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New Life COTR Sunday July 8, 2007
THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS
“The Baptism in the Holy Spirit”
INTRODUCTION: By now it is my sincere hope that you are convinced about the importance of your words.
WORDS HOLD THE KEY TO BLESSING IN MY LIFE AND YOUR LIFE!
Yet we’ve discovered in the Bible that it’s utterly impossible through human willpower and determination alone to tame the tongue.
But let’s suppose for a moment that there’s something available to you and me that not only will help us control our words but also give us power to live a victorious life.
Salvation will deliver you from the hell of eternity but I’m talking about something that will help deliver you from the hell of this life.
Would you be interested in knowing how to receive what I’m talking about?
It’s found in the Bible. I’m talking about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit!
There is a power available to you and me from God that will equip you to live every aspect of the Christian Life more fully and powerfully.
I know it’s controversial in some quarters but I must conclude this series on the Power of Your Words with the Biblical truth of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
TRANSITION: Today we are going to open our hearts to the Word of God and Pray the following scripture.
John 16:13(NIV)- “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, guide us into all truth through the Word of God, the Bible!
Hebrews 6:1,2(NIV)- “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.”
Notice the writer says, “let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.”
It is God’s plan for us all to be changed from glory to glory to the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
2Corinthians 3:18(NIV)- “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
It is a process that God has already predetermined will take place in your life. It begins with salvation.
Philippians 3:20,21(NIV)- “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”
This is that place of full sonship in which are like Christ. The full consummation of the plan of God for our lives here on earth.
TRANSITION: We find a type of what I’m talking about in the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 16:16(NIV)- “Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed.”
1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread-Passover-Salvation
2. The Feast of Weeks-Pentecost-Baptism of the Holy Spirit
3. The feast of Tabernacles-Ingathering-Full Maturity? Rapture
We progress from one level of growth and relationship to another along a predestined pathway that God has designed for us.
We find these steps mentioned in the following verses.
Mark 4:26-29(NIV)- “He also said, This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain-first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
1. Stalk-Salvation
2. The Head-Baptism of the Holy Spirit
3. The full kernel in the Head- Full Maturity/Harvest (Rapture)
TRANSITION: God is calling us to maturity. To be more like His Son Jesus Christ. God wants to empower you to live a victorious, triumphant, Christian life here on earth.
Through salvation we are set free from the hell of eternity but through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit we can escape the hell of this life.
Remember Hebrews 6:1,2- “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, …..”
Notice that it doesn’t say the doctrine of Baptism (singular) but the doctrine of baptisms (plural)
THREE BAPTISMS MENTIONED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
1. Baptism into the Body of Christ
1Corinthains 12:13(NIV)- “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one Body…..”
Notice here that the Holy Spirit baptized you into Jesus Christ when you were born again.
2. Baptism in Water
It’s a very important step in each believer’s life-so much so that water baptism is part of the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His followers.
Matthew 28:19(NIV)- “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Baptism in water follows repentance for your sins, and acknowledgment and acceptance of Jesus as your Savior.
Water baptism is a tremendously significant experience in conjunction with Salvation.
Colossians 2:12(AMP)- “You were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [as displayed] when He raised Him up from the dead.”
3. Baptism in the Holy Spirit
We find all three baptisms in the following scripture.
Acts 2:37-39(NIV)- “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said to them, Repent (Salvation) and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (water baptism); and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (there’s the Spirit’s baptism). For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. It was prophesied.
Acts 1:4,5(NIV) Turn and Read.
2. It came to pass.
Acts 2:1-4(NIV)- Turn and Read
3. We see the Affects
Acts 8:5-19(NIV) Turn and Read
Acts 10:44-48(NIV) Turn and Read
Pastor Cho who pastor’s the largest church in the world says it this way. “When you become a Christian the Holy Spirit becomes a resident in your life. When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit the Spirit becomes the president of your life.”
Acts 19:1-7(NIV) Turn and Read
IS IT FOR EVERYONE
Acts 2:39(NIV)- “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are afar off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
HOW DO YOU GET IT
Acts 5:32(NIV)- “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Luke 11:13(NIV)- “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”
WHAT DO YOU GET
Luke 24:49(NIV)- “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Acts 1:8(NIV)- “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
CONCLUSION: This is what John the Baptist was trying to tell everyone in the following verse.
Luke 3:16(NIV)- “John answered them all, I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer. This step into God’s greater will and purpose for life gives the Believer a supernatural power to be an effective witness for Christ.
It gives us the power to be an overcomer in the earth. To be an ambassador for God in the earth today. To represent God Almighty on planet earth.
IT IS FOR YOU TODAY, BELIEVE AND RECEIVE.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit - Pastor Kenneth Woolf
Sunday, July 1, 2007
The Gates of Praise - Pastor Kenneth Woolf
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New Life COTR Sunday July 1, 2007
THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS
“The Gates of Praise”
INTRODUCTION: Some of you know that in August I’ll be traveling to Uganda with “Global Advance” to be part of a team that is conducting a “Frontline Shepherds” Pastors Conference.
One of the team members is a man by the name of David Bell who is the mission’s pastor at Covenant Church in Pittsburg. He e-mailed me recently telling me that he had preached the same message on June 10 that I had preached to our church.
It’s encouraging to hear things such as this because it confirms that God is trying to speak something not to just our church but to Body of Christ.
Another church, Bethel Temple Community Church in Evansville Indiana just completed a 21 Day Campaign called “NO COMPLAINING- Philippians 2:14”
YOUR WORDS HAVE POWER, THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS
When God wanted to bridge the gap between Himself and mankind He sent His Word to do so.
John 1:1(NIV)- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
SO HOW DO WE CONNECT WITH GOD?
John 14:5,6(NIV)- “Thomas said to him, Lord we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So what is the “Way” to use Jesus to get to the Father?
Romans 10:8,9(NIV)- “But what does it say, The Word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
It is Jesus Christ, the Word became flesh, that makes a relationship with God possible. I love introducing people to Jesus Christ.
I love helping people discover the joy, peace and power that comes from spending time in the presence of God!!
One of the benefits of being a child of God is spending time in God’s presence. As a Christian you and I can experience a personal relationship with God!
Exodus 33:14,15(NIV)- “The Lord replied, My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest. Then Moses said to Him, If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
TRANSITION: How can we experience daily this Presence of God?
There is a man in the Bible by the name of Jacob who had a breathtaking dream.
He saw a multitude of angels moving between Earth and the throne of God in heaven. Have you ever heard the term “Jacob’s Ladder?”
Genesis 28:16,17(NLT)- “Then Jacob woke up and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it. What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God-the gateway to heaven.”
No study on the power of your words would be complete without an examination of the most powerful and amazing thing your words can do.
I’m talking about bringing you into the presence of the all powerful Creator of the universe.
The kind of words I’m referring to are words of praise! Such words are a literal gateway into God’s throne room, or your might say the presence of God!
Isaiah 60:18(NIV)- “……but you will call your walls Salvation and Your gates Praise.”
HOW DO YOU PASS THROUGH THE GATES
1. Open the Gates Corporately.
Have you ever heard the term corporate prayer or corporate worship? It means a group of people coming together to do something in a “united way.”
Corporate praise and worship are a biblical concept. Throughout the Bible God encourages His people to enter His presence through corporate praise and worship.
Psalm 100:4- “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.”
This verse was addressed to an assembled group of worshipers in Israel during the reign of King David. But it is just as valid today.
If you are in a church service where the congregation is actively worshiping and praising God through music and son you may have experienced how easy it is to sense God’s presence.
You know the Lord is near and you can feel His love!
Psalm 22:3(KJV)- “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”
When we corporately praise the Lord, He shows up and inhabits our praises and makes Himself known to us.
It’s no wonder we often sense His beautiful presence when we come together in worship.
HOW DO WE PASS THROUGH THE GATES
2. Open the Gates Individually
Hears the Good News. We don’t have to wait for a Sunday Service to connect with God and experience the refreshing that comes from His presence.
We can go through the gates of praise as individuals, in our own private times with the Lord. It isn’t difficult to communicate with Him.
1Corinthians 6:19,20(NIV)- “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your Body.”
Because God’s Spirit lives in you, you can worship Him any place any time-and He will inhabit your praises!
The Word makes it clear, “praisers” always get God’s attention!!!
Equally true, grumbling and complaining is a gateway to self-pity and will get you no-where with God!
Philippians 2:14(NIV)- “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”
Only thankful people can march right into His courts and come into His presence through gates of praise!!!!
Psalm 16:11(NIV)- “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Doesn’t that sound appealing? Fullness of joy! Everlasting pleasures! These are the things you find in God’s presence!
Satan has deceived us and persuaded us to be afraid of God’s presence. Sometimes we thing we’ll find condemnation, criticism and rejection.
But the Bible says we will find pleasure and joy in the presence of God!
WORDS OF PRAISE OPEN THE GATE INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD!
Here’s a truth: Every need in your life can be met in God. No matter circumstance or situation you find yourself in, all you really need to do is connect with the Heavenly Father who loves you.
How do you do that: Through your words you speak to Him.
If you’re in debt, you need to get in His presence and find out His wisdom for financial freedom.
If you’re addicted to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, you need to be in His presence where you will find the power to break that hold on your body and soul.
Are you on the brink of a divorce? You need to be in His presence and obtain is grace to help you save your marriage.
God’s manifest presence in your life is the answer in these and all other situations you may be facing.
It is an awesome thing to realize that you can enter into God’s presence through the gates of praise and receive what you need from Him.
CONCLUSION: So let’s do that in bringing this service to a close. Let’s take some time and praise and worship Him.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
You Can Have What You Say - Pastor Kenneth Woolf
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New Life COTR Sunday June 24, 2007
THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS
“You Can Have What You Say”
INTRODUCTION: We’ve been in this series on the POWER OF YOUR WORDS. These scriptures say it all regarding the power in our words.
Proverbs 18:20,21(NIV)- “From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
How do we work with God to bridle our tongue? Pause, Ponder and Pray!
YOU CAN HAVE WHAT YOU SAY! Many times when we talk about the power of our words we have to admit we focus on what we shouldn’t be saying. (The negative)
But if our words are truly powerful, and they are, shouldn’t we put as much or even more focus on what we SHOULD be saying!!!!
DON’T JUST STOP SAYING THE WRONG THING BUT START SAYING THE RIGHT THINGS.
TRANSITION: Today we’re going to look at a passage of scripture in the Gospel of Mark that we see a side of Jesus that may be unfamiliar to some of us.
Mark 11:12-25(NIV)- Turn and Read
Jesus tells us that when our words are words of faith in God we can “HAVE WHAT WE SAY.”
Jesus takes what appears to be a negative circumstance and gives a positive principle about the POWER OF OUR WORDS.
YOU CAN HAVE WHAT YOU SAY!
Romans 10:8(NIV)- “…The Word is near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is the Word of faith we are proclaiming.”
TRANSITION: Today I want to give you a Word to proclaim. That can be in your heart and in your mouth that you can proclaim.
WORDS TO PROGRAM YOUR SPIRIT FOR FINACIAL SUCCESS
****Remember to remove the negative and replace with the positive****
Make these confessions daily until faith comes.
I am filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. His will is my prosperity. (Col. 1:19.)
God delights in my prosperity. He gives me power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant upon the earth. (Deut. 8:18; 11:12)
I immediately respond in faith to the guidance of the Holy Spirit within me. I am always in the right place at the right time because my steps are ordered of the Lord.
(Psalm 37:23)
God has given me all things that pertain to life and godliness, and I am well able to possess all that God has provided for me. (Num. 13:30; 2Peter 1:3,4)
God is the unfailing, unlimited source of my supply. My financial income now increases as the blessings of the Lord overtake me. (Deut. 28:2)
As I give, it is given unto me, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. (Luke 6:38)
I honor the Lord with my substance and the firstfruits of my increase. My barns are filled with plenty, and my presses burst forth with new wine. (Prov. 3:9,10)
I am like a tree planted by rivers of water. I bring forth fruit in my season, my leaf shall not wither, and whatever I do will proper. The grace of God even makes my mistakes to prosper. (Psalm 1:3)
I am blessed in the city and blessed in the field, blessed coming in, and blessed going out. I am blessed in the basket and blessed in the store. My bank accounts, investments, health, and relationships flourish. The blessings of the Lord overtake me in all areas of my life. (Deut. 28:1-14)
The blessing of the Lord makes truly rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. (Prov. 10:22)
My God makes all grace abound toward me in every favor and earthly blessing, so that I have all sufficiency for all things and abound to every good work. (2Cor. 9:8)
The Lord has opened unto me His good treasure and blessed the work of my hands. He has commanded the blessing upon me in my storehouse and all that I undertake. ( Deut. 28:8,12)
I delight myself in the Lord, and he gives me the desires of my heart. (Psalm 37:4)
The Lord rebukes the devourer for my sake, and no weapon that is formed against my finances will prosper. All obstacles and hindrances to my financial prosperity are now dissolved. (Mal. 3:10,11; Isaiah 54:17)
My mind is renewed by the Word of God; therefore, I forbid thoughts of failure and defeat to inhabit my mind. (Eph. 4:23)
I am delivered from the power and authority of darkness. I cast down reasonings and imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and I bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of God’s Word. (2Corninthians 10:3-5)
I am filled with the wisdom of God, and I am led to make wise and prosperous financial decisions. The Spirit of God guides me into all truth regarding my financial affairs.
(John 16:13)
The Lord causes my thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and so my plans are established and succeed. (Proverbs 16:3)
There is no lack, for my God supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19)
The Lord is my Shepherd, and I do not want. Jesus came that I might have life and have it more abundantly. (Psalm 23:1; John 10:10)
Having received the abundance of grace and gift of righteousness, I reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)
The Lord has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant, and Abraham’s blessings are mine. (Psalm 35:27; Galatians 3:14)
YOU CAN HAVE WHAT YOU SAY!
As you make these daily confessions, you may feel as if they are not true, but faith comes by hearing the Word of God, hearing yourself saying what God said about you.
The Word of God, conceived in the human spirit, formed by the tongue, and spoken out of the mouth, is creative power that will work for you!
Hebrews 10:23- “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Taming the Tongue - Pastor Kenneth Woolf
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New Life COTR Sunday June 17, 2007
THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS
“Taming the Tongue”
INTRODUCTION: We’ve been in this series for a few weeks on “THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS.”
Our words connect us with God. That’s why it’s important that PRAISE AND PRAYER be in our mouth. It connects us with God.
We’ve learned that in the Kingdom of God there is no such thing as “Freedom of Speech.” We need to control our tongue. Why?
OUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL; THERE IS POWER IN OUR WORDS!
Last week we learned that our words affect the quality of our life, they reveal who we truly are on the inside and our words matter to God. We’re going to be judged concerning our speech.
TRANSITION: Today we’re going to focus on “TAMING THE TONGUE.”
James 3:7, 8- “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
So what’s the point pastor? You’ve been wasting our time. If it’s impossible to tame the tongue why are we doing this series?
It’s humanly impossible to tame the tongue. It’s not within our power to do it. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT GOD IS NOT HUMAN!
He can tame the tongue, after all He created it and He wrote the owner’s manual. He knows how to get the job done.
Exodus 4:10-12- “Then Moses said to the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. So the Lord said to him, Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
NOTICE WHAT MOSES SAYS IN THIS SCRIPTURE. “I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to your servant.”
How many of us can relate to this. I had a problem with my tongue before I came to Christ, and I continued to have a problem with my tongue after I met Him!
BUT LOOK AT GOD’S RESPONSE TO MOSES AND THIS ENCOURAGES ME.
“Who made your mouth son? I’m the one who can make the blind see and even the mute speak. So go! I’ll be with your mouth, I’ll teach you what to say.”
What an amazing promise from God: I’ll be with your mouth! I love the fact that God can be with our mouths every moment of every day and teach us what to say.
We cannot tame our tongues, but we can submit our words to the Lord and allow Him to tame them.
Mark 13:11- “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
Here we see that the Holy Spirit can fill our mouths and give us the right words to speak.
No you can’t tame your tongue but God can when you submit to Him and the agent He uses is the Holy Spirit.
If I’ll submit my tongue to God, the Holy Spirit, every day He helps me tame the untamable.
TRANSITION: How do we work with God to put a bridle on our tongue? IT TAKES TIME! Just Like a wild horse you put a bit and bridle on, it takes time! It’s a process.
We must cooperate with God to make it possible. THREE PRACTICAL THINGS WE CAN DO TO BRIDLE OUR TONGUE!
1. HOLD ON THERE JUST A MINUTE
The first essential piece of such a bridle is to cultivate the ability to PAUSE!
I’m referring to the rare ability to wait and say nothing for a moment. To pause means to simply not say anything until we know precisely what we should say.
Think back to the words of Proverbs 18:21- “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”
IF words truly wield the power of life and death, and they do, shouldn’t you and I pause before we let our words fly toward the hearts of the people with whom we live, work and worship?
James 1:19- “Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”
If you’ve had a problem with your temper here’s the key to controlling it. Be slow to speak and quick to listen.
Most of us have it backwards. We’re slow to hear and quick to speak.
Proverbs 21:23- “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”
That would be an excellent verse to memorize. We should say it every morning. It’s our responsibility to guard our tongue.
Proverbs 10:19- “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”
There is wisdom in employing the pause principle!
Proverbs 17:27, 28- “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.”
Pause before you speak.
Mark Twain: “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
TRANSITION: Pause, it is the first key to bridling the tongue.
2. LET’S GIVE THAT SOME THOUGHT
Once we’ve paused before speaking, we’re ready to take the next step in successfully bridling our tongue: PONDER!
There are essentially three types of people in the world: (1) Those who think before they speak; (2) Those who think while they speak; (3) Those who think after they speak.
Well there are those who never think. I’ve met a few like that.
You and I can train ourselves to think before we speak!
Proverbs 29:20- “Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Since our words have power it’s important to think before we speak.
TRANSITION: How do I cooperate with God in taming my tongue? Well, when I’m ready to let words (which are powerful) fly out of my mouth, (1) Hold on there just a minute, (2) Let’s give that some thought.
If we choose to be people who first pause and then ponder. Doing these two things will position us to employ the third key to bridling our tongue.
3. APPEAL TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY
After you pause and ponder, it’s time to PRAY!
The sixth chapter of Isaiah provides with some insights as to why this is important!
Isaiah has been taken up into the throne room of heaven and has seen what no human being as ever fully seen before-the glory of the angelic host around the throne of God.
Isaiah 6:1-4(NIV) - Turn and Read
What an experience! But what I want us to really notice is Isaiah’s reaction to this incredible experience.
Isaiah 6:5- (NIV) - “Woe to me I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
What was Isaiah’s initial gut reaction to God’s holiness? He became suddenly and painfully aware of his words!
Isaiah 6:6, 7- “Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
God wants to take a coal from the fire of His presence and touch your lips today. He wants to make them fit to speak of His love to a world that He longs to help and heal.
The Bible tells us that God has given us a new heart-that we are to put off the old self and put on the new.
CONCLUSION: How do I bridle my tongue and cooperate with God to tame my tongue?
Hold on just a minute, let’s give that some thought and appeal to a higher authority.
Pause, Ponder and Pray!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Curing the Tongue - Pastor Kenneth Woolf
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New Life COTR Sunday June 10, 2007
THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS
“Curing the Tongue”
INTRODUCTION: We’ve been in this series on the power of your words. A core truth in the Bible that we all need to remember is that OUR WORDS HAVE POWER.
We are created in the image of God and God used words to create the universe.
When God wanted to bridge the gap between Himself and mankind the Bible says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Psalm 107:20-(NIV)- “He sent forth His word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.”
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL, THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS
My words, your words, pave the road that we’re going to drive on tomorrow.
TRANSITION: Just how powerful are your words? These next few verses give us an idea of how important our words are.
Proverbs 13:3- “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.”
Proverbs 21:23- “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”
Can you see how your words affect your life?
1Peter 3:10- “For, Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.”
MY WORDS AFFECT THE QUALITY OF MY LIFE!
MY WORDS REVEAL WHO I REALLY AM!
James 1:26- “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”
Matthew 12:33-35- “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL; THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS.
TRANSITION: Do my words matter to God?
Matthew 12:36, 37- “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Numbers 14:26-35- Turn and Read
Your words are paving the road you’re going to drive on tomorrow!!!Your words are powerful and they matter to God!!
TRANSITION: Can you see the value of your words and how they affect your life?
The Bible calls Jesus the Great Physician. I think it’s good for us to allow Jesus to examine our tongue and the words coming from our mouth.
So let’s go in for a check-up this morning. If I’m sick with something that’s going to affect my life in a negative way I want to know about it.
Before you can write a prescription you’ve got to be accurately diagnosed.
SYMPTONS OF A SICK TONGUE
The purpose for diagnosing an illness is so you can be healed! So the first symptom of a sick tongue.
I. TELLING THE UNTRUTH
Lying is probably the most common sickness of the tongue but that doesn’t mean God approves of it.
Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us seven things that God hates. One of those seven is a “lying tongue.”
Why does God hate lying? Because lying is the opposite of His nature. GOD IS TRUTH. He doesn’t just have truth, He is truth.
On the other end of the spectrum the Bible describes Satan as the “Father of Lies.” (John 8:44)
Thus, when we lie we leave the throne of God and go to the throne of Satan. No wonder God hates lying.
TELLING THE UNTRUTH IS A SYMPTON OF A SICK TONGUE!
II. STIRRING UP DIVISION
Proverbs 6:16-19 also tells us that God’s hates it when we sow discord.
Proverbs 6:12-15- “A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth; he winks with his eyes, he shuffles his feet, he points with his fingers; perversity is in his heart, he devises evil continually, he sows discord. Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.”
What a serious thing it is to stir up strife, especially among Christian brothers and sisters.
That’s why it grieves me when I see people stirring up strife in the church. I fear for that person’s well-being because the Bible says calamity will come on him suddenly.
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if you are a person who goes around sowing discord, calamity is on its way to your house.
Titus 3:9-11- “But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.”
Satan has convinced some people that they are guardians of the truth. So they run from person to person, relating what the other person said.
“I thought you should know” is the common rationalization. In all actuality that person is being used by Satan to sow discord in the church or the family or on the job.
A great Baptist preacher, A.B Simpson once said, “I would rather play with forked lightning, or take in my hand living wires with their fiery current, than speak a reckless word against any servant of Christ, or idly repeat the slanderous darts which thousands of Christians are hurling on others, to the hurt of their own souls and bodies.”
Be a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker. God is a reconciler. God sent His Son into the world for one reason-to reconcile mankind to Himself.
That’s why He hates discord so much. He paid a terrible price to bring people together and He doesn’t look kindly on any activity that drives them apart.
Stirring up division is a symptom of a sick tongue. JESUS CAN HEAL YOUR TONGUE!
III. DISHING THE DIRT
Morgan Blake, a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal wrote the following words in the newspaper around the time of the First World War
“I am more deadly than the screaming shell from the howitzer. I win without killing; I tear down homes, break hearts, and wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me. I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless. My victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea, and often as innocent. I never forget and seldom forgive. My name is gossip.
A gossip a person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors or facts.
Some people claim it’s not gossip if it’s the truth. They are deceiving themselves. True or not, it’s gossip if it’s private or intimate in nature.
From God’s viewpoint, if you’re not part of the problem or part of the solution, there is no reason for you to be talking about the matter.
Proverbs 20:19- “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.”
Proverbs 16:28(NLT) - “A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.”
Gossip is not a new problem in the church.
2Corinthains 12:20-(NLT) “For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I won’t like what I find, and then you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, backstabbing, gossip, conceit, and disorderly behavior.”
If you’re talking to other people about it more than you’re talking to God, it’s probably gossip. LET’S BREAK THE HABIT OF GOSSIP!
CONCLUSION: Telling the untruth, stirring up division, dishing the dirt. These are symptoms of a sick tongue.
But the Bible tells us that Jesus is the GREAT PHYSICIAN. Let’s turn to Him today.
1John 1:9- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL, THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS
Proverbs 15:4- “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life….”
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Lies Concerning Words - Pastor Kenneth Woolf
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New Life COTR Sunday June 3, 2007
THE POWER OF YOR WORDS
“Lies Concerning Words”
INTRODUCTION: We discovered last week that our words are powerful. Words actually connect us with other people and more importantly connect us with God.
My tongue, your tongue is a loaded weapon that carries the very power of life and death to relationships, our lives and our future.
Proverbs 18:21- “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it, will eat its fruit.”
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL, THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS
Our words connect or disconnect us from God.
Psalm 100- “….I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart and into His courts with praise.”
Ephesians 6:18- “pray in the Spirit always.”
1Thessalonains 5:17- “Pray without ceasing.”
PRAYER AND PRAISE CONNECT US WITH GOD! You can stay connected to God all day long. Simply by the words coming out of your mouth.
God bridged the gap between Himself and mankind through the Word.
John 1: 1,14- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us..”
****another great example of how our words connect us with God.******
Romans 10:5-13 Turn and Read
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL, THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS
TRANSITION: In this series you’re going to learn how to use the power of your words to change your life.
BECAUSE YOU REALLY DO MEAN WHAT YOU SAY!
Matthew 12:34- “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Dorothy Nevill- “The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
CAN I SPEAK FREELY?
Have you ever heard anyone use this phrase? Usually when someone asks this their wanting to set aside all tact and diplomacy and be brutally honest.
And what their asking is that their words NOT COST ANYTHING. CAN I SPEAK FREELY?
Can I say some words that I really want to say and them not cost me or you something?
Matthew 12:36,37- “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
SO, ARE ANY OF OUR WORDS REALLY FREE?
Or can it be that when we use our words carelessly or recklessly they can be turned around and used against us by the enemy?
TRANSITION: Today I want to point out three lies that Satan hopes every Christian will believe.
1Corinthians 9:24-27- “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Everyone who competes in the games go into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
Folks, we must learn to control our tongue! Exposing the lies of the enemy.
I. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT OF FREE SPEECH
Now I realize where I’m standing. I’m an American too! The First Amendment of the Constitution does guarantee every US citizen the right of free speech. And I’m glad it does!
THOSE FREEDOMS ARE WON AND HAVE BEEN DEFENDED AT ENORMOUS SACRIFICE!
Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes famously declared that our right to free speech doesn’t give us the right to yell “Fire” in the middle of a crowded theater.
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL; THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS.
We as Christian’s carry a duel citizenship. We are not only citizens of the United States of America but we are more importantly citizens of the Kingdom of God!
When it comes to the laws of the Kingdom of God there is no such thing as “FREE” speech! Words matter. They carry spiritual weight.
Satan wants us to believe that words just go out into the atmosphere and just disappear.
How many have heard of a man named Howard Stern? After being continually fined by the FCC for his vulgar sex-obsessed talk show he finally moved to satellite video so he would not have to be accountable for his words.
What he doesn’t know is that one day he’s going to answer to a higher power than the FCC who has been recording every word that is not covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.
YOU SIMPLY CANNOT SAY ANYTHING YOU WANT!
Psalm 141:3- “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Anytime you begin a conversation with the words, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this,” it’s a good indication you shouldn’t be having that conversation.
Be like King David in the Bible.
Psalm 39:1- “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle.”
PUT A MUZZLE ON IT!
TRANSITION: The first lie of the Satan, 1. You have the right of Free Speech.
II. IF YOUR’E JUST KIDDING IT DOESN’T COUNT
Hey, I was just kidding! What’s the matter, you can’t take a joke? Hey, I was just joking! Come on where’s your sense of humor? Gee, you’re so sensitive!
These are phrases commonly used by those who are trying to get off the hook after saying something mean, insensitive, manipulative or insulting.
Proverbs 26:18,19- “Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, “I was only joking.”
To use words recklessly or dishonestly and then appeal to the I was just kidding defense is like throwing re-hot iron, shooting arrows and flinging death at others.
What if Jay Butts burst into your home with his hunting bow and shot an arrow into your leg and said “hey I was just kidding, you can’t take a joke?” C’mon, where’s your sense of humor!
HURTFUL WORDS PEIRCE PEOPLE AND GO DEEP INTO THEIR SOULS. YOU CAN’T GET OUT OF IT BY SAYING YOU WERE JUST JOKING!
TRANSITION: Lies of the enemy. 1. You have the right of free speech. 2. If you’re just kidding it doesn’t count.
III. ONCE YOUR WORDS ARE FORGOTTEN THERE INFLUENCE IS GONE.
Words echo through eternity and have lasting repercussions.
So much so that we’re going to give an account of our words one day.
James 3:5,6- “Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire…”
TRANSITION: Exposing the lies of the enemy concerning words.
1. You have the right of free speech.
2. If you’re just kidding it doesn’t count.
3. Once your words are forgotten, their influence is gone.
HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS. Bad words last, but good words last longer.
*****Share the story of Tennessee Governor Ben Hooper*****
CONCLUSION: The Power of Words! What that pastor spoke to that little boy who would eventually become a state governor changed his life!
Here’s the truth about words, straight from the scriptures: We don’t have the right to speak “freely at all times; we cannot claim that we’re just kidding when we break hearts and spirits with our words; and we are deceived if we believe that our negative words evaporate into thin air and are quickly forgotten.
BUT POSITIVE WORDS CAN BRING HEALING, AND THEY HAVE A SHELF LIFE WITH NO EXPIRATION DATE.
Proverbs 15:4- “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue is a tree of life.”
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL, THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The Power of Your Words - Pastor Kenneth Woolf
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New Life COTR Sunday May 27, 2007
THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS
John 16:12-15(NIV) Turn and Read
John 8:32- “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”
Some of you are about to discover that YOUR WORDS have kept you in prison for years. But from this series of sermons you’re going to learn how YOUR WORDS can set you free from that prison.
YOUR WORDS HAVE POWER; THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS.
There are no new truths, we are just going to discover or be reminded of “a truth” in the Word of God.
So lets not miss this core truth in the Bible-YOUR WORDS HAVE POWER!
If we ignore this truth we do it to our own peril. Words, written or spoken, are clearly powerful things to God.
In the scripture there is a wealth of wisdom and insight about the power of your words and together we are going to explore that.
You’re about to learn how to use the power of words to change your life!
Do you know that you really do mean what you say!
Matthew 12:34- “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
(NLT)- “for whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”
Many people don’t need the devil to destroy their lives; they do it with their own words!
So let’s take the truths of the Word of God and apply them to our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit so everything can begin to change for the better!
TRANSITION: I’m going to share some basic truths that will help form a foundation for everything else we’re going to explore.
WHY ARE WORDS SO POWERFUL?
Joseph Conrad- “Word’s have set whole nations in motion…..Give me the right word and the right accent and I will move the world.”
Words are CONNECTORS. Words have the capacity to build bridges, span chasms and shorten long distances between you and others.
BUT WORDS NOT ONLY CONNECT YOU WITH PEOPLE THEY ALSO CONNECT YOU WITH GOD!
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL, THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS
John 4:24- tell us that God is a Spirit.
When God, who is a Spirit, created the heavens and the earth, or the natural, THE VEHICLE GOD USED IN THE SPIRIT REALM TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN IN THE NATURAL WAS WORDS!
In the opening lines of Genesis 1:3- we read “The God said, Let there be light, and there was light.”
Over and over in the first three chapters of Genesis as God is creating the universe we see these words “THEN GOD SAID...”
God didn’t wave His hand or swing a magic wand. He spoke the material world into existence.
In the first 25 verses of the book of Genesis God simply speaks, and things happen!
Then in the following verses we see God speaking once more.
Genesis 1:26,27- “Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness……So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him: male and female He created them.”
Because God has the creativity and the ability to create with His Words, so do we.
In the next verse we get even more detail about the miracle of mankind’s creation.
Genesis 2:7- “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Living being- the Hebrew root word is “speaking spirit.”
God created the man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him and man became a “SPEAKING SPIRIT.”
We’re not just dust from the ground or just physical beings; we have a spiritual component as well. “We are speaking spirits.”
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL, THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS
We’re the only living species on earth that can communicate our hearts, feelings, dreams, hopes and plans!
There’s something creative and powerful about our speaking. That’s why it’s so important we learn to control our tongues.
Your tongue is a loaded weapon that carries the very power of life and death to our relationships, our lives and our future.
Proverbs 18:21- “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it, will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 13:3- “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.”
Proverbs 18:8- “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.”
Proverbs 26:20- “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.”
Proverbs 20:19- “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.”
Why would the Bible says things like this?
YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL; THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORDS.
TRANSITION: When mankind was separated from God because of sin, when there was a chasm between us and God, how did God connect with us?
How did God connect with us?
John 1:1,14- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us….”
The Word became flesh, the spiritual became natural.
Psalm 107:20- “He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from destruction.”
God came to us through His Word, his Son Jesus Christ.
God is constantly bridging the gap between us with His Word!
*******Thus it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that we are supposed to CONNECT WITH GOD THROUGH OUR WORDS!
Psalm 100:1-5- Turn and Read
All these actions are expressed through words and connect us with God!
The reason Satan doesn’t want you to be vocal in your praise to God is because he knows those kinds of words connect you to God in an awesome way!!
Here’s the simple truth: The only people who experience the full glory and joy of God’s presence are thankful people!
Satan will do everything he can to keep you from expressing words of gratitude and praise!
Frankly the devil wants you to be a grumbler! Why? Because grumbling is an expression of unbelief and ingratitude, two ways to short circuit God’s power in your life!
PRAISE ON THE OTHER HAND IS AN EXPRESSION OF FAITH AND GRATITUDE!
Not only does praise connect you to God but so does prayer!
Ephesians 6:18- “pray in the Spirit always.”
1Thessalonains 5:17- “Pray without ceasing.”
Why does God want you to pray and praise Him? BECAUSE IT KEEPS YOU CONNECTED TO HIM ALL DAY LONG!!!
I’m talking about a connection to Him that allows you to hear His voice, feel His promptings, have access to His power and be anchored by His peace-even in the midst of the wildest storms.
Do you want that kind of connection to God all day everyday?
YOUR WORDS HAVE POWER, THERE IS POWER IN YOR WORDS
Mark 11:22,23- “Have faith in God, Jesus answered. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.”
Romans 10:8-13- Turn and Read
These verses are the gateway to salvation for millions of people all over the world. How does a person connect with God for salvation? He believes and confesses with his mouth!
LET’S PRAY
