the sanctuary

Sermon Series: Joy and Pain: Finding God’s Goodness in Difficult Times (1/29/23)
 
Dr. Efrem Smith
Sacramento Campus
01/29/2022
 
Sermon Notes Guide

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Learn more about us: www.midtownchurch.org

More about the Pastor:

Pastor Efrem Smith is a pastor, and internationally recognized leader who uses motivational speaking and preaching to equip people for a life of transformation. He consults on issues of multi-ethnicity, leadership, and community development.

Prior to joining Midtown Church, Efrem served as President and CEO of World Impact: an urban mission, church planting and leadership-development organization; founding pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church, a multi-ethnic church in Minneapolis, MN; former Superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and as President of World Impact, an urban missions organization.

Most recently, Efrem and his wife Donecia launched Influential, LLC:a speaking, consulting, and coaching organization, and Influential Global Ministries,a non-profit for African American and Multiethnic Church Planting, Revitalization, Disciple Making, and Metropolitan Missional Movements.

He’s the author of several books, including his latest, “Killing Us Softly.” Efrem is a graduate of Saint John’s University and Luther Theological Seminary. He completed the Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and received an honorary Doctor of Ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary.

Efrem is married to Donecia and has two daughters. He’s excited to be a part of all that God is doing in and through the Church.

A key study about the Day of Atonement as outlined in Leviticus 16, with a focus on who the scapegoat is.

Leviticus 16:8 KJV
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
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During many of our podcasts, you will hear us make reference to “The Key Principles of Effective Bible Study,”  a document which outlines core concepts shown in the scriptures that will help you better understand many Biblical themes and doctrines.  We have done a whole podcast series on these principles which  can be found here.

Lastly, we recommend that you check out https://TrueWisdom.buzzsprout.com for additional Bible Study podcasts, covering many different Bible topics, and done in a slightly different format from the podcasts on this channel.

We pray that all of these resources will be very helpful to you in your Bible Studies.

If you have any questions or comments, please send them to: BibleQuestions@ASBzone.com

Related Podcasts:

• Faithful Watchman
• Is Salvation Easy or Hard?
• Christ, Humanity and Salvation
• Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
• The Feasts of the LORD - Part 1 (at TrueWisdom)
• The Feasts of the LORD - Part 2 (at TrueWisdom)

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During many of our podcasts, you will hear us make reference to “The Key Principles of Effective Bible Study,” a document which outlines core concepts shown in the scriptures that will help you better understand many Biblical themes and doctrines. We have done a whole podcast series on these principles which can be found here (https://BibleStudy.ASBzone.com/357512/8572886).

Lastly, we recommend that you check out https://TrueWisdom.buzzsprout.com for additional Bible Study podcasts, covering many different Bible topics, and done in a slightly different format from the podcasts on this channel.

We pray that all of these resources will be very helpful to you in your Bible Studies.

Jesus is the earthly sanctuary in verity. The purpose of this study is to show that the earthly sanctuary is a revelation of Christ and His work in the Heavenly Sanctuary.  Download Study Guide #13 at www.RadioBibleStudy.life. 

Marissa chats with Sara Elizabeth Santana about her re-released zombie duology: THE AWAKENED and THE SANCTUARY, as well as commissioning cover art, the wonderfully supportive self-publishing community, parallels between writing and training for a half-marathon, and how it feels to launch a book about a pandemic... in the midst of a pandemic.

Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Loveology: This thing called love

We live in a world that is fluent with using the word “love”, but is anemic in the practice of it.

Anemic: (lacking power, vigor, vitality, or colorfulness; listless; weak)

TO KNOW JESUS IS TO LOVE HIM. TO LOVE JESUS IS TO OBEY HIM.

HOW CAN YOU TRULY KNOW WHAT LOVE IS?

1. YOU HAVE TO START AT THE FOUNDATION OF LOVE

Dear friends, let us love each other, because love comes from God. Those who love are God’s children and they know God. Those who do not love do not know God because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 NLT

2. YOU HAVE TO BUILD YOUR LOVE FROM THE GIFT YOU’VE RECEIVED

God has shown His love to us by sending His only Son into the world. God did this so we might have life through Christ. This is love! It is not that we loved God but that He loved us. For God sent His Son to pay for our sins with His own blood. Dear friends, if God loved us that much, then we should love each other. 1 John 4:9-11 NLT

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10 NIV

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10 ESV

3. AS YOU LOVE YOU LIVE OUT GOD TO OTHERS

No person has ever seen God at any time. If we love each other, God lives in us. His love is made perfect in us. 1 John 4:12 NLT

The Church I See—Becoming the Church

Jesus said, “I will build MY church.”

Acts 2:42 - “They DEVOTED themselves…”

THE CHURCH I SEE IS DEVOTED WE DON’T JUST GO TO CHURCH, WE ARE THE CHURCH

"Don't let who you were keep you from who you are becoming." - Bob Goff

"If you handed someone a Bible and after they read it you asked: what’s a church? What’s the chance they would say it’s a building, a business, an institution or an organization? I’d say zero.” Wes Davis | People Becoming The Church

BENEFITS OF BECOMING THE CHURCH

1. YOU HAVE A PLACE TO BELONG

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12 NLT

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT

2. YOU MAKE UNITY YOUR DESTINATION

Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 1 Corinthians 12:13-14 NLT

3. YOUR ATTITUDE STAYS IN CHECK

If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 1 Corinthians 12:15-17

How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 1 Corinthians 12:19-24 NLT

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 1 Corinthians 12:18 NLT

4. YOU DISCOVER YOUR PLACE AND MOVE FROM DOING CHURCH TO BECOMING THE CHURCH

25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

We are people with unique GIFTS

We are people with different OPPORTUNITIES

We are people who carry His PRESENCE

The Church I See—A Church for the City

Jesus said, “I will build MY church.”

Acts 2:42 - “They DEVOTED themselves…”

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

8 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, 9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Jeremiah 29:4-14 NLT

The church became a refuge from the world rather than a force in the world.

The church became a fortress from the world rather than the hope of the world.

THE CHURCH I SEE IS NOT JUST A CHURCH IN A CITY, IT IS A CHURCH FOR OUR CITY

If we ceased to exist, would our city notice?

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” Mark 1:17 NLT

DO WE WANT A TANK FOR US OR TRANSFORMATION FOR ALL?

On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” Jonah 3:4 NLT

When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a

merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen. The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?” Jonah 3:10-4:4 NLT

Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?” “Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!” Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” Jonah 4:9-11

God sends Jonah to a city for THE CITY’S SAKE, not for Jonah’s comfort.

We are in the city to LOVE the city.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 NLT

We are in the city to SERVE the city.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28 NLT

We are in the city to REACH the city.

Therefore, go and make disciples… Matthew 28:19 NLT

Unpacking the messages in our favorite Christmas movies

Christmas movies do 1 of 3 things…

1. They Encourage us to BELIEVE

2. They Challenge us to CHANGE

3. They Remind us to GIVE

JESUS WANTS TO GROW YOUR HEART

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9 NLT

WHAT HEART CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE?

A SMALL HEART HAS ONLY ROOM FOR SELF

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 NLT

A SMALL HEART REHEARSES THE HURTS

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Hebrews 12:15 NLT

A SMALL HEART NEEDS INTERVENTION

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Luke 19:1-10 NLT

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26 NLT

Unpack the lessons of the movie Elf with Jeff Davis.

Christmas movies:

1. Encourage us to believe, 2) Challenge us to change, and 3) Remind us to give

Jesus came to restore your true identity.

Luke 2:8-20 NLT

Why did Jesus come?

Who did He come for?

What part do we play?

1. Treat every day like it's Christmas

"I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people."

Jesus as Messiah

John 1:41 NLT

John 20:30-31 NLT

Galatians 3:26-28 NLT

2. There's room for everyone on the nice list

Romans 3:23 NLT

1 Timothy 1:15 NLT

John 1:12 NLT

3. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear

Luke 2:17 NLT

Romans 10:9 NLT

Philippians 2:9-11 NLT

Galatians 2:20 NLT

Paradigm Shift 07

Do you see prayer as a last resort or a first response?

Relational vs. Transactional

Dialogue vs. Monologue

Being Changed vs. Only Seeing Change

Delight vs. Duty

Matthew 7:7-11 NLT

1. Pray with Persistence: Remember that your current reality isn't your final reality

Luke 11:5-8 NLT

2. Pray with Pursuit: Remember that relationship is your goal

Jeremiah 29:13 NLT

PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens

3. Pray with Trust: Remember that God is good

"Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you." - Martin Luther

1 John 5:14-15 NLT

Thanksliving: Four Little Words

Gratitude Variables:

1. The size of the favor

2. How much I felt I deserved it
   (Colossians 3:15 NLT, Ephesians 5:20 NLT, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB)

What happens when you give thanks in everything?

1. When you give thanks in everything, it expresses faith (James 1:2 NLT)

2. When you give thanks in everything, it overcomes the drift towards complaining (1 Corinthians 10:10-11 NLT)

3. When you give thanks in everything, it aligns you with God's will

Gratitude involves three things:

1. Gratitude involves benefit (Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV)

2. Gratitude involves a benefactor (James 1:17 NLT)

3. Gratitude involves a beneficiary

In everything... give thanks.

Paradigm Shift: A Study from the Sermon on the Mount
03 | Shift Your Spirit

It's not what you do, it's why you do it.

Matthew 6:1 NLT, NIV

When it comes to the actions of following Jesus, motives matter.

The heart of the habit

The direction of the devotion (Luke 10:40-42 NLT)

1. Give when nobody is looking (Matthew 6:2-4 NLT)

2. Pray like only God is listening (Matthew 6:5-8 NLT)

3. Forgive as one who has been forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15 NLT)

4. Fast in a way that draws more attention to God (Matthew 6:16-18 NLT)

Not drawing attention to ourselves, but may our focus be on getting closer to Him through fasting

Genesis 13:8-16 NLT

Where do you need to allow Jesus to transform your "why?"

Paradigm Shift: A Study from the Sermon on the Mount (Episode 2, "Shift What is Right")

“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!" Matthew 5:20 (NLT)

Don't ask, "Is it wrong?" ask, "Is it right?"

1. Hate kills your relationships

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell." MATTHEW 5:21-22 (NLT)

2. Lust cheats you from real love

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." MATTHEW 5:27-28 (NLT)

“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery." MATTHEW 5:31-32 (NLT)

3. Broken promises break trust

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one." MATTHEW 5:33-34, 37 (NLT)

4. Revenge never wins

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow." MATTHEW 5:38-42 (NLT)

"But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." MATTHEW 5:48 (NLT)

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 (NLT)

The second message in our series, The Invitation.

Message notes:

Jesus invites you into a life filled with unusual forgiveness. (Matthew 5:6 NLT)

The definition of mercy:
Mercy - withholding punishment

Grace: God gives you what you don't deserve (gift)
Mercy: God doesn't give you what you do deserve (withholding punishment)

Who is the hardest person in the world for you to forgive?

Matthew 18:21-35 (NLT)

Three keys to unusual forgiveness:

1. Remember redemptively
2. Forgive as one who has been forgiven greatly
3. Practice forgiving in Jesus' name

I ask God for mercy today.
Luke 18:10-13 (NLT)

I forgive my debtors in Jesus' name and let go of my desire to punish them.
Matthew 6:12 (NLT)

I am ready to show compassion to someone who needs mercy this week.
Luke 10:36-37 (NLT)

Who is the one person you need to forgive?
Is there someone you need to ask to forgive you?

The first message in our series, The Invitation

Message notes:

Jesus invites you into an uncommon life.
(Matthew 4:18-22)

Why did Jesus have disciples?

If Jesus came today, do you think he would choose you to be one of his 12 disciples?

Four shifts you have to make as you join Jesus in the uncommon life:

1. "Jesus is part of my life" shifts to "Jesus is the center of my life" (Philippians 3:8 NLT)
2. "Jesus sends someone else" shifts to "Jesus is sending you" (John 20:21 NLT)
3. "Be a leader for Jesus" shifts to "become a follower of Jesus" (John 10:14-16 NLT)
4. "The invitation is reserved for religious professionals" shifts to "it's people on the mission with Jesus" (1 Peter 2:9 NLT)

Incarnational (John 1:14 MSG)

Incremental

Intentional

What would it look like for you to follow Jesus into an uncommon life?

The third message in our Psalm 23 series, I Shall Not Want

Sermon Notes:
Psalm 23 (NKJV)

1. The Good Shepherd restores your soul
   -- Psalm 51:10-12 (NKJV)

2. The Good Shepherd leads you in paths of righteousness

3. It's not about you, it's all about the Good Shepherd

4. Pathway to love:
   Love yourself for your namesake,
   Love God for your namesake,
   Love God for His namesake,
   Love yourself for His namesake (Galatians 2:20 NLT)

The second message in our Psalm 23 series, I Shall Not Want.

First message in the I Shall Not Want series on Psalm 23.