Mark Hunnicutt

Proverbs 1:1-19 S.O.A.P.

Scripture

7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.

Observations

• Teachability proceeds wisdom
• Respecting God's Word and the wisdom of the godly is the start
• Listen
• Obey
• Intentionally seek wisdom
• Greed takes more than it gives

Application

• Evaluate my teachability
• Change direction quickly in areas where I'm not teachable
• Listen relationally
• Avoid wanting more than I need

Prayer

God, I'm excited about going through the book of Proverbs. I ask for a teachable spirit. I respect You and Your Word and desire godly wisdom. Help me to understand that those I seek wisdom from will conform me and what I pursue will consume me. I need soak up godly wisdom and seek eternal things.

What Faith Is Not

It is impossible to talk about Christianity without talking about faith.  What is faith?  It is easier to discuss what faith is not.  A casual glance at Hebrews 11 and the people of faith portrayed there can clarify what faith is not.

• Faith is not a pattern.

I don’t observe many commonalities.  We read about men and women, young and old all doing different things in different ways to please God.  No cookie cutter Christians here.  No models just big hearted people with a mandate to obey their Creator.

Faith is being ”the you” God created you to be.

• Faith is not a routine.

These examples did not do the same thing over and over again.  They moved and morphed in the rhythm of righteousness.

Faith is growth and being different next week.

• Faith is not predictable.

These characters did not predict where they would end up.  They had no idea and would have laughed if their destination would have been revealed. 

Faith is not knowing the details but having confidence in the Detailer.

• Faith is not easy.

Hard work, sweat, blood and tears are on these pages in Hebrews.  No lateral moves, no hand me downs.  Effort and energy were fueled by faith.

Faith is not taking the easy way.  It is usually the way less traveled. 

• Faith is not just based on head knowledge.

These followers stepped out with their hearts not just their heads.  Logically nothing made sense in these stories. 

Faith is heart based.  You head is not meant to
sprout wings and fly, your heart is. 

I’m still trying to wrap my heart around faith and I guess I always will be.   It is an incredible journey following Jesus by faith.  My desire is to please Him and without faith that is impossible.

Outloud Living

I'm one of the last people in my tribe to buy an iPod. Just a note, I'm still not on Facebook. One major tech social tool at a time please.

I love my iPod! I'm in the habit of searching, downloading, creating playlists and then hitting play. What comes out is exactly what I put in...

I love being a Christ-follower. As I search for God's will I discover several "songs" in His Word. I need to download daily...

Praying

Doing Life Together

Engaging The Culture

Showing God's Love

These "songs" make a practical playlist. When they are played they sound incredible to people far from God. Download these commands in your life and live life out-loud by hitting play day after day!

Biblical Boundaries

Do you have an important decision to make and need clarity? Is there a deep desire driving you but no direction? Can you clearly see your destiny but seemly can't get traction? What do you do when you want to get "there?"

A easier discovery is what not to do. An understanding of biblical boundaries can provide guidance. You will never hit the bullseye of God's will unless you stay inside God's Word which detail His boundaries.

As a believer I want to obey God and make wise choices. This happens in the context of obedience and obedience always happens by embracing the "dos" and avoiding the "don'ts." Because of what Jesus has done I can succeed.

Don't allow disobedience to destroy your destiny. Stay inside God's universal boundaries.

New Year's Resolutions

What are your New Year’s resolutions?  I want to encourage you to connect your resolutions to Christ.  God loves us unconditionally.  He loves us so much He wants us to grow into greatness.  In Luke 2:51-52 we can get advice from a 7^th grade boy on how to grow.    Study this passage and apply these principles and begin allowing God to mold you like Jesus.

Click on image to study outline.

Erase Your List

Are you on someone's list? Is someone on your list? I'm talking about the list that keep you form living and loving like Jesus.

Jesus promises us that we will be wronged and our depravity insures us that we will wrong others. I've committed not to keep a list. It's not my job. I'm not the judge. I'm going to love and live free by not letting a long list choke me. Living is breathing in God's forgiveness and exhaling the bitterness.

Erase your list just like Jesus erased yours. Unwrap it from around your neck and breath. God is just so just give Him your list. Now breath.

James 2:14-20 Do You Have Real Faith?

Sunday 10:30am Service

Dr. Greg Mathis

James 2:14-20 Do You Have Real Faith?

• A lot of people see Bible but they don't get it.  I think I'm a Christian shouldn't be in our vocabulary.

• James states that real faith changes people. Real faith produces real works.

The Message Paraphrase gives a great paraphrase…

14-17Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? 18 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. 19-20 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?

James 2:14-20

• Not saying, to be saved you have to do something.  Is saying, if you are saved you will do something.

• Jesus illustrates that the one who knows me obeys me.

• Head knowledge is not enough.  The world doesn't understand head knowledge.
• If there is fire in the fireplace there will be smoke in the chimney.
• James illustrates the need.  He gives a situation where the group knows about a need but does nothing.  How we react to a need says a lot about our faith.
• We will get more emotional over TV drama than real life situations.
• Through your giving NC Baptist provided 600,000 meals after hurricane IKE.
• Even the Devil and Demons have head knowledge but they don't live for Him.

The clear Word is, real faith works!

Faith Series - Introduction

Worship On Wednesday
Dr. Greg Mathis

We are going to look into God's Word for a clear word about faith.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.                                        Eph. 2:8-9

- Faith is easy when you don't have to trust.

- Faith is harder in hard times.

- We trust our natural senses but are ask to trust a God we can't understand naturally.

- Remember the trust fall game? That was easy for skinny people. Just like that game, we are asked to let go and let God.

- In many ways faith is simple.  The before and after are easier than the fall (trust).

Recommended book: Ron Dunn - Faith Crisis

Questions About Faith

How do you know your faith is real?

What or whom I'm I putting my faith in?

• Religion, money, yourself
• Examine your object of faith
• You can't have faith in faith. Faith has to have an object
• Faith is trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ!
• Faith in Jesus is based on God's Word not feelings

Why do people say no to Jesus?

• Blinded
• Can't be that simple
• Ignore scripture
• They can't understand free
• I'm not good enough
• They don't take sin and hell seriously

How do you know what you have is real?

• Look at your life after you get saved not before
• Eph. 2:8-10 Good works?
• James - faith without works is dead
• Matt. 7
• You can't live a nonconvicted life
• A changed, transformed life

You are one heartbeat from eternity. Are you trusting Jesus for your salvation?

A Reminder of Who I Am

Who am I? As I go through my day today I will be reminded that I am many things. As I woke and prayed for my wife beside me, I am husband. As I meet Ryan to workout, I am friend. As I walk into my office and see my name plate on the door, I am an employee. As I listen to my pastor cast vision I will be challenged with limiting factors, I am a subordinate. As I study to teach at SNC, I am a teacher. As I lead a GOLD team Trunk & Treat meeting tonight, I am a leader. The book of Ephesians reminds me of who I really am. All of the other “I am” statements in my life will seem like plates that I’m spinning on dowels. You’ve seen the circus act where the performer runs from plate to plate spinning them and trying to keep them from falling. Life is a useless effort unless I understand who I am in Christ. Out of this identity flow all of my other “I am” statements.  Slowly read through these verses and wrap your heart around who you are in Christ...

Eph 1:1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

• I am blessed

• I am united with Christ

• I am loved

• I am chosen

• I am without fault

• I am adopted

• I am wanted

• I am God’s pleasure

Who are you? What are your roles and positions? If you feel overwhelmed you need to remind yourself of who you are in Christ.

Encouraging Students & Adults to Do Life Together

Joey Capps the youth minister at Blue Ridge View Baptist Church has gathered a group of students and adults together ready to be challenged to do life together.  He has a mentor, coaching vision in which adults are matched with students and they start a growth journey together.  He has given me the opportunity to connect to that vision and communicate some next steps to help get the journey started.

Here is the central focus of my talk.

We have come to Jesus to become like Him.

Becoming Christ like involves...

• a progressive relationship with Jesus
• that practices spiritual disciplines
• which result in a first hand faith.

How do you measure your progression and growth?  What is your spiritual workout plan?  Do you love Jesus more than anything or anyone and is He enough?  These questions reveal your becoming.