No Progress Without Problems
Pastor Terry Wilcox | Nehemiah 2:1-10
What U.S. President wrote this in 1838?
The first and almost the only book deserving universal attention is the Bible…. The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions of human life; not to be read once or twice or thrice through, and then laid aside, but to be read in small portions of one or two chapters every day, and never to be intermitted unless by some overruling necessity. I speak as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, “Search the Scriptures.”
Charles Dickens and Ben Franklin were his friends. He stunned Congress by demanding constitutional liberties for Americans of African descent.
From Nehemiah Chapter 1
- Nehemiah was given a burden from God. Nehemiah 1:4
- He starts . Nehemiah 1:5-10
From Nehemiah 2:1-10
- Nehemiah reveals God’s project to the King. Nehemiah 2:1-5
- The King and Queen ask. Nehemiah 2:6
- Nehemiah asks . Nehemiah 2:7-8
- God’s favor via the King. Nehemiah 2:8
- is stirred. Nehemiah 2:10
Personal Notes
From Grandfather, By Father, To Son
Pastor Terry Wilcox | Proverbs 4
- True success is leaving a legacy of .
Proverbs 4:1-4
Ephesians 6:4
Psalm 78:4 - Influence your children to protect their hearts from cultural .
Proverbs 4:8
Psalm 119:9 - Children require visible and .
Proverbs 4:25-27
Proverbs 20:7
Hebrews 12:13 - Knowing Jesus is the ultimate prize of .
Proverbs 4:7-9
I Corinthians 1:30
James 1:5
What Can I Do?
- Pray specific, prayers.
- Share your experience with .
- Encourage
Personal Notes
The Joy of Remembering
Pastor Terry Wilcox | Proverbs 10:7; Philippians 1:3
For most of us, memories are a .
“Remember every saint has a past, every sinner has a .”
— Guy Penrod
Remember what Christ has done for us
Isaiah 53:8-12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The key to peace and joy is to put your .
Remember in Christ we are:
Psalm 107:1-3
1 John 1:7- Justified
Romans 5:9
Hebrews 13:12- Free from the fear of
Romans 8:1-2
Isaiah 53:5- Forgiven and sins
Ephesians 1:7
Come to the Lord’s Table and experience joy.
Personal Notes
How Bright Is Your Bulb?
John 8:12-20 | Pastor Terry Wilcox
- Historical and geographic context:
- The audience:
- Four large candelabras:
Have the light of life” from the Greek, it could read:
“light which comes from the source of life” or “the light which gives .
Psalm 27:1, Job 29:3, Isaiah 60:19, Micah 7:8 - Pharisees ask for his credentials.
- Jesus shares the light with .
Matthew 5:14-16
Personal Notes
A Life That Only Jesus Can Give
John 14:15-21 | Rev. Joel Garrett
- Jesus came to die a death that only He could die in order to give a life that only He could give.
- Jesus meets us where we are, but He doesn’t leave us where are.
- Advocate.
- Identity.
- Integrity.
- Immensity of eternal life.
- Power.
Personal Notes
How Do You Define Freedom?
John 8:31-37, Galatians 5:1-6 | Pastor Terry Wilcox
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are reminded that freedom is highly valued.
Freedom is a complex subject. It is allusive. It is not . Unbridled, it leads to .
John 8:31-37
- Physical Freedom
- Spiritual Freedom
Romans 3:22-24
Ephesians 2:8-10
Freedoms in Christ
- Being .
- Restoration of .
- From .
- To love and be loved.
- From and a place in the .
- From the sure to come.
- Questions and fears about .
- From living.
Personal Notes
Mothering: Three Perspectives
Exodus 1 & 2 | Pastor Terry Wilcox
- Jochebed
Numbers 26:59
Exodus 2:5-10
Weaning years. - Pharoah’s daughter.
Exodus 2:8-10 - Shiphrah and Puah
Exodus 1:15-20
Hebrew midwives or midwives to the Hebrews.
“Shiphrah” is Hebrew for .
“Puah” is Canaanite word for .Advocates for children who .
How can our church do this?
Personal Notes
Practicing Stewardship
I Chronicles 29:1-6 | Pastor Terry Wilcox
God established our responsibility as stewards of His creation in Genesis 1:26-28.
- Stewardship principle #1 – God everything.
Psalm 24:1, Deuteronomy 10:14
The steward is not the .
a. Christian stewards are to be and responsible.
I Corinthians 4:1-2
Matthew 25:14-30: Jesus’ parable.
b. God entrusts us with many treasures, but the greatest is the . - Since God owns everything, we don’t own anything.
“How much of mine do I give to Him, or how much of His do I keep?”
Research indicates the average American Christian gives % of income to charities. - Giving joyously results in .
II Corinthians 9:6-7, I Chronicles 29:3,6,17,22
Giving to God should be: motivated by love, prayed over, planned for, and sacrificial. - Give your before giving your .
Matthew 6:19-21
John 21:15
Personal Notes
Doubts?
Matthew 11:1-11 | Pastor Terry Wilcox
Doubt and unbelief are different: doubt says, “I can’t believe”; unbelief says, “I won’t believe”; doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy; doubt is looking for light, unbelief is content with darkness.
John the Baptist was perplexed, but looking for light.
Personal Notes
The God of All Comfort
Isaiah 6:1-8, II Corinthians 1:2-4 | Pastor Jon Betz
Do you need God-given comfort today?
Isaiah 6:1
Isaiah 6:8
- This was a real experience in his life. It wasn’t fiction, fantasy, or fairy tale.
- It made an eternal difference in his life. Never to be the same.
What is God wanting to do in each of us?
- We are called by God to a place of . Matthew 18:3 (A turn or a change!)
Song: Appearance (in & out), Action, Attitude, Altitude.
II Corinthians 5:17 - We are called by God to a place of . Acts 1:8, II Corinthians 7:1, I John 3:3 (A personal Pentecost.)
- We are called by God to a life of . Don’t take the GO out of the Gospel.
We are His witnesses to tell others what He has done for us. (Some have missed it.) - We are called by God to receive His in all life situations.
Notice Biblical examples: Joseph in his trials and troubles, “God was with him,” Gideon, Daniel, three Hebrew children, Jesus, Stephen, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and many, many others.
Personal Notes