05/15/11 - Freedom Series PT3 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Freedom" in this Sunday celebration with "Dancing with the Star".

Freedom PT3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, May 15, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com


Sermon Notes:

Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. (AMP: He will rejoice [dance] over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them])

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”


Dancing with the Star

There are several instructors who want to teach us to dance—our culture, our enemy, our past.  Make sure you are dancing with the Holy Spirit.  He is the only one whose dance sets you free.  He is the only one whose instructions are always for your good.  The other instructors may make you feel free sometimes, but they do not have the power to sustain that freedom.  In fact, at the end of the day you will find their dance was a trap not freedom.

A Tale of 2 Dances:

John 14:3-11 Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet. But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. So John was beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.”

-   Sin seeks ways to “salve” or treat the sin—numb the pain, dull our conscience.  The result is more sin, the things we do to fill the void actually increase the pain, leading to a life filled with regret.  I’m sorry I danced at all.

-   Notice none of the companions in this dance, the friends and guests surrounding them, stopped the dance.  They just stood by and watched destruction unfold, then went home and either talked about how horrible it was or laughed about what fools Herod, Herodias and his daughter made of themselves.

2 Samuel 6: 14-23 “And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns. But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him…Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes. When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.

-   Dancing to celebrate the Lord is filled with innocence.  Those around were blessed, even physical blessings (when David fed the entire nation), by the dance.  Everyone left this party rejoicing.  The joy remained since it was the presence of the Lord they were celebrating.  No need to manufacture another reason to celebrate (It’s the weekend.  It’s Cinco de Mayo.  It’s St. Patrick’s Day.  Bin Laden is dead.)  The reason for celebration—the goodness and presence of God—lives among them fulltime.

-   The freedom dance doesn’t really care what people think about it.  The dance is for an audience of One.  I’ll become even more undignified than this—I will worship, I will talk about the goodness of the Lord, I will appear foolish in your sight, I will go overboard for Jesus no matter how ‘uncool’ anybody thinks it is.

-   Just a few days before David was overcome with grief and guilt—because of His mistake someone had died and it seemed the presence of God would never fill his city.  Isn’t it too early for him to be dancing?  Shouldn’t he be grieving longer?  Or could it be that grieving in the presence and power of God looks different.  Could it be that guilt and regret are really healed in God’s presence?  Is there really freedom found simply by living in the presence of a Holy God?

-   Notice the result of despising (making small) the dance of freedom—a barren life


So What?

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is Lord there is freedom.”

-   Settle the “Lordship Issue”—Who is directing your dance? (culture, career, control, comparison, competition)
-   Admit the need to be free—What is present in your life that you could not do without for one week?
-   Embrace the Holy Spirit and His work in you (story of the little girl’s impromptu dance)
-   Practice trusting God—Jesus taught His disciples to pray for “today’s bread”—depending on God instead of self.  He called worry “the way of the Gentiles” (NLT—“dominates the thoughts of unbelievers) (Matthew 6:32)—those with no understanding of a relationship with God.

05/11/11 - Wednesday Night - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches in this Wednesday evening service.

Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, May 11, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com

05/08/11 - Freedom Series PT2 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Freedom" in this Sunday service.

Freedom PT2
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, May 8, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com

05/04/11 - Wednesday Night - Chuck Rozell

Chuck Rozell teaches in this Wednesday evening service.

Chuck Rozell
Wednesday, May 04, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com

05/01/11 - Freedom Series PT1 - Tony Sherrill

Tony Sherrill begins the series "Freedom" in this Sunday service.

Freedom PT1
Tony Sherrill
Sunday, May 1, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Sermon Notes:

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE

Genesis 1:26-28  dominion = supreme authority to rule

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all^[a] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Psalm 8:4-8  vs 6 – you have made him to have dominion over creation

 ⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him,
         And the son of man that You visit him?
 ⁵ For You have made him a little lower than the angels,^[a]
         And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
        
 ⁶ You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
         You have put all things under his feet,
 ⁷ All sheep and oxen—
         Even the beasts of the field,
 ⁸ The birds of the air,
         And the fish of the sea
         That pass through the paths of the seas.

Romans 8:21-22  all creation waits

; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

Genesis 18:19

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Joshua 24:15

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Song:  As for Me

Vs 1 – building my own kingdom 

Seeking worthless idols

Idol = setting your affections on worldly things to the point you have a twisted image of right & wrong, life & death

What we should do:

Colossians 3:2

#1 - Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

I John 2:15

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

#2 – Hate what God hates

Proverbs 6:16-19

Arrogance, lying, innocent people being hurt, harmful schemes, evil practices, telling lies about others that stir up dissension among people

Proverbs 8:13

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
      Pride and arrogance and the evil way
      And the perverse mouth I hate.
      

Character is in part formed by what we hate.

#3 – Live the resurrected life

Ephesians 3:20

We are not to live a crucified life; we are to live a resurrected life.  I am alive with Christ.

II Peter 1:4

by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

I am forgiven

I am His workmanship

There is no condemnation

I am in right standing with God

I can do all things through Christ

I am more than a conqueror

I am blessed with all spiritual blessings

I am delivered from the power of darkness

I am a son of God

By Jesus’ stripes I’m healed

04/27/11 - Wednesday Night - Chuck Rozell

Chuck Rozell teaches in this Wednesday evening service.

Chuck Rozell
Wednesday, April 27, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com

04/24/11 - King Size Life - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "King Size Life" in this Sunday service.

King Size Life
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, April 24, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com


Sermon Notes:

King Size Life
1 Timothy 6:19 “By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”

Ephesians 5:14 “Therefore He says: “ Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
Big Idea: Are we living the rich and satisfying life Jesus paid the price for us to have or are we living below our potential?  Even if our life is sweet, is it Big Life, King Size Life, or is it the miniature, sample size? 
Jesus came to fix our broken lives.  Do we recognize true life?  Have we settled for less?  Does the life we live look like the one He died to give us?  He rose from the dead—have we?  Let’s arise with Jesus this Easter to a higher level of life. We might even think our life is the best it can be, that it’s pretty good and couldn’t get any better.  Or maybe we have grown accustomed to life below God’s standards and, without even realizing it, we have accepted lower standards.  Have we bought into the old saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”  Maybe it is broken and we just don’t see it.  Or maybe we know it’s broken but have quit expecting anything better.  Either way, Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, is all about God invading our lives to show us again what life could and should be.  It’s all about God upsizing our lives to King Size. 

Jesus’ keys to King Size Life:
Mark 12 (the 1st story Jesus tells) A story about a loving landowner who has to go away so he sets all the people on his land up to have a great life.  Instead, through a series of bad choices, the people end up destroyed.  In this foundational story, Jesus gives us some keys to living the Blessed Life.
-   Vs. 1: The Landowner sets everyone up to win, providing everything they need to succeed.  Note he also provided a watch tower—indicating that great life must be guarded, King Size life is the target of thieves (John 10:10)

-   Vs. 2-9: “But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’” Don’t take ownership, be a steward.  Treat everything, every part of life, as if it belongs to the Lord, because it does.  Taking ownership turns us into greedy hoarders who begin to believe there is not enough so we have to become selfish to protect our interests.  Being a steward keeps us living generously, recklessly loving others and being loved.

-   Vs. 10-17: (religious leaders seek to trap Jesus) “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.”  Always understand King Size Life is ours solely because of Jesus, not because of our performance—our ability to keep the rules.  It’s not about keeping a bunch of rules and regulations so we can be ‘good enough’ to have the King Size life—it is about having a relationship with the King, the giver of King Size life.   Can’t have King Size life without a King Size King—the King of Kings!

-   Vs. 18-24:  “Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.”  We need to know the King Size promises given in God’s Word.  We need to make them ours, not just see them as some vague sacred writings that are impersonal and untouchable.  The Bible is a love letter written to each of us by the King.  Believing God can King Size your life begins with knowing His Word for yourself.  The more it becomes part of you, the more you know and see the King’s power at work in your life.

-   Vs. 25-27 “So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.”  Don’t buy into the lie that God is distant, detached or untouchable.  Those living King Size life know He is with them, that He is actively involved in their lives and are listening for His whispers in their ears.  God’s not dead, and He is not sitting idly by just hoping things work out for us.  He is as close as you want Him to be.  We each have as much of Jesus in our lives as we want.  Living King Size life means we can’t get enough of Him and invite Him into every aspect of our life.  No matter if your life is great or if your life stinks, no matter if you have wasted your life and know it, or think you have done well and take responsibility for it, no matter if you are living for God every day, the story of Easter—the very real historical facts of those events 2000 years ago—are proof God wants us to have the King Size life Jesus died to give us.  Don’t settle for the trial size, the miniature version of life.  Get the King Size version—enough life for you and enough life to share with others.

Check out Jamye’s story of trading up, upsizing her life to King Size.


Decision Point:

This is not a hoax, not some religious junk—Jesus is not a way, a truth, a life—He is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE.  He came to give that life to us, not some counterfeit version of life—real life, rich and satisfying life. 

Peter: Crucified upside down.  Andrew crucified. James beheaded.  John exiled.  Matthew speared to death.  Nathanel beaten and crucified.  Philip crucified.  Thomas speared to death.  Simon crucified.  James stoned to death.  Thaddeus stoned to death. 

No hoax—facts.  History.  Men who knew Jesus was THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE.  Men who would not settle for anything less.  Men who told us in the words they left us that King Size life is available to everyone through Jesus Christ and it is the only life worth living for because it is the only life worth dying for. 

Mark 11:22 Message “Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you.”