Sr. Pastor Darrell G Vaughn
                                                        Faithfulness - A Key Step to Happiness
July 31, 2011                        "Win by Losing!"
Sun Am Worship                     To Gain is to Lose and to Lose is to gain!

Text: Mark 8:34-38   (King James Version)

  "Father, I am your servant, willing and desiring to be used to bless your people."

                            The Fields are white and the laborers are few!
C.H. Spurgeon said, "If God does not save a man by truth he certainly will not save them by lies, and if the old gospel is not competent to work a revival, then we will do without the revival;"

                          You just can't give away what you do not have!

Mark 8:34   And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 8:35   For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

Mark 8:36   For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Mark 8:37   Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Mark 8:38   Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

 

Let's pray. Father,

Open my eyes so I can see Your truth.

Open my ears so I can hear Your voice.
Open my mind so I can understand Your Word.
And open my heart so I may receive all that You want me to receive. AMEN

 

Matthew 7:15   Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Matthew 7:16   Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Matthew 7:17   Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

 

Matthew 7:17   Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Matthew 7:18   A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

 

Philippians 3:8   Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Philippians 3:9   And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Philippians 3:10   That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

 

Bringing others into life.
 A disciple is one who builds disciples.
 God's movement will always take you towards others, only after you have first bowed In totals surrender to Him.
 Moses freed people when he applied the blood of the Lamb.
 Exodus 12:1-13, John 1:35 - "Behold the Lamb"

 

Identity Crisis or Absolute surrender!

II. FOUR STEPS BACK TO REALITY

1st – Chapter 3:5 of Exodus we Find - "Take off your shoes."
 He intentionally makes Moses vulnerable.
 This is about foundations. What you live out of.
 Matthew 7:24 - "Founded on the Rock"

2nd - "Throw down your rod."
 4:1 - Moses asks a reasonable question, "What if they don't believe me?"
 God asks him what is in his hand - a staff? No
 His identity, he was holding all he was. He was a shepherd.
 Worship does this; it brings us to reality. It allows God to strip away our props.
 4:20 - Now it is called the "staff of God."

3rd - "I have a weakness"
 God says your limitations are not limits to Me.
 II Corinthians 12:9, "My power is perfected in your weakness"
 Coming into intimacy with God in worship brings us from our reality into His.