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Sermon Notes for June 22, 2008.

Scott Mitchell on “Our Father’s Soap Box – Part 1”

Isaiah 58 and Matthew 11 & 12

We sometimes need a ‘family meeting’ when things around the home are getting a little out of sync.  

In Isaiah 58, God is bringing to their attention, Israel’s waywardness.

Verse 1 – 2; Isaiah is to preach loudly from his throat to God’s people so that they will feel His grief.

Verse 3 – 4; Here God is being what could be called fractious in that the religious things they are doing are not bring them into a relationship with their Lord.

Verse 5 – 7; Here God is saying what should be done: humbling them selves before the Lord and letting their benevolence show the sincerity of their fasting.

Then Scott says that the Three Fold Purpose of the church is:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->Bring people to Jesus

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.      <!--[endif]-->Being Jesus to those who are bound

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.      <!--[endif]-->Seeing those in need as Jesus did

The next section is about the breaking of certain yokes that hinder us. We can’t help others break yokes until they are broken in our own lives.

            6 Yokes To Be Broken (Scott recommends that your LIFEgroup consider each of these.)

            1.  Focus on the Root – not the Fruit (Mt. 12:1 – 8) Discuss judging the motive instead of the action. Why would Jesus condemn His own town where wonderful miracles and teaching occurred?

            2.  Major on LOVE not LAW – (Mt. 12: 9 – 21) Discuss how we can withhold love when people don’t follow what we deem as correct behavior. (This could have political ramifications.)

            3.  Live in blessed Submission, not in cursed Suspicion (Mt. 12:22 – 32) Discuss how we can be skeptical of what God is doing because we don’t understand it.

            4.  God wants you to Trust him, not Test Him. (Mt. 12:38 – 42) Discuss why we need to be certain that something is of God. Do we want Him or just what He can do for us?

            5.  What matters is Regeneration, not Religion. (Mt. 12: 43 – 45) Discuss why you would invite someone to church and not for coffee to talk about Jesus.

            6.  The Test of Authenticity: Intimacy, not affinity. (Mt. 12: 46 – 50) Discuss why it seems like we are afraid of getting too close to God. Is regular church attendance enough?

Scott ends with a passage in Matthew 14 where Jesus and Peter walk on water. Here we have two kinds of worship:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->In the boat

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.      <!--[endif]-->On the water

Where do you worship? Are you in the boat or are you out on the water?