Living Stones Church - South Bend

Isaiah 30:15 15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. Lamentations 3:40 40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Micah 6:8 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly[a] with your God.

Romans 12:9-10 - Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. SERMON POINT #1 - GOD’S PLAN IS FOR THE CHURCH TO BE IN COMMUNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER Acts 2:42-47 - They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had a need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. SERMON POINT #2 - YOU NEED YOUR CHURCH FAMILY Galatians 6:2 - Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. SERMON POINT #3 - YOUR CHURCH FAMILY N

Hebrews 10:23 NLT – Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. GOD WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW Psalm 13:1-4 – How Long Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. SERMON POINT #1 – JUSTICE IS COMING Acts 17:31 – For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. SERMON POINT #2 – RESTORATION IS COMING Acts 3:21 – Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. SERMON POINT #3 – GOD WILL MAKE EVERYTHING NEW Revelation 21:1-5 – Then I saw “

Hebrews 10:23 NLT - Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. THE PROMISE OF THE Holy Spirit John 14:15-16 - “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor know him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." SERMON POINT #1 - HOLY SPIRIT IS TEACHER John 14:26 - But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. SERMON POINT #2 - HOLY SPIRIT IS CONSCIENCE John 16:7-8 NLT - But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgement. SERMON POINT #3 - HOLY SPIRIT IS

Hebrews 10:23 NLT - Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. PROMISE OF SALVATION SERMON POINT #1 - JESUS’ MAIN CONCERN IS LOST PEOPLE Luke 19:9-10 NLT - Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Romans 3:23 NLT - For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 10:9 - If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. SERMON POINT #2 - GOD DOENS’T WANT ME TO STAY IN MY SIN Romans 6:1 NLT - Well then, should we keep on sinning to that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT - This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.

Hebrews 10:23 NLT – Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. PROMISE #1 – GOD IS NEAR Jeremiah 29:13 – You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Psalm 119:2 – Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. Jeremiah 10:21 – For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they have not prospered And all their flock is scattered. SERMON POINT #1 – SEEKING GOD IS A CONSCIOUS CHOICE 1 Chronicles 22:19 – Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. SERMON POINT #2 – SEEKING GOD REQUIRES HUMILITY Psalm 10:4 – In his pride, the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. SERMON POINT #3 – MAINTAIN A HEART OF WONDER SERMON POINT #4 – GOD PROMISES GOOD THINGS WHEN WE SEEK HIM Psalm 34:10 – The lions may become week and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Isaiah 55:6-7 – Seek the Lord while he may be foun

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. SERMON POINT #1 – READING THE BIBLE BUILDS RELATIONSHIP SERMON POINT #2 – READING THE BIBLE REVEALS TRUTH John 8:32 – “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Counterfeit Bill SERMON POINT #3 – READING THE BIBLE GROWS MY FAITH Romans 10:17 NKJV – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. STEPS FOR EFFECTIVE BIBLE STUDY 1) Preparation - Am I prepared to hear from God? 2) Searching - What do I see in these verses? 3) Meditating - What is God saying to me in this passage? 4) Revelation - Can I restate this in my own words? 5) Action - How can I apply this to my life? Romans 8:1 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. James 3:3-5 – When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. SERMON POINT #1 – WORDS HAVE POWER Proverbs 18:21 – The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who live it will eat its fruit. SERMON POINT #2 – MY WORDS CAN BE LIFE-GIVING OR LIFE-TAKING Proverbs 12:18 – The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 15:4 – The soothing tongue is the tree of life, but the perverse tongue crushes the spirit. SERMON POINT #3 – IF YOU CAN’T SAY SOMETHING GOOD … SKIP IT Ephesian

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Proverbs 23:7a For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. SERMON POINT #1 – OUR LIVES MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR STRONGEST THOUGHTS SERMON POINT #2 – THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT Romans 12:2 NLT – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. SERMON POINT #3 – CAPTURE DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHTS 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. SERMON POINT #4 – FIX OUR THOUGHTS ON GODLY TH

Psalm 78:1-7 – My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old – things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from our descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statues to Jacob and established law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

Sermon Point #1 – THE BIRTH OF JESUS DEMONSTRATES HOW MUCH GOD LOVES US Matthew 1:21 – “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 1 John 4:10 – This is love: not that we love God, but that he loves us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Sermon Point #2 – REMIND YOURSELF OF THE CHARACTER OF OUR FATHER God is wise – full of perfect, unchanging wisdom - Romans 11:33 - Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! God is faithful – always - Deuteronomy 7:9 - Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. - 2 Timothy 2:13 - [I]f we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. God is Good - Psalm 34:8 – O taste and see that the Lord is good.

Sermon Point #1 – JOY IS NOT BASED ON MY CIRCUMSTANCES Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT) – “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die out in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.” SERMON POINT #2 – I MUST CHOOSE JOY Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Sermon Point # 3 - I EXPERIENCE JOY BY DELIGHTING IN GOD 1 Peter 1:8-9 - Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Psalm 16:11 (NKJV) - You will show me th

Isaiah 9:6 – For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Sermon Point # 1 – Put yourself in the presence of Jesus Ephesians 2:12-14a – remember that at one time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, Romans 5:1 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Luke 10:38-42 – As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be ma

Isaiah 61:1-4 – The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Sermon Point # 1 – Jesus Came So I Can Experience Freedom Galatians 5:1 – It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Sermon Point # 2

Isaiah 61:1-4 – The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Sermon Point #1 – God Honors the People That Society Often Overlooks Romans 2:11 – For God does not show favoritism. Colossians 4:7-9 – Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful ministe

Isaiah 61:1-4 – The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Acts 12:11-12 – Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” When th

Isaiah 61:1–4 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Romans 8:11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Luke 10:2 He told t

Zechariah 4:6 So he 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 Almighty. Matthew 7:24–29 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Acts 14:14–15 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing

Deuteronomy 26:1–11 26 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 

2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 

3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 

4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. 

5 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 

6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. 7 Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice a