June 2024 Sermon Notes

13 min read2 days ago

The Beginning Of The Summer At Union Series

This month's sermons, though connected, have all been delivered by various preachers. Though I'm getting the sense that this year is a focus on how to grow up, building on last year's assumed intent of gracefully telling us to grow up as Christians, there is much more to learn, as usual, from each message. Last month, I began abbreviating my notes. I am returning to keeping all my edited notes, but I am still determining if I will continue this series after this publication.

As you read these, please remember:

There may be discrepancies between the recording and my notes due to the sermon I watched versus the potentially different sermon posted online. Hopefully, this pushes you to read the Bible and join a Church.
This will seem random, out of context, and potentially too advanced if you are new to Christianity. Try starting here: "Note To Self" Part 1
Start here to follow my journey, then check this 2023 list of notes for better context.
Though I hope these projects help others, they are solely for fun, and my notes are mine; hence, "I" where the preachers generally said "you."
Clapping and sharing this helps me. Subscribing encourages me to post more consistently; comments incentivize my general activity.
Each month's notes tell a story that I'm missing. Check out the May 2024 Sermon Notes for specific context.

Pleasantries are out of the way; let's start with Sunday The 2nd

Pastor Temi's sermon "The Wait I Never Wanted."

From Samuel, aka "The first book of The Kings" (1 Samuel 1:9–18)

Emotions manipulate or tempt me into settling or losing hope/faith.

How to wait on God well without losing hope/faith to see His promises:

The wait reveals me.

The wait is for my benefit. My level of maturity dictates how well I respond to the wait. (See Hannah)
I need to wait gracefully. Spiritual tantrums — subtle protests against what I believe God for — aka Immature faith (For example, saying, "What's the point of budgeting? Singles events aren't for me, They should reach out to me, They'll never change, I'll need these meds until I die") hardens my heart, weakens my faith, and are all a part of the enemy's plan to get me to let go of my faith.
The wait matures me. Trials develop my faith. (James 1:2–4)
Faith to wait for what God promised me. (Hebrews 11:1)
Don't settle for cheap subs while I wait. It's never as good as what God has for me — "exceedingly, abundantly above what I could think, ask, or imagine." (1 Samuel 1:8)

Worship while I wait in spirit and truth. Bring my sorrows, pains, mourning, ashes, despair, and more to God w/faith. (Psalm 22)
There's an exchange with God; faking my ashes can't demand beauty. (Psalm 22 — Psalm 23)

The attack activates my faith. (1 Samuel 1:6)

My reality will torment me if I let it (just like family and friends can.)
I can't engage (speak back, curse, fight) my tormenter, aka torment myself, by turning on myself via a thought from the enemy (him screaming vs. a thought from God — him whispering in my ear from Heaven), which turns into depression.
Why did I hold them accountable for something only God can fix
Trust in the name of the Lord, Lordod, to fix it. (Psalm 20:7)

The wait is worth it!

"Give Him Something To Work With"

Saturday Morning Prayer By Pastor Ron Chandler June 8, 2024

1 Kings 3:5–10 & Ecclesiastes 3:11

An answer to "Why me?" What God had for Hannah was bigger than just a son. It was the prophet, Samuel!
Life is like a puzzle with many pieces that God has given us. (Phil 2:12)
I have to work out my salvation with fear. I have a job to do.
If I want God to do great things in me, I must have great desires in my heart.

Use the pieces he gave to me in my box.

Keep looking at the original picture—the Bible—and follow that design to completion, not my ideas, opinions, someone else's life, etc.
I'm fearfully and beautifully made. Why try to change that? (Psalms 139:14)

Learn to adopt qualities that imitate the designer. (Ephesians 2:10)

Hunger for God, A desire to be used, a heart to be faithful

Never give up on my commitment to him.

It will be richly rewarded. "Pleasing to Him" (Matthew 7:33)
Seek the kingdom First. Things will change (Guard the good deposit entrusted to me. — 2 Timothy 1:14)
Detail my desires. Attach it to the kingdom.

Additional Leadership Pastor Demarcus (6.8.2024)

Set boundaries for rest while communicating effectively.

How am I perceived [as a leader]? Who am I?
What's the perception of my team(s) versus the reality?

"Look What He Made Me Do." by AD3

Matthew 14:22–27

To become who God destined me to be, I must redefine "challenge" from scripture, not culture. "Challenge" is a norm and a promise. Hope within the challenge is an invitation to deeper intimacy with Jesus. Come out of the comfort of predictability. In a real, holy, righteous, and necessary way, the Lord is about to make me do stuff I don't want to do.

"Compel" — "He made them(the disciples)." Force. Constrain.

"Bid me" to come — push me.

Sometimes, the miracle I need looks like an inconvenience I don't want. My greatest seasons come in seasons of Him pushing me. (See Abram -> Abraham, David, Gideon.) My next level comes in a push, not in my praise, applause, or admiration. It's time to swim with the sharks.

What do I do when God kicks me out? Serve, give, fly, get in the boat, etc.

He needs to be more consistent and consistent with explicit direction and instruction. What storm is only here because I'm not moving in the direction of God's push? (See Jonah.)

There's a glorious reason behind the push of God. He knows stuff I don't know. He's trying to show me something. Jesus will insist on assisting me in discovering the reason I exist. He refuses to let me die confused.

Dismissal is God's method of discovery. He dismissed out of their (the disciples) lives what they believed would save them — other people. I didn't get left by anybody. They were denied to remind me that life is in Him, not my family, friends, cash, fame, followers, etc. It's about the cross, not the crowd.

Trying to manipulate moments can impede miracles. A moment is meant to be a moment. I won't miss anything. What God has for me is for me. Let it go.

The first push is for positioning. The next push is to ignite my faith out of my comfort zone.

June 15, 2024, Saturday Morning Prayer

By Pastor Comfort John 15:1–5

Three ways to abide in Christ (my true source of life) through prayer:

Stay connected to the true vine.

Some people use other people's charge, but I have to stay directly connected to Him in His word and His presence with all of my heart (Jeremiah 29:13)

Let His words cleanse me. (John 15:13)

And speak it over myself to stay connected and draw closer to Him.
Proverbs 3:5 — doubt
Romans 8:28 — anxiety
Philippians 4:13 — Insecurity

It's a process to embrace the pruning process (John 15:2)

Not all pain or waiting is bad
Pruning improves health, directs growth, and removes dead and diseased parts of me, all to bear more fruit.
Pruning is prep for His use.
Galatians 5:22 — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, and more

"There's Something Missing" By Pastor Jimmy Rollins

#Meanwhile — 1 Samuel 3:1, 2–9, 19–21 NLT

The story's context is that Samuel hasn't yet matured into a prophet who can hear God asking a rejected Eli for his thoughts in Eli's house, trying to get Eli to verify something God said to him. Samuel was meant to anoint David and Saul through the Word of God. Samuel ends up in Eli's house because God wants David in the lineage of Jesus.

"Lord, this is your servant listening," means "What's missing is Your prophetic word, God." I'm anointed because God says so, not by my resume, titles, bank accounts, family name, partner, etc. I have to take my hands out of God's plans.

I can't be comfortable with God's word being rare. I control that by being in His presence frequently or rarely — God of provision and revelation. My vision will be rare if my time with Him is uncommon. Inversely, I will have an uncommon vision if I spend more time with Him. What's birthed in the spirit is maintained in the spirit (not in the club). The word of God will always be rare if I make it about me and think and act like the people instead of the kingdom and what God has for me. The word is about generations after me. Do not settle.

Why I need a word from the Lord:

Lordstance: "And then God said, and that's what happened." Something out of nothing. Between a prayer and a promise, a word and a way. (Genesis 1:3–4) He uses me despite me.
Authority on God's behalf (Isaiah 55:11)
Anointing (1 Samuel 16:13)" A meanwhile" for a season I'm unsure of or don't know. "God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called."

June 22, 2024, Saturday Morning Prayer

By Pastor Parrish 1 Peter 5:7–10

Remain steadfast in my faith

Remember, God's still good—"It's about His attributes, not His actions…" merciful, loving, compassionate, a friend, a healer, a mender of broken hearts, etc.

Give God my vulnerability.

Let my pain produce purpose (1 Peter 5: 10)

Establish — to make firm

"I Gotta Do Something" By Pastor Brian Bullock

Exodus 14:10–15 NLT

Christianity comes with Doing. "You don't get results from watching." You have to shed the spiritual weight by doing.

Listening can be deceiving (James 1:22)

James 2:26

John 14:15 — If you love me, you will KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.

You can have a due season without a "do" season. (Exodus 14:15)

Three things every believer MUST DO:

1. Get moving.

Get up.
The enemy picks on me because I have yet to use my strength. "I may not hit you first, but I can hit you back."
The devil doesn't take breaks, so how can I? (Luke 17:14 — sometimes God heals me as I go)

2. Work my gift.

Gift — The natural resources he gave me
Spiritual Gifts — a special God-given ability given to each of his children to advance His purposes in the world (see "stop waiting for permission")
Proverbs 18:16 + "As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual."

3. Help people find freedom

(Matthew 25:36–40)
"Participatory miracles" — like Moses stretching his hand

June Catalyst — Is God Still With Me?

By Senior Pastor Stephen Chandler

You can be a spiritual busybody — see Martha vs. Mary
"God fill me up" sometimes requires laying hands on myself
Exodus 14:10–18 — If I'm going to lift my eyes towards the Lord, Lordght to lift my eyes to the Savior. Stand still and SEE the salvation of the Lord oLordthe issues I see today, which I'll see no more today.
A trip vs. a vacation depends on the traveling partners. We didn't come here for me to do stuff I could have done at home. I need to remember all I had to do to get here. He gave up his divinity and came down as a man, then sacrificed himself for me to get me from Egypt to Israel/ Death to Life (leave the bitterness and jealousy and all at home).
The Bible allows me to learn from others' (i.e., Jacob…) inconsistencies to avoid the same traps HOPEFULLY.
God has a purpose for his timing and will pay me back for all my waiting hours. "Lord, set me up." GALATIANS 5:1

What glory-to-glory maturation should look like:

My miracle doesn't happen in Goshen

All of their miracles happened outside of Israel.
What will I do when I'm in so much pain I long for what God has brought me out of?
Maybe I don't black out and have unmarried sex daily. Still, I go back to my bad attitude, selfishness, or something unlike God daily, not realizing what triggers my desire to "go back" — most of us are looking for something to numb pain in uncomfortable moments.
When I begin to ask, "Is God still with me?" I know I am in a state of spiritual compromise.
"Where sin abounds grace that much more abounds."
Hebrews 12:14 — Without holiness, it's impossible to SEE GOD — if I return, He will speak to me through others. "Grace with his face ain't all that."
There's a miracle with my name on it that I can't receive until I go to his face — "set apart."
2 Corinthians 6:17–18 HOLINESS, GODLINESS, BEING SET APART still matters
Pure, lovely, holy, etc. — meditate upon these things.
There's a miracle where he brings me out from

He brought me out to take me in numbers 13:32–33

Some never saw themselves getting this far, so this is enough. "However, He didn't bring me this far, only to bring me this far. Keep battling. The battle isn't forever." I'm going to win it.
The leaders He is looking for know how to enter His presence and leave (take what I brought in to vanquish the enemy, aka don't be stuck).
A sign to know if I am happy being stuck/ spiritually plateaued — coveting what the people around me have (all my prayers material, my desires are natural, everything I'm pursuing has a lifespan or shelf life).
I, KINDA, don't have to waste time praying for natural. IF I SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM… the natural stuff will follow me.
When I stop obsessing over miracles, miracles begin to break in my life.

I went in to possess first (not to rest), and then…

Joshua 7:3–4 "Do not weary"
No prayer of faith starts with "God if."
After God had brought them that far, they started losing in seasons when they were supposed to take more nations.
THIS AIN'T THE TIME TO GET COMPLACENT WITH MY PURSUIT OF GOD. HE BROUGHT ME OUT TO CLEAR THE ENEMY OUT OF EVERY CORNER I GO TO.
The most mature version of Israel was the one that got dragged back into slavery. Saying, "It could never happen to me," getting their vision stolen and brought back into slavery.
I've got to pursue holiness and advance his kingdom until Jesus returns.

Saturday Morning Prayer By Pastor Byron

Sometimes, we need help inspecting the fruit of everyone around us and our lives (like a watermelon).

How to inspect our fruit:

Inspect the fruit of our friendships.

Am I in the community with people pushing me toward my destiny, exhibiting the fruit of the spirit? Galatians 25

Inspect the fruit of my life.

By going to God for myself daily. Self-reflection, spiritual nourishment
Be consistent. Every day I can't miss a meal. It starts in his word. It's what comes out that defiles me, not what goes in.

Sometimes, I have to allow others to inspect my fruit.

Someone who's been where I'm going. (Mentor)
Pruning removes an unhealthy, harmful hindrance to my health, good, and progress/growth. AN IMPROVEMENT
JESUS IS THE VINE, AND I'M THE BRANCHES IF I STAY CONNECTED TO HIM… when I can't do it myself, join a group.

Elementary Series Part 1: Turn Off The Scoreboard.

By Pastor Stephen Chandler — Matthew 19:16–24

There are levels to my faith, i.e., elementary to grad school, aka baby Christians/infant faith. There's a problem if I have been saved for some while and am still a baby/infant.
Hebrews 6:1–2: "Hey, we got to get deeper. I'm tired of preaching the same things… 'let us press on to more mature issues.'"
I won't survive storms with immature faith. There's eternal joy in HeavHeavent life on Earth. (See catalyst on the immature reaction to storms—return to comfort.) "Do I only have sunny-day faith?"
I must pursue maturity.
Foundational/Elementary Faith — the doctrine of Repentance from dead works, Faith, BaptismS (water, holy ghost + and one more I missed.)
Example of skipping foundational faith: Doctrine of sewing and reaping while skipping the doctrine of faith is manipulation

Stop keeping score (I can't win). 2 Corinthians 10:12 #MeVsMe

Layman's terms definition of the doctrine of dead works: When I believe my actions make God like me more or when I do wrong, He doesn't love me
Before I knew I was, I had been keeping score (sports, classes, cash, who got what first, even my sin — "at least I've never"), hence, the success of social media.
Beating others doesn't mean I'm maximizing my call.
I've got to account for the supernatural pace of God's miraculous power (the supernatural acceleration of God).
Jealousy doesn't account for the facts I don't see #RunMyRace
The only goal is to be like Christ, not better than someone else.
Faith is won when my evil does not exist, not by doing more good than evil. (Isaiah 1:18)
I can't erase my mistakes; only God's grace and Jesus' blood can (Ephesians 2:8–9)
The commandments Jesus left out in the intro verse were those that involved a relationship with Jesus (see Mind the Sabbath).

Proximity moves, not performance.

I can't put God on a scoreboard — a works mentality.
John 2:3–5 Mary never read her scoreboard. Jesus operates on relationships, not scoreboards. He will do what he's asked because [they are] blood.
If I know him well enough, he will show up early and break the rules on my behalf.
Jesus is in the Book of Daniel with Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego (SP?), and Moses and so many others in the Old Testament go through the fire with them because of their relationship with him.

The score has been settled!

"Score" not only has he forgiven my past, but he's scripted a melody to my future… a debt. i.e., a debt or hindrance between God and me.
The gospel is "the good news."
The good news is, "Stop trying and have faith. He'll remove my sin."
However, there's no "good enough" for God.
He's treating me as good as his son Jesus (Romans 8:15–17 "Abba…" A joint heir with Jesus).
"How do I know I am free?" When I no longer expect what I deserve and accept that my blessings are based on the goodness of who my father is. It's a relationship, not a competition, to impress God.