Sermon Notes

Nearly 2 years ago I got a new journal notebook for sermon notes. It has 200 pages in it and it is nearly full now.  As I flipped through the pages during church this morning I realized how much of a treasure this notebook is and how many things from it I want to share.  So much truth, beauty.  So, enjoy a brief scroll through some of the high points from the past 2 years of sermons in my life. The sermons have come from various preachers at various churches as well as some speakers at conferences.  This is in no way a compilation of everything written down, but just a sampling of some of the powerful things that have affected my soul.

from sermons/lessons given by Robert Burkett & Tom Terry @ Grace Fellowship Church, Flint TX:
*We should live as champions, but we may not always see victories. {Luke 9:58, There is no EARTHLY security. If you count on it, you will be disappointed.}

*Faith sometimes requires waiting.

*God always goes before us. He knows what you're facing. There is no where in the Bible where God retreated.

*When God's at work, we often have to move out of our comfort zone. You will never experience victory in Christ until you step out.

*When you walk in faith, do you expect something from God?  He will never ask you to do something that you can't do WITH HIM.

*How often do we not see our Jericho walls fall because we quit trying on the 6th lap?

*We cannot be defeated by Satan unless we throw up our hands in surrender.

*Death is just a sign that there was LIFE.

*Don't be in bondage to the past.

*Faith will lead to works -- not the other way around.

*You can't draw water from a dry well.  Fill it with the Word.

*Let the mind of the Master master your mind. Then you'll know the mind does matter.

*I find that doing the will of God leaves no time to dispute His plan.

*Joy busters: unsatisfied expectations, unresolved conflict, unconfessed sin

From Larry, when he filled the pulpit at a few different churches:
*Weak faith is better than no faith. God can work with weak faith.

*How God deals with another person & their sins is none of your business.

*God's heart has always been in tune with those who are outsiders, less than, ones who can never repay grace extended.

*If you want to be closer to God, go where the poor are. They can never repay.

*God can handle things -- He does not need our help!

From Kim Beckham & Dan Sala, Central Baptist Church, Tyler TX:
*You influence your children more by the way you live than the words you use to teach them.

*What you teach your children to love is more powerful than anything they learn in systemic education.

*God has compassion for us in our frailty.

*Forgiven people should be forgiving people.

*Discontentment:  We will never run out of things to see that we want!

*Society constantly changes what it values.

*When hearts get hardened, doubts come.  You can ALWAYS go back to God.

*When you see someone struggling:
1.  pray--discernment & wisdom
2.  talk to them about your own experience if you are done dealing with it emotionally, spiritually, etc.  Speak truth in LOVE.
3.  physically walk the journey with them.

*Make relationships when things are good so that you have an avenue & a voice to speak to people when things get rough.

*Ministry means being willing to be interrupted.

*1 John 4:20:  If you claim to love God but hate a fellow man, you are a liar.  You can't love God & hate sinners.  We can't choose who to extend grace & God's love to.

*Submission:  love/service/honor given out of respect for another person, even when they don't deserve it.

*It is hard to share the joy of Christ when you are in a hurry to grab everything the world has to offer you.

*You guard what is of great value or importance.

*To determine the status of your heart, examine what's coming out of your mouth.

*No matter what we, Christians, are going through in the world, it sure beats Hell.  -Mark Lowry

*If we could hear the screams of the damned in Hell, we'd become more missionary-minded.

*If you want to make an impact on someone, you must be willing to serve them.

*Sincerity is not the magic ingredient that makes something true.

*Genuine love is not a sugary sentiment that denies truth.

*Why does God allow interruptions in our lives?
1.  Sometimes He needs to redirect our focus.
2.  Sometimes He needs to realign our priorities.
3.  Sometimes He needs to reclaim our attention.

MOSES:  grew up in the palace, God interrupted to lead him to the the wilderness w/ the Israelites
JOB:  God took a man who loved Him completely & interrupted his safe, happy life -- but Job's allegiance never faltered
JONAH: swallowed by a whale as a result of disobedience to God
MARY: her whole life was interrupted to carry Jesus

God sometimes uses an interruption to perform the miraculous.

*What we believe about God impacts our view of the world:
1.  I am not the same.
2.  I don't see things the same way.
3.  I am not seen in the same way.

*When we grow impatient with God, Satan is always quick to answer us.

*Out of your deepest misery flows your most powerful ministry.




*Sin & shame are powerless at the Cross.

*You cement your right to lead by learning how to follow.

*There is no healing in your spiritual life until you come to terms with what you've done.  The Lord delights in showing us where real power comes from.  The greatest victories come with the fewest resources. When did we stop trusting in God's provision?

*When the Spirit is leading your life, the fruits of the Spirit are evident.

*We all approach Scripture through the lens of our own life experiences & biases.

*We can't base our salvation on the memory of the day we got saved, but on the daily experience with Christ.

*True faith is transforming faith.  When you meet Christ, it's revolutionary.

*Becoming a Christian doesn't do away with your past -- it buys you a new future!

*God uses common people & asks them to abandon everything & find their hope, security & identity in Him alone.

*He uses our sin & struggles to reach others.

*The nature of forgiveness is recognizing someone has done something wrong, then surrendering your right to hold it against them & retaliate.

*Forgiveness is the 1st step toward reconciliation.

*If your gospel is not touching others, it hasn't touched you. -Curry Blake

*Don't waste time getting caught up in theological arguments. Spend that time loving others & reaching people for God.

*The same way that a physically dead person doesn't respond to physical stimuli, a spiritually dead person won't respond to spiritual stimuli.

*How much of God's power would be unleashed in the Church if we let Him cleanse the parts of us that we keep from Him?

*When life is so full that we are scheduled to the max, we leave no time to be a blessing to others.

*What would the world look like if we acted out an accurate depiction of the Church?

*Prayer means being vulnerable in the presence of God; being deeply honest with ourselves & with God -- kind of silly since He already knows; letting down our guard is powerful & intimate.

*Salvation is not a matter of God's law, but God's love.

*We don't celebrate enough when Christ sets someone free of sin.

*We spend so much time climbing the ladder of success only to reach the top & discover it was leaning against the wrong wall.

From Jake Murphy, Central Baptist Church Tyler, TX:
*During consistent sin struggles:
1.  pray every day
2.  get into the Word
3.  worship
If you're doing #1-3 when you fall, you're that much closer to Him when you get back up.

From Christine Caine @ a ladies event, July 2015:
*Where there is absence of light, darkness prevails.

*Some of us have rationalized God out of His church.

*Don't stop trusting God because He didn't do it in your timeframe.