An Audience With The King (Part 1)

Pastor Rocklyn Clarke - Sunday April 26, 2009

© 2009 Life Church Ministries, Inc.

http://www.LifeChurchMinistries.org/

  Notes
V Introduction
* Bible Reading 4/19 - 4/25: Josh 19 - Judges 5; Luke 19:28 - 22:53; Psalm 88 - 94; Prov 13:12 - 14:4
> Review
V New Material
> Preparation
V An Audience With The King
> Preparation - Hebrews 4:14-16
V Standing Issues
V Make it plain
* Use accessible language and modern parables.
* Make sure people do something with God's message.
* Keep it simple.
* Use illustrations of truth out of my own experience.
* Impart faith to obey the Word and receive God's promises.
V Introduction
* The End Of Christian America
V How Can I Really Approach The Throne Of Grace?
* Because Jesus is our high priest we can approach God confidently to get what we need when we need it.
V Purpose
* Walk closely and confidently with God.
* Fellowship faithfully with other believers
* Walk by faith
V What does this mean?
* Jesus has authority in heaven, yet he can identify with us who live on the earth. He has made it possible for us to approach God.
V Is it True? Do I believe it?
* Yes - that's why I pray!
V What difference does it make? So What?
* I can get what I need (not want) from God whenever I need it.
* I can get close to God.
V Walk closely and confidently with God
V Read Passage - Hebrews 10:19-25
* Enter by the blood
* Enter through his broken body
* Sincere heart
* Assured faith
* Hearts sprinkled and bodies washed (i.e. guilt free and baptized)
* God's faithfulness is the basis for our unswerving hope.
* Stay actively committed to fellowship and encouraging others.
V Fellowship faithfully with other believers
V Review Passage - Hebrews 10:19-25
* Spur others on towards love and good deeds.
* Keep meeting together.
* Encourage one another.
V Walk by faith - Hebrews 10:35 - 11:12
* Don't throw away your confidence.
* The righteous live by faith rather than shrinking back.
V Be certain of what you hope for and confident of what you don't see.
V God
* God spoke the universe into existence by faith.
* Abel
* Enoch
* Noah
V Abraham
* Left his home and people to go where God sent him.
* Became a Father miraculously.
V Without faith we can't please God.
* Faith must be a characteristic of our relationship with him.
* Believe that he wants to speak with you.
* Commit your time to talking to God and listening.
* Act as if he said something back to you - write it down and share it with a brother or sister you trust.
V Start with baby steps (or baby talk).
* Parents use baby talk to teach their children simple concepts and eventually those same children master regular adult speech.
* Expect to hear simple things from God first. Act on them faithfully and you will eventually be able to hear him say more complex things to you.
V Conclusion
* God wants us to draw near to him. This isn't optional.
* It's up to us to listen to what he's saying and take the risk of acting on it.
* Altar Call / Response Cards?
* Survey
V Discussion Questions / Topics (based on the indicated scriptures)
Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
* In your time of need do you turn to God or somewhere else? Discuss.
* Do you approach God with confidence? Discuss.
Hebrews 10:19-25
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
* Are you faithful in meeting together with other believers? Why or why not?
* Are you faithful in meeting with your life group? Why or why not?
* What have you done recently to encourage your brothers and sisters?
V Witnessing Activities
V Discuss with your life group and pray for the following people:
* Guests of yours who have already visited Life Church and how they felt about the experience.
* People you plan to invite to church for Mother's Day (5/10/2009).
* People you plan to invite to church for Father's Day (6/21/2009).
V Scriptures For 04/26/2009 Life Church Sermon
Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 10:19-25
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:35 - 11:12
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age — and Sarah herself was barren — was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Understanding The Bible

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Here, for your convenience, are the Bible passages that we will be using in today's sermon at Life Church. We use the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible so that you can read it in modern English. You may have been accustomed to reading or hearing the King James Version of the Bible, which uses older English (with words like "thee" , "thou", "thine", "believeth", etc.). If so, don't be alarmed - the passages below are really from the Bible even though they are in modern English.

The Bible was originally written in three ancient languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. None of the people in the Bible, and none of the people who God used to write it spoke English. In fact, English did not even exist as a language when the Bible was written. The King James Version, first published in 1611, was a translation of the Bible from it's original languages into the every day English that people used back then - almost 400 years ago! They didn't just speak that way in church - they spoke that way with everyone. English has certainly changed a lot since then! Since you probably don't speak Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, you're going to have to read the Bible in translated form. At Life Church we believe that since you're going to read an English translation of the Bible you might as well use an up to date one - written in the English you speak every day. God wants you to understand his Word so that you can put it into practice!
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God Bless You!!!