Potter's Hand Bible Church
Sermons / Podcasts
Potter's Hand Sermons
The Power of Three (Part II)
Eccl. 4:12; James 5:16
I. If you really want God's power you're going to have to fight for intimacy.
A. The first relationship you're going to have to fight for n intimacy with God individually.
1. When someone is accepted fully, affirmed fully, in the context of authority and accountability that is what you call a secure person.
2. When you know Jesus Christ and you know that your past is forgiven, a purpose for living, and a future in heaven, that creates security in a person.
B. You have to fight for intimacy in a marriage with your spouse relationally and emotionally.
1. You are going in one of two directions:
a. Toward oneness, togetherness and connection.
b. Toward isolation, separateness and disconnection.
2. Guard your heart. (Malachi 2:15)
C. You're going to have to fight for intimacy with God as a couple spiritually through prayer.
We need to S A L T this thing with prayer.
1. Stop.
2. Ask.
3. Listen.
4. Talk.
*****I invite you to come this Friday to dinner and to watch the movie Fireproof. This ties in with todays sermon. Sign up today.
Download | Duration: 00:37:44
Step Out
Matthew 14:25-32
I. What happens when we step out?
A. There is always a
call. (vs.29)
B. There is always
fear. (vs27)
C. There is always
reassurance. (vs.27)
D. There is always a
decision. (vs. 29)
F. There is always a
changed life. (vs. 32)
II. Water walkers recognize
God's presence.
A. Obedience is no
guarantee of being spared adversity.
III. Water walkers discern between
faith and foolishness.
IV. Water walkers get out
of the boat!
Download | Duration: 00:39:14
The Power of Three (Part I)
Ecclesiastes 4:12
To love does not simply mean to look at one
another, but to look together in the same direction. (Antoine de
Saint-Exupery)
1. The power of one is
foolish.
2. The power of two is
smart.
3. The power of three is
brilliant.
I. The Interwoven couple:
A. A couple who invites
the Lord into their relationship through prayer.
James
5:16:
1. "Confess
your sins to each other". The principle of
authenticity.
2. "Pray for
each other". The principle of reciprocity.
3.
"Heal. The result.
4. "The
prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective". The principle of
integrity.
5. God says
that I"ve got to be real.
6. Men,
especially the married ones, you are married to God's
daughter.
7.
Conflict is inevitable, destruction is optional.
8. We should
make every effort in our relationships to make for
peace.
9. If you
really want God's pwer your're going to have to fight for
intimacy.
Download | Duration: 00:48:16
What Does God Say To Families? (Part 3)
What Does God Say To Families?
Luke 6:31; Ephesians 6:1-3
I. What God says to children:
II. What God says to parents:
III. Discipline your
children.
A. Everyone
needs discipline.
B. Discipline is
painful.
1. The Bible
says that any action done in anger is always
wrong.
C. Discipline is for
their benefit not my benefit.
IV. God says to nurture your
children.
A. Love is spelled
LEAD.
B. Love is
spelled PRAY.
C. Love is
spelled GROW.
V. God says show compassion to
your children.
1.
Parenting is planned uncertainty.
2.
You cannot guarantee the circumstances of your children's
lives.
3.
You cannot guarantee even the choices that they're going to
make.
What can you do?
"What matters is the faith that expresses
itself through love."
Download | Duration: 00:44:32
What Does God Say To Families?
Luke 6:31; Ephesians 6:1-3
I. What God says to children:
"Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. Honor your father and mother is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, so you will live well and have a long life." Eph.6:1-3 (Msg)
A. Keep fighting.
B. Don't fight alone.
II. What God says to parents:
A. Don't exasperate your children.
What exasperates?
1. Unclear boundaries.
2. Unpredictable discipline.
3. Unbalanced criticism.
4. Unreasonable demands.
5. Unspoken expectations.
6. Unresolved anger.
Download | Duration: 00:46:20
Parenting Is a Relationship part 2
Parenting Is a Relationship
Matthew 19:14; John 13:34-35
Matthew 19:14; John 13:34-35
Jesus taught us that our love for God and our love for each other is most important.
Everyone, everyone, feels like a failure as a parent at times.
But everyone can also love at all times.
Jesus paved the way for us in relationships with children.
We all want somebody else to love us like Jesus but we struggle with loving other people like Jesus.
Four things you and I need:
1. I need a better example.
a. It's a matter of trusting.
2. I need a stronger foundation.
a. I will give love as I have received it.
Romans 8:1, John 15:9, Eph. 5:1-2
b. God's love is a non-condemning love.
3. I need a higher purpose.
a. Parenting must have a purpose that is higher than itself.
Psalm 115:1, Psalm 127:3.
b. Children are a gift from the Lord.
4. I need a greater power.
a. Caution: Don't try this at home without an expert.
I Jon 4:19, Phil. 4:13
Putting it into practice:
Love is spelled "show. Acts 20:35
Love is spelled "time. I Cor. 13:1-3
Download | Duration: 00:44:39
Getting Into Shape
I Timothy 4:7-8
10 principles:
1. Get an accurate look at your current health.
Psalm 26:2
2. Set the right goal.
3. Recruit a partner.
4. Establish healthy nutritition habits.
5. Take supplements.
6. Do aerobic training.
7. Do strength training.
8. Apply intensity.
9. Rest.
10. Celebrate.
Getting in shape doesn't come by accident, it takes a plan.
Download | Duration: 00:49:13
Are You Hungry for Christmas?
Luke 1:26-27, 38, 46-49, 52-53
I. We're hungry when we recognize the
emptiness of life without God.
A. Picture of
emptiness:
1.
Nazareth.
2. Israel
hadn't heard from God in over four hundred years.
3.
Empty.
II. We're hungry when we receive the will
of God with glad surrender.
III. We're hungry and we're satisfied when a
display of God's holiness leads to a display of my
happiness.
A. Holiness
scares us.
B. Holiness is
happiness in God.
IV. We're hungry and satisfied when we
forego other pleasures for the pleasures of
God.
Download | Duration: 00:39:01
Getting Ready for Christmas
Luke 2:10
Four blockers and four anecdotes for Christmas.
I. Worry:
1. Means to strangle.
Anecdote:
A.. Christmas is time to release my fears.
1.. When your needs are not being met, God is not first place in your life.
2. The more I worship, the less I worry.
II. Doubt.
Anecdote:
A. Christmas Is the time to renew my faith.
III. Guilt.
Anecdote:
A. Christmas is a time to receive forgiveness.
IV. Resentment.
Anecdote:
A. Christmas is a time to rebuild relationships.
Download | Duration: 00:42:26
Is Walking in the Wilderness a Choice? Part 2
Is Walking in the
Wilderness a Choice?
Deut.
8:2-6
II. By way of the
wilderness.
A. Humility
does not come naturally to us.
1. Humility
is the ability to see ourselves as God sees
us.
B. God puts us in
the wilderness until we want the Promised Land enough to fight for
it.
C. God leads
us in the wilderness.
D. It is not
God who forgets, it's us.
E. Humility breeds
contempt.
III. O Let me ne"er
forget.
A. The journey to
the land of promise should have taken eleven days, but it took them
forty years.
1.
Prosperity can lead to pride.
2.
Pride can lead to a sense of power.
3.
Power is blind to the One who provides.
B. When we
forget, we lose our sense of wonder and
gratitude.
C. Sufferings
have their purpose.
1. They drive us to desparation and
prayer.
IV. Don't make a wasteland out of a wilderness.
A. God uses the wilderness as a
learning lab.
B. The wilderness is a place and time
ordained by God.
C. Ruth Graham said four things make
trials better:
1. When I know
who is in control.
2. When I know
I'm not alone in my suffering.
3. When I know
the purpose of God is behind it.
4. I become
more compassionate with and understanding of others.
D. Every time you see a person used by God,
you see someone who has had to unlearn self and learn
Christ.
Download | Duration: 00:41:31
Is Walking in the Wilderness a Choice?
Deut.
8:2-6
I. Wilderness roads.
A. Men and women of
whom the world is not worthy are recognized in the secular
world.
B. When things don't
work out perfectly, and when we come to a place of desperation, we can
conclude one of three things:
1. We can
believe that God created the heavens and the earth and now just sits
back and watches us.
2. God is
not really sovereign and that He has limited or no
control over our circumstances.
3. God is
sovereign and nothing happens in our lives unless He allows
it or orchestrates it.
C. The wilderness is
a transforming place.
Download | Duration: 00:44:36
What We Have To Be Grateful For
I Chronicles 29:16
I. Four things to be thankful
for:
A. I'm grateful to
God for the grace He's shown me.
B. I am thankful to
God for the plan He has for me.
C. I'm grateful for
the home He's prepared for me in Heaven.
1. What is
Heaven like?
a. Reunited.
b. Rewarded.
c. Reassigned.
d. Released.
D. I'm thankful for
the changes He's making in me.
II. Four ways to give God
thanks:
A. By
singing.
B. By
serving.
C. By
giving.
1. At
Thanksgiving it's the best time to review my giving
commitment.
2. It
is also the time to renew.
3. Try
to outdo.
D. By
telling.
Download | Duration: 00:37:38
Preparing for Rain and Having A Dream! Part 2
Preparing For Rain and
Having A Dream!
Jeremiah 29:11
I. Five potential dream busters:
A.
Your family.
B. Your
friends.
1. We tend
to perform at about the same level as those that are
close around us.
2. The
biggest threat to christian young people is negative peer
pressure.
C.
Fatigue.
1.
Never make a life changing decision when you're
depressed.
2.
Never decide to quit when tired.
D.
Failure.
1.
Build on our hopes not on our hurts.
2.
Build on the future, not on the past.
E.
Fear.
1.
Never confuse the dreaming phase with the problem solving
phase.
II. How to Build your dream:
A. Pray
for wisdom.
B. Stretch your
imagination.
C. Establish a
goal.
D. Visualize
the results.
E. Commit
your dream to God's care.
Download | Duration: 00:33:26
Preparing for Rain and Having A Dream!
Preparing For Rain and Having A Dream!
Hebrews 11:1
I. Five potential dream busters:
A. Your family.
B. Your friends.
1. We tend to perform at about the same level as those that are close around us.
2. The biggest threat to christian young people is negative peer pressure.
C. Fatigue.
1. Never make a life changing decision when you're depressed.
2. Never decide to quit when tired.
D. Failure.
1. Build on our hopes not on our hurts.
2. Build on the future, not on the past.
E. Fear.
1. Never confuse the dreaming phase with the problem solving phase.
II. How to Build your dream:
A. Pray for wisdom.
B. Stretch your imagination.
C. Establish a goal.
D. Visualize the results.
E. Commit your dream to God's care.
Download | Duration: 00:37:20
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Cruade
I. They must pass three word puzzles
to reach their goal.
A. Only the
penitent man shall pass!
B. The two most
costly things on earth are salvation and sin.
C. You never be a
worshipper until you're a confessor.
D. There has to be a
humbling before there is a hallelujah.
E. There has to be a
cleansing before there can be shouting.
II. Desperate cover-ups.
A. Adam and Eve
tried to conceal their sin from God.
B. Then there was
Cain.
C. Then there was
Achan.
D. A NT parallel
would be Ananias and Sapphira.
III. Finger pointing.
A. For one
year David all he could to hide his sin.
IV. Coming clean.
A. One of the
reasons David was spared from death and total devastation was because of his
response.
B. David was ready
to repent.
C. Maskil means to
instruct.
D. For sin there is
a covering, and for deceit there is a cancelled
debt.
E. David was now
ready to worship.
F. He wrote "selah"
which means to pause and think about what had just been
said.
V. The Great comeback.
A. More than
anything, David wanted again the joy, favor, and fellowship
he once had with The Lord.
B. David pointed at
least nine areas of his life affected by his sin:
1. Eyes.
2. Mind.
3. Ears.
4. Bones.
5. Heart.
6. Peace.
7. Joy.
8. Spirit.
9.
Gifts and talents.
C. There is no
joy when sin is present.
Download | Duration: 00:51:49
Why Are You Here Today? II
Why Are You Here Today?
Heb. 10:19-22; 4:14-16
Why?
I. Intimacy with God.
II. A restored faith.
III. Defeated enemies.
A. The best way to
deal with your enemies is worship.
1.
Worship saves lives.
2. Worship
saves time.
3. Worship
collapses your Jericho.
IV. Contentment in life.
A. Worship gives you
contentment and peace in time of trouble.
V. Salvation of others.
VI. Transformed
lives.
Download | Duration: 00:33:44
Why Are You Here Today?
Hebrews 10:19-22; 4:14-16
Why?
I. Intimacy with God.
A. Carrying your altar.
B. There is one condition if you want God to move your mountan. It is forgiveness. (Mark 11:24-26)
C. If we do not choose to forgive, we choose to be damned.
D. Questions to ask:
1. Is there anyone you can't or won't forgive?
2. Is there any hurt that you can't stop talking about.
3. Are there any unresolved conflicts in your life?
** If so, you are limiting what God can do in you, through you, and for you.
Dogs forgive and forget better than humans do.
E. Drawing near
1. We don't hear from God often because we don't come clean.
II. A restored faith.
A. Worship gives you a new perspective.
B. God didn't deliver, He joined them.
Download | Duration: 00:40:42
The Timing of Worship
John 4:23; Romans.8:35,38,39
Our worship responses are divided into time segments.
Our worship responses are divided into time segments.
I. Perhaps our strongest concepts of worship are rooted in the past.
A. Experiences cannot be transmitted genetically, nor transfered historically.
B. Often it is the doctrine rather than the experience that is passed on to succeeding generations.
C. Worship is a now activity.
II. For some worship is future minded.
A. Good intentions cannot substitute for godly worship.
B. A promise cannot substitute for performance.
III. Now is the accepted time.
A. Worship is practicing the presence of God.
B. If we will not worship today, we will not worship tommorrow.
**If worship is love responding to love, and if nothing in heaven, earth, or hell can separate us from God's love, then surely nothing can separate us from responding to that love.
Download | Duration: 00:34:33
Marks of A Worshiper
Psalm 27
I. A worshipper is a seeker. (vs4, 8)
A. Those who know Him best, seek Him most.
II. A worshipper has a focused mind. (4)
III. A worshipper has an inquiring mind.
IV. A worshipper has an obedient will. (6)
V. A worshipper has a confident faith. (1-3)
VI. A worshipper has an attitude of prayer. (7)
VII. A worshipper has the voice of song (6)
Download | Duration: 00:41:53