Sunday, September 15, 2013

C3 Church: Understanding Who I Am In Christ


Speaker: Matt Fry

Please refresh this blog over the next hour to follow Pastor Matt's message as it happens or watch it on our live video feed. Today's message is titled, "I Am."
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying,“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:13-19 (NKJV)
When we begin to discover the Great I Am, then I get to discover who I am.

We Are Blessed


As we look at these 7 I Am statements over the next few months, we will realized that we are blessed. When we realize who God is, we will then realize a blessed life.

As a father, Matt wants to bless his kids. They know that if they come to him, they can have just about anything that they want. In the same way that Matt wants to bless his kids, God wants to bless us.
“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Luke 11:13 (NLT)
God's blessings are eternal and our eternity begins right now.

We Get To Build His Church


Jesus came to establish two things: Family and the Church. What is the church? We are. Pastor Matt says. The church is not a building, but the people. At C3, we want to build up the people so that they can make a difference in this world and in their own lives. 

In the beginning of C3, we didn't have a building. As we planet churches around the world, many of them do not start with beautiful buildings. 

Every day, we get to share the Gospel and help build his church. We should be excited about that.

Also, a church is not a denomination. He says that it's not bad to have a denomination, but the church didn't start out with denomination. 

Aren't you glad that when we get to heaven, it is just going to be heaven? Period. (Applause) 

The local church is the hope of the world. Men and women filled with God and working together can change the world. 

He Gives Us The Keys To The Kingdom


The keys are understanding who we are in Christ. When I encounter the Great I Am then I discover who I am.

How do you finish this sentence? "I am..." 

Some will say, "I am so tired, slow, ugly, old, bored or stupid." However you answer that question, that response will come and haunt you. Instead, we should change the message to say, "I am a wonderful, vibrant, or blessed."
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
Stop putting out negative messages, but change it to something positive. As an example, age is just a number but it doesn't have to limit who we become. 
If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
James 3:3-5 (ESV)
We can see supernatural things happen in our lives. We are not just average or ordinary. We are unique and one of a kind. You are God's masterpiece. He took his time when he made you. God don't make no junk. You are an original.

Pastor Matt talks about growing up with his older sisters. He was the "Ooops!" baby. He was a surprise. In any case, their dad used to call his sister "His Princess." As a result, she has become an amazing champion for God. See, the power of words can affect everything. Let's be careful what we call our kids. Talk life into their lives.
(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
Romans 4: 17-18 (NKJV) 
We should speak those things that are not as though they are. If you feel tired, the Bible says that we should say that we are strong. Don't say that you're too old, declare new mountains for God. Declare that you are a warrior for God instead of saying that you just this ordinary person.

You don't have to be average, let Jesus define who you really are. We must know who we are in Christ and who we are not.

There are some who feel forsaken, forgotten, abandoned, rejected, useless, helpless, hopeless, condemned, confused, confounded, doomed, destroyed, desolate, deserted, uncared for, unprotected, unwanted, unknown, or unloved. This is not true. Isn't that amazing?

Joshua and Caleb are the only two people out of 12 spies that were positive about the Promised Land. How many of the 12 spies do you know? The only two that are remembered were the positive warriors and change agents. Be like Joshua and Caleb. Have a can-do attitude.
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me. 28 Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.
Numbers 14:26-28 (NLT)
The Bible is filled with 31 I Am statements. Pastor Matt will share these statements on his blog and provide daily devotionals. Make sure to visit http://www.mattfry.com for more details.

Do You Need A Fresh Start?


If you would like to make a fresh start in your life and receive God's love, pray this prayer:
Dear God, I realize I've sinned and I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross and rising from the grave. Come in to my heart and save me. Thank you for giving me eternal and abundant life. Help me to live for you, for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
To share your story, want more information about next steps, or just in need of prayer, please contact Pastor Matt Fry.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

C3 Church Live Blog: God Is Greater


Speaker: Pastor Matt

Don’t you know that we serve a GREAT God? He is greater than any challenge, problem, sin, or issue that you may have. Today, we’re going to talk about how great of a God we have.
One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”
13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
14 God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.

This is my eternal name,
my name to remember for all generations. 
Exodus 3:1-15 (NLT)
Our God is the great I AM. It’s difficult to wrap your mind around the idea that there was never a beginning or an end. There is no way for our brains to comprehend how big our God is.

Later, in the Book of John, Jesus says that he is the I AM. Over the next few months, we’re going to examine the book of John to dig deep into the name of I AM.

What good is information without application? Pastor Matt recommends that as we prepare for the I AM series, which begins next week, consider joining a Connect Group. A Connect Group is where we get to discuss the message in detail with a smaller group of people.

We Need A Fresh Encounter With God


See Moses, in this passage, had a fresh encounter with God. We've never seen the burning bush again in the Bible. God is so unpredictable.

We should seek God not the experience. If you do it in that order you can get both God and an experience. See, when we encounter the Great I AM, we get to discover who I am (and who we are). This will help you identify who you are in Christ.

God is good, God is Great, and God is Greater.

God Is Greater Than Our Obstacles


Obstacles help us grow and fall on our knees in prayer. God used the people in Egypt to prepare Moses for his task.

What obstacles are you facing right now? If you dive into the Word (Bible), you can be set free.

God Is Greater Than Our Fears


We all deal with fears every day. There are some obvious and less obvious fears. Some deal with the fear of spiders, closed space, flying, animals, peanut butter getting stuck to the roof of your mouth, soft fuzzy sweaters, and the fear of UNC winning the championship (or Tar-Heel-phobia).

Pastor Matt recalls his fear of using the restroom while his microphone was on. Last week, we got the “Live Stream” of him using the bathroom during the service. (All laugh)

Moses is afraid of taking the responsibility of going into Egypt and to speak with the Pharaoh.
But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”
13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”
Exodus 4:10-13 (NLT)
God was patient with Moses and he eventually used him to do great things.

God Is Greater Than Our Needs


When we put God first in our lives, he will take care of our needs.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
Often we seek those "other things" (money, career, love, etc) first before we seek the God of those things. This is one of the reasons the people of Israel kept getting into trouble. They kept finding new idols to worship.

Seek God first in your life and everything will be added unto you.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
God will meet all of your needs not all of your greed.

God is Greater Than Our Problems


You may have a problem in your life, but God is bigger and greater than that problem.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 (NIV)
Our greatest problem is sin. We were born into sin.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:8 (NLT)
“I love that!” Pastor Matt says. God says come to me just as you are, not after you get your mess together.

Some people almost didn't even come to church today because they feel like their issues are too much. It doesn't matter what hurt, pain, or issues affect you.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)
“How can I get a fresh start with Jesus?” It’s a free gift. If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that he was raised from the grave, you can be saved.

You don’t want to go back to the mess. He can make you as white as snow.

My God is good, my God is great, my God is greater!

Do You Need A Fresh Start?


If you would like to make a fresh start in your life and receive God's love, pray this prayer:
Dear God, I realize I've sinned and I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross and rising from the grave. Come in to my heart and save me. Thank you for giving me eternal and abundant life. Help me to live for you, for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
To share your story, want more information about next steps, or just in need of prayer, please contact Pastor Matt Fry.

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