Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

God is Love

1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8] He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Perfecting Our Love Walk

Perfecting our Love-Walk
A. We know love not by how we feel, but by what God has done for us. Therefore, we love not by how we feel, but by what we do.
1. 1JO 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17] But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18] My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
2. Walking in love is an affirmation of our right standing with God
1JO 3:19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
B. Walking in love is the key to answered prayer
Receiving from God is based on two pre-conditions which supports our faith in God
1. We keep His commandments
2. Do things that are pleasing in His sight
1John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23] And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. 24] Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
C. We don’t know God any more than we walk in love
1. To know love is to know God
1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8] He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
2. Over and over, the Word emphasized that love is rooted in acts, not feelings.
1John 4:9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10] In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
3. Our spiritual depth is determined by our natural love-walk.
a. We are self-deceived when we declare that we love God, but we do now want anything to do with God’s people. If you do not people, you do not love God.
1John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13] By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
1 John 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21} And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Abounding In Love

2 Thessalonians 1:3, We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other

Your Defining Moments, Pt. 2: Example from Life and the Word

John 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
There are many defining moments in life. A few are famous and public. Most are personal and shape your character one way or another.
A defining moment is a time in your life that has the power to change your life forever. (testimony about Lilly)
These moments can be helpful or they can be unhelpful.
Defining moments are a opportunity to show who we really are and we are made of

Your Defining Moments, Pt 1: Lessons from John Starks & Blind Bartimaeus

LInk to YouTube video of performance by youth experiencing a defining moment when producing an original tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO95q0fZB3M&feature=player_embedded

Lessons In Listening

MAR 4:23 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 24] And He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25] For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
Jesus Himself made it abundant clear that what we hear and how we hear, makes a tremendous in our lives, one way or another. How many times have we done the wrong thing or gone in the wrong direction for not listening or for failing to hear with understanding.
1. Listening and hearing are not always the same thing.
2. While listening is a function of our ears to detect sound waves and convert them to recognizable words that register in our brain,
3. hearing is a function of our will to understanding what is being said. The fact is: Many people do not hear—not just in church, but in many areas of life.
4. Listening is a natural, physical ability, but hearing must be cultivated through training one’s heart and mind to grasp what is being said.

Making Progress Though Listening and Hearing

Mark 4:23 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 24] And He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25] For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
Jesus Himself made it abundant clear that what we hear and how we hear, makes a tremendous in our lives, one way or another. How many times have we done the wrong thing or gone in the wrong direction for not listening or for failing to hear with understanding.
1. Listening and hearing are not always the same thing.
2. While listening is a function of our ears to detect sound waves and convert them to recognizable words that register in our brain,
3. hearing is a function of our will to understanding what is being said. The fact is: Many people do not hear—not just in church, but in many areas of life.
4. Listening is a natural, physical ability, but hearing must be cultivated through training one’s heart and mind to grasp what is being said.

M.E.N. Meeting Every Need

M.E.N. Meeting Every Need

Forward With Excellence

2 Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
God is raising up a people who wiil not be limited by the mediocrity of this world. People who function by the power and life of Jesus Christ. Mediorcre defined: A quality that is acceptable but not very good
We are God’s excellent ones.
Psalm 16:2, "O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” 3 As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

Walking in Newness of Life

Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Raise your hand if you want to die right now. Okay, Raise you hand if you are already dead.
The word death or dead can be a very disturbing term. It can be an uncomfortable subject especially when we are talking about our mortality, or our physical life.
But that’s not what we are talking about here. We are talking about life, life in the absolute and eternal sense. There is an old saying that goes, “Born one die twice. Born twice, die once.” (explain)
We are talking about life and walking in the newness of life.
This word “newness” is an interesting word. It is only used twice in the NT. Other versions simply read “new life,” which is correct, but I like the emphasis of the unique word “newness.”
Newness literally means, “In the new state of life in which the Holy Spirit places us so as to produce a new state which is eternal life.”
Newness is a new state or another level of life that produces a new state, or another level.
Sometimes we think of being a Christian or becoming born again as the new state or new level of living. The new birth is the first state. It’s not all that God has for you.