The Power of the Blood

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

1. Without the shedding of blood there was no remission of sin.
1. Day of Atonement
1. The High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies on this day and offer sacrifices for everyone’s sins every year.
1. Holy of Holies
1. The inner chamber of the sanctuary in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, separated by a veil from the outer chamber. It was reserved for the presence of God.
2. Happened every year until Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice.
2. Jesus' blood did away with the temporary system.
1. John 1:29 NIV 
1. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
2. Hebrews 9:12 NIV
1. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
3. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
1. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 
3. The sacrifice won’t do any good if you don’t accept it.
1. Isaiah 44:22 NIV
1. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." 
2. Don't live life looking through the rear view mirror.
2. Quit remembering what God has already forgotten.
1. God is for me,  the enemy is against me and I get to cast the deciding vote.
4. When you accept the blood it can be a number of things in your life.
1. The blood can cause death (literal and figurative) to pass over you
1. Exodus 12:10-13
1. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord 's Passover.  "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord . The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 
2. The blood can become your attorney and speak out for you in injustice.
1. Genesis 4:10 NIV
1. The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 
3. The blood can stop negative seeds from taking root in your life. 
1. Genesis 4:11-12 NIV
1. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." 
2. Things that should be able to grow in me can't because the blood is there.

The Day of Atonement

(Leviticus 23:27-28), also known as Yom Kippur, was the most solemn holy day of all the Israelite feasts and festivals, occurring once a year on the tenth day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. On that day, the high priest was to perform elaborate rituals to atone for the sins of the people. Described inLeviticus 16:1-34, the atonement ritual began with Aaron, or subsequent high priests of Israel, coming into the holy of holies. The solemnity of the day was underscored by God telling Moses to warn Aaron not to come into the Most Holy Place whenever he felt like it, only on this special day once a year, lest he die (v. 2).Before entering the tabernacle, Aaron was to bathe and put on special garments (v. 4), then sacrifice a bull for a sin offering for himself and his family (v. 6, 11). The blood of the bull was to be sprinkled on the ark of the covenant. Then Aaron was to bring two goats, one to be sacrificed "because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been" (v. 16), and its blood was sprinkled on the ark of the covenant. The other goat was used as a scapegoat. Aaron placed his hands on its head, confessed over it the rebellion and wickedness of the Israelites, and sent the goat out with an appointed man who released it into the wilderness (v. 21). The goat carried on itself all the sins of the people, which were forgiven for another year (v. 30).

Victoria Osteen at Lakewood Church

1. God speaks of us as what we already are; as a finished product.
1. Romans 8 (More than a Conqueror)
1. Anything that comes my way had already been defeated.
2. We're already called a champion.
2. Boxer worked with a world renowned trainer who believed in one of his boxers so much that he’d predict WHEN the boxer would win as  opposed to if the boxer would win
1. It wasn't a question of whether he would win but when.
2. Champions aren't born, they are made.
3. When God looks at me,  he knows who I am.

Asking Big

Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church

• God is a god of more than enough.
• He wants you to have leftovers.
• Mathew 14:15-20
• Jesus had just finished ministering when the disciples urged him to dismiss everyone so that they could go home and eat. Jesus assigned that job to the disciples. The only person who had a lunch was a young kid whose mother packed him 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
• After feeding EVERYONE with the child’s lunch there were 12 basketfuls of leftovers.
• He wants your cup to run over
• Psalm 23:5
• You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
• God wants to deliver you.
• Exodus 5
• The Israelites were praying for TIME OFF of slavery so that they could worship God.
• They were praying to be BETTER SLAVES?!?!?
• God DOES NOT want you to function in your dysfunction!
• Sometimes we get conditioned to not having enough.
• Grandmother with grandkids in private school.
• Matthew 20
• Jesus wanted to hear what they were believing for.  Asking from a limited mentally can limit your destiny.
• James 4:3
• Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
• Ask in spite of what the circumstances look like and what people say about you.
• 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
• Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, "A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!" Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: "Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don't let evil hurt me." God gave him what he asked.
• Despite his unfortunate beginning and his mom didn’t believe in him,  Jabez believed that GOd's nature was to bless.
• He decided to ask big
• Psalm 2:7-9
• Let me tell you what God said next. He said, "You're my son, And today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? Continents as a prize? You can command them all to dance for you, Or throw them out with tomorrow's trash."
• On your birthday you have a boldness and feel entitled to ask big. Don't be shy.
• Luke 11:11-13
• Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 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!”
• How much MORE will your heavenly father give!??!
• Luke 12:32
• Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
• Psalm 72
• Solomon prayed for notoriety and influence to advance God's kingdom.

Victoria Osteen @ Lakewood Church

• Psalm 12:1
• I lift up my eyes to the mountains—    where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,    the Maker of heaven and earth.
• Proverbs 24:16
• …for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
• Where I am now is not my final destination.
• I need to walk through life with lifted eyes.
• When you lift your eyes you'll see:
• God's provision
• Matthew 6:25-34
• “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 
• God's promise
• 1 Peter 5:6-7
• And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand 7 by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.
• God's power
• Philippians 4:13
•  I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.
• Don't look at the dirt in your life.

Lavish Love

Ed Newton @ CBC

• John 21:14-19
• 1. Love chases.
• This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
• John 21:14 NIV
• 2. Love comfronts.
• When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"  "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
• * What are the "these" in my life?

• John 21:15 NIV
• 3. Love Convicts
• The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
• John 21:17 NIV
• 4. Love Calls
• Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
• John 21:18-19 NIV
• Forgiveness is the only thing that can motivate a man to live with conviction.
• If You Could See What I See

I Appreciate My All

For about 11 years of my life, I consistently worshiped, served, and hung out @ Windsor Village United Methodist Church. At the end of each service we ended with a congregational call to action[kinda like a go-team before we exited] We can do, all things, through Christ who stengtheeeeeeeeeeeeeeens us! More importantly, I believe that the church encouraged to look for the “all” that God called us to do. @ Windsor Village I got a change to develop writing, communication, witnessing and a host of other skills. They taught us to minister to the lost, guide other Christians, andbuild God’s kingdom just as we were; they encouraged us to use our gifts to the glory of God. Part of our youth mission statement included “to change the world”. I don’t know how many of my peers took those words seriously, but through the invention of facebook, I get to peak into the lives of that chosen generation that God blessed me to complement; they are definitely world changers. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I have done the same. I know I believe that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, but I don’t feel like I have done all things…I understand that those wonderful people and I do not in the same race so this is not about comparing my achievements to their achievements. At this point in my life I feel like my all should be different that what it is now. So this morning, I want to investigate my all. I will look at my personality profile, the things God continues t open my eyes to, and a biblical example of someone in my “plight”. When I finish I hope to have encouraged us to appreciate our “all”.

Scripture gives us many examples of people who gave their all and seemed slighted for most of their lives: Abraham and Sarah, Elizabeth and Zechariah, Jesus! It seems equally full of people who seemed to reap where they didn’t sow: David, Lot, Paul, etc…The bottom line of this paragraph is simple: [LIFE ISN’T FAIR]. We read in scripture that the kingdom of God resembles an estate manager who goes out to hire workers for his vineyard ^{[Matthew 20:1-16]}. In the first few verses we learn that the estate owner agrees on a wage of a dollar with the hired hands and they begin to work diligently. This tells us that God, the “estate owner” already set up the consequences/rewards: you do ‘this’ then you get ‘that’. On the surface, that sounds so awesome; we know exactly what to do to get the results that we want. But the parable goes on in verses 3-7 to say that later the estate owner saw more unemployed men and sent them to work in the vineyard as well.


This liberal estate owner did the same thing for hours. All the way until an hour before closing time! Some of us feel like we have worked for a long time, I know I do. I did everything I was supposed to do: loved others, worked hard, played fair, served God, finished school on time, etc. It seems like I did everything I was supposed to do from the time the “vineyard” opened. Then we know people who started work late: they didn’t love others, play fair, work hard, or serve God for so long but then they FINALLY came around. So when the day ended the foreman paid everyone the same amount of money! I know it’s wrong but this would have definitely bothered me. I would have felt like my results should have outweighed their results! I gave my all, my entire day, and I get the same pay as someone who gave not even half of their day. In those moments I have to remember this: The LORD is compassionate and gracious ^{[Psalm 103:8]} and that my God will meet all my needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus ^{[Philippians 4:19].} Those who the manager hired first assumed they would get far more but they got the same amount and became angry saying “'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.” God can do what he wants to do but the word tells us that he acts faithfully, justly, graciously, mercifully, and compassionately…so maybe a dollar was all each man needed. Maybe what I have now is all I need now; thank God that life isn’t fair. I know people who started work late and honestly, I don’t want to see them trying to live with what they deserve. More importantly I should be thankful that God continues to bless the work of my hands and provide for me. God continues to bless me with skills, talents, opportunities, and the like to the point that I have become a seasoned veteran.

That’s right, trials and experiences have rendered me competent; this makes me a seasoned veteran: I have experience and education. I have always had the character, integrity, and discipline employers look for but constantly in the job market I am looked over. I know my story isn’t unique: God continues to open my eyes to that fact. Recently, I attended Between Job Ministries, “a free, Christ-centered support ministry of NorthWest Bible Church” which provides “encouragement, information, networking, spiritual guidance, and job search skills training in a Christian setting. The ministry is open to job seekers of all backgrounds and denominations.” When I arrived to the meeting, the cars filled the parking lot almost to capacity: hundreds of well qualified people without jobs, some of whom had been searching for weeks, months, and even years for a job just like me. In all honesty it made me feel better. When things don’t go as expected, it isn’t necessarily because something is wrong with you. Scripture reminds us that God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous ^{Matthew 5:45}.

When I first began typing this blog, I wanted to include my personality profile. However, it doesn’t seem to fit anymore so maybe I will tap on that in another blog. In conclusion I want to encourage you in that the consequences and results are already set. You can’t deserve a blessing; God gives them to you freely. In times when you are not receiving it may not necessarily be because you are doing something wrong. Keep giving your all, do what you are supposed to do, and everything else will work itself out.

Life is Fogging Up my Faith Goggles

In mark 9 there is a story about a boy who is possessed with a spirit...and his father approaches Jesus asking Jesus to remove the spirit. At a point in the exchange, the man says, I believe, help my unbelief. That's how I feel now. Everyone seems to be so excited about my life, everyone except me. I believe the Word of God and I know it is relevant to my life. I try to remind myself that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I can ever imagine according to his power that is working in me...but life keeps clouding my view. I feel like my life is an accident waiting to happen.

Sometimes when I drive in the rain, a truck will cut me off and in addition to the rain falling on my windshield, the truck will cause more water to rise up and obstruct my view....and for a moment, it's really scary because I can't see what is in front of me. That's how I feel right now. I'm on a journey to a place that I've imagined and it's so awesome. My life is fulfilled and I'm a blessing to everyone around me. I'm not struggling and I'm living in the overflow. And that place I've imagined is 1000 times worse than what God has in store for me! But for moments, that seem like forever something big gets in front of me...money problems, job rejections, disappointment, etc...and that big thing unleashes a whole mess of drama that further fogs up my faith goggles.

The sad part is, I saw the truck coming in my rear view mirror, but I wanted to believe that he would keep driving right passed me. It was the only beneficial option...unless I sped up. But speeding is wrong....I wish trucks weren't on the road (you know what I mean). But they are. I believe. I want to be excited about my life and excited about what God has in store for me. I believe, because I've come really far in life.

God continually proves Himself faithful in my life. Strengthening me when I am weak, providing for me even when I don't realize I'm in need, loving me unconditionally, keeping me safe. Renewing me...He's so amazing. I know if it were not for Him I'd be in a bad place right now. But at the same time I am doubting...

I Believe Help My Unbelief Lord Jesus.

That truck is going to continue down the road and before I know it the windshield wipers will clear my view. The rain will eventually stop. The rain always stops and the sun shines into my life. I believe. I believe. Lord thank You for proving Yourself faithful in my life. I'm reminded of Job who was tested but did not falter. Lord help me to keep my faith in You and demonstrate that faith through my daily walk. My actions...my thoughts...my words Lord. Lord bless me to use discernment when listening to advice and comments from outsiders, You use people in our lives, but Satan does too. I rebuke Satan's plan for my life in Your precious name Jesus. Remove the evil spirits from around me...I speak healing and prosperity onto my life. I believe. Thank You for being you Father. Thank you for loving me.