Sermon by Dr. Robert Lewis

3/11/2001

Death poses the ultimate question of our existence, with the options being either eternal nothingness or eternal life with meaning.

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon by Dr. Robert Lewis

2/11/2001

The essentials of becoming a Christian by the importance of full knowledge, real conviction, and radical commitment in the decision to follow Christ lend you to have a life-changing encounter with God.

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Sermon by Dr. Robert Lewis

1/28/2001

The story of David emphasizes the significance of confession, repentance, and seeking God for finding deliverance and reconnection in our spiritual journeys.

1 Sam 29:1-31:3

Sermon by Dr. Robert Lewis

12/17/2000

What David's life teaches us about our process:

• Consult God first in everything.
• Loyal friends can be critical in helping you find God's will.
• Beware of "spiritualizing" circumstances and automatically calling it "God's will".
• No situation is impossible to trust God with.
• "Stepping up" means encountering God more often.

1 Sam 23

Sermon by Dr. Robert Lewis

11/19/2000

The Call:

• To David - take the kingdom
• To Us - Take the Kingdom

The Promise:

• To David - The Throne
• To Us - abundant life

Israel: Giant problem - if you’re not spiritually ready, every problem will be a giant.

What made David different:

• He had already faced other giants and won.
• He had personally cultivated a big heart for God.
• He was willing to take great risks of Faith in order to prove God’s reality.

How to bring the giants of your life down:

• It requires disdain for the status quo.
• It requires close encounters with God for heart direction.
• It requires daring moments of faith at the risk of your own welfare.

1 Sam 17, Ps 27

Sermon by Dr. Robert Lewis

11/5/2000

Our opponent is heart disease.

• A look at life’s most vital organs - When you lose at the heart level, you lose it all.
  • Physically - life starts in the heart.
  • Spiritually
• The four hearts of scripture
  • The defective heart - pumping life back to yourself
  • The new heart
  • The healthy heart - a step up from new heart
  • The diseased heart - if you don’t care for the new heart
• Common characteristics of the “healthy” heart:
  • Good nutrition - your intake
  • Abstinence - saying no to unhealthy things
  • Downtime to reflect and hear God
  • Courageous faith exercises

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Sermon by Dr. Robert Lewis

10/22/2000

Our opponent is anger.

• Anger is energy that is focused. It can rally you the right way or the wrong way.
• Three specific types of anger:
  • Righteous anger - right reaction, right response
  • Misplaced anger - right reaction, wrong response
  • Problematic anger - wrong reaction, wrong response
• From anger to angry -- why?
  • Angry people come from angry families.
  • Angry people come from wounded backgrounds.
  • Angry people are often "control freaks" using anger for protection or gain.
  • Angry people have serious, unmet expectations and feel trapped.
  • Angry people are most often men.
• Action points for taking the gold:
  • For those who are angered
    • Don't go hot or cold, learn to express yourself directly.
    • Listen and be willing to forgive.
    • Be quick about it.
    • Memorize Eph 4:25-27
  • For those who stay angry
    • Admit you have an anger problem.
    • Find the root cause.
    • Be courageous and willing to change whatever behavior fuels that anger.
    • Enlist the support of others.
    • Ask for God's help.

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Sermon by Dr. Robert Lewis

9/24/2000

Our opponent is prosperity.

• The danger prosperity brings:
  • Pride - the complete anti-God state of mind.
  • Forgetfulness - forget about God.
  • Deceit - makes temporal and eternal things look the same.
  • Fruitlessness
  • Hoarding - the more we have, the less we give.
  • Pain - people who hurt aren't happy.
• The call to balance
  • Imbalance perspectives:
    • Become Poor - voluntary self-imposed
    • Get Rich - don't let the wealth replace Jesus.
  • A balanced perspective is staying focused and cultivate generosity.
• How to maintain balance and "win gold":
  • Recognize that prosperity makes godly living harder, not easier.
  • Know that discipline must replace what desperation once demanded.
  • Invest in good works and expect life's best.
  • Always have an accountability system.
  • Keep thinking about meeting God for an accounting of all you've been give, because one day you will.

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