Pastor Mac Hammond | June 26, 2022
Recent Sermon Notes
What a weekend we had with guest minister Nancy Dufresne. She shared on the power of faith and reminded us that God and the Holy Spirit should always remain our focus. That means when we face difficulty, listening to the Holy Spirit, our guide on the inside, is the best thing that we can do. You can walk in faith toward your miracle!
Pastor Jim delivered his seventh installment in his series on the book of Romans, entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” The first three chapters of Romans focuses explicitly on the definition of sin. “Because,” as Pastor Jim says, “if you don’t understand what sin is, you will not understand the solution to the sin problem.” Paul wanted them to understand that all of mankind has a sin problem, and no matter who you are, you will never, ever be able to achieve righteousness through your own merit. If doesn’t matter if you’re a secular pagan who worships Zeus or a religious Jew who strictly follows the law, God will never see you as righteous through your own effort. Pastor Jim has much more to say in this message subtitled, “All Under Sin.”
Last Sunday, Pastor Mac taught a message entitled, “They Brought.” He said, “If you’re in a relationship with the Lord, you’re in a covenant with Him. And that covenant is one of blessing.” Yet, many covenant believers do not seem to walk in the level of blessing the Bible promises. Why is that? Pastor Mac said walking fully in the provision and purpose of God begins by understanding what the definition of a covenant actually is.
What a wonderful Easter weekend we had as we celebrated Jesus! His resurrection is the focal point for our faith, for it bridges the gap between the seen realm and the unseen realm. As you go through your day today, remember that the resurrection power of Jesus has the ability to raise your circumstances high above anything you can imagine. The touch of death does not need to destroy your life! God’s resurrection power is at work in you and through you to touch this world for Him.
Pastor Jim gave the fifth installment of his series entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” The first three chapters of Romans can be summed up by saying people who rely on their own righteousness, their own ability, their own self-effort will not escape the judgment of God. It is only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can any man escape His judgment. In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul defines New Testament righteousness as the ability to stand before God without a sense of guilt or inferiority.
Recap:
Pastor Mac came back early from vacation to remind us that lack doesn’t need to defeat us. Lack is an attempt of the enemy to get us to give up our faith, but we don’t need to let that pull us away from our belief in God’s Word. Whether we’re facing life-threatening lack or lack that is keeping us from God’s more-than-enough blessings, God’s promises are bigger and greater. We can keep our thoughts focused on God and His Word, and eventually, the negative circumstances will leave.
If the economy has got you worried about your finances, this is a message you can have on repeat! It will lift up your spirit and remind you to guard your thoughts.
Dive Deeper:
How do you deal with lack? That’s the question Pastor Mac answered this past weekend. He reminded us that the enemy is going to do whatever he can to get you to back away from knowing the truth that God is more than enough, and one of the first places he will start to work is in your mind. He will do everything he can to manipulate negative circumstances in your life.
Our job is to avoid focusing on the negative things that are taking place and focus instead on the Word of God. As Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6, we can focus on the truth that God takes care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He will also take care of us.
Too often we let worry run rampant through our thoughts without care. As a result, we live life stressed and under constant pressure because we are concerned about negative circumstances becoming a reality. We don’t have to let our mind stay focused on lack. We can live in a place of faith.
Remember the enemy is a defeated foe who wants you to live in a place of fear. He will do everything he can to get you to believe that negative circumstances are more a reality that God’s Word. If he can’t deceive you, however, he can’t defeat you!
When you come face-to-face with lack in any area of your life, you don’t need to focus on those negative circumstances. You don’t need to be uptight and concerned. You don’t have allow lack to have a seat at the table in your life. You can put aside thoughts of lack and embrace faith in God’s Word.
Read About It:
Mathew 6:25–34 KJV
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Discussion Questions:
1. What Scriptures can you turn your attention to instead of lack-based adversity?
2. How does God provide for us when the world is going in a negative direction?
3. What is your story of God’s provision for you in the middle of difficult circumstances?