The Power of the Blood

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

I Without the shedding of blood there was no remission of sin.

A 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.

a 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.

II Jesus' blood did away with the temporary system.

A 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!

B 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.

C 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. 

III The sacrifice won’t do any good if you don’t accept it.

A 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.

B 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.

IV When you accept the blood it can be a number of things in your life.

A The blood can cause death (literal and figurative) to pass over you

1 Exodus 12:10-13

a 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.

a 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. 

a 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

I God speaks of us as what we already are; as a finished product.

A Romans 8 (More than a Conqueror)

1 Anything that comes my way had already been defeated.

2 We're already called a champion.

B 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.

C When God looks at me,  he knows who I am.

Transitioning Well

It’s the beginning of spring and the beginning of a new era as Pastor Robert Emmit of Community Bible Church has handed the ranks to Pastor Ed Newton, officially naming him Lead Pastor. Pastor Robert will still serve with Community Bible Church as Pastor Emeritus. Robert and Ed spoke to the congregation about what all this means!

Transition Weekend

tran·si·tion

tranˈziSH(ə)n,tranˈsiSH(ə)n/

noun

noun: transition; plural noun: transitions

1 1.
the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another."students in transition from one program to another"

2 synonyms:

3 change, passage, move, transformation, conversion, metamorphosis

1. A transition requires one to pass the baton successfully.
1. 4 × 400m Relay
1. The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap.
2. Relay race runners typically carry a relay baton which they must transfer between teammates. Runners have a 20 m box (usually marked with blue lines) in which to transfer the baton…
1. This prevents confusion and collisions during transfer.
2. The 1st runner doesn't leave after his lap, he stays in the stadium and cheers his teammates on.
3. The first guy has to let go.
4. The next guy has to take hold.
2. Successful Transitions in the Bible
1. John to Jesus
1. Matthew 3:13-17 MSG
1. Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him. John objected, "I'm the one who needs to be baptized, not you !" But Jesus insisted. "Do it. God's work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism." So John did it. The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life." 
3. Jesus to the Disciples
1. Matthew 28:18-20 MSG
1. Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." 
4. Elijah to Elisha
1. Summary
1. This is one of the best examples of intentional mentoring.
2. It tells us much about both the role of the protégé and the mentor.
3. In his first encounter with Elijah, Elisha is willing to let go of his occupation, his family, and the life he had built thus far in order to follow after a man offering his mentorship.
4. Elisha went everywhere with Elijah even when Elijah told him that he didn’t have to.
5. Elisha was patient during the transition
2. 2 Kings 2:15
1. The guild of prophets from Jericho saw the whole thing from where they were standing. They said, "The spirit of Elijah lives in Elisha!" They welcomed and honored him. 
3. Key Points
1. These two men were not alike.
1. Organizational Profit vs. People Profit
2. Don't compare people.
5. Legacy
1. Robert is trusting Ed with his Legacy
6. Pastor Emeritus
1. Depending upon the particular church, the title may have some duties such as serving in an advisory role to the leadership group or to the current pastor.
1. There are no biblically set guidelines other than those of the by-laws of the organization or church conferring the honor. 
2. 1 Timothy 5:17
1. “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching”
7. Ed’s Tribute to Pastor Robert
1. Righteous
2. Obedient
3. Bold
4. Endurance
5. Reputation
6. Teacher
8. Paul's Transition
1. Pastor Ed mentioned this scripture and I though it was interesting since he was a “Traveling Evangelist” and now he has a home base
1. Romans 15:20-22
1. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written:“Those who were not told about him will see,    and those who have not heard will understand.” This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,  I plan to do so…

Trump Supporters Want To Be Angry

This is one of the few times that I've participated in Trump discussion because I really feel like people who don't like him shouldn't share so much information about him...if any.

 

I don't think anyone knows why Trump supporters are angry but I think they just want to be angry. I know that sounds crazy. There are people who live in underfunded communities who don't really do anything to help the situation. I think a lot of them honestly don't know what can be done. These people who live in underfunded areas will say that the government doesn't do anything for them. However, many times these are the same people on government assistance. The same people who aren't using available resources.

 

Then there are people who are fine financially who say the same thing, that "government doesn't do anything for them" when they have everything that the aforementioned people are angry about not having. These people are also upset that the underfunded people are receiving their hard-earned tax dollars (in the form of government assistance).

 

Then you have people saying that "they are taking our jobs", jobs that they did not apply for. Immigrants make up around 13% of the population. I realize that that's over 30 million people but they can't possibly be taking all the jobs.

 

We humans are selfish and a lot of these angry people feel like no one is fighting for them. They think that people are in Washington DC collecting paychecks. A while back I shared a chart of what government spends money on and the majority of it goes to the Military. The things that people complain about represented a SMALL slither of the pie, but that's somehow too much and people still feel unsafe even though so much money is going to the Military.

 

Most government agencies publish the crime, financial, and other data. I've shown people actual numbers with references and they don't care. They just want to be upset.