JEREMIAH 4:1-4 (NLT)
(1) “O Israel,” says the Lord, “if you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more. (2) Then when you swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name.” (3) This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. (4) O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.
IDOLATRY & INJUSTICE GO TOGETHER
REPENTANCE & MISSION GO TOGETHER
SURRENDER & NEW BEGINNINGS GO TOGETHER
JEREMIAH 3:12b-15 (NLT)
(12)...This is what the Lord says: “O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. (13) Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to listen to my voice. I, the Lord, have spoken! (14) “Return home, you wayward children,” says the Lord, “for I am your master. I will bring you back to the land of Israel— one from this town and two from that family— from wherever you are scattered. (15) And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.
YOUR JOB VS. GOD’S JOB
YOUR JOB: CONFESS & COME HOME
GOD’S JOB: EVERYTHING ELSE
JEREMIAH 1:1-9 (NLT)
(1) These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. (2) The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. (3) The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. (4) The Lord gave me this message: (5) “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (6) “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” (7) The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. (8) And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (9) Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
GOD DESIGNED YOUR PURPOSE
IT’S COMMON TO OBJECT
PSALM 69:1-3, 13-17, 29-33 (NLT)
(1) Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. (2) Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. (3) I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me…(13) But I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation. (14) Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters. (15) Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me. (16) Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. (17) Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble…(29) I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power. (30) Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving. (31) For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves. (32) The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. (33) For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.
***New Testament References: Matthew 27:34, Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36, John 2:17, John 15:25, John 19:28-29, Acts 1:20, Romans 11:9-10, Romans 15:3
GET HONEST ABOUT YOUR PAIN
CRY OUT TO GOD
GOD HEARS OUR CRIES
Revelation 21:3-7 (NLT)
(3) I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. (4) He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (5) And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” (6) And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. (7) All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
ACTS 2:1-13, 15-21 (NLT)
(1) On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. (2) Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. (3) Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. (4) And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. (5) At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. (6) When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. (7) They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, (8) and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! (9) Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, (10) Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (11) (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” (12) They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. (13) But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”...(15) These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. (16) No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: (17) ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. (18) In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. (19) And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. (20) The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. (21) But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
YOU CAN BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD
GOD DESIRES TO UNITE HIS PEOPLE
YOU CAN EXPERIENCE GOD’S POWER
MATTHEW 7:24-29 (NLT)
(24) “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. (25) Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. (26) But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. (27) When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (28) When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, (29) for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
BUILDING A LIFE WITH GOD MEANS LISTENING AND FOLLOWING
STORMS ARE COMING YOUR WAY
WITHOUT WISDOM, YOU RISK HAVING FAIR-WEATHER FAITH
MARCH 4:35-41 (NLT)
(35) As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” (36) So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). (37) But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. (38) Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” (39) When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. (40) Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (41) The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
STORMS MAKE IT EASY TO FORGET YOUR HISTORY WITH JESUS
STORMS REVEAL THE POWER JESUS HAS OVER THE CHAOS IN YOUR LIFE
STORMS ARE OFTEN USED BY GOD TO GROW YOUR FAITH
ACTS 27:13-26 (NLT)
(13)When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. (14) But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. (15) The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale. (16) We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda, where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us. (17) Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind. (18) The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. (19) The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. (20) The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. (21) No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. (22) But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. (23) For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, (24) and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ (25) So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. (26) But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”
IN EVERY STORM, YOU ARE PROMISED GOD’S PRESENCE
IN EVERY STORM, YOU ARE PROMISED GOD’S PURPOSE
Alpha has made an enormous impact on the people who have attended it, and on the Church as well. Most people have heard of Alpha, but few know what it is. Today we are going to DO Alpha!
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be insane…or else he would be the devil of Hell, you must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God or else insane or something worse…but let’s not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis
