New Work Fellowship Podcast

Unlocking your Lockdown

Your Lockdown … has a future

Genesis 41

 

[God is] … “able, through his mighty power at work within us,

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think!”

Ephesians 3:20

 

What does it take to Grow Eternally?

 

1) Size Up … where you are

v1, “two full years later”

 

2) Step Up … to King-sized Opportunity

v14, “Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh.”

 

3) Keep Up … a Right-sized view of “me”

v16, “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”

 

4) Get Up … for a God-sized Vision

v33, “Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt.”

 “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14

Unlocking Your Lockdown

Your Story is bigger than you!

Genesis 40

Key Thought:  Deepening without widening has the potential to lead us into a self-centered faith. 

As you recognize the voice of God in your own life, who is He is prompting you to reach out to?

⁵ While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning. ⁶ When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. ⁷ “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them.⁸ And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”  Genesis 40:5-8

Go out, right where you are.

 ¹² So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. ¹³ Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. ¹⁴ Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. ¹⁵ 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 12:12-15: 

Grow out by going all out to join God in the work he is doing in our world.

 ¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”         2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Unlocking your Lockdown: a chapter in the life of Joseph

Your Lockdown, isn’t your final Destination

Genesis 39:19-23

 

Proverbs 12:3, “…the godly have deep roots.”

 How do you Grow Deeper?  

Key Word: REMEMBER

 Psalm 42:6, “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you—"

 Isaiah 46:9, “Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.”

 Remember where you are … now

v20, “there he remained…”

 Acts 17:26, (NCV) “God decided exactly when and where they must live.”

Remember what you are … doing

39:10-12a, “She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him…”

 Ephesians 5:12, “It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.”

3 words for battling temptation: No. Run. Trust.

 James 4:7, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

 1 Corinthians 10:13, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

 James 1:13-14, “Remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.”

Remember who’s you are … forever

v21, “But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison…”

v23, “The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.”

v2, “The Lord was with Joseph…”

v3, “Potiphar realized … the Lord was with Joseph…”

Getting Through the Going Through

The Power Pivot

Acts 1:12-26

This is the Time:

To Get your Heart connected to the Father — Pray

Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray…”

v14, “They all met together and were constantly united in prayer…”

 Constantly united together =  “fierce” + “together”.

Prayer is more like a wartime walkie talkie than a domestic intercom system. God is the general in the command center giving orders and directions. He is not a butler in the servant quarters awaiting your call to bring you another pillow for your comfort in the den.

To Get your Heart connected to Jesus—Partnership

Who is Matthias?

 To Get your Heart connected to the Spirit—Promptings

v24, “Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen…”

 “When God permits you to be stripped of everything to do with your exterior life and work, He desires that you enhance the activities of your interior.” - Oswald Chambers

After Easter: What Now?

Anticipation

Acts 1:4-11

 How to walk through this time of anticipation:

1) Recognize the authority of Christ. (vs. 4-5)

a. It is good to recognize the authority of Christ by being obedient to His commands while at the same time resting in the promises of God.

 2) Live in the presence of Christ. (vs. 6-8)

a. When you face a limitation, know that there is also a freedom that exists because of that limitation.

3) Join God in His work. (vs. 9-11)

 a. Don’t get stuck.

Scattered at Easter

Luke 24:13-34

 “That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus…sadness written across their faces.” - Luke 24:13, 17

 

Resurrection Story Takeaways… 

1) Jesus is always nearer than you think.

v 15, As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them.

Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted; and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

2) Jesus hasn’t missed a thing.

v27, “Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Isaiah 55:8-9, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

3) Jesus will go with you; just ask.

v 29, “…they begged him, “Stay the night with us…” So he went home with them…”

4) Jesus provides all and more that you need.

v 30, “As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them.”

5) Jesus points us toward community.

v33, “And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem…”

 Final Thought: Jesus walked out of the grave, so you can too! Why don’t you follow him, today?

In the Waiting

There is a Future

Jeremiah 32:1-15

 

How we see our future determines what fills our hearts and minds.  If you see your future as uncertain because of circumstances, your heart and mind will follow.  If you see your future as certain in Christ, your heart and mind will follow Him. 

 So how do we follow?  Be patient, listen to God, and watch what he does.

 Jeremiah 32:1-15

• It was the worst of times. (vs. 1-5)
• Acknowledge where you are.
• What are my current circumstances?

 

• It was not the end of time. (vs. 6-8)
• Make a plan.
• When this is over, who does Christ want me to be?

 

• It was the time to shine. (vs. 9-12)
• Take action.
• What can I do now to follow Christ?

 

• All the time, be patient. (vs. 13-15)
• Stay in it!
• What will I do when I face an obstacle?

 Discussion Starter Questions:

• What resonated with you today?
• How can you follow Christ through this time?

 In The Waiting

“Invest in Today”

Jeremiah 29:1-14

 

How do I Invest in Today?

1. Bloom Where you are Planted

v5-6, “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!”

2. Invest in your Nest

v5-6, “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!”

3. Carefully, Listen to God’s Word

v8-10, “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, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord. 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.”    

4. Trust God’s plans when yours are disrupted

v10b-11, “I will bring you home again. 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.”

 Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”

 Philippians 4:8-9, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

5. Know Jesus

v12-14, “In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 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.”

 John 3:16, For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Discussion starters:

1. What resonated with you? What is your take away from this message today?
2. How can you care for others? What can you do today to make a difference for someone else?

In the Waiting

“Waiting Work”

1 Samuel 16 and 2 Samuel 5

 

What is your Waiting Work?

1) Be FAITHFUL in the LITTLE things

2) Be COURAGEOUS in the TOUGH things

See 1 Samuel 17:17-18.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

3) Be PRESENT in the ETERNAL things

See Psalm 57

• “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” (Psalm 23)
• “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens…When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the starts you set in place—what are mere mortals that you think about them?” (Psalm 8)
• “Have mercy on me, O God, because­ of your unfailing love… Against you and you alone, have I sinned…Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back the joy again…”  (Psalm 51)

4) Be PATIENT in the TEMPTING things

Ecclesiastes 7:8, “Patience is better than pride.”

See 1 Samuel 13:13-14

5) Be HUMBLE in the GOOD things

See 1 Samuel 22:1-2

6) Be TRUSTING in the UNKNOWN things

Final Thought: "Yet those who WAIT for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31)

 Do your WAITING WORK WELL.

In The Waiting

Wait… together.

Luke 24:49 & Acts 1:4-7

 

What is God doing in the waiting? (Luke 24:49 & Acts 1:4-7)

• Gathering His people. (Acts 2:1)
• Deepening His people. (Acts 2:42-46)
• Drawing new believers. (Acts 2:47)

 What should you do in the waiting?

• Gather in worship to remember. (Hebrews 10:25)
  • We KNOW
• Gather to rest in His word. (Hebrews 4:9-12)
  • We GROW
• Develop a rhythm of following Christ. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
  • We GO

 Final Thought: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:9