Desert Breeze Community Church

Life is hard. If we aren’t careful the hardness of life can break our spirit and make us hard (bitter). Bitterness is evidence that we have missed the grace of God and this will inevitably cause trouble in our lives and defile other people’s lives

The covenant God (Gen. 15:5-7,13-16) had revealed himself more fully to Moses in a burning bush. He spoke to Moses of his plan to save his people from slavery in Egypt. He told him that He was going to use him to do this and He gave details on exactly what would happen. Moses made excuses pointing out why he can't do it and God made miraculous signs pointing out that God will save through judgment. When Moses shares God’s words and signs with the people they believe and worship in hope.

God never calls us into intimacy with Him (to bless us) without also sending us out to make an impact in this world (to be a blessing). He never sends us out without also giving us all that we need in Him. All that we need in Him almost always flows through obedience rooted in faith. When we consider what we have in Him, we have no excuses for not making an impact.

Moses believed in God, but it wasn’t until this encounter that God became a living spiritual reality to him. You cannot encounter the Creator of the Universe and remain the same! How do we encounter God (Bush), What happens when we encounter God (Fire), Why can we encounter God (Angel) and When do we know we have encountered God (Call)?

If I’m going to experience blessing in bitter times, I must believe God Knows, Cares and Rules the circumstances of my life for my good and His glory. (Ps9:9-10) My concept of God not only determines the quality of my relationship with Him and what I convey to others about Him but also my ability to get through adversity.

Exodus means “the way out”. Genesis is the book of beginnings and Exodus is the book of redemption. To redeem means “to set free”. Exodus describes Israel’s bondage in Egypt and the wonderful deliverance that God gave them. It presents many pictures of our salvation through Christ.

Tertullian, an early church writer and leader, said, “The blood of the martyrs is seed.” The reason he said that was because Christianity grew explosively through the Roman Empire in the 1st Century and beyond by the way Christians faced life, suffering and death. No one faced life, suffering and death like the Christians. They were Unshakable! Why? Because they had certainty in a world of doubt and Christ was a living presence in their lives.

John 3:16 There is not a more unshakable foundation for your life than to know that the God of the Universe loves you. There’s a difference between knowing His love & experiencing His love. Experiencing His love chases away the fear, bitterness and despair.

The people understood that Jesus was the promised Messiah/King but they could not imagine that such a King would die. At his death, the hope in their hearts became locked away in a cold tomb. However, the fact of the resurrection brought about the dawning of a new beginning.

We have spent over a year in the Gospel of Luke and we are coming to the end of the book and to the climax of the story, the crucifixion, resurrection and the commissioning of Jesus Christ. It’s almost as if Luke is asking us, “I have given you all of this information about Christ, have you responded in such a way that it has brought transformation to your life?” Do you get it? Have you had a life-transforming encounter with Christ (Luke 1:4)? In the Crucifixion account of Christ, some get it and some don’t.

Why are politics such a hot topic? Is it possible to take politics too seriously? What is the relationship between church and state? What are Jesus’ politics? As a follower of Christ what should be my politics? In our text, Jesus gives us a Paradoxical, Powerful and Personal answer to politics.

Just as physical darkness can impair your vision, there is a spiritual darkness that can impair your spiritual vision (1Cor2:14; 2Cor4:4; Matt13:13). The incidents that happened in the physical dark (night time) in this text are going to show us how this condition of spiritual darkness can creep into our lives and what Jesus has come to do about it.

To restore the loss of what is good, in a way that does not allow evil to win and provides complete satisfaction, not only for the loss, but for those who have suffered the loss, true forgiveness must include; the death of what is evil, the restoration of life and goodness through a sacrifice greater than that evil. The true currency of forgiveness is sacrifice and suffering.

The Bible couldn’t be clearer that the events leading up to the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ will be quite catastrophic. However, there are four primary views on how the end times (eschatological) events will unfold that we can debate but shouldn’t divide over: blueletterbible.org/faq/mill.cfm In this study we will focus on What We Know For Sure and How to Endure When Hell Breaks Loose. Whether it is the end of the world or the end of your world, whichever one comes first, I want to prepare you for it.

Everyone has to live for something or someone. Whatever that something or someone is becomes the Boss (Lord) of your life, whether you want to admit it or not. So, who’s the Boss of your life? If the Boss of your life is something or someone other than Jesus, it will be ultimately unfulfilling and terribly unforgiving because the deepest longings of your heart cannot be satisfied by anything or anyone less.

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus brought salvation (Himself) to Zacheus. As a result, Zaccheus’ life changed as it began to line up with Christ and scripture (19:1-10). Having watched this shocking transformation, the pilgrim crowd began to form wrong ideas about Jesus and the work he would accomplish once he got to the city. To explain, Jesus shared with them a parable (19:11-27) but they still did not get it. They continued following him for their own reasons. Why do you follow Jesus?

Have you ever felt like giving up? “Losing heart (v1)” means to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, and exhausted. It is having very little passion for life - ranging from listlessness to depression, to being suicidal (Pro15:13, 18:14). It happens when something you fundamentally trust, love, are living for, or hope in is threatened, blocked or lost. Your circumstances actually matter far less to your happiness than you think. It is the health of your heart that makes life heaven or hell

Saving faith is truth about the person and work of Christ entering the head (content), igniting the heart (conviction), and outworking through the hands (commitment). Faith is not a feeling, a force or a formula, but fellowship (relationship) with God. It is a relationship where God becomes your ultimate security, significance and satisfaction in life and death. It’s not the size of your faith but the object of your faith that matters most (vv5-6). The more you get to know the object of your faith the more your faith will grow

You can be shrewd (intelligent, wise, prudent, i.e. mindful of one's interests v8) with money in the here and now, but not be shrewd with money in light of eternity. But you cannot be shrewd with money in light of eternity, without also being shrewd with money in the here and now.

It’s not what happens to me (circumstances) but what happens in me (character) that either makes me or breaks me in life. Character is about spiritual maturity (Christ-likeness). A student’s character becomes like his teacher (Luke 6:40). It’s God’s amazing GRACE that transforms my HEART and produces Godly CHARACTER.