2026.03.25 - Sheep & Disciples

 

                I.         Disciples are intentional about what they reproduce - 

                               i.         sheep begat sheep

1.      Genesis 30:37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel  and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle. 41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the cattle were feeble , he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. 43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses. KJV 

a.     Even though it was likely that it was the Lord's favor that made this miracle happen, Jacob was intentional about what he was trying to reproduce.

              II.         How Disciples Are "Chosen"

                               i.         Rarely does a parent get to choose who their kids, most of the choosing is left up to God

1.     If you choose them:

a.     You may fail to tell them the truth or hold them accountable for the sake  of the relationship

b.     You may not lead them into the life God has called them to but rather the life that you would like to see them walk in 

c.     You honestly may not be the one to get them to the place where God wants them to be even with your best efforts

d.     Do you want God to bless what you are doing or do you want to bless what God is doing.

e.     If  you are not burdened and anointed by the Holy Ghost at some point you may tire of their failing to meet expectations and fall off on leading them

                                                                       i.         If you leave them "in the middle" they may not be able to move forward or back and may be stuck in a place they don’t know how to get out of.

2.     If they choose you:

a.     In the long run they may not respect you enough to stick with either you or the program

b.     They may choose to abuse the relationship and try to take shortcuts on spirituality or ride your coat tails into it

c.     It may crush them when you are their spiritual father instead of being their friend

                             ii.         Examples of God choices:

1.     Elijah/Elisha -  1 Kings 19:16, this was a short time of "discipleship"

2.     Moses/Joshua - Exodus 17:9 records first time he is mentioned, but he is mentioned already in a place of trust, but in Numbers 17:14 God tells Moses to make sure Joshua knows what is about to happen,  then later in Numbers 11:28 we are told Joshua is the servant of Moses, and finally in Numbers 27:18 Moses basically puts forth that Joshua will be his successor 

3.     Jesus/His 12

4.     Paul/Timothy (remember the story of John Mark)

                            iii.         All of them "did life together" for a time

            III.         Disciples & Sheep - Both Are Biblical

                               i.         Jesus would preach to the multitudes, then go into a more private setting and break down to His disciples (the few)  what He had taught (the many)

            IV.         Sheep & Disciples

                               i.         Matthew 26:31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. KJV

1.     He was talking to his disciples

2.     He was telling them they would act for a brief time like sheep

a.     There is a difference

              V.         Differences Of Sheep & Disciples

                               i.         Sheep follow because they hear the voice of the shepherd - disciples follow to become more like the one they are following

                             ii.         Disciples tend to stay where they are put,  they are disciplined - sheep will wander off even though clear boundaries are set

                            iii.         Sheep reproduce who they are - disciples reproduce who they follow.  

1.     Sheep begat sheep

2.     Disciples begat who they follow

                            iv.         Sheep know his voice - disciples know his character

1.     Sheep want their "wants" fed

2.     Disciples want their souls fed

                             v.         Sheep follow for what they can GET from the shepherd - disciples follow for 

what they can be THROUGH the shepherd

                                           I.         Peter in Matthew 16:16 made a bold proclamation of faith, that Jesus was The Christ.  

                                                          i.         And . . .John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?KJV

                          VI.   Sheep know his protection - disciples know his power

                        VII.   Sheep are lost and found again and again - disciples are found once then find him again and again

                     VIII.   Sheep may become disciples but disciples aren't often sheep 

 

2026.03.22 - Temptation

Saturday, March 21, 2026

8:06 PM

Being Tempted Doesn't Change Who - It Proves Who I Am 

Matthew 3:16-4:2

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. KJV

·       Do not allow your position on earth to confuse your position in Heaven 

 

·       Jesus was STILL the only begotten Son of God while He was in the wilderness being tempted.

 

·        He was still Son when He cried out why have you forsaken me

 

·       We go by our faith not our feelings

 

·       IF, IF, IF - you gotta know Whose and who you are!!

 

He Knows Who I Am

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9 Then Satan answered the LORD . . .KJV

·       You are tempted to show you who you are - God already knows. 

 

·       Real faith only works when you have an opportunity to doubt!

o   We only talk about their faith when we see they had a chance to falter

 

·       Could Job have changed his mind - of course, but he didn't

o    But God knew he wouldn’t.  

o   God knew Him   - GOD REALLY REALLY KNEW HIM!

 

Authority & Struggles

·       My authority does not end when the enemy denies who I am in Christ - it is only confirmed!

o   Jesus tempted, 

·       God knew Who He was,

·       Satan obviously knew Who He was

This was confirmation that Jesus knew Who He was, but that does not release even He from struggles of the flesh  - Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? KJV

 

YOU ARE NOAH TO SOMEONE - KEEP BUILDING

2023.18 - Passing The Torch

1.     There Must Be That Moment

a.     Joshua 4:1-7

4:1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. KJV

a.     2 Corinthians 11:10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. KJV

b.     Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. KJV

c.     2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed : for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. KJV

d.     Acts 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. KJV

2.     No King In The House

a.     Matthew 12:43-45

43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. KJV

b.     2 Timothy 4:2-4

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears ;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. KJV

c.     Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes . KJV

                               i.         Thus Judges closes and Ruth begins . . .

1.     With every end comes a new beginning

2.     God is a God of great and magnificent grace!

3.     Do You Remember?

a.     Judges 2:7-12

7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.

8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. KJV

 

2026.03.15 - ALL IN - The Offering

2026.03.15 - The Offering

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. KJV

Saturday, March 14, 2026

2:18 PM

 

                I.         Mary Was All In

                               i.         Her mind was made up

                             ii.         Was consideration given to what the angel was saying?

1.     Born from a virgin . . .

2.     Engaged and pregnant but not with his child . . .

3.     What would the people say?

4.     What will this cost me?

                            iii.         Mary said "behold"

1.     She already knew that God saw her for what she really was

2.     She welcomed his gaze upon her life as a pleasing thing, a thing of love and not a thing of judgment.

a.     We tend to hide from Him because of what we have done - but should run to Him for what He has done

b.     I don’t have to know where He is taking me to allow Him to lead me

                                                                       i.         Those who fully surrender to Him will live life to the fullest

              II.         Anything less than 100% Is Less Than

                               i.         Don’t bring Him a lesser offering - God does not accept all offerings . . . !!

                             ii.         Cain and Abel both brought offerings to God

1.     Why was one offering rejected and the other accepted?

a.     Cain brought the fruit of his own labors

b.     Abel brought a lamb (not just bc he was a shepherd, but because it was the required offering to The Lord

c.     Genesis 4:3-7

3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6 And the LORD said unto Cain , Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. KJV

                                                                      I.         Look at what is said - firstling of his flock  and the fat thereof

                                                                                     i.         Exodus 13:12, Numbers 18:17, Hebrews 9:22, 1 Peter 1:19 .

                                                                    II.         Cain brought what he could produce - like a single flower from a garden, it is pretty but there are dozens more and you won't really even miss the one you cut  - - -but a lamb had to DIE, life must be given and blood must be shed, this left a lasting impression - it would be remembered, 

            III.         Offerings Rejected And Accepted

                               i.         1 Kings 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? KJV

1.     Remember, he had been hiding out

a.     1 Kings 17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. KJV

                                                                       i.         He had been sheltered, fed and cared for in every way, now God was calling him out of "hiding"

1.     Is there a David in the house?

2.     Is there an Elijah in the house?

3.     Is there a Moses in the house?

4.     Is there a Noah in the house

                                                                      ii.         1 Kings 18 - the story of Elijah @ Mount Carmel 

            IV.         Remember the David scene - 1 Samuel 16:5-7 5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD's anointed is before him. 7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. KJV

                                            i.        Key point - they were all called to the sacrifice - don't miss this point

                                           ii.        All the brothers came to the sacrifice - God saw each of their hearts

                                         iii.        All the brothers that had come to the sacrifice were on the field when David slew Goliath . . .only David came with the required sacrifice!

              V.         All Or Nothing - Resurrection and Fire Only Comes When All Is Given

                               i.         On Mount Carmel what - or who - was really on the altar?

1.     Elijah was - he put everything into this very moment it was all or nothing!

a.     Ask yourself what might have happened had God not showed up when He did! Elijah was out on a limb - but God was the tree

2.     Enoch - was on his own altar - and "the fire of God" fell in such a way on his life that he was consumed by The Love, The Power and Wonder of Almighty God - he has this testimony - Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God : and he was not; for God took him. KJV

            VI.         Altar Call

                               i.         The fire of God does not fall on empty altars - come and bring your very best offering

1.     God is calling you out of hiding, out from the backside of the wilderness

a.     Is there a David in the house?

b.     Is there an Elijah in the house?

c.     Is there a Moses in the house?

d.     Is there a Noah in the house

2.     Can God hear your cry - HERE AM I SEND ME!