05/06/12 - 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, May 06, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Philippians 1:9-10 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.  For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

“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

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

A Church that loves to Worship and therefore loves to Experience and Connect.
A Church that loves the Word and therefore loves to GROW and Serve.

Benefits and Obstacles to Loving the Word:

•   Immediately challenged.  How many times does the Holy Spirit convict us and challenge us during a celebration and we respond yet there is no follow through because we talk ourselves out of the ‘supernatural’ aspect of what happened? (Matthew 13:19)

•   The Word reveals our innermost desires and thoughts and we either don’t like that level of honesty with ourselves, or we do like what is there and don’t want the ‘lies we have chosen to believe’ to be challenged.  (Hebrews 4:12)  If we continue in deception, we think we are “not responsible” for our choices.  To deny responsibility is to deny whose image we are made in.  We develop a habit of avoiding responsibility and we become “unable to respond”  (Response-ability).  Our hearts become hardened to His leading and, even though He is still leading, we can’t hear and respond, sinking deeper into our quicksand of wrong choices.  (1 Timothy 4:2)

•   We are intimidated by the Word and our lack of understanding.  2 extremes result:
   -   We use it as an excuse and choose to remain ignorant or rely solely upon our experiences  (1 John 5:8) developing our own private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20 NKJV, HCSB)
   -   We begin a quest for ‘knowledge’ and become puffed up and unteachable because we ‘know’.  (1 Corinthians 8:1)

•   Psalm 111:10 “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!” Those who love to worship and love His Word will not only stand, but will gain understanding and application of the things learned.

•   John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”  the presence of God’s Spirit with us and His knowledge and wisdom available to us.

•   Philippians 1:6” And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” We are His workmanship—in fact, His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).

•   John 4:23 “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.”  Worship draws His attention and creates a place for His presence. 


So What:

1.   Experience: coming together to experience His presence in the local church.  Matthew 18:19-20

2.   Connect:Hearing the Word and experiencing His presence in worship are the start, but ‘doing life together’ with other believers is how it is fleshed out.  Romans 12:5

3.   GROW: In an atmosphere of Experience and Connect, we can seek knowledge without becoming ‘puffed up’.  We build on the right foundation, focused on WRM, and become stronger in every area, beginning with leading ourselves and progressing to the place where the Lord is able to entrust His Heavenly vision to our leadership.  Philippians 1:9-10

4.   Serve: Serving is what we were created to do.  It is where we find fulfillment.  It is our destiny in God. Galatians 5:13

Which of these four do you need to add to your life today?

05/02/12 - Exodus - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "Exodus" in this Wednesday evening celebration.

Exodus
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, April 02, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

1 Corinthians 10:
I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. 9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. 12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Psalm 135:18 “And those who make idols are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.”

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”  Not about vocabulary or profanity—it is about ‘representation’ and ‘ambassadorship’.  We are adopted—we ‘take His name’—and we are not to ‘misuse’ it by misrepresenting Him.

Exodus 3

“One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father[c]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God…. 13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
14 God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.”  John 8:58 “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!”

•   The ‘coming out’ of Israel is anticipated and prepared for by God: 
   -   Moses saved from a period of abortion (John the Baptist began his ministry, received the Holy Spirit, in the womb, when he was 9 inches long and weighed about 1 ½ pounds)
   -   Moses trained to lead as a crown prince for 40 years
   -   Realizes who he really is and chooses to leave that kingdom
   -   Trains to lead Israel in the wilderness (Midian and Sinai) for 40 years
   -   His destiny begins with Jesus and Grace at the Burning Bush
      *   Thorn Bush = symbol of the curse/sin
      *   Fire = Judgment
      *   Not consumed = Grace
      *   Voice, Identification with God = Jesus

Exodus is God’s covenant with Israel—they entered Egypt as a family and they emerge as a nation.  Their story is a miraculous story of survival through intentionally planned annihilation. 
Egypt represents the world: anti-Bible and anti-God.  Overthrown by divine judgement as the world will be when Jesus takes rightful ownership of what he has the title to through his blood purchase.

Rescue:  not by our effort, our goodness, our ‘nationality’, but only by the power of the Blood as exemplified by Passover.


Major features of Exodus:

•   10 plagues were directed at the false worship of Egypt.  The scarab/swarms were dung beetles which were the Egyptian symbol of the god of creation.  Their highest deity—note they have become like the gods they worship.
•   Egypt, like the world, is built upon ambition, pleasure and force.  The result is harshness, unforgiving, pride and materialism. 
•   The Tabernacle (John 1):  beautiful inside, outside is ‘not comely in appearance’.  Goat hair (scapecoat who carries away the sin) Rams skins died red (the ram in the bush, the blood sacrifice)  Inside gold, brass, silver, embroidery.  You must go inside to realize the beauty. 

04/29/12 - Unload PT3 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

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

Unload PT3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, April 29, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Rest for our Souls:  Keeping a Saved Soul Healthy

Hebrews 3:19, 4:1, 11-12  “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest. 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…So let us do our best to enter that rest…For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”  Note the key: His Word—willing obedience.  Isaiah 1:19 (TNIV) “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.”

Jeremiah 6:16 ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
 Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
 But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’”

God has THE WAY—defined by Jesus—THE WORD.  Any other path we choose, based on what we think we want that God must not be able to supply, will result in a monster that must be fed.  Example: the volcano in Nicaragua and the endless sacrifice of loved ones to ‘feed the monster’.  The result is we spend our lives seeking the rest we are designed to desire without entering.  Our souls (mind, will, reasoning and emotions) are required of us by the other ‘paths’ while THE PATH provides rest for our souls (mind, will, reasoning and emotions).

Colossians 3:23 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men…”

Whatever you do…do it as unto the Lord:  This becomes the filter in our life, the healthy boundaries that keep us on the rich and satisfying life “path” instead of venturing onto the “path” that leads to disappointment and destruction.  Sometimes, we end up there accidentally, sometimes through ignorance, and sometimes by choice.  The key is don’t stay there!  One of the enemies most used tricks to get us off the path, and therefore no longer “under the wings” of His protection, is to distort the Sabbath principle.  In fact, the deception of the first humans was through the Sabbath principle—find your rest in something other than God.  We give away the things that belong to the people of God, things He gave us to provide rest and refreshment, finding less and less satisfaction but more and more effort.  (example: dancing as unto the Lord has become a never-ending quest requiring more of our souls.)

Genesis 3:4-7 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Note the process:  “It will be just as good without God (note the lie today about participation in a local church).”  The other “path” looks good, is pleasing and promises great results—all things we want and already have in God.  We fall for the trick, then seek out others so we feel safer in our choice.  We “get” we were tricked, but our pride or shame now kick in and we seek to “make it work” or “fix our mess” on our own.  (conceit, provoke, jealous—Gal 5:26).  What was supposed to be our source of refreshment has now become another thing we must support with our effort thereby adding to our ‘work’ and keeping us from entering the rest.

Mark 4:19 (GWT) ”…the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can’t produce anything.”  Note the traps that cause us to look elsewhere for answers, with the result of bad directions, wrong turns, wasted time, lost our way.

Galatians 5:25-26 “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.  Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.”  Note the results of following our own ‘paths’—conceited (vain, proud, egotistical, self-important, self-satisfied, having an excessively favorable opinion of one's abilities or appearance); provoked (irk, annoy, aggravate, exacerbate, infuriate, anger, frustrate); jealousy (feeling resentment because of another's success, advantage, characterized by or proceeding from suspicious fears or envious resentment; inclined to or troubled by suspicions or fears)

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
The “paths” offered by the world are not sustainable (ironic with all the ‘sustainable’ talk we hear today).  They require our efforts, our strength, and our abilities.  But we are investing in a system that is continually dying, fading away, so it, like a ponzi scheme, will require more and more with less and less return.  Live as ‘unto the Lord’ instead of ourselves and we find true rest, true life.  Note the result of a lifestyle of serving others and generosity in all areas: “These are happy people.”  Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

SO WHAT:

Exodus 20:24 “…Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you. “   Be intentional about thankfulness.  Notice how much we want God’s involvement in our projects until we become good at doing it.  Then we trust in ourselves more and more. 
•   Trust in me = no holiness and more effort= no rest. 
•   Thankful, grateful for everything no matter how good I get at doing it = a place where His name is remembered= a place of His presence = a blessed life = righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost = a Sabbath rest lifestyle.
•   Trust in Him = holy = keeping the Sabbath holy = true rest and replenishment.

-   Realize, Repair, Refill: Be honest about the condition of your soul caused by stinking thinking.  Allow the Holy Spirit to correct the way you think through God’s Word. Intentionalize ‘time with God’ to continually be filled with the Holy Spirit and joy.
-   Clarity + Courage + Calendar = Simplicity: understand WRM. Courageously restructure around WRM. Schedule with WRM priorities, incorporating the Sabbath Principle.


3 Keys to embracing the Sabbath Principle: (compare 1st Adam, especially Genesis 3:4-7, to 2nd Adam-Jesus)

1.   Come up before you break down.  (Revelation 4:1) altitude determines your attitude. Get God's perspective.  30,000 feet vs. 3 feet.
2.   Come apart before you fall apart. (Mark 6:45-47) solitude not isolation.  Thinking, prayer and reflection Isaiah 1:13
3.   Come together before you pull away. (Hebrews10:24-25) healthy connections draw you closer to God, the church and your purpose.

04/25/12 - The Power of God Without Nutty, Fruity, or Flaky - Everett Spencer

Everett Spencer teaches about "The Power of God Without Nutty, Fruity, or Flaky" in this Wednesday evening celebration.

The Power of God Without Nutty, Fruity, or Flaky
Everett Spencer
Wednesday, April 25, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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.”