04/22/12 - Unload PT2 - Pastor Michael Adams

Pastor Michael Adams continues the series "Unload" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Unload PT2
Pastor Michael Adams
Sunday, April 22, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Unload Week Two

Big Idea: Cast our cares on Him- Practical ways to find release

1 Peter 5:7 NKJ
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.


Israel’s Promise Land

Numbers 14: 24-25
But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land. 25 Now turn around, and don’t go on toward the land where the Amalekites and Canaanites live. Tomorrow you must set out for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.”   
-  One of the signs of living in slavery is you have no Sabbath

-  “Rest” in the bible was a “place” or “land of rest” called the Promise Land. This was a land God had promised the people of Israel when they came out of slavery in Egypt. This was theirs – a place where cruel task masters could not give them orders.

-  “Rest or the Sabbath principle is not just a rest as in refreshment and relaxing but it’s the confidence , the trust , that what you are fighting for has been promised by the Lord and the victory is sure because the battle is the Lords.


Our Promise Land- Living in God’s Rest:

John 16:33
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Hebrews 4:1-6
God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. 2 For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. 3 For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest, ’”even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. 4 We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5 But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.”6 So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.

*See His Promise
   - See the promise and the God of the promise instead of the giants
   - This is a perspective thing. What you focus on gets bigger.
   - Protects us from finding rest in unholy ways

*Make it Personal- Make them yours
   - Probably one of the biggest challenges because this is where His promises make their way from our heads to our hearts
   - Beware the trap of comparison and the “why question” (Why was this man born blind?)
   - See it, Say it, Sew it!
   - Practice of His Presence.
   Ex. David and Goliath
   1 Samuel 17:45-46
   45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!

*Call in Back Up
   - Surround yourself with others speaking the same promise

*Rest in Him-Find ways to take a break from the front lines without giving up territory

Matthew 11:28-30 (MESSAGE)
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

-   True rest is found when we allow God to fill every part of our lives with himself Sabbath- reflect on the wonder of the creator (lifestyle of worship)
-   He is what makes the Sabbath holy
-   A life of thankfulness

Trust in me = no holiness and more effort= no rest.
Thankfulness = a place where His name is remembered= a place of His presence = keeping the Sabbath holy = true rest and replenishment.

04/18/12 - The 9 P's of Winning - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "The Nine P's of Winning" during this Wednesday evening celebration.

Wednesday Celebration
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast

04/15/12 - Unload PT1 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore begins the series "Unload" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Unload PT1
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, April 15, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

The Sabbath Principle

Mark 2:27 “Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”

Every 7th day was a day of rest—a day to replenish, refresh and refire.  We are wired by God for a Sabbath—without it we will crash and burn.  (sleep problems, health issues, life expectancy, aging skin, sex drive, energy, depression)

Every 7th year was a year of rest, of jubilee.  The whole principle is about trusting God for everything instead of trusting our efforts.  It is an insult to our Father when we fail to trust Him as His children. 

Exodus 16:29a “They must realize that the Sabbath is the LORD’s gift to you…”

The Sabbath is a gift to us from the Lord.  It is the 1st gift the Lord gives back to the Israelites after being released from slavery.  As slaves they had no Sabbath.  Our enemy does the same thing to keep us from experiencing freedom.  As slaves in Egypt, they never had any days off, so the Sabbath day of rest was a very apt way to remember their Salvation (what God had saved them from), and that they now belonged to a good God.  We had no way of saving ourselves from our sin, but God chose to save us by grace.  Living with the Sabbath Principle in our lives reminds us that we must have Him in our lives, that we are lost without Him.

Genesis 2:3a “And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy…”

1st thing declared holy in the Bible is the Sabbath.  It is holy because it is the day God chose to rest upon.  The Lord rested on the 7th day.  It is not the day of the week that made it the Sabbath—it is the fact that He “rested” on it that made it the Sabbath.  We are ‘holy’ because He chooses to ‘rest upon us’.  Rest is not found in the Sabbath, it is found in the God of the Sabbath.  Are we a place of rest for the Father?  Do we create a throne for His presence in our lives?  The first mention of the Sabbath in connection with the Manna (Exodus 16) confirms this aspect of trusting God as gracious Creator and Provider of all good things. We have a tendency to think that we are the center of the universe and that everything depends on our efforts, so we dare not take a day of rest, otherwise we will fall behind in our work or our finances or everything will fall apart. So a day of rest serves to get our focus off ourselves onto God, enthroning Him as the center of our life, trusting Him for our provision.

Exodus 20:8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”

The Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to us to restore, refresh, replenish us.  It is a source of release, not just relief.  He tells us in the 10 commandments to ‘keep it holy’—don’t seek that release, the refreshment and replenishing we need in ‘unholy’ ways.  Those ways will not truly provide release.  They may provide a ‘relief valve’—much like the pressure relief valves on our hot water heaters that keep them from blowing but don’t actually address the source of the pressure.  The result is the pressure continually re-builds, eventually wearing out the relief valve, resulting in an explosion of pressure and a need for a new relief valve.  That’s why our ‘unholy’ relief valves break down and we seek new and greater ‘valves’.  A continual cycle of searching for relief valves that provide only temporary escape. 


So What:

1.  Stop justifying a life without a Sabbath.  Scientists tell us one sign of sleep deprivation is the failure to recognize you aren’t getting enough sleep.  “I have adjusted to only 6 hours of sleep.” 

Hebrews 4:11 “So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.”

2.  Start practicing trust with God:  speak His Word when the temptation comes to take back the cares.  Stand on His Word:  look up all the scriptures about worry, fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, bad dreams—It’s His Word—It’s the Truth!  Treat it like it is.  Honor it, think it, speak it and start seeing it happen in your life.

Hebrews 3:19 “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.”

3.  Scheduling a Sabbath—Be intentional with setting aside 8 minutes of every hour, 2 to 3 hours before bedtime, one day of the week.  Turn off cell phones, don’t check emails, find the “holy” place for you.  Spend time with Him each day.  You’ll find yourself.  You’ll also find yourself accomplishing more in less time.

Hebrews 4:10 “For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.”

04/11/12 - The 9 P's of Winning - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "The Nine P's of Winning" during this Wednesday evening celebration.

Wednesday Celebration
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, April 11, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast

04/06/12 - Good Friday Celebration - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on this Good Friday celebration.

Good Friday celebration
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Friday, April 06, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast

04/01/12 - Vision Sunday - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore recasts the vision of LifeGate Church in this Sunday morning celebration.

Vision Sunday
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, April 1, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Vision Sunday, April 2012
“Christ loves us and by his blood he set us free from our sins. He lets us rule as kings and serve God his Father as priests. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5b-6

Big Idea:

*   Gen 1:28 “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it…”
*   Gen 9:1 “Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.”
*   Gen 22:17 “I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.”
*   Matt 28:18-20 “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
*   Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”


1.  God has a heart for the whole world (2 Peter 3:9 “…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentence…”).  His 1st partnership with man was to love the whole world.  Every partnership with man since is for the same purpose.

2.  Sin interrupted, broke, that partnership. 

3.  The Church is God’s restoration of that partnership with mankind to reach the whole world.  God wants healthy, growing churches.  There are people to be loved, lost and hurting people to be reached.  God’s consistent, continual heart is a partnership with us to reach everyone.  Matthew 28:18-20 = Genesis 1:28.

4.  As His Church, we are responsible to that partnership.  Matthew 16:18 “…the gates of hell shall not prevail…”; Acts 26:19 “…not been disobedient to the Heavenly Vision…”

5.  As His representatives (2 Corinthians 5:20), His ‘re-presenters’, we are to be ‘kings and priests unto our God’.  Our leading and our connecting is through Him and for Him and His glory. 

6.  One of our functions as a local church is to equip, empower, arrange, the believers in ministry (service to the Lord by serving others) until we can be mistaken for Him! (Ephesians 4:10-12).

7.  How?  Experience, Connect, Grow, Serve.  Moving people from an experience with God to fulfilling our destiny in God.


Genesis 12:2-3 “I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  The ‘full gospel’, the complete Truth is not just “We are blessed” but “ We are blessed to be a blessing to the whole world.”  To fulfill the partnership with God. 
Acts 20:35 “And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  Want to live the Blessed Life or the More Blessed Life? 


So What?

Live the rest of this day in partnership with God.  Live tomorrow in partnership with Him.  Seek His advice, His presence, His will.  He is the Senior Partner, the majority stake is His.  Learn to hear His voice, submit to His direction.  And move forward with Him.  Where are you right now in your relationship with Him?  Experience? Connection? Growth? Serve?
Make an intentional decision to incorporate all 4 into your lifestyle. 
Luke 19:13 “…Occupy til I come…”