Four Points Church

"Fulfilled -More than Words Matt 8:1-17 " Sept 09,2018

Jesus has just come own off the mountain.  The crowds who heard His teaching were astonished at the authority with which He spoke (7:28-29).  However, Jesus did not come down from heaven to only preach sermons.  He came to prove His words were true by His actions.

"Fulfilled -Fakes and Phonies Matt 7:15-29 " Sept 02,2018

Not everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus actually is. Jesus warns us that false teachers will come. They don’t show up wearing t-shirts that tell us they are untrustworthy. Instead, they come saying “listen to me because I know what you need.”

"Fulfilled - Ask, Seek, Knock, Matthew 7: 7-14" Aug, 26, 2018

After hearing Jesus speak on having planks in our eyes we are left with a hopeless feeling in our gut.  Deep inside we are asking the questions, “Who can be saved” and “What are we to do.”  This is why Jesus now diverts our attention back to praying to our heavenly Father. The answer is simple.  Jesus uses three verbs that remind us that there is great help available to us in our shortcomings.  There is a righteousness that is higher than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, and we have been given access to Him.

"Fulfilled - Judge Not, Matthew 7:1-6" Aug, 19, 2018

The most known Bible verse of my generation was John 3:16.  Whether you learned it in Sunday school or from the rainbow colored wig man at a baseball game, you were familiar with it.  Our world has turned its attention to another verse in the Bible that is now its most familiar teaching.  We find that verse in this text… “Judge not.”  You hear this verse constantly quoted in churches, political speeches, and especially from our educational institutions.  Our world has adopted the idea of relativism, which is a system where there is no absolute truth or right way of doing anything.  Instead, we must assimilate what all cultures and sub-cultures value as true.  The worst thing you can be deemed in our societal melting pot is someone who is “intolerant” of other ideas, which is by the way… a judgment.  Anytime, Christians find themselves disagreeing with others we are told, “don’t judge me.”  Is this what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 7?

"Fulfilled - Do Not Be Anxious, Matthew 6: 25-34" Aug. 12, 2018

Three times Jesus commands us to “not to be anxious.” Jesus gives one other command in this text and it shows us how to dismantle the anxiety we feel in our lives.  Jesus says, “seek first the kingdom of God." When Jesus becomes our treasure, our anxiety can find rest in His perfect work and will.

"Fulfilled - Fasting to be Seen, Matthew 6:16-24" Aug. 5, 2018

In the Old Testament there are many people who fasted for a wide variety of reasons.  Prophets like Moses, Kings like David, Queens like Esther, and Scribes like Ezra all fasted as a way to seek the Lord in the times of their distress.  While much fasting was being done in the Old Testament, there is actually only one time every year, at the day of Atonement, that the Lord required His people to fast.  Groups like the Pharisees saw this command and the examples in the Old Testament and determined they were going to be holier by doing much more fasting than was commanded or what they saw God’s people before them perform. Once again, Jesus saw through the charade.  He knew they really weren’t seeking His Father.

"Fulfilled- Unrighteous Holy Things, Matthew 6: 5-15" July 29, 2018

It is much easier to think about sin in terms of failure.  It is easy to see where the prodigal son went wrong.  He was greedy, selfish, and squandered every good gift his father had given him.  However, when we listen to Jesus we must recognize that even our best deeds can be as unrighteous as the sins of the prodigal son.

"Fulfilled - A Change Of Subject, Matthew 6: 1-4" July 22, 2018

The sermon on the mount begins with Jesus showing us the virtues of those who are blessed by God. He then gives us two examples of how those virtues are to shine in our lives as examples to others.  Jesus wants to now show us the depth of sins subtle hold on our nature.  Jesus confirms that we can even do good things and still be unrighteous in the way we perform them.

"Grounded in the Gospel - Gospel Do-Gooders, Titus 3: 1-15" July 15, 2018

In the last few weeks we have talked about order in the church – where Titus was told to establish elders and what those qualifications looked like. We looked at order in our Christian lives and now chapter 3 transitions us to look at what our lives should like as believes to those outside the church.

“Grounded in the Gospel- Gospel Living Because of Gospel Thinking, Titus 2:1-15″ July 08, 2018

Paul is instructing Titus that he must rebuke and defend the truth, to combat the lies and deception that are spreading through Crete. Paul instructs Titus to do this by establishing a discipleship process for the people of the church. Titus, teach older men, older women, and younger men. Titus, instruct the older women to teach the younger women. Teach them all with sound doctrine, pure truth, to live lives that validate the gospel change in them, as believers. Knowledge of the truth in the gospel should change us, sanctify us, give us a heart and desire for godliness.