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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 8, 2010

• Why we fly
  • To reach our Savior
    • Christianity is all about Christ; Christ is all about excellence (Colossians 3:1).
    • We lose our lives (Matthew 16:24-25) to adopt His (Galatians 2:20).
  • To reach our potential
    • We should not settle for anything less than our best (Philippians 3:12-16).
    • Our “best”so far isn’t enough (Romans 3:23; Ecclesiastes 7:29).
    • Jesus saves us to change us (Romans 12:1).
    • God helps diligent motivated seekers find His path (Hebrews 11:6).
• Why we fear
  • Too challenging.
    • God’s big blessings require a big effort (I Timothy 4:10).
    • What we should fear is losing our birthright because we were not brave enough to claim it (Hebrews 4:1-3).
  • Too different
    • Getting comfortable in our successes is a reason for change, not inertia (Deuteronomy 32:11).
    • God pushes us to excel, but He is there to catch us when we falter.
• Jesus says, “Come”
  • It’s possible:  Jesus wouldn’t ask something of us we could not deliver (Matthew 14:28-29).
  • It’s taxing:  Jesus will put you to work if you come to Him (Mark 1:17; Ephesians 2:10; John 9:4).
  • It’s costly:  He calls it “a pearl of great price” with reason (Matthew 13:45-46).
  • It’s rewarding:  The rest He provides (Matthew 11:28) is worth the effort.
• Jesus will save
  • We rob ourselves of “walk on water” moments because we doubt His power to see us through (Matthew 14:3031).
  • Jesus will pick us up so we can try again (Philippians 1:6).
• Jesus can calm the sea
  • Jesus may remove our problem, or he may just empower us to deal with it (Philippians 1:12-14).
  • Either way, no storm can separate us from Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).
  • He will shake our house for us today if we ask.

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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 7, 2010

• A failure vs. a person who fails
  • The question is not whether we will fail, but how we will respond when we fail.
  • Will failing be a stumbling block or a stepping sone (Proverbs 24:16)?
• Real failure is when you abandon your post.
  • The one talent man (Matthew 25:24-30) assured his own failure by not pursuing success.
  • Wicked:  God considers inaction to be as evil as inappropriate actions.
  • Slothful:  Excuses for passivity are often just cloaks for laziness (Proverbs 22:13).
• Real failure is when you abandon your post.
  • Paul had a stewardship entrusted to him (I Corinthians 9:16-17), and he was determined to be faithful in it.
  • He knew from the beginning how much he would suffer for the Lord (Acts 9:16).
  • He learned to endure, even appreciate, his “thorns” (II Corinthians 12:7-10).
  • Are you willing to “take the shot”?
• Real failure is when you hedge your efforts.
  • Demas was willing to be a “fellow worker” with Paul (Philemon 1:24).
    • He “loved this present world” (II Timothy 4:9) and abandoned him.
    • Was it the lust of the eye?  The lust of the flesh?  The pride of life?  (I John 2:16)
    • Whatever it was, it wasn’t his “first love” (Revelation 2:4-5).
  • The widow (Luke 21:1-4) gave both her mites, not just one, keeping Joash’s voluntary temple tax (II Kings 12:4-5).
    • Her commitment to God’s work did not depend on her circumstances.
    • Jesus cared about the hearts of the people, not the rocks of the temple.
    • Are you committed or just involved?
• Real failure is when you “surrender to your past”.
  • Judas did not see the significance of his betrayal until too late (Matthew 27:3-5).
    • He could have been brought to repentance (II Corinthians 7:9-10).
    • Instead he was driven to despair.
    • If Jesus forgives us, we must find a way to forgive ourselves.
    • “God is greater than our heart” (I John 3:20).
  • Peter did not see the significance of his betrayal untill too late (Matthew 26:69-75).
    • He trusted in Jesus, not himself (Matthew 14:28-32) and Jesus gave him another chance (John 21:15-17).

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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 6, 2010

• Lonely feelings vs. loneliness
  • Loneliness is an obsession, not a feeling.
  • “Finding someone” does not cure loneliness; it merely masks symptoms temporarily.
  • Treating lonely feeling is easy and fulfilling, but it is not a long-term cure.
  • God offers a real cure; are you brave enough to take it?
• God doesn’t want us to be alone.
  • We need the strength fellowship provides (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
  • That fellowship must be on His terms.
  • The greatest loneliness is isolation from God (Psalm 42:1-3).
• To cure loneliness …
  • Think future, not present.
    • Lonely ones pick comfort over security.
      • The rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) thought he was planning ahead; he was really just planning to “eat, drink, and be merry”.
      • No relationship is worth putting your soul at risk (I Corinthians 15:33).
    • Lonely ones pick encouragement over growth.
      • “You’re okay the way you are” is not always what a lonely person needs to say.
      • Nor is it what he/she needs to hear (Revelation 3:19).
  • Think others, not self.
    • Loneliness is not “my problem, your fault”.
    • Waiting for others to fix our loneliness is selfish, prideful, and doomed to failure (Proverbs 18:1).
    • We need to put ourselves on the other end of Matthew 20:26 – be the servant, not the served!  (Philippians 2:3)
  • Trade doubts for faith.
    • We serve a God of mountains and valleys (I Kings 20:23).
    • Trust God means accepting His will (Philippians 4:12-13).

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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 6, 2010

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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 5, 2010

• Darkness is …
  • Where the devil reigns
    • The “domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) is as real as the kingdom of His Son (Ephesians 6:12).
    • The world is dark because “the prince of darkness” rules over it (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).
    • All who live under his reign are his slaves (I John 5:19; Romans 6:12).
    • Demon possession was unique to the 1st century, but spiritual warfare has always been (II Kings 6:17; Joshua 5:14; Daniel 10:13).
    • If God’s angels carry out His will on earth (Hebrews 1:14), Satan’s angels carry out Satan’s will also (Revelation 12:9).
    • They are everywhere, promoting “the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:1-3).
  • Where sin abounds
    • Most people prefer Satan’s darkness to God’s light (John 3:19-20).
  • Where we learn of hell
    • Being separated permanently from God’s light will be the worst part of hell (Matthew 25:30; II Peter 2:17).
• Banish darkness by …
  • Recognizing light
    • God provides an alternative to darkness (Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16; John 1:4-5; John 12:46; II Corinthians 4:6).
    • Through faith we can see the light (Acts 26:18).
  • Embracing light
    • Our initial choice must be followed by a continual choice (Ephesians 5:8; I John 1:7).
  • Becoming light
    • We are driving to share the light of Jesus (Ephesians 5:11-13).
    • It is our duty to take the battle to Satan (Romans 13:12).
    • Failure to do so shows a lack of light in our hearts (Matthew 6:22-23).

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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 4, 2010

• The future is God’s
  • We fear the future because we cannot control it.  (James 4:13-16)
  • Christians turn the future over to God.  (Proverbs 23:17-18)
  • God is not focused on life’s minutia, nor should we be.  (Matthew 6:31-32)
  • God focuses on eternity.  (I Timothy 6:18-19)
  • We are clay in His hands.  (Jeremiah 18:1-6), reflecting or not reflecting His will (Isaiah 42:16).
  • If we turn out wrong, it is because we are pressing toward our idea of the future and not God’s (Romans 9:20).  (Jeremiah 10:23)
  • Will we have the faith and humility to accept His plan, or insist on our own?  (Jeremiah 29:11; Proverbs 31:25)
• Are we grabbers or givers?
  • Ecclesiastes 11:1
  • The people of this world are afraid to let go of control they don’t really have.
  • We give God our present (Psalms 112:5-9).  (Matthew 10:39)
  • We also give God our future.
    • If Abraham was willing to offer up Isaac (Genesis 22:12), we can bend our vision of the future to serve His purposes.
• Are we campers or claimers?
  • Israel chose the wilderness because they feared the future would be worse (Numbers 13-14).
  • Are we as dissatisfied with the status quo as God is?  (II Chronicles 5:1-4)
• Are we waiters or walkers?
  • The time is now to seize your destiny.
  • The Jordan didn’t stop flowing until the priests stepped into the river (Joshua 3:14-16).
  • The most hazardous time to walk may be the most crucial (Ezekiel 13:5).

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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 3, 2010

• The fear of man means fear of loss.
  • Jesus wanrs us we may lose something (Matthew 10:39).
  • Jesus promises us that eventually we will lose everything (I Timothy 6:7).
• The fear of man means fear of isolation.
  • Jesus warns us we may lose loved ones (Matthew 10:37).
  • Jesus promises us that eventuallly we will lose loved ones (Hebrews 9:27).
• When we fear God instead of man …
  • We do not dread loss.
    • An imperishable inheritance that “will not fade away” is reserved for us (I Peter 1:4).
  • We do not dread isolation.
    • We have fellowship with the faithful and with our Savior (I John 1:3).
  • We embrace the inevitable to receive the incomparable (II Corinthians 4:17).
• The fear of man keeps us from …
  • Fighting the good fight
    • (I Samuel 17)  Only David was not afraid to defend the name of his God (Nehemiah 4:14).
  • Sharing in His calling
    • (Matthew 10:21-26)  If Jesus didn’t fear man, we shouldn’t fear man either (Isaiah 11:1-5).
  • Seeing God’s glory
    • (II Samuel 22)  God triumph over His enemies is something you don’t want to miss (Psalms 9:19-20).
  • Psalms 118:4-6; Psalms 27:1-3; Jeremiah 30:10; Psalms 56:3-4

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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 3, 2010

• What is “fear”?
  • Fear is respect; when God speaks, we listen (Isaiah 66:1-2).
  • Fear is deference; when God speaks, we worship (Psalms 96:4,9).
  • Fear is appreciation; when God acts, we acknowledge (Revelation 15:4).
• The one who does not fear God does not know God.
  • His power (Mark 12:24)
  • His holiness (Psalms 99:1-3)
  • His will (Genesis 22:12; Deuteronomy 5:29)
  • His wrath (Jeremiah 10:10; Hebrews 12:28-29)
  • A warning for sinners (II Thessalonians 1:8)
  • A warning for saints (I Corinthians 15:34)
• The one who does not fear God does not love God.
  • Love and fear are complementary (Deutereonomy 10:12).
  • We show fear (Ecclesiastes 12:13) and love (I John 5:3) in the same way – through obedience.
  • We love and fear our earthly fathers (Hebrews 12:9).
  • We fear and love God for the same reason (Hebrews 12:10).
• The fear of God produces peace.
  • Fearing God means not having to be afraid of anything else (Exodus 20:18-20).
• The fear of God brings blessings.
  • Goodness (Psalms 31:19)
  • Prosperity (Psalms 25:12-13)
  • Compassion (Psalms 103:13)
  • Refreshment (Proverbs 3:7-8)
  • No want (Psalms 34:9)
  • Fearing God is what we were designed to do (I Peter 1:17); naturally we will be happier when we are doing it.
• The fear of God banishes lesser fears.
  • Ungodly fear is groundless.
  • We panic over inconsequential matters (Genesis 3:10).
  • Ungodly fear is destructive.
  • The “roaring lion” (II Peter 5:8) will devour us if we fear his devices instead of God.
  • Ungodly fear is faithless.
  • “A little with the fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 15:16) should be enough (Hebrews 13:5-6).

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By Hal Hammons

Benchley, October 3, 2010

• (II Chronicles 20:14-17) – Realize the battle is not yours.
  • If you continue to fight your battle with fear, you will continue to lose.
    • You are searching for security, and security is beyond your control.
  • You have to let God fight for you (II Chronicles 20:20-26).
    • He will take you to “the Valley of Beracah”.
• (Exodus 14:10-14) – Replace your fears with the fear of God.
  • Giving in to fear can make us doubt our commitment to God.
  • We will find peace if we will just “keep silent” and listen.  (Exodus 14:31; Habakkuk 2:20; Psalms 46:10; Proverbs 15:33)
  • “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7)
    • “Where can wisdom be found?” (Job 28:12)
    • “God understands its way” (Job 28:23)
    • “That is wisdom” (Job 28:28)
  • If you are living in fear, it is because you are not living in the fear of God (Romans 8:31).
  • When you exchange your fears for the fear of God, you find out …
    • Half the things causing you fear get better almost immediately.
    • The other half of the things causing you fear don’t matter in the slightest.
    • “I fear no evil, for you are with me.”  (Psalms 23:4)
• (I Kings 19:9-10,18) – Remember you are not alone.
  • You are surrounded by a spiritual family that loves you.
    • Each part serves each other part for the good of the whole.  (Ephesians 4:16)
  • You are surrounded by a spiritual army that fights for you.
    • May God open our eyes that we may see His army!  (II Kings 6:17)

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By Rickie Jenkins

Benchley, June 23, 2010

• Psalms 23:2
• Hebrews 4:1,4-6,11 – God promises us rest.
• Sheep require rest during the day.
• Sheep will not rest if they are hungry.
• Sheep will not rest if they are fearful.
• Sheep will not rest if they are annoyed.
  • God gives us His word to comfort us.
• Sheep will not rest when they are fighting.
  • Ezekiel 34:20-23
• Sometimes a shepherd has to force one of his flock to rest.