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Winning over worry

Introduction
A young man announces to his wife and four children, “I’m leaving.” Then goes outside, sits         down by a tree, puts the barrel to his temple and  pulls the trigger.
WHY? Because he was driven by WORRY. Worry over his unemployment, his crumbling         marriage, the apparent hopelessness of his situation. Worry fills hospital beds with psycho-         somatic illnesses induced by worry. Worry packs mental hospitals with people who cannot cope with the fears and anxieties of everyday life. Worry drives people to prematurely end their lives in a         futile effort to escape. BUT, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY! God has given us a better way.  He has given us an answer:
Scripture: Psalm 37:3-7
1. Trust in the Lord, Psalms 37:3
I. For Salvation: Phil. 1:6 “He who began a good work in you…will carry it on to completion.” NIV
II. For mercy: Psa. 32:10 “…the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.”
III. Trusting implies NOT KNOWING all the answers: Prov. 3:5 “Trust in the Lord…lean not to your own understanding.
IV. Strength comes from trusting God: Isa. 26:4 “Trust in the Lord forever,                     for…the Lord is the Rock eternal..”
V. ALL OUR NEEDS are provided for in trusting Him: Phil. 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your needs…”
2. Delight in the Lord, Psalms 37:4
I. “Delight” means to “enjoy” Akin to the loving relationship of a husband and wife.
II. Treasure God for Who He is
III. Feast on His presence, Psalms 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
IV. Desire his will for our lives.
V. Enjoy His Word and His presence.
VI. See life’s situations through His eyes.
VII. This kind of relationship is not automatic, it must be cultivated.
3. Commit your way unto the Lord, Psalms 37:5
I. More than just a verbal affirmation.
II. II. Chicken & Pig to give king a nice breakfast of ham & eggs. For the chicken it’s a sacrifice, for the pig it’s total commitment!
III. COMMITMENT implies forsaking all other avenues.
IV. Not an easy thing to do. In Acts 27:30-32 in the Mediterranean storm, Paul commanded the sailors to cut away the lifeboats;  that took commitment.
V. Most of us leave our burdens at the altar, but keep coming back to pick them up                 again.
VI. There’s no sense in both you and God being concerned about a problem; let Him handle it!
4. Rest in the Lord, Psalms 37:6-7
I. How often we overlook this fourth point. There is a rest available to the child of God if only we will avail ourselves of it!
II. Implies patience, peace, and calmness.
III. Jesus promised us rest: Matt. 11:29 “Come unto me…and I will give you rest.”
IV. Resting in the Lord reduces anxiety… READ THIS VERSE: Phil. 4:6-7
V. Resting in the Lord frees our energy to be more productive for the Lord.
5. Conclusion
There is no reason why a Child of God should ever be consumed with worry.  To worry is to doubt God!  Would you like to proclaim your freedom from worry tonight? Come to this altar as a proclamation of faith to Trust, Delight, Commit, and Rest in the Lord.

Introduction

horror_panic_scary_74929_oA young man announces to his wife and four children, “I’m leaving.” Then goes outside, sits down by a tree, puts the barrel to his temple and  pulls the trigger.

WHY? Because he was driven by WORRY. Worry over his unemployment, his crumbling marriage, the apparent hopelessness of his situation. Worry fills hospital beds with psychosomatic illnesses induced by worry. Worry packs mental hospitals with people who cannot cope with the fears and anxieties of everyday life. Worry drives people to prematurely end their lives in a futile effort to escape. BUT, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY! God has given us a better way.  He has given us an answer:

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Yohan Perera 8 October 2009 Sermon outlines , No Comments

Sermon: How to overcome fear?

Introduction

ice-age-3-movie-wallpaper--“It is said that the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin so feared for his safety that his residence in Moscow contained eight bedrooms. Each night Stalin chose a bedroom at random to ensure that no one knew exactly where he was sleeping.”

“5-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. “It’s dark in there and I’m scared.” She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, “It’s OK–Jesus will be in there with you.” Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: “Jesus, if you’re in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?”

Text: 2 Chronicles 20:1-9, 14-15, 22-23,30

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Yohan Perera 3 October 2009 Sermon outlines , No Comments

Computer games: Mask of the occult

“There is hardly a game in which the players do not indulge in murder, arson, torture, rape, sorcery and witchcraft or highway robbery.” (Source: unknown)

Most of the modern games we see today are essentially feeding programs, for occult, witchcraft and violence. I felt compelled to write this article to create a state of awareness in the Church after realizing the degree of risk paused by these programmes. ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ probably the first game of this category appeared in the gaming world in the 80th decade. The game was full of activities like casting spells, summoning up demons, observing satanic rituals and throwing curses. A former Satanist and black magician (now a born again Christian) said the following about D&D.

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Yohan Perera 27 September 2009 Contemporary issues , 1 Comment

Adultery, Christian family and the Church

“If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death…” Leviticus 20:10-14

Introduction

AdulteryIn today’s sermon I want to address the sin of adultery and why Christians must refrain from it. First let me explain what is adultery?

This is a sin against the marriage of a fellow citizen – it destroys the home. The Law distinguished between adultery (which had a death penalty) and sexual contact with a young woman (which carried a monetary fine and usually marriage if the father was willing). So it distinguished fornication and adultery. Both were sins, but the significance of each was different. In the ancient world this sin is often referred to as “the great sin.” (source: www.bible.org)

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Yohan Perera 22 September 2009 Sermon outlines , No Comments
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