Sacrifice

 Sacrifice

Define sacrifice in your own words. 

What have you had to sacrifice to get where you are? 

Abraham was 75 when he was promised a son. Abraham was 100 when his wife gave birth to his son. 

Then God told Abraham to take his son up on a mountain and to use his son as a sacrifice. 

• What would be your reaction to being asked to do this? 
• Would you do it? 
• Could you do it? 
• Could you follow through with it once you got up to the top? 

Abraham prepared everything. Laid his son on the alter he prepared. Raised up his sword to hill his son as the sacrifice and God stopped him from doing so. 

Why was Abraham willing to do this? For the good of the team right? 

What are some things you may have to sacrifice for the good of this team? 

What are you willing to sacrifice for the good of the team? 

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."  - Hebrews 13:16

As the season moves forward each day, think to yourself; what can I sacrifice for the good of the team. 

We have choices to make each and every day. 

• You can choose to do you. 
• You can choose to sacrifice for your team. 
• You can choose the right thing. 
• You can choose the wrong thing. 

Every day its your choice. Abraham was willing and followed through with making the right choice and sacrifice. 

Sleaze Bag with the Money Bag

 Judas - How? How can you follow Jesus so closely and do what you did. 

What are you doing that is stealing from what God is doing? 

What is it for you? 

• For the Rabbi it was about killing Jesus. 
• For Judas it was about the Money

Sleaze bag with the money bag. It seemed like this guy with do anything for money. 

Are you doing it for yourself? 

You could tell the difference in the disciples by their actions. 

It is the difference in their words. 

Lord vs Rabbi. 

• Matthew 26:25 Judas calls Jesus "Teacher. "
• Matthew 26:22 The followers called Jesus "Lord."

Judas was waiting for an opportunity to sell out his "friend."

Think about motive. What is your motive when doing something?

Jesus knew. Jesus also set his face upon Jerusalem. He was focus. 

Jesus was not going to allow a man to change his path to what God has called him to do. 

 Jesus was called to:

• Be perfect
• Teach the disciples
• Change the change church 
• Die for your sin

1 Corinthians 7:10 - The kind of sorrow God wants makes people decide to change their lives. This leads them to salvation, and we cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has will bring death. 

1. Godly grief leads to repentance
2. Wordly grief leads to death
3. Shame - Regret - Separation from God. 

You are not unredeemable but you can fake it. 

My failure does not discredit what Christ did for me, you, and others

So how? How could Judas do this? It isn't really how could he do this. Think of it from the other point of view. The reality is how couldn't he do this. 

• Judas was fake. 
• Judas was consumed by the world. 
• Judas had his priorities messed up. 
• Judas sold out Jesus

Judas wanted to sell the perfume the lady wanted to dump over Jesus to prepare him for burial. Think about what you have done with what God has blessed you with. Think about what you have stopped someone else from doing with what God has blessed them with. 

• So many times we get it wrong. 
• So many times we miss it. 
• So many times we take the glory away from God. 

It is time to do what God has called you to do. It it time to give glory to God in all things. It is time to support the mission of those God has called. 

Pray that God will show you what he wants you to do with what he has blessed you with. Pray and ask God how you can support someone that wants to bless God through their actions and possessions. 

Love Like Jesus

 Down Time

May May 22, 2023

Love People - Living Without Offense

Proverbs 19:11 - "Good sense makes on slow to anger and it his glory to overlook an offense. 

Loving others is Hard

Why is it hard to love others? 

Think about you. You have your own problems. This is why it is hard to try and deal with other people. Your patience is low because of your own situation. 

However, the second greatest command is to LOVE OTHERS. 

When you are wronged, how does it make you feel? 

In Mathew 27 it gives several examples:

• Jesus delivered to Pilate to be punished as King of the Jews. 
• Crowd chose Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. 
• Pilate delivers Jesus to be crucified. 
• Jesus was mocked by the people. 
• Put on a cross and stripped naked and cast lotts for his cloths. 

It wasn't easy for Jesus either. 

Luke 23:34 says - "Father forgive for they know not what they do." 

Jesus lived his life free from offense. 

Jesus had freedom to LOVE others. 

You get to choose how you treat others. 

Philippians 2:3-5 - "3. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5. Have this in mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ. 

What insecurities do you have that keep you from loving like Jesus? 

Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 "do not take to heart all the things that people say lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that you yourself have cursed others."

Have patience with people. Respect people. Forgive people. Why, because you were once there and someone did that for you. 

What would you life be like if it was free from offense?

How much joy could you have if you didn't get so offended? 

Have a heart like God and love like Jesus did. 

Love covers a multitude of sins. 

Application - How can you apply this to your life. 

Let me know how I can serve you! 

Chris Duckworth 

Hearts and Minds Ministries. 

618.202.9963

heartsandmindministries@gmail.com

Delicious but not Edible

Delicious but not Edible

May 19, 2023

 I want you to look at the picture above. Man it looks so good doesn't it. 

Large tub. Pink in color. Large serving utensil. 

I mean what could possible go wrong. You don't have to look at the details of this picture do you? I mean it is what is is. Delicious. I want to eat the whole container as I am writing this. 

Let's look at the details of this picture. 

1. That is a tool for spreading dry wall mud. 
2.  It is called Dry Dex spackling. 
3.  It is in a normal size container. 

We have another picture. Large tub. Pink Ice Cream. Looks so good. 

What is the difference here. When we start reading the details on this one it says: 

1. Organic hidden vegetables. 
2. Cotton candy flavored. 
3.  Peekaboo ice cream. 

This is even better than we had imagined.  It is actually healthy for you. I mean what are the chances. 

If you slow your life down and take time to really think about the life God has for you; 

• You will see temptation and flee from it. 
• You will follow more closely to what God has planned for your life. 
• Your relationship with God will be much closer. 

Get in to the word of God. Overcoming temptation is hard. It is not impossible. You have to get into the word of God in order to be able to withstand what the devil will throw at you. Treasure God's word. Store up his word for times, events, and even when thoughts come. God will give you a scripture to help you over come temptation. 

Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Cover yourself with him. 

Have him all over you. 

Wear it. 

Say it.

 Read it. 

Express it. 

Jesus is the protection you need. Slow down and get more of Jesus every day. 

As you think about the title Delicious but not Edible, you can think about your sin life. Is it really edible? No it isn't. You can go and try it. You might even be successful at eating it. But in the end it isn't worth the consequence. 

Leave it alone. Go to God. 

Down Time - Monday May 15, 2023

Down Time - Monday May 15, 2023

Love God - Its all about relationship. 

Matthew 22:37-38

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. this is the great and first commandment."

What does love mean to you? 

2 Points that Jesus makes. 

    1. Love God

    2. Love People

God simple. Keep God simple - LOVE!!

Have you ever went to bed not exhausted? 

Or

Have you had an entire week when you weren't exhausted? 

The world is an exhausting place. 

God wants us to rest in his love. 

When we pursue the love of God first - All other pursuits fall into place. 

We were not created to offer our affection any where else. 

What pursuits have become more important than the pursuit of God? 

Remember that movie "The Pursuit of Happiness" - How wrong can that be? 

What are you giving your energy to? 

Have you confessed your pursuits to God that don't align with his will? 

Ask God to help you. 

1 John 4:16 - 

"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and god abides in Him." 

Turn everything you do into Worship. 

What can you do to love better? Love God and Love others? 

How can you turn all you do into worship? 

Application! How can you apply this lesson to your life this week? 

Pray to close -