Sermon Notes – Presence

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ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN - WEEK 33

Day 1: Day 2: Day 3: Day 4: Day 5: Matt 15:10-16:12; Ps 119:81–96

Matt 16:13-17:27; Ps 119:97–112

Matt 18; Ps 119:113–120

Matt 19; Ps 119:121–136

1 Samuel 16:1-18:16; Ps 119:137–144

Discussion Questions

• What makes you anxious, nervous, apprehensive, etc.?

• Describe how that feels?

• How do you cope with anxiety?

• What do you think it was like to walk with God in the Garden of Eden? What would those walks have been like? What would have been discussed? How do you think Adam and Eve would have felt afterward?

• What happened in Genesis 3? What were the consequences?

• What did they specifically lose after they sinned? (Gen. 3:8, 23-24) How did this affect them?

• What role does God’s Presence play in our feelings of anxiety?

• What would change if you had the opportunity to walk with God every day, be reminded of His power, and know how much He adores you?

Monday – The Wilderness Experience By Paul E. Collier

He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

John 1:23

John the Baptist, in contrast to our modern world was a crazy guy! Some might say he was one sandwich short of a picnic! We have to see him in the light of the Word.

John lived in the wilderness (desert), took vows to serve God and lived his days with a specific purpose. His diet and clothing were simple, some would say weird. Though his life may seem extreme and most of us may not easily relate to a diet of bugs and honey, the heart of it is: He chose obedience to God’s call. He said “yes” to God’s mission. Even when it was NOT easy.

John did not let anything interfere with what he knew was to be done, in that exact time in history. He was ushering in the ministry of the Messiah, the Lamb of God. What a privilege. He lived with focused determination and purpose. He knew and understood God’s call, and he pursued it with his whole heart.

I have shared our transition from USA life to life in Paraguay. What an experience of contrast. We left super early from snowy Philadelphia. It was February. Our first layover was in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Boy was it hot. It was a challenge to handle our two babies on this long journey.

Then we reached Asunción, Paraguay in the afternoon. It was even hotter! We were the last to leave the plane. While we pushed two strollers and jostled our carry-on stuff the wheels of the strollers sunk into the soft tarmac! Then two men in orange jumpsuits ran up and took off with the strollers and our two boys. They’d been kidnapped! No, they were getting the boys into the shade.

We collected all our belongings then Patty and the boys left in a car. I rode on the back of a missionary’s motorcycle. I knew I was going to die! He was flying and dodging terrible traffic. I wondered what they would say at my imminent funeral. We finally arrived at a home where tables were piled high with food. Yuck. The last thing we wanted to do was eat!

Tim, our eighteen-month-old slipped away to see the motorcycle and burned his leg on the hot exhaust pipe. Our three-month-old had a “third degree burn” diaper rash. What else could happen on our first day? I won’t even go into the first night’s sleep.

These events passed. We did not let these, and other events get in the way of our heart’s desire to serve Christ. Like John the Baptist, all of us are given the power to keep our hearts and minds set on Christ in spite of difficulties. Glory to God!

Tuesday By Kenny Tibbetts

Scripture “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

Pause 1. At the end of verse 9 Paul makes a bold claim. What is it like for God to be

“with you?”

2. What does Paul make God’s manifest presence of peace conditional upon?

3. What steps could you take today to “practice” what you have learned, received, seen, and heard?

Pursue Take a few moments to memorize Philippians 4:9. “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Commit this verse to memory and apply it to your life in daily pursuit of the presence of God.

Pray Ask God to focus your mind on what is pure, lovely, commendable excellent and worthy of praise. Ask God to banish from your mind those thoughts which are simply unworthy of Him. Ask God to bring you into His peaceful presence that you might experience it more fully.

Wednesday – Your Story By George Volpe

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Psalm 63:1

When we are old enough to start thinking about where we’re going in life, we look for ways to figure it out. We start identifying with people, or careers, or activities that motivate us to move in a certain direction. To be honest, most people go through a difficult period of trying to decide which path to take in life. There are lots of ways to get exposure to what might suit you. I remember going through that dilemma. Should I go to college or not? What do I want to be when I grow up? What am I capable of?

If I would have told my parents I wanted to be a missionary, they would have freaked out. “There’s no money in that. How will you support a family? Aren’t you comfortable here? They eat weird food. It’s too hot there. It’s too cold there. You can serve God right here.”

There are endless excuses everyone around you uses to try to align you with their expectations. And somehow, in spite of all the pious conversation about how we should live for Jesus, when it comes down to commitment, we find it relatively easy to ignore God while weighing our life’s direction. I mean sacrificing a few hours on a Saturday morning is one thing. Following God’s direction for our path in life, now that’s just for exceptionally special people, isn’t it?

We delight in the stories of Scripture where God directs people’s lives. They go one way on their own, and He turns them around to fulfill His will. Sometimes they are eager to obey, but sometimes He has to work with them until they follow His leading. While they are going their own way, life is difficult. When they yield to Him and obey His direction, they accomplish great things as God guides and enables them to fulfill His calling. And there lies the real issue. We are here for God. We are not here for ourselves.

I have this mental image of John the Baptist as a rough loner who looks like a hermit, living off the land, scrounging for grasshoppers and honey for lunch while preaching about Christ. No golf game, no camping trips, no football games, no TV. Pretty Spartan life. Why would anyone live like that? Because he was committed to a mission, a direction from God. He was not living for self or the moment. This world was not his home. He was living for eternity. He knew the brevity of life. His relationship with Jesus and the message God gave him was what mattered. His commitment to Christ was more important than life.

Read Psalm 63.

Thursday By Kenny Tibbetts

Scripture “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

John 14:15-17

Pause

1) Jesus tells us that God Himself will dwell within us if we become His followers. How does that change the life of a Christian?

2) Does this passage give you the impression that we have to somehow earn the presence of God? Or does it seem like something Jesus guarantees for us?

3) Why do you think it is so important to Jesus that we know we have the Holy Spirit?

Pursue

Read the remainder of John 14. Consider the Christian life we are called to of self-sacrifice and self-denial. Consider how impossible such a life would be apart from the Holy Spirit.

Pray

Pray you would fully avail yourself of the Helper Jesus promises you. Ask God to assure your mind that you have Him, living within you at all times and challenge you to live as if it were true.

Friday – God’s Unexpected Blessing By David Dickmann

“In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.”

Luke 1:5-7

As we read through the early chapters of Luke’s Gospel, we learn that the nation of Israel was in troubled times. They were under the domination of Rome. Their “king” was of foreign descent who married into an Israelite line. He was cruel, probably insane. The priesthood was corrupted. Compromise was rampant. In this milieu lived Zaharias and his wife Elizabeth, both of whom receive the testimony of Scripture that they were “righteous in the sight of God.” They were older people and unable to have children.

Zacharias served as a priest, born into the privilege of serving in God’s Temple, living righteously before the Lord. Elizabeth, a faithful wife, carried the pain of infertility.

In this state of affairs, Zacharias received a great privilege. He was chosen by lot to enter the Temple and offer incense before God. It was the time of the incense offering and the people were gathered outside in prayer. While in the midst of his duties in the Temple an angel appeared and announced that his wife Elizabeth would conceive and bear a son whom Zacharias was to name John. That son was to become known as John the Baptist, the greatest and last of the Old Testament prophets. He would become the one who saw and pointed out “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

To me, Zacharias and Elizabeth seem to be a lot like most devoted Christians today. Insignificant in the eyes of the powers that be, yet precious in the sight of the Lord, while having unfulfilled personal dreams. Let’s ask ourselves two questions:

1) Is it better to be pleasing to God than to have our personal dreams fulfilled?

2) Do we not believe that God is a God who sees and who will be good to us and bless us if we walk in faithfulness before Him?

Let us, like Zacharias and Elizabeth, pursue faithfulness in our callings before the Lord though it also be in an age corruption, compromise, and unbelief. Whether our personal dreams are fulfilled or not, let’s take our delight in being pleasing to God. What we will find is that God will bless us in unexpected ways, and we, like Zacharias and Elizabeth, will be filled with joy at the results.

Weekend – Presence By Phillip Hamm

“Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Exodus 3:5

God’s Presence relieves us from the pressure of trying to control the details of our lives, thus relieving the anxiety we feel. Unfortunately, mankind was separated from God’s Presence due to sin. Therefore, we suffer daily with things like worry, apprehension, fear and of course anxiety.

The good news is God has consistently attempted to offer mankind His Presence by revealing Himself through history in unique ways.

On Sunday we will look at several passages where God came to man. Read Exodus 3:1-6.

Announcements

1) Services are Live on Campus

The First Baptist Church campus is open for live on-campus services. Bring your face covering, we will observe the Manatee County resolution requiring face masks.

If you are not feeling well or have had a recent exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID, we ask that you stay home and continue to watch services online.

Celebration Services at 9:15 & 10:45 am Encounter Service at 9:15 am

Palmetto Kids will be available for birth through Pre-K. All other children will worship with their families.

Welcome Home!

Please continue to pray for one another, call one another, and reach out to those who are specifically struggling. Connect with each other through our zoom classes, online prayer meetings, social media and corporate worship services. We know there is no replacement for being together, but these options can help you feel connected when you need to stay home.

2) Quarterly Business Report

Copies of the FBC quarterly report are available to members in the Welcome Center. For more information, contact the church office at 941-722-7795.

3) Baptism

If you feel called to take the next step in faith, you may be ready for baptism. Baptism is a public declaration that you are a new creation through your faith in Jesus Christ. For more information, call the church office (941-722-7795) and ask to speak to a pastor about your baptism.

4) SERVE Saturday - September 26

We eagerly anticipate a bundle of blessings at the next SERVE Saturday on Sept 26! We're setting up serve opportunities and will post them here as soon as they are finalized. For more information, contact the church office at 941-722-7795.

Stay Connected:

Remember your neighbors, continue to share Jesus, and help them wherever possible. If their needs exceed your ability to assist, give the church office a call and we will do our best to help you help them.

• Invite your friends and neighbors to watch live services on Sunday at 9:15 or 10:45 am. We recommend staying consistent with our state officials’ guidelines of limiting the number who gather at one time.

• Have Bible studies in your home utilizing resources from RightNowMedia

• Reach out by phone to another church member or visitor to ask how they are doing.

Please continue to financially support your church and local charities as they experience an increase in requests for assistance from members and the local community.

You can give by using online giving, through the FBCP App, or mailing a check to: First Baptist Church 1020 4th St. W. Palmetto, FL 34221

You can communicate with us at 941-722-7795 or e-mail through the church website: www.fbcpalmetto.com.