Grace, Grace! (Two Steps to Your Left)

Notes: Grace, Grace! (Two Steps to Your Left)

Zechariah 4:6–10

Pastor Levi Lusko author of Through the Eyes of a Lion

Thursday, August 27, 2015 — 7:00 p.m.

Zechariah 4:6-10 NKJV

[6] So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. [7] 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'" [8] Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: [9] "The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. [10] For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth."

Zechariah is a prophet, he was given the news from God to deliver it to the people. He was around at the end of the Babylonian captivity over the Jews.

Before Nehemiah built the wall,  

Zerubbabel tried to build the temple again for 9 years with about 300 of his closest friends and followers. When Zerubbabel was close to giving up, Zechariah was sent by the Lord with a vision.

Gods's divine power and Holy Spirit never weakens. It never gives up.

When we all try to do Gods work in our own strength it always ends up a disaster.

God gives us the power to do what He calls us to do. God's calling is enabling.

Being who God calls us to be requires God's strength.

We need to trust God to give us His power.

Five confessions to God:

1. I am powerful in weakness.

By ourselves we are weak on power, in Christ we are given His power. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Ted Talk about your body expression. The way you carry yourself has a biological impact on how you feel about yourself at that moment.

Joel 3:10 NKJV

[10] Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'"

2. I see every obstacle as an opportunity.

Zechariah 4:7 NKJV

[7] 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"

God doesn't see how it was, He sees it as it is when His work is done.

Mark 11:23 NKJV

[23] For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

When an obstacle comes up and you are doing God's work, it's just an opportunity.

Words are one of the few vehicles that faith can get around in.

We need to speak of the greatness of God even in the hardest of times for us.

3. I will see God finish what He started.

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

[6] being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

If you yield yourself to God's hands, He will finish the work.

4. I am focused on the end but not intimidated by the beginning.

Zechariah 4:10 NKJV

[10] For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth."

God loves to see people take small bites and keep on chewing.

Deferred gratification.

5. I am a spiritual early adopter.

John 20:29 NKJV

[29] Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Zechariah 4:7 NKJV

[7] 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"

Get good at saying "Grace, grace" when the doctors reports are bad, not only after you see the finished work!

Can't Stop, Won't Stop (How Many Zeros?)

Notes: Can't Stop, Won't Stop (How Many Zeros?)

Matthew 15:21–28

Pastor Levi Lusko

MUSICAL GUEST: Marty Goetz

Sunday, May 10, 2015 — 12:00 p.m.

The thing about being a mom, the days are long but the years are short.

The mother in these verses went through a great trial with faith that impresses Jesus.

The whole sermon in one sentence: Expectation determines experience.

When we listen to a message, we should view ourselves as participants and not just spectators. It changes our whole experience.

Matthew 15:21-28 NKJV

[21] Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. [22] And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." [23] But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." [24] But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." [25] Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" [26] But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." [27] And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." [28] Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

She worshiped even when her first prayer was not appearing to be answered.

Passwords today seem to be out of control. We can make them so hard that we can never get back into that account again...it's just getting crazy. The thumb print on the iPhone is much easier. Faith is like our thumb print with God.

Great power is unlocked through great faith.

You can not receive from God what you don't give to Him in Faith.

Ephesians 2:8 NKJV

[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Matthew 17:20 NKJV

[20] So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

The mothers faith was so strong that she kept asking.

Matthew 15:28 NKJV

[28] Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

She received the miracle she asked for.

Matthew 15:28 NKJV

[28] ?...Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

If you believe a little you may get a little, if you believe with it all then you open yourself up to all God has to offer.

Prayers are to be prayers, short and sweet can get it done for us.

See past the seed.

Faith is like a mustard seed. It starts little and ends up huge.

Huge things always start off small.

Zechariah 4:10 NKJV

[10] For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth."

Keep having faith.

Sometimes the mountain that needs moving is inside of you.

Trials can be there to change you on the inside.

Faith is the password.

For there to be faith there has to be mystery.

Hebrews 11:33 NKJV

[33] who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Hebrews 11:37 NKJV

[37] They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-

To be used by God may have a gory back story. You must always trust Him. Then you can get to the place you need to be.

You have to reinvest your miracles or you will run out of them.

The harvest is inside the seed. So if you stop sowing then you will stop reaping.

Seeds don't all germinate on the same schedule.

Even if we don't think sowing is working, we need to continue.

We don't get to evaluate if our faithfulness is working, that's God's work.

The lack of gifts today could be from the lack of sowing 2 years ago. We don't know, so we must continue to sow.

If your church is too big, then your love of people is too small!!

Genesis 15:2 NKJV

[2] But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Genesis 15:5 NKJV

[5] Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."

You can't stop sowing and dreaming because God won't stop and neither shall you.

Whoever has the Son has life.

Arrows: Living Toward the Target

Notes: Arrows: Living Toward the Target

Psalm 127: 1-5

Pastor Levi Lusko

Dec 28, 2014

Levi is telling us about going to Glacier National Park where he was preparing if he ran across a Grizzly Bear. His dad asked when they should put it on the bear repellant. You don’t put it on, it is like really strong mace.

He said you can have something like the bear repellent and not know how to use it. Levi said just because we have children it doesn’t mean we know what to do with them.

Psalm 127:1-5New King James Version (NKJV)

127 Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lord guards the city,

The watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early,

To sit up late,

To eat the bread of sorrows;

For so He gives His beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one’s youth.

5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

7 Take Away Truths for the New Year:

1. Children are a blessing, not a burden.

If you have a child you have been rewarded.

We have so much more responsibility with children, yet life is so much greater with them.

Blessings are easy to mix up with burdens because they are both heavy.

When God gives you a child, He is giving you a platform unparalleled like nothing else.

Your children can learn who God is because of you, or in spite of you.

Faith is the key to seeing it as a blessing. 

2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV

while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

With parenting, the days are long but the years are short.

Don’t miss the beauty because of the mess that is right in front of you.

2. There are lots of different arrows, but only one target.

In real arrows there are over 180 different kinds of arrows. Just like kids, there are lots of different kids.

All the kids will grow up to be lots of different things, but there is only One Target that they are aiming to attain.

Kids have lots of different attitudes and love languages, but we must get them all on the same path to Christ.

Matthew 6:33 NKJV

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

There is nothing more important than to get your children aimed towards Christ. 

We can not make them follow Christ, but we can do everything we can to give them the opportunity to know Christ.

If you do not, then you will never have the peace that you did all you can do to get your children to Heaven.

Joshua 24:15b NKJV

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Many say: as for me and my house we will:

play soccer

get straight As

go to an ivy league school 

etc. etc.

There is no such thing as an atheist, everybody puts something ahead of everything else.

Levi says he feels led to tell us about this subject because when he lost his child at such a young age he has the hope of seeing her again.

3. Arrows can extend your reach.

Ephesians 3:20 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

What is more important than your children knowing they have a higher calling?

Deuteronomy 28:10 NKJV

Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 

We do not punish our children, we are to discipline our children. Discipline your children because you love them and keeping them on the correct path.

4. They Can’t Know What You Don’t Tell Them.

Deuteronomy 6:7 NKJV

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 

You don’t teach kids only during formal times, you teach them about Jesus throughout the day.

We should use all of life as an opportunity to teach our children. We are meant to help and shape our kids into followers of Christ.

If you don’t teach your kids about life, someone else will.

Proverbs 20:15 NKJV

There is gold and a multitude of rubies, But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Charles Spurgeon said: 

"Men cannot quite forget the teachings of a holy fireside; they may somewhat, but not utterly. The seed may lie buried long in dust, but the day will come when under other circumstances the hidden life will germinate. A verse of an old familiar hymn may lead the man of eighty to the Saviour, though he learned it when a child; the holy text, which like bread was cast on the waters, shall be found again after many days. I believe in the Holy Spirit, and in his sacred care for divine truth. He will not permit the word of God to fail; his holy influence, like the rain and the snow, shall not return void to heaven; it shall water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud. It is ours to continue blessing youth with holy and godly instruction, and God will crown our efforts to the bringing of his banished ones to himself."

5. They Can’t Follow What You Don’t Show Them.

When kids are young they do what you tell them, when they get old, they do what you showed them.

Your children shouldn’t ask if they are going to church.

The greatest gift you can give to your kids is to be present.

45% of homes in America are single parent homes.

Strong Dads, Strong Daughters a book Levi recommends.

Girls with dads present are more satisfied with themselves, and many many more positive life experiences.

If you are a dad in the home, know that you are a hero to someone.

6. Stance Matters. Plant Your Feet and Stand Firm.

To shoot an Arrow accurately, you need your feet and your bow anchored.

If you want to know how to run your house, you need to plant your family in God’s house.

You must be prepared for the trial that you are not yet in.

7. Arrows Are a Weapon and This is War.

The Christian life is not a play ground it is a battle ground.

F.W. Boreham said: "When God sees that in this poor old world a wrong needs righting or a truth needs preaching or a benefit needs inventing, He sends a baby into the world to do it.”

Raise a child that knows the Lord and let them Shine the Light of the Gospel into this dark world.

Home Field Disadvantage

Notes: Home Field Disadvantage
Mark 6:1–6
Pastor Levi Lusko 
Thursday, December 11, 2014 — 7:00 p.m.

Dominic Bali will be here next Thursday.

Levi is here, telling us a story about running to his car in the snow and jumping in he holes of foot tracks that someone laid in front of him. He said that is like what Greg has done for him in ministry.

Faith is something that God has put the power of in our own hands. God will put it in you as far as you trust Him.

Expectation determines experience! 

Levi said this is one of the most frightening stories in the Bible. Mark 6: 1-6

He says when we read the Bible we need to make sure we understand it.

Mark 6:1 NKJV
[1] Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.

Jesus Christ had just left Capernum. 

There is a sign over the gates of Capernum today that say Jesus Home Town. We know that Jesus Christ is not actually from there.

Levi is giving us a back story of Mark 6 by going through Mark 5 quickly. Showing all the miracles Jesus Christ had done before he went home.

You will not see in God more than you believe. In chapter 5 the people believed and they saw amazing miracles.

Nazareth is Jesus Christ's home town and that is where he went in chapter 6.

After a season on the road these were home games.

Mark 6:1-6 NKJV
[1] Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. [2] And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! [3] Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. [4] But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." [5] Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. [6] And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

They say you can never go back. Once you leave you will always fill a bit of nostalgia when you go back. The past always seems a little better then the current.

It's always hard to go back.

Mark 6:6 NKJV
[6] And He marveled.....

That is hard to imagine that Jesus was astonished by something.

The only other time he marveled was...Matthew 8:10 NKJV
[10] When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

Jesus was referring to how great this mans faith was.

Levi says if you want to get someone's attention like marveling them, then do things that they love and hate.

He "marvels" over people's faith and their absence of faith.

Despite these stories are opposites they both have in common that Jesus gave them both what they wanted.

5 take away truths from this message.

1. God wants to bless you.

He had preached in Nazereth before.

Luke 4:28 NKJV
[28] So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

This was not good.

Luke 4:29 NKJV
[29] and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.

The last time he was in Nazereth they wanted to kill Him, yet He went back anyway. Because he loved them and wanted to bless them, just like He wants to bless you.

Psalm 84:11 NKJV
[11] For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

Ephesians 1:3-4 NKJV
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, [4] just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

Gods blessing's through Christ Jesus are there for the taking and limitless through your own faith in Jesus.

2. God wants to make us a blessing to all people.

Levi says Jesus' favorite type of math is multiplication. Many think that God is into subtraction, taking from us. Jesus only asked for all of one persons money in the Bible. Yet in the Bible He gives much more then most have ever had.

God is not teaching us prosperity doctrine, He is teaching us generosity.

There is spiritual fruit in giving to Gods Kingdom.

Levi is talking about being a rich man or a poor man. He is saying that Gods blessings are not like pie, where as you have more than others have less. He gives more to those that give more.

Faith is the key to it all.

Faith hits the gas peddle and unbelief hits the brakes.

Because they didn't have faith... Mark 6:5 NKJV [5] Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.

Unbelief removes blessings from you.

Mark 6:6 NKJV
[6] And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

This text tells us what is amazing to Jesus is not the same as what impresses us.

Save a mans soul and he is set forever. 

That is why this was not impressive to Jesus.

3. Those with the greatest access are in the biggest danger.

The people of Nazereth were jealous of Him. Familiarity can breed contempt.

Nazareth had Jesus for thirty years yet He could do no miracles for them.

Levi is talking how lucky we are as a church to get to see so many come to faith.

4. The curse of knowledge must be consciously compensated for constantly.

Like working so hard in your business that you lose the custom experience.

The key is gratitude. You foster all things with a heart of gratitude.

You should never let the miracles of Jesus be just another day.

5. The life you are born to live is surrounded by an atmosphere of faith.

He is talking about how fans have been proven by a Harvard study to raise a teams chance of winning.

We need to make sure to cheer on our Savior Jesus by being His biggest fans!