, 'the last thing to age is your heart'.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Joshua 14:


6	Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
7	Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
8	Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9	And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.
10	And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
11	As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
12	Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

God will give you something to conquer if you have the heart for it.
13And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

Round 5 - I got to go out the way I got to go out
Last round, his son is telling him to stand back and just finish it. Rocky says ' I got to go out the way I got to go out.'

John 12:

23	And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
24	Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25	He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26	If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
27	Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

It was for this moment that He came. Never say that you have nothing left to do. There is always more for you to do. God has called you to do what He called you to do, go out doing it.
II Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Revelations 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

At the end, he does not win but they all applaud him. His son comes to him and says 'Dad, that was the greatest thing ever'. Will your children say that when you pass on to be with God? Your life is not over, there is so much more that you can do.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version. The notes are based on what I heard. They may or may not reflect what the speaker said.