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In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 the Apostle Paul provides for us a challenging command when he says, “give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (CSB)
Today and this month are set aside for some very important people in our lives. Today is National Custodians Day. My challenge to each of you is this…let your Custodians know that you recognize this day for them. Go out of your way to make them feel loved and appreciated. Whether it’s words, a snack, taking them out to lunch…whatever it is, get creative…AND mean it. This month is Pastor Appreciation Month. Discouragement is a tool that Satan often uses in the life of a Pastor, and in the lives of the Pastors family members. Please don’t assume their lives are perfect just because they’re a Pastor by title. They’re human just like each of us are and discouragement is real. What is it that you can do to make them feel cared about and encouraged? Ask God to give you a creative way to express your appreciation for them…and maybe even for their family members. Seeing family members get spoiled is a way to encourage a Pastor. Don’t wait for others to thank you in life…you be the first to GIVE thanks. I truly believe that’s God’s will, as He is the perfect example of being a GIVER. Praying for each of us as we find ways to express our thanks today and this month. May it become a rhythm that carries into our daily lives…beyond today and this month. Practicing His Presence, Nate
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTbwPwLb21w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rKWwyuzYUw Our church is starting a new series called Practicing the Way…a guide to developing spiritual rhythms in our lives. Rhythms are not something we’re born with…rather, rhythms are learned skills that eventually become habits and customs to us in our daily lives. Some of you are aware that I coached at the collegiate level. As an Assistant coach, I coached catchers in baseball, and the kickers/punters in football. In addition to that, I gave some individual lessons to some middle schoolers in our community. My specialty was teaching correct technique to beginners. It might surprise you, but there were times when I coached beginners in their positions even at the collegiate level. Either way, I loved getting them early in their endeavor. Watching them develop and implement what I taught them brought me great joy. But it had to start with their desire to want to adopt these techniques and make them part of their practicing – a part of their rhythms. These were learned skills that became habits for them. This is also our goal with this series…that each of us would develop and or improve upon spiritual rhythms in our lives. The rhythm that we’re going to explore this morning and throughout this week in our small groups…is the rhythm of prayer. A Prayer life isn’t something we’re born with…A Prayer life is something that we learn from others.
Why is that important? There are many people in this world who would love to be your Prayer Coach / Prayer Teacher. In discernment, one must ask, – are their practices in alignment with God’s word? Just like there are some who are really good teachers, there are also some who have the capability of taking you down the wrong path. This is why James warns us in
So yes, when it comes to a prayer life, there are good and bad teachers. This morning I’d like to introduce you to both…the bad teachers – bad examples, along with the good. And be thinking to yourself…
Jesus says in verse 5 and following that, “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. VERSE 7 When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. Can you identify which type of teachers we just read about? Bad ones, right? Jesus takes prayer seriously, and in these few verses He’s making it very clear what prayer should not look like – what bad teaching looks like. First Group – The Hypocrites. He says in verse 5, “you MUST NOT BE LIKE,” well, there ya go. He’s addressing a group of people that are bad examples when it comes to prayer. This group of people is called hypocrites.
That’s right, the Gentiles. He says in verse 8, “don’t be like them” when you pray.
The answer is Jesus.
The Way…Practicing The Way. His Way. For He is The Way – The Teacher, The Example we’re to model our prayers after. Matthew chapters 5-7 records for us a time when Jesus invested in His disciples, by doing what? Look at Chapter 5 verses 1-2 (CSB). We read that…
Look at Matthew 6:6, 9-15 (CSB) with me…Jesus, The Way, The Teacher, instructs us how to pray. Beginning in verse 6.
Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses. Notice the assumption…you can even go back to verses 5-8 for this. Just notice how Jesus says, “When” and “Whenever.” He doesn’t use the word “if.” The When and Whenever are assumptions that you will and are frequently praying. And as followers of The Way we should be praying…
Prayer is about the heart…it’s about communicating with Him, much like you would with your best friend in life. Listen, Jesus is The Way…The best teacher and best example ever. But keep in mind that He does equip His followers to teach others as well. What does that look like for you? Who could be that example in your life that you could follow after? Who is that example who is aligning their prayer life with the Lord’s? Who is it that you could then come alongside and teach them how to pray? At this time…
and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.”
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Message Notes: Welcome…I’m Nate Smith, one of the pastors here at Faith Fellowship. Have you ever heard the beginning of the phrase… “I feel the need…”?
There are two ladies mentioned in today’s passage that we’ll be focusing on. I want to help draw our attention to what each felt they needed. So please turn with me to Genesis chapter 16…page 7 in the Bible under the seat in front of you. While you’re turning there… Just quickly…a little backdrop. In the previous chapter, Genesis 15…God had just told childless Abram that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and Abram believed Him. Now, Genesis 16, please follow along as I read aloud… Genesis 16 (CSB) Hagar and Ishmael 16 Abram’s wife, Sarai, had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar. 2 Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So Abram’s wife, Sarai, took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband, Abram, as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she saw that she was pregnant, her mistress became contemptible to her. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for my suffering! I put my slave in your arms, and when she saw that she was pregnant, I became contemptible to her. May the Lord judge between me and you.” 6 Abram replied to Sarai, “Here, your slave is in your power; do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her. 7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her authority.” 10 The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count.” 11 The angel of the Lord said to her, “You have conceived and will have a son. You will name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your cry of affliction. 12 This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; he will settle near all his relatives.” 13 So she named the Lord who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?” 14 That is why the well is called Beer-lahai-roi. It is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, and Abram named his son (whom Hagar bore) Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him. So, two ladies are mentioned, to begin with… What was it that Sarai felt the need for? She thought she needed…
In Contrast… What was it that Hagar felt the need for? She thought she needed…
Today, it is my goal to shift our thinking from asking the question, “Does God see me?” to a factual statement…“God sees me.” It’s who He is…He can’t be anything other than El Roi (THE God Who sees, notices, cares about me). Maybe you’ll continue to question whether or not He truly sees you, but hopefully this name of God will be a reminder to you about who He truly is.
Everything that I keep missin' Give me Your love for humanity Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted The ones that are far beyond my reach Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten Give me Your eyes so I can see
Or does anybody even know she's going down today? Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? I’d like to close this morning by reading a good portion of Psalm 139. If you want to turn there and follow along it’s on page 349. Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24 (CSB) Maybe this is a chapter you go back and study this week…But I’d like to read it to you at this time. The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God..For the choir director. A psalm of David. 1 Lord, you have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. 3 You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord. 5 You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. 6 This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. 7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 9 If I fly on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the western horizon, 10 even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night”-- 12 even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you. 13 For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began. 17 God, how precious your thoughts are to me; how vast their sum is! 18 If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with you… 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way. I feel the need, the need to be SEEN! What’s the name for God that means “He sees me”? El-Roi…God Sees Me!!! Let’s Pray…(step off to the right) Additional Notes:
Real Dudes,
Have you ever driven down the road and drifted into the rumble strips? What did you do when that happened? Did you continue crossing them, or did you gradually make your way back to the center of your lane? I recently had coffee with a good friend of mine and we discussed this very idea. He shared with me that Satan’s goal a lot of times isn’t to yank us off course, but rather, he gradually nudges us off course. Thankfully, as believers in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit to nudge us back onto the path that God is leading us on. Are we allowing Him to do that work in our lives? What rumble strips do you have in place to get you back on track? Accountability Partners? Conviction from God and His Word? Personal Devotions? Good Preaching and Podcasts to listen to? Someone once said that Rumble Strips are the sweet sound of safety. I pray that we see the Holy Spirit that way…that He is that convicting voice in our minds that is the sweet sound of safety in our walk with the Lord. Stay in tune to Him every moment of every day and He’ll guide you along that straight path that He’s prepared for you. I hope that the passages and song below are an encouragement to each of you this morning. Nate Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. John 16:5-15 (NLT) The Work of the Holy Spirit5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. 12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 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. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
Hebrews 2:1 (NLT) So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. Song: Slow Fade by Casting Crowns https://www.google.com/search?q=song+slow+fade+by+casting+crowns&oq=song+slow+fade+by+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyBwgBEC4YgAQyBggCEEUYOTINCAMQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAQQABiGAxiABBiKBTIKCAUQABiABBiiBDIKCAYQABiABBiiBDIKCAcQABiABBiiBNIBCDM5MDVqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:7fc6697b,vid:JxwcGyaOr6Y,st:0 Real Dudes,
Our Lead Pastor recently preached through the passage below. It’s a passage that I thought I was familiar with, but he pointed a phrase out to us that I’d overlooked for years. Feel free to read all of the verses and then come back and dwell on the ending of verse 5. Who does Abraham say will return to the servants? Now look at verse 19. Who did in fact return to the servants? What truth about God did Abraham point out to Isaac at the beginning of verse 8? Abraham was faithful and obedient to God’s instruction. Abraham was confident that God would provide in his time of need. Did Abraham pass the test? What test is God giving you lately? Are you passing it? Do you believe He’ll provide whatever it is you need in your time of testing? He is Jehovah-Jireh…our Provider (verse 14). Men…are you practicing confident faith in Him? Praying for and Cheering y’all on!!! Nate Genesis 22 (NLT) Abraham’s Faith Tested 22 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” 6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” 12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” 15 Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” 19 Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live. Abraham’s Faith spoken of in the New Testament Hebrews 11:17-19 (NLT)17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. |
AuthorNate Smith is a husband, a father of 6 girls, grandpa to 3 granddaughters and one grandson, a police and fire chaplain, a pastor, and has a passion to see men grow in Christ. 
#girldad including granddaughter
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