Church At Mirror Lake Audio Podcast

09/05/10 - Connect With Your Destiny - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:35:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "Connect With Your Destiny" in this vision Sunday service.

Connect With Your Destiny
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, September 5, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

The Church, The Gospel, Our Destiny
1 Timothy 3:14-16 “I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, 15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.”

Connect with Your Destiny

1. The Law of Retribution for sin (the law of sin and death) is confirmed by our conscience. We know it is the truth. The result of sin is our separation from God, thus the elimination of our destiny.

Romans 5:12 “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”

Hebrews 2:3 (AMP) “How shall we escape [appropriate retribution] if we neglect and refuse to pay attention to such a great salvation [as is now offered to us, letting it drift past us forever]? For it was declared at first by the Lord [Himself], and it was confirmed to us and proved to be real and genuine by those who personally heard [Him speak].”

2. For the Christian, our account has been settled once and for all. The law of retribution will not cease but has already been executed for us at Calvary. All my sins—past, present and future—were covered by Calvary!

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

3. Peace, instead of guilt, is mine through the knowledge that my sins have been judged and punished in Christ!

Galatians 3:13 “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

4. By faith, in spite of my doubts and fears, I lay hold of the free gift (at great cost to Him) of my rightness with God.

Romans 5:16 “And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”

5. If I understand this salvation given to me, then my love demands I love for Him and unto Him as an act of gratitude and thankfulness.

2 Corinthians 5:14 “Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.”

1 Corinthians 8:6 “But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.”

How? Love, Serve, Reach, Grow, Connect

Our vision as a church is to share the Life-Giving Message of Jesus with West Georgia and the world.

Our mission, the way we will do that, is by providing an environment where people can easily Love, Serve, Reach, Grow and Connect. Our destiny, personally and as a church, is found in loving, serving, reaching and growing. Note that love, serve, reach and grow will only happen when we connect. So, in essence, our mission is to connect so we can find and accomplish our destiny.

1.   Connect to a local church. Learn and practice the ways of God.
2.   Connect relationally to like-minded people. We are made to be social, in the image of God. We need to make life-long friends who will empower destiny.
3.   Connect to your ministry. We need to know our gifts and connect to them to serve. Finding fulfillment and fulfilling destiny.

Some ways we empower this as a church:
- Connect Groups: Dinner, SOAP, Interest
-   Growth Track
-   Weekend Celebrations
-   Ministry Teams
-   Wednesday nights
-   New enhancement---LifeCoaches

09/01/10 - What's A Party Without Gifts PT5 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:29:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "What's A Party Without Gifts?" with part 5 in this Wednesday service.

What's A Party Without Gifts? Part 5
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, September 1, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

08/29/10 - If I Die Before I Wake PT5 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:44:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "If I Die Before I Wake" with part 5 of this Sunday service.

If I Die Before I Wake Part 5
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, August 29, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

Heaven: The Culmination of Restoration

Matthew 19:28 (NKJV) “So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration (AMP-new age, the Messianic rebirth), when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Acts 3:21 “For he (Jesus) must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.”

Colossians 3:10 “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

The Big Idea:

The final Heaven is a resurrected Earth—the New Earth—a restoration of what Earth was intended to be. Our resurrected bodies are a return to what our bodies were intended to be.
Restore, Replenish, Renew, Resurrect, Redemption, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Recover (“re” is “ana” in Greek—same meaning: a return to an original condition)

“God always sees us in the light of what He intended us to be and He always seeks to restore us to that design.” (Alcorn)

All of Jesus’ miracles, except for the cursing of the fig tree which is to show us the foolishness of trusting a cursed world system, are restoration miracles. Illustrating the meaning of redemption: freeing creation from the bondage of sin and evil and reinstating life and living as intended by God.

Our celebration of Communion is a celebration of restoration:

1.   The bread and the wine: a new covenant—a return to the relationship God intended. A restoration of mankind with dominion over sin instead of mankind ravaged by sin.

2.   The Cross: Satan planned to kill the 2nd Adam just as he killed the 1st Adam. The temptation in the wilderness is the evidence of that plan. Satan thought he had succeeded when Jesus died on the cross. But there was a problem—the 2nd Adam didn’t die because he had to as a consequence of sin. He died because he chose to as a payment for the sin of others. His choice empowered him to win and positioned him for victory. His choice assured satan’s defeat and our victory. His choice at the cross restored our ability to make choices that position us for life as God intended.

3.   The candles: 2 Corinthians 5:19 “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.” We have renewed access to God. Our prayers are heard and are powerful. We can change the course of history with our prayers. We can approach the throne of God on behalf of others.

Heaven reinforces our knowledge of a loving God who is for us, who wants us to have rich and satisfying life here and for eternity. Hell demonstrates clearly the result of pursuing an un-restored life. Restoration is only available in Christ. We cannot restore ourselves and therefore cannot access life as it is intended without Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 1:11 “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.”

A life restored to God-sufficiency instead of self-sufficiency. He enables, He empowers and He gives us the faith that prompts us. Life as God intended is a God dependent life—learning to simply do what the old hymn says: “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way…”

08/25/10 - What's A Party Without Gifts PT4 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:24:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "What's A Party Without Gifts?" with part 4 in this Wednesday service.

What's A Party Without Gifts? Part 4
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, August 25, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

08/22/10 - If I Die Before I Wake PT4 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:37:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "If I Die Before I Wake" with part 4 of this Sunday service.

If I Die Before I Wake Part 4
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, August 22, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

Hell? NO!

Luke 16:19-31 “Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus1 who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went to the place of the dead.2 There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side3. 24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ 25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.4 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ 27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.5’ 30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

1. A parable using a proper name—Lazarus and the rich man are probably real people. The story being told reflects real events with some figurative elements to make the point Jesus wants made. So we can deduct several things about these real places, yet we cannot induce doctrine.

2. Hell, or Hades, is a place for the dead—eternally dead. Jesus is confronting the belief that the grave is the end. Death is not the cessation of life on earth, it is separation from the presence of God.

3. Hell is aware of Heaven and Earth. Note the move to figurative—the rich man is aware of Heaven, but there is never any indication of response from Lazarus. Abraham’s response is a figurative response—it is simply putting words to what the rich man is knowing for the sake of the story. It also indicates that Lazarus does not see into Hell.

4. Heaven and Hell are a continuum of life on Earth. The rich man and Lazarus are not changed into “beings” who are disconnected from whatever happened here. Their life has continued—one in eternal life and one in eternal death.

5. Heaven is aware of Earth and what is happening here. Heaven’s happiness is not a result of ignorance but of perspective. Those in Heaven have the perspective of God—they know that God is at work in Earth for the good of people.

Mark 9: 47-48 “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where the maggots never die1 and the fire never goes out2.’”

Matthew 8:12 “But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness3, where there will be weeping4 and gnashing of teeth5.”

1. Continual guilt and shame. Guilt—sorry for what I did. Shame—ashamed of who I have become. Cannot forget.

2. Two things about fire—a literal fire of continual burning. A figurative fire—the same things we are passionate about on earth will continue in Heaven or Hell. It is passion. In Heaven, our passion is for God and it is fully satisfied. In Hell, passion is continued from earth and is never satisfied. It is like a drug addict who cannot get a fix.

3. So dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face, yet, you can see Heaven. Darkness and gloom so thick you can feel it crushing down on you yet there is a continual fire producing no light. Utter ‘aloneness’. Shout as loud as you can and no one hears or responds. Isolated confinement studies: panic, rage, a sense of total loss of control, emotional breakdown, regressive behavior, self-mutilation, nightmares, dizziness, lethargy, delusions and paranoia.

4. Hopelessness and sorrow. Depression that gets deeper and deeper. There is never an acclimation process. You never ‘get used to it’ or ‘learn to cope’.

5. Continual realization that you did not have to be here. Similar to the way we hit ourselves on the head, grit our teeth, and say, “I should have known better.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

- Our default destination is Hell due to the sin of one man, Adam. Any other result is not scriptural. They all sound nice, but they are not scriptural.
- Our tab has been paid. An exorbitant price—the life of God’s own Son was given so He can have relationship with us. 1 Corinthians 6:20 “…bought with a price…”
- We stand between Eden and Eternity. Genesis and Revelation are the bookends of history. (read from Alcorn’s Heaven location 1673)

So What: Life Application

1. Make sure I am on the right course. My decisions match my destination. Most importantly, to make sure my eternity in Heaven in secure.

2. The reality of Heaven and Hell gives us purpose. It should re-focus our energy and passion. I am here on purpose for Heaven’s purpose—to point the way to Heaven and serve as a roadblock to Hell. Connect on 3 levels for that purpose: to my church, to other like-minded people socially, and to my ministry for fulfillment in serving

3. Knowing I am living in the “in-between” compels me to make this life count—to make the dash between my birth and death here matter. Make choices to be a High Impact Low Maintenance Christian.

08/18/10 - What's A Party Without Gifts PT3 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:49:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "What's A Party Without Gifts?" with part 3 in this Wednesday service.

What's A Party Without Gifts? Part 3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, August 18, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

08/15/10 - If I Die Before I Wake PT3 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:45:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "If I Die Before I Wake" with part 3 in this Sunday service.

If I Die Before I Wake Part 3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, August 15, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

The Present Heaven and the future Heaven…
Revelation 21:3 “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.”

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 “15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.”

* God wants to live among us. He has not always lived in Heaven, since He created it, and His desire is to live among people. There is a physical present Heaven—note the descriptions—people wearing clothes, River of Life, Tree of Life (same one that was in Eden), thrones, streets. There is a future Heaven even better than the present Heaven. Simply look around you and imagine what this world would be like with no sin, evil, death or corruption. Think about your favorite things about Earth and imagine them without any blemish or drawback.

* We will be with the Lord forever. Note Paul says who we will be with, not where we will be. Isaiah 65:17 “Look, I am creating new heavens and a new earth and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.’ 2 Peter 3:13 “But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.” Revelation 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth and the old heaven and old earth had disappeared.”

Colossians 3:1-3 “1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” The word “set” is the same word Jesus uses when He said He came to “seek and save the lost”—it is active, present tense—a continual energy and focus to find and understand Heaven. Paul gives us this as a command. A command assumes a natural resistance to be overcome. Paul is telling us that we will naturally digress from focusing on Heaven and turn our energy to those things that are not eternal. He is commanding us to imagine Heaven, study it, think about it, and live for it. The result is a life lived for Heaven. Note C.S. Lewis quote: “…the Christians who did most for the present world…” (Alcorn’s Heaven, location 626)

* Refocus your energies. Jonathan Edwards in his life resolutions written in his early twenties: “Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can.” If you had 30 days to live, would your life look differently than it does now? Would you settle some arguments or differences? Remember 911? Remember the phone calls being made by those in those buildings? Would you be investing as much energy in the same things you are investing in? Would your priorities be different? 2 Corinthians 7:10 —Life without regret. A life focused on Heaven becomes unoffendable. A life invested in Heaven has eternal priorities and is not pressurized by time issues. Live for treasures in Heaven. Matt 6:20 “Too heavenly minded for earthly good.” Really should be “So Heavenly minded we do the earth some good.” With Heaven as our focus our daily activities take on eternal significance. I am working for the good of others. I am here for others. Instead of focusing on what’s here for me, I turn my focus on being here for others. I will have eternity to enjoy what is here for me. Now, I will do my best to make sure everyone I know is enjoying that with me. Philippians 1:21-25

08/11/10 - What's A Party Without Gifts PT2 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:57:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "What's A Party Without Gifts?" with part 2 in this Wednesday service.

What's A Party Without Gifts? Part 2
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, August 11, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

08/08/10 - If I Die Before I Wake PT2 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:39:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "If I Die Before I Wake" with part 2 of this Sunday service.

If I Die Before I Wake Part 2
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, August 8, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

Colossians 1:15-16 “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.”

3 “Heavens: 1st heaven: atmosphere, space, stars. 2nd Heaven: heavenly realms—spiritual activity, spiritual warfare. (Eph 6:11-13—“high places”) 3rd Heaven: the place where God is” (2nd Corinthians 12:2)

All civilizations from the beginning of time have ideas about the afterlife. It is a common thread throughout humanity. The Egyptians buried people with maps so they could find their way to the afterlife. The native Americans believed their spirits would be hunting the spirits of buffalo. The early Mexicans believed they went to the sun or the moon. The Vikings thought they went to a faraway island. You may remember the opening scene from the movie Gladiator based on the Roman belief that they would picnic in beautiful fields while their horses grazed nearby. Every human culture has tried to deal with the issue of the afterlife. Alexander the Great’s father had a servant whose sole job was to stand in his presence once a day and say “Philip, you will die.” Louis XIV decreed that the word death never be uttered in his presence. Each day on this planet 250000 people die and face eternity. Too many Christians have taken the path of Louis XIV, trying to avoid the subject and live like this life is all there is for us.

Jesus explicitly tells us many times this life will come to an end. The Bible gives some definite signs that must occur before His return. (Mark 13:7 “…for such things must happen…”) Most of them have happened. One of them is the whole world must know. At the rate Christianity is advancing (growing 10% a year vs. population growth rate of 3%. At that rate the whole world will know by 2032! So the Lord could return at any time. There will be a shout and a trumpet. Graves burst open, we who are still alive, meet in the air). We need to know Heaven. It is our home, our native land. But too many of us aren’t sure we want to go there. We know we want to end up there, but we don’t long for it because of the misconceptions we have believed.

It is not:
- Clouds, wings, harps
- Non-stop continual church service on our face forever
- Celestial retirement home
- Result: people are not excited about going there. It is not the target of our life. If we have Heaven in our life as a real hope—the blessed hope—then it empowers us to win in this life when everything around us in this cursed Earth is imploring us to quit. (Read story from Heaven about Florence Chadwick)

It is:
- A Real place: God has never abandoned His plan of a perfect Earth occupied by righteous people. Heaven is a resurrected Earth filled with resurrected people sharing joyous life with a resurrected Christ. 1400 miles in every direction, streets of pure gold, jasper walls, pearl gates. John 14:1-2 (note what preceded this in John 13) “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” Jesus told them not to be worried, but to set their affections on Heaven.
- A Right place: the place where things are made right. Relationships are made right, bodies are made right, evil will be absent. Rev 21:4-the old order has passed away. No police, armies, depression. Krispy Kreme light is always on.
- A Relational place: will I know people in Heaven. Heaven wasn’t created for a continual song service—it was created for relationship and enjoyment. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. “So encourage each other…” . How about my dog? Not sure about specific animals but there will be animals and all the animals will be mansion broken.
- A Rewarding place: He wants a family, not a bunch of servants—He has those. Rev 22:12—my reward is with me. First words: Matthew 25:21 NCV 'You did well. You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things. Come and share my joy with me.' NLT: Let’s celebrate together. CEV: Come and share my happiness. It is an awesome place—first 1000 years will be here on a perfected earth.

Sometimes life here is tough. Sometimes there are loved ones that are gone on and we miss them. How do we handle that? Heaven is the blessed hope. Paul said “we don’t grieve like everybody else.”

Titus 2:11- 14 “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”

1. Remove your doubts.
a. There is a real place
b. Make sure you are going—we have a debt to pay. When we commit one sin the penalty is eternal death. Jesus came to pick up the tab. God sends no one to Hell. Hell is the place where people who want to can pay there own bill. 1 John 5:11 “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” The reason there is only one way to Heaven is because Christianity is the only religion that deals with the debt. The rest teach you how to handle the result of sin, Jesus removes the issue of sin. Grace: I didn’t deserve it but I got it. It was my bill. I incurred the debt. I deserved to pay it. Acts 15:11 “We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

2. Replace your anxieties. From time to time life stinks. Earth is cursed—bombs, rapes, murders, bad economies, bad relationships. James: “Life here is a vapor”. David (Psalm 39:4-5—life is a breath) Jesus: “Don’t be afraid of what can kill your body…focus on eternity”.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” Paul was able to keep his focus, to avoid depression, to keep moving forward by staying focused on Heaven.

How: talk about it just like you are planning a vacation. We took our family to the Abacos Islands. We planned it, talked about it, were excited about it. It was our target. We still talk about it. Replace your worries with thoughts of Heaven. Replace the news, the stock market, the doctors’ report with thoughts of Heaven.

Colossians 3:1-3 “1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul became a problem for those who wanted to punish him because his affections were not set on earth.

3. Refocus your energies. Jonathan Edwards in his life resolutions written in his early twenties: “Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can.” If you had 30 days to live, would your life look differently than it does now? Would you settle some arguments or differences? Remember 911? Remember the phone calls being made by those in those buildings? 2 Corinthians 7:10 —Life without regret. A life focused on Heaven becomes unoffendable. A life invested in Heaven has eternal priorities and is not pressurized by time issues. Live for treasures in Heaven. Matt 6:20

08/04/10 - What's A Party Without Gifts - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:31:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore begins a new series entitled "What's A Party Without Gifts?" in this Wednesday service.

What's A Party Without Gifts?
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, August 4, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

08/01/10 - If I Die Before I Wake PT1 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:44:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore begins a new series entitled "If I Die Before I Wake" in this Sunday service.

If I Die Before I Wake Part 1
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, August 1, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

If I die before I wake…

Heaven and Hell aren’t just about what happens after we die, they are about how we live today.

Matthew 6:10 “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

Heaven and Hell are a reality, not a fable, not some metaphysical metaphor. The reality of Heaven and Hell should permeate our lives here. We should be experiencing Heaven in our everyday lives. Instead of seeing Heaven as a far-off escape, similar to a ‘retirement paradise’, it should compel us to share it with others. Knowing Hell is a reality should be a driving force in our daily walk to make sure no one chooses it as their eternity.

Matthew 13:33 “Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Philippians 1:27 “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ…”

Colossians 3:1-3 “1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Mark 9:43-48 “43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’”

Romans 8:38-39 “38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus’ last words to His disciples were not about “getting to Heaven” but about “Heaven getting to earth.”

Matthew 28:18-20 “18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

1. Make disciples: Disciples are not made through information impartation. Disciples are made by ‘doing life together’.
2. Baptizing: immersing, pickling. In the name: character, the very essence, the ‘kabod’. Again, requires connecting with others.
3. Teaching: What? ‘…the commands I have given you…’ You can’t give what you don’t have. Again, relationship driven—Hang out with Jesus. Let Him do it TO you so He can do it THROUGH you. Heaven touching earth.
4. The reality that drives this: Jesus, and all of Heaven, are with us every day. Paul: “For I am convinced…”

07/25/10 - Reel Life PT4 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:10:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Reel Life" with the movie "UP" in this Sunday service.

Reel Life Part 4
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, July 25, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

UP

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Note we have a race ‘defined’ for us by God. We have a journey laid out for us that is designed by our loving Father to bring us good, hope, peace a future. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) Too many of us are either running the wrong race--one we designed or that was designed for us by someone other than our Heavenly Father—or we are so focused on the finish line we are not enjoying the race. Our lives become filled with “someday”: Someday when I have enough money. Someday when I find the right person. Someday when I feel better. Someday when I have more time. Someday when I am more successful.

Big Idea: Clip 1: Carl and the Picture Album

Don’t let “someday” rob you of the joy “set before you” today. Take the journey, but learn to find the adventure of living with and for God each day. Enjoy the journey.
- Today is the only day God has placed in our hand. (Matthew 6 and John 17)
- What we do with today determines our tomorrow.
- Quit waiting for the someday “when…”. God to Moses—“What’s that in your hand?” The staff that Moses used for his work TODAY became the stuff God used to part the sea!

- 2 Kings 7:3 Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other. 4 “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.” 5 So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! 6 For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. 7 So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.”

Take action NOW! Once they made a move God made their move sound like an army of chariots and used that to drive off the enemy.

Takeaways from the Movie:

Clip 2: Carl attacks

Waiting on “Someday” will eat us up. We become defensive-protecting what we have gained. We live with a shortage mindset—there’s not enough so I will get mine. We become bitter and disillusioned—because we are chasing an illusion. We are just not fun to be around.

Proberbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Clip 3: My Name is Doug

Waiting for “Someday” causes us to become “Love Withholders”—waiting to see what the benefit or agenda is before giving our love wholeheartedly. Enjoying the journey teaches us to love recklessly and fearlessly. To be people whose love “casts out fear” for others.

2 Samuel 6:20 “David returned home to bless his family. Michal, Saul's daughter, came out to greet him: "How wonderfully the king has distinguished himself today—exposing himself to the eyes of the servants' maids like some burlesque street dancer!" David replied to Michal, "In God's presence I'll dance all I want! He chose me over your father and the rest of our family and made me prince over God's people, over Israel. Oh yes, I'll dance to God's glory—more recklessly even than this. And as far as I'm concerned...I'll gladly look like a fool...but among these maids you're so worried about, I'll be honored no end."

Clip 3: Russell Receives Badge

“Someday” keeps us focused on us, but enjoying the journey turns our view outward. The journey is full of adventure if you will invest in others and their dreams. Value people by adding value to them.

Genesis 24:17-22 “Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels. The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission. Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists.” (Rebekah drew about 400 gallons of water!)

Clip 4: Carl Empties the House

What is holding you back, weighing you down, stopping you from enjoying the journey today?
- Our dreams instead of God’s dreams for us
- Our failures and mistakes.
- Our past experiences, hurts, rejections, betrayals.
- Guilt and shame
- Fear, doubt and unbelief
- A measure of success (How long has it been since you emptied all your accounts to invest in the Kingdom?)
- What is the weight that is keeping you tied to “Someday”?

Philippians 3:13-14 “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.”

07/18/10 - Reel Life PT3 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:06:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Reel Life" with the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" in this Sunday service.

Reel Life Part 3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, July 18, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Movie was made in 1939, nominated for numerous Oscars and won Best Original Story. It is very relevant today and illustrates well the point made in Ecclesiastes 1:9
“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.”
Our enemy has no new tricks in his bag. Men just keep falling for the same ones. The Good News is our Father never lets go and never gives up. His Word is true, our foundation secure, and His love unconditional.

Psalm 119: 140-144 “140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much. 141 I am insignificant and despised, but I don’t forget your commandments. 142 Your justice is eternal, and your instructions are perfectly true. 143 As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. 144 Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live.”

Big Idea:

“When you do things fair and square, good things will happen to you sooner or later.” Rhiann Ashmore

Takeaways from the Movie:

Clip 1: Taylor Wants Smith in His Pocket

We have an enemy. Control is the goal. We were created to rule over creation and all the works of God’s hands. But we were not created to rule over (manipulate and control each other). When we try to do that we pervert creation and open the door to destruction.
1 Peter 5:8 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

James 4:17 “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”

Genesis 4:7 (God to Cain) “… if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

1 John 5:19 “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.”

2 Peter 2:19 “For you are a slave to whatever controls you.”

Clip 2: The Lincoln Memorial

Our connections and our mentors will take us higher or drag us down. Divine mentors point the way to Real Life!

1 Corinthians 4:15 “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers…” There are lots of folks that want to tell you what to do, but not many are doing for your good. Most are doing it for their own reasons. Find the mentors who are for you and with you

James 5:10 (Message) “Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You've heard, of course, of Job's staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That's because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.”

Clip 3: Someone will Hear Me

Does the good guy always win? Leo Durocher: “Nice guys finish last.” Depends on your reality. If this world and its system is your reality then sometimes the good guys don’t look like they are winning. If Heaven and eternity are your reality, then yes the good guys always win.

John 16:32 “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.” and
Romans 8:31 “If God is with us, who can ever be against us?

07/11/10 - Reel Life PT2 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Reel Life" with the movie "Evan Almighty" in this Sunday service.

Reel Life Part 2
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, July 11, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

Evan Almighty

1 Samuel 15:22 “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”

Big Idea:

Obedience is the key to unlock God’s dreams in your life and many times obedience precedes understanding. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to our logic or the world’s systems.
Significant Quote from movie: “You want to change the world. So do I.” (God speaking)
Point: You want your life to be significant. You want the world to be better because you are here. Wouldn’t it be smarter to partner with God in His plans for you?

3 Ideas to Take Away from the Movie:

1. Evan was a good man, living a good life. He wasn’t a despicable character. But his life was not accomplishing what it could be. Doing good things does not provide fulfillment. Doing God things does.

Example: Naaman—a good man, admired by many, but it took obeying what didn’t make sense for him to find wholeness and life.

2 Kings 5:9-14 - So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” 11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!”

2. When we live a life of obedience, when we truly hang around with God, we are noticeably different.

Example: Jacob wrestling with God. From then on he walked differently.

Deuteronomy 4:5-7 “Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him?”

3. Our choice to live a life of obedience will not only benefit us, but those in our circle of influence, and ultimately the world around us.

Example: Abram, who became Abraham.

Genesis 22:18 “And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Final Thought:
Romans 4:13-16 “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless…So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift…”

Our salvation is not a result of obedience. It is a gift we receive, not because we obeyed but because we believe Him who promised it. Our eternal security is a gift. Our obedience will effect our influence, our effectiveness for the Kingdom, and how much of the God-kind of life we live here on this planet.

07/04/10 - Vision Sunday - Reel Life PT1 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:44:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore begins a new series entitled "Reel Life" in this Sunday service.

Reel Life PT1
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, July 4, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

1 Peter 5:6-7 “6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

Big Idea:

“It’s not that people don’t like God. They think He doesn’t like them.”
The Movie Plot: Reckless Love!

1 John 4:17-19 (Message) 17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. (Before we even moved toward Him. Before we even thought about Him. His love toward me is not dependent on my performance. He loves me recklessly and unconditionally.)

“How do I take up ‘residence in a life of love’?” Begin with trusting God with something. Make a choice to give an area of concern to Him.

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”

Nahum 1:7 (AMP) “The Lord is good, a Strength and Stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows (recognizes, has knowledge of, and understands) those who take refuge and trust in Him.”

Movie Clip: “I want to go home.”

“But I don’t know how to trust God. I don’t have the faith needed to trust God with any part of my life.” Get in the Word. Read the Book of John, concentrating on the Good News that Jesus loves you. As your faith comes to life in that area, move to specific scripture promises about the area you in which you need to trust God.

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

“What if all my circumstances don’t change?” The Word changes you—equipping you to be an overcomer. The circumstances may or may not change, but you will find victory in trusting God.

1 John 5:4 “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.”

Romans 8:31-32;35-39 “31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?...35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[o] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Movie Clip: We Won!

“OK, I am going to trust God, starting today. Then what?” Get ready for everything to change as your focus moves from you to Him. You will find real life, the life you were meant to live. (note the line from the movie: “So this is my story.” Our story now becomes His story.)
Acts 20:24 “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

06/30/10 - Hearing the Voice of God PT5 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:41:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Hearing the Voice of God" in this Wednesday service.

Hearing the Voice of God Part 5
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, June 30, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

06/27/10 - Anatomy 101 PT3 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:31:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Anatomy 101" in this Sunday service.

Anatomy 101 PT3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, June 27, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

Anatomy 101: “Parts is Parts”--Without the Parts the Body is Handicapped. Without the Body, the Parts are Useless.
Romans 12:1-5 Each of us have specific good works planned for us to accomplish (our destiny—His good and perfect will). Each of us is important, there is no insignificant part, but we need each other to find and fulfill our destiny. Each of us have unique and specific gifts in us. The gifts are part of a package deal. Too often we seek to separate the gifts into what we want and don’t want—much like a rude and selfish child at a party. We cannot separate the Godhead without compromising the integrity and power of our God. We cannot separate their gift package without compromising the integrity and power either.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (Christ’s Gifts TO the Body)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Romans 12:6-8 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.(Vs. 9) 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. (Vs. 10) If you are a teacher, teach well. (Vs. 11) 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.(Vs. 12) If it is giving, give generously.(Vs. 13) If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.(Vs. 14) And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Vs. 15)

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (Holy Spirit’s gifts THROUGH us.)
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

Everybody wants the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. God is a God of order. You can’t separate the gift package. God will not do through you want He cannot do to you and in you.
Ephesians 4 gifts are authority gifts. Ed Young Jr.: “You must get under what God puts you under before you can get over what God puts you over.”
Romans 12 gifts are servant gifts. Jesus: “If you want to be great, become a servant to all.”
1 Corinthians 12 gifts are power gifts. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit. “He will not speak of Himself, but He will magnify me and my Father.” The power gifts will flow through those who have found their place in the Body by joyfully submitting to God’s authority and by imitating Christ in serving one another. Then the miraculous power gifts will flow in our churches and our lives.

John 13:35 “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

06/23/10 - Hearing the Voice of God PT4 - Tony Sherrill

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Tony Sherrill continues the series "Hearing the Voice of God" in this Wednesday service.

Hearing the Voice of God PT4
Tony Sherrill
Wednesday, June 23, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

06/20/10 - Anatomy 101 PT2 - Tony Sherrill

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:21:00 +0000

Tony Sherrill continues the series "Anatomy 101" in this Sunday service.

Anatomy 101 PT2
Tony Sherrill
Sunday, June 20, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

06/16/10 - Hearing the Voice of God PT3 - Tony Sherrill

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:50:00 +0000

Tony Sherrill continues the series "Hearing the Voice of God" in this Wednesday service.

Hearing the Voice of God Part 3
Tony Sherrill
Wednesday, June 16, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

06/13/10 - Anatomy 101 PT1 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:49:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore begins a new series entitled "Anatomy 101" in this Sunday service.

Anatomy 101 PT1
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, June 13, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

06/09/10 - Hearing the Voice of God PT2 - Tony Sherrill

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Tony Sherrill continues the series "Hearing the Voice of God" in this Wednesday service.

Hearing the Voice of God Part 2
Tony Sherrill
Wednesday, June 9, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

God is Speaking…Are You Listening? Pt. II

Proverbs 20:27
The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

Why is it important to hear God’s voice?

Romans 8:5-6
5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

I Corinthians 2:9-13
9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

God wants us to hear and know His voice

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Jeremiah 29;11-13
11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Reasons I do not hear God:

1) I have sinned against God

Jonah 2:2
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

2) Fear of what God might say to me

Psalm 85:8
I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Psalm 32:8
The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

How to position myself to hear God’s voice:

1) Acknowledge His presence (use the Psalms)

Psalm 23:1-2
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Psalm 91:1-2
1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

2) The Word
The Word and the Spirit agree

John 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John 15:26
But I will send you the Advocate[a]—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.

John 16:13
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

James 1:21
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

3) Forgive

Mark 11:25-26
25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 18:21-22
21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

06/06/10 - The Glorious Church - Everett Spencer

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:31:00 +0000

Everett Spencer teaches on "The Glorious Church" in this Vision Sunday service.

The Glorious Church
Everett Spencer
Sunday, June 6, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

The Glorious Church
Ephesians 4:2-16

“It’s for your good and the result-strong churches and healthy communities- are for your good too’

The Need for Connections

- God didn’t design us to be alone or self contained. (Gen 2:18)

- Your connections determine your direction. (Matt 4:19)

The Power & Benefits of Connecting & Serving

1) You find acceptance (v2)
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

2) When you connect with life giving people there’s peace (v3)
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

3) You’ll find your purpose (v7)
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.

4) You get what you need to change the world (v11 & 12)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

5) You become mature and stable (v13 & 14)
13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

6) You become more and more like Christ (v15)
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

7) You help others grow (v16)
16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

As a result of all of these things taking place in your life, the body of Christ at large is better, the local church is better and the community is better.

Also see Hebrew 10:24-25

06/02/10 - Hearing the Voice of God PT1 - Tony Sherrill

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:26:00 +0000

Tony Sherrill begins the series "Hearing the Voice of God" in Part 1 "God is Speaking…Are You Listening?" in this Wednesday service.

Hearing the Voice of God PT1
Tony Sherrill
Wednesday, June 2, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

God is Speaking…Are You Listening?

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Why did God create man?

Family – sons & daughters

Fellowship - companion, friend, sharing, community of interest, associates, brotherhood, sisterhood

God wanted and wants a family whose love and response, His Spirit and heart can nurture and feed

Ezekiel 36:26-27

26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

John 1:10-13

10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Ephesians 1:3-5

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. (NLT)

Ephesians 2:19

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. (NLT)

Ephesians 3:14-15

14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

II Corinthians 6:14-18

14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Romans 8:14-16

14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Acts 17:28-29

28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device

I John 3:1-2

1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

I John 5:11-15

11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

05/30/10 - Out Of This World PT4 11:15 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

mylifegatechurch@gmail.com (Church at Mirror Lake) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:32:00 +0000

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Out Of This World" in this Sunday service.

Out Of This World PT4 11:15am Service
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, April 30, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com

Sermon Notes:

Out of This World-Part 4
Invasion of the Heart, Soul and Body Snatcher

Colossians 1:27 “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Acts 17:28 “in Him we live, and move and have our being.”

Information: Head—able to judge, debate and justify—Produces Pharisees

Inspiration: Heart—makes for good conversation and stirs our intentions but it leaks—Produces fanatics
Example: Judas

Incarnation: You bleed Him when cut—permeates everything you are and do. Even your mistakes are seen as opportunities for His glory—Produces authenticity.
Example: Paul

Information and Inspiration do not make disciples—Incarnation does that. (Disciple will be where I am)

Philippians 1:19-21 19For I know that 1this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 2 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also 3Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 4For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

1. God is for me and is working to bring about good. My weaknesses will always be my areas of temptation. Note the difference in Paul and Judas here. Jesus made Judas responsible for the money box knowing he struggled in this area. Why? He wanted Judas to win, to know nothing could stop him. Instead of growing, Judas judged Jesus as no longer useful to him and his plans so he betrayed him. God says there is no temptation too much for me to bear and there is always a way of escape He has pre-planned for me. In my own strength I will fail, but in Him, I always win. When I am failing, it is highlighting an area where I am relying upon my own perceived “strengths” (obviously it is not a strength or I wouldn’t be failing) instead of trusting Him by letting Him live through me to accomplish His will—my good and the extension of His Kingdom.

2. Note what Paul’s expectation and hope had become—Christ in me, the hope of glory! When we are in a tough time, or in temptation, our earnest expectations and hopes will come to the forefront. Are we self-driven and self-focused or are we intent on seeing Christ glorified and the Kingdom of God extended?

3. No matter what. Regardless of the circumstances, Paul wants to live a life that will make Jesus bigger. Sometimes it is easy to magnify Jesus—people are coming to know Him, lives are being changed, we are finding success in following Him, even in times of persecution—but at other times it can be tougher to magnify Christ—we are experiencing failure or disappointment, we are experiencing success because of what we think is our own effort or plans, we are suffering rejection and loneliness. Paul’s goal was that Christ would be magnified in his body 24/7/365 and he saw that, as long as he kept moving forward toward his destiny in Christ, even his mistakes could be used by God for good.

4. “For to me…” Doesn’t matter what others think, it is what we think. For Paul there was no life to be found outside of Christ. Anything else was a fake—the life of a zombie!

Galatians 2:20 “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Trust is earned when we spend enough time with someone to allow them to prove themselves. Jesus has never, and will never, let us down in any area where we have given Him our trust. Incarnation happens as we hang out with Him. (2 Corinthians 3:18)