MADE: Part II Becoming Sheep

We want to begin tonight looking at an animal that God see’s us as.

SHEEP!

All over the Bible God see’s us as sheep and Himself as a Shepherd

John 10:11,14
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep . . . I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me”

So tonight we are going to talk about becoming Sheep

Toughest Tongue Twister: The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick.

I. Admit that I NEED the shepherd. A little about shepherds

The shepherd protects the sheep from…
Thieves
Wolves
Provides for them
Takes total care of them

It’s the same thing that the shepherd wants to do for us.

But the first thing that I have to do is admit that I need him.

We totally need God! He is our good shepherd.

II. Follow the LEAD of the shepherd.

A key role of the shepherd was to lead the sheep.

He would lead them to
water,
fields to graze in,
shady areas to stay cool

Without the shepherd sheep were lost.

Simply admitting that we NEED God isn’t where our journey ends…

it’s where it begins.

Life is best when we FOLLOW God!

Thought for the week:
Am I PART of his FLOCK?

Pastor Joe

MADE: Part I Becoming Clay

Reality TV: American Idol, Survivor 18, The Mole, Extreme Makeover, Dancing With the Stars, Amazing Race, Rock Star, The Biggest loser, The Apprentice, America’s Got Talent, America’s Top Model, Beauty and the Geek, Real World, Making the Band, America’s Best Dance Crew, The Bachelor, Made…

It all about being the next…

MTV: Made making them into something they’re not.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

We are all unique and made differently, but there are a few things that we are all made to be!

Isaiah 64:8
And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand

ill: Clay and Pottery

Why Become Clay?

1. Clay is soft.

This relates to our lives in that God wants our hearts to be soft. Is your heart soft?

When you see some hurt, do you hurt? Don’t let your heart get hard from the craziness of life.

Where in your life do you need to be softened?

Relationships, parents, the needy, friends, to the good things in life…

2. Clay is moldable.

We need to stay moldable in our lives . . . open to change and allow God to make & shape us into whatever he wants.

Take a look at what you wrote down for what you want to become when you get older . . . some will become that when you get older, but most won’t . . . this isn’t bad; it’s just that God has something better planned for your life (me & football dreams).

As you strive to be moldable, it’s important that God is the one who molds you.

Isaiah 64:8—Who/what are you allowing to be your potter?

God is our potter and we must allow him to do his work.

Psalm 139:14
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful!”

He has made us and you need to know that he only makes masterpieces!


Thought for the week:
Am I on my way to becoming clay?

Pastor Joe

2008 Grad Service at 24.7

Temptation 5: Par-tay!

It's Friday night, and a little voice says, "College is your last chance (or maybe your first) to really party before entering the 'real world.' And besides, who's going to get hurt if you drink a few beers, do a few drugs, look at pornography or sleep with someone here and there? Just have fun!"

Strategy: Plan faithful fun
Find friends who want to have fun, but who want to honor God. Commit to accountability with them. Be an initiator! Plan a party of your own that involves good food, good music, good movies, etc., but leaves out the drugs, alcohol and sexual immorality.

The Word: 1 Corinthians 15:33 (see also Genesis 39), "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'"

Temptation 4: Giving in to promiscuity

Dorm life, even on a Christian college campus, can mean three things: freedom, loneliness and a lot more time with the opposite sex. That's not all bad, but it opens the door to sexual temptations. Add to that pressure from friends and the media to "get a boy/girl friend" or "get more physical," and this is a serious danger zone.

Strategy: Make a plan now
Decide before you get to college how you will handle sexual temptation. What are your limits? How committed are you to sexual purity?
Remember that it's God's will for you not only to remain physically pure, but to guard your heart as well. Learn how to develop godly friendships with both guys and girls and have fun hanging out in groups. Limit the amount of time you're alone in one-on-one situations, even if you feel strongly about the other person.

The Word: 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Temptation 3: Buying into the "no moral absolutes" lie

If you go to a secular university you will be told, in one way or another, that most worldviews, philosophies and religions are equally good. Nothing can be known for sure. "If it works for you, go for it!"

Your Profs and peers might try to make you feel silly about believing that Jesus is the only way to God. You might want to fudge your beliefs just a little to be accepted.
Strategy: Commit to representing Christ to your campus

Don't be surprised that non-Christians don't agree with you. Turn it around, and make your campus your mission field! You'll be amazed at how your own faith grows when you're loving and reaching out to others.

The Word: John 14:6 (check out Acts 4:12 and the rest of Acts as well), "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
Temptation 2: Doubting your faith

Too many Christian teens ride into college on their parents' faith. When challenged by intelligent and reasonable sounding but unbelieving professors and students, they're more likely to shrug off their faith because they don't own it, or harbor doubts without really looking for the answers.
Strategy: Ask the right people the hard questions

There are answers to the tough questions about what we believe. Dig in for yourself. Get to know the specifics of your faith. Ask wise and trusted Christians about your doubts and questions before you go to college, if possible. With their help, you will be able to boldly defend your faith when others challenge you.

When you get to college, be sure to hook up with a solid local church where you can find community, biblical teaching, wise counsel and accountability.

The Word: 1 Peter 3:14-15, "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.’Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.'"

Temptation 1: Letting your relationship with God slide

During your first months at college, you might feel overwhelmed with your classes (this ain't high school, baby!) and all the activities going on around you. You'll have sporting events to attend, roommates to get to know, midnight coffee (or ice cream or taco) runs. It will be easy for God to get squeezed out of your schedule.

Strategy: Make an appointment
College is definitely not the time to drift away from Jesus. The key is to set aside time each day to talk to God and dig into His Word. Stick to that appointment! Think of it as your most important class of the day -- and pay attention to what your Teacher has to say.

The Word: Matthew 22:37-38, "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment."

Pastor Joe

The Tri-Rail

This past Saturday The Family made plans to take Colin (our son) on his first train ride…the TRI-RAIL. Now, Colin has rode the steam engine at Disney, the monorails, and even visited a few train stations but this was the first official BIG (as we would say around the house) train ride.

So, it’s Saturday morning and we are on our way to the Train Station in North West Palm Beach were our plans were to board the tri-rail and travel south to Miami for lunch. We arrived 30 minutes early, paid for our tickets and then anxiously awaited those all famous words “All Aboard”. This is where the journey got really interesting…five minutes before the all aboard call my wife read the sign that said this train heading south to city of West Palm had been cancelled! Apparently, there was a body on the track and the local authorities were in route. So, they had buses routed in to take us 20 minutes south to the next station.

The bus ride was great except the driver took us to the wrong station. Once he realized what he had done…he quickly re-routed us to the right station where the train was waiting for us. We boarded the train and quickly moved to the second floor where we found 4 seats and settled in for the next hour and forty minute trip to Miami.

After we unloaded Miami we headed to the transit system for a trip to Bayside for lunch. We had to go through a terminal that required you to validate your ticket to pass through. Once I put my ticket in nothing came out…in other words it got stuck. For the next 20 minutes I waited for a tec to show up to get my ticket out of the machine only to find out there was no one even on duty. So, I ended up buying another ticket. They did inform me that I could write a letter to the company asking for a refund. The tickets are only $4.

Once through we boarded the Metrorail. I have to be honest we knew were we wanted to go but had no idea how to get there. After asking several locals we learned that we needed to get off at the Government station stop and board the metro mover which would take us downtown to Bayside.

When we boarded the metro mover I quickly noticed that there was no one driving! This subway type cart was operated by some person in a hub in another part of the city. They had cameras that watched to make sure that everyone had loaded safely then they closed the doors and away you go. It was a little weird but really fast and fun.

Once we got to Bayside we walked around checked out the cruise ships then went to lunch at Bubba Gump’s. The food was fantastic! The atmosphere was great! And the service was excellent! We even got to see the original shoes that Forrest Gump wore in the move.
After we finished we loaded the metro mover, then the metrorail which landed us safely back at the Tri-Rail train station where we were taking the train back to West Palm.

Our trip back was very entertaining to say the least. There was a gentleman in the seat in front of me that felt the need to share very loudly his political agenda and his position on life. His talk lasted about 20 minutes and then he was gone.

We arrived in West Palm around 8:15…we originally expected to back in Sebastian by 3:00. We loaded the car and ended our son’s adventuress first BIG train ride. What started out to be a 4-6 Hours experience turned out to be almost 13 hours.

Pastor Joe

It’s Lisa the intern

Hey guys, It’s Lisa the intern, here at 24.7.

For those who don’t really know me I figured I would introduce myself. I started attending church at Lakeside Fellowship about a year ago, in March. Quickly thereafter I started going to 24.7.

I gave my life to God in May, and was approached soon after by Pastor Joe about an internship. I was beyond stoked to begin my journey as an intern. My internship this year has been a blessing and an exciting experience; from the wonderful trips we went on, to just being able to be backstage and on board with the team has been awesome. I love being an intern.

I have learned so much from the staff and from the students. My highlights of the week are always Wednesday nights and Sundays. This year I have seen so many lives radically changed by God, I am excited to see what God has planned for me in my future.

I hope that God continues to use me and the rest of the staff to help spread his word and start a revolution.

I hope you guys have a great week.

~Lisa