Jesus Christ and Him Crucified

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.

One Key to Revival
Lift Jesus Up

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

1 Corinthians 1:17
17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Human Wisdom = No Power

Our Cross
Matthew 16:24-26
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

The cross is the place where your love and obedience to the Lord becomes painful. The pain usually comes from people who are outside the covenant. When the cross is fully realized it will actually bring physical death to an individual.

Two reasons to suffer
1 Peter 2:20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

Your Cross; May Effect Others
Matthew 27:32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.

You may have to carry someone else’s cross.

The Cross; Misunderstood
Matthew 27:40 and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

The world, inspired by the agenda of Satan, will call to you to stop suffering or sacrificing for the Lord. Listen to your flesh and take the path of least resistance.


Matthew 27:42 "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

One specific demonic strategy will be to ridicule the person going through suffering even quoting the verses that have to do with God’s blessings. Perhaps saying, “Well if they had been obedient and done what was right, none of this would’ve happened.”

Acts 2:23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

Our cross will not catch God by surprise.

Remember what happened to Joseph and his proclamation to his brothers when the fruition of his vision came to pass.
Genesis 45:4-8
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
 8 "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.

The Cross, a Place of Unity
Ephesians 2:13-16
13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.  14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

The Cross a Place of Victory
Colossians 2:14,15
14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

In conclusion the cross gives us victory over the regulations of the law and victory over Satan and demonic principalities.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124


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Serving by the Law or by the Spirit?

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.

Romans 7:6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

New Testament believers can find themselves serving God under the law but it's an error to do so.

I.  The wrong way to serve the Lord
     A.  With your identity tied to the work instead of your identity tied to the Lord.
          1.  To try and earn God’s approval
          2.  To try and earn the favor of people
          3.  To try and salve a guilty conscience by doing God’s work.

II.  The proper way to serve God is by the Spirit, not by the law, where you are
     A.  Abiding in the presence of God to receive
          1.  grace
          2.  direction
          3.  power for service
     B. Empowered to step out in obedience

Let's take a look at the wrong way to serve the Lord before we take a look at the proper way to serve the Lord.


The Purpose of the Law to a New Covenant Believer
Galatians 3:24
24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.

Amplified Bible
24So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.

A Problem with the Law
The Law arouses sinful passions
Romans 7:5 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.

     1.  You can’t get God’s approval by observing the law.

Galatians 2:16
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

Justified - : to judge, regard, or treat as righteous and worthy of salvation.


Romans 3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

     2. Trying to Earn the Approval of Men

Galatians 1:10
10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

The Hireling simulates a person who's serving with the wrong motives and as a result is unable to see their ministry through difficulties.  When the wolf attacks the hireling runs away, leaving the sheep vulnerable and thus ending the expression of God through that person.

The Hireling
John 10:12-13
The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

 

     3. Trying to Salve a Guilty Conscience
Serving the Lord in order to pay some sort of recognized or subliminal penance is an improper motive.

When we have to work something up, in order to do something for God we are probably operating under the Law.

The Correct Way to Serve the Lord
The only thing we need to do is believe on the one God has sent.
John 6:28,29
28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" 29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

A.  Abiding in the Presence of God
John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
     1. Receive Grace
Titus 2:11,12
11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

Grace, in the context of Titus 2, is the essence of God that gives the believer the internal fortitude to say no to ungodliness and sin. Grace is a sin preventer, empowering the Christian to live like Christ.

     2. Receive Direction
John 10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Romans 12:2
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

     3. Receive Power for Service
Luke 11:9-13 (Amplified)
9So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.  11What father among you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!

B.  Empowered to Step Out in Obedience
2 John 1:6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Accomplishing the great Commission
Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

This Sunday was Pentecost Sunday May 23rd 2010 so we talked some about the day of Pentecost as it relates to empowering the believer for service.

Acts 1:4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

The gift of the Holy Spirit prophesied by Joel
Acts 2:15-18
15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:  17" 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Receive the Holy Spirit
Acts 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

The Promised Holy Spirit is for You
Acts 2:39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

In conclusion please read Acts 18:24-28 and discuss the disciple named Apollos.  Compare and contrast his method of ministry with that of the early Apostles and discuss any parallels you may see today in the church in America.  What does "only the Baptism of John mean?"  What does "explained to him the way of God more adequately" mean?

Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit today by simply asking in faith.  Our good Heavenly father will bless you with the gift of his Holy Spirit if you ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking.  In the book of Acts what accompanied the gift of the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues and sometimes tongues with prophecy.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124

 
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Drugged by Parents

Posted By Tony V. Hammack (Taken from an e-mail)

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
 
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124

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Should Shay Bat?

(Taken from an e-mail)

At a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.

Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all the team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!

Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!

Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

 If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church 45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501 (

870) 793-9124
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We Need a National Revival

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.

The Problem
The Problem with the Church in the United States

The Kingdom of God is an ever increasing kingdom. If it’s not increasing around us that doesn’t mean that the gospel is being hindered in other parts of the world.

Parts of Africa are on fire with the Gospel. People are hungry and miracles are prevalent.
China has a huge underground church movement.

The 9 Point Evangelical Questions
If you answer in the affirmative to these 9 questions then you would be considered a 9 point evangelical.

1. Is your faith very important to you today?
2. Is there a literal devil?
3. Is Salvation based on grace not works?
4. Do you have a personal responsibility to share your religious beliefs?
5. Is God the top priority of your life?
6. Do you believe that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth?
7. Do you believe the Bible is totally accurate in all of it’s teachings?
8. Has your life been greatly transformed by your faith?
9. Is God the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today?

While 38 percent of Americans claim to be "evangelical," for example, only eight percent meet these doctrinal criteria.

Watch this sobering video




Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964) - 34 % Evangelical
Generation X (Born 1965-1984) -16 % Evangelical
Generation Y (Born 1985 - 2005) - 8 % Evangelical
The Next Generation (Born 2006 - 2025) - ?% Evangelical

If things don't change it looks like the next generation will be 4% evangelical.

Exodus 10:10,11
10 Pharaoh said, "The LORD be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. [a] 11 No! Have only the men go; and worship the LORD, since that's what you have been asking for." Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh's presence.

Pharaoh is a type of Satan, notice he doesn’t mind sending the men out to worship but leave the children behind. No children means no future. He’ll just wait them out and then he’ll have his agenda accomplished.
Destruction of the redeeming message of Christ!

The Individual Solution
Disciple the Nations

2 Corinthians 5:17,18
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Every believer has been given the ministry of reconciliation.

Reconciliation – to restore to friendship or harmony.

Such a simple plan – Jesus did it. He was very good at discipling so he had 12 disciples. We may not be able to impart the spirit of God as good as he did so I encourage you to start with one person. Reach out to them, love them, tell them the truth, live the truth in front of them and be available to show them how to live the Christian life. If each one can influence one person this year like this, a chain reaction of Holy Spirit influence will be unleashed upon our region and will ripple out to the uttermost parts of the earth.

How did Andrea and I end up with 5 children? Well we got them one at a time. And what if each one of them has 5 children? We’ll have 25 grandchildren! How many great grand children will we have. 125!
So in only 3 generations we went from 2 to 5 to 25 to 125 people.

Such a powerful result
The difference between addition and multiplication.
Realistic Expectations
I don’t expect you to go out and lead 10 people to Christ this year and effectively disciple them to become fruit bearing believers.
I do expect you to go out and lead 1 person to Christ this year and effectively disciple them to become a fruit bearing believer. If you continue to do this and your new friend continues to do this you have now reached 3 people. Do this again and you now have reached 6 people. This can continue into perpetuity just like it is with Jesus.

Would you rather have a million dollars or have a penny doubled daily for a 31 day month?  If you doubled a penny every day for a month it would come to $21,474,836.48.

The illustration shows the power of multiplication over addition. The church’s focus has been on adding new believers instead of multiplying new believers. Always looking to the big crusades for conversions and not giving much attention to the simple believer who faithfully is pouring his or her life out for people around them in an effort to raise someone up for Christ.

2 Timothy 2:2
2And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

I.  Paul
     A.  Timothy
          1.  Faithful Men
               b.  Teach Others

Each one of us should have a Paul and a Timothy. You can have more than one but you should have at least one of each. If you don’t have a Timothy you should be looking for him/her.
Just like if you don’t have a job your job is to look for a job.

Follow Me
1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

The fruitful people are the Evidence of the Ministry of effective Discipleship
2 Corinthians 3:1-3
1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Another Solution
We Need a True Revival

Revive
To make alive again.
: renewed attention to or interest in something b : a new presentation or publication of something old c (1) : a period of renewed religious interest

True revival puts Christ and the things of God on the forefront of everyone’s mind.

We’ve all experienced individual revival but what I’m believing for is national revival.

“Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry? Could a doctor sit in comfort and let his patient die? Can the fireman sit idle letting men burn and give no hand? Can you sit at ease in Church with the world damned?”
          ~Leonard Ravenhill

National revival begins with individual revival which begins with prayer.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124


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