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Beyond: Beyond Who? Philippians 3:2-11 Beyond me. -Beyond begins with me. -Beyond begins in me about me. Is my identity Christ? -What the world teaches us to count as significant the Lord teaches us to not count. What am I hoping to gain? -We will not gain where we will not lose. How do I want to be known? -What you believe should be considered is what matters to you. What am I willing to lose? -What am I unwilling to lose? -What we value is revealed by what we are willing to give.

Series: Beyond Sermon: Beyond What You See Text: Matthew 6:31-33 Matthew 6:31-33 You are limited. -That’s OK! We don’t have a provision problem. We have a priority problem. -You seek what you value most. -Your priority determines your capacity. Ephesians 3: 14-21 -God has no limit.

More than a Story: 10 Commandments Exodus 20:1-17, Romans 3:20, Galatians 3:21-24 THE LAW: was a gift from God. Exodus 20:1-2 -These Commandments are not a list of requirements to be accepted by God, but the righ tresponse to having been accepted by God. Exodus 20:3-5 Exodus 20:7-17 -THE LAW: was given to instruct us. -THE LAW: exposes sin in us and expresses our need for a Savior. -THE LAW: is both a map and a mirror. Romans 3:20 -THE LAW: is not a ladder to lead you to heaven, it is an x-ray to show you you’re broken. Galatians 3:21-24 -THE LAW: leads us to Jesus. -THE LAW: reveals our need. Jesus meets our need.

More than a Story: Relationship and PromiseExodus 19:4-8 Faith is first hand.-Don’t miss the real. Covenant: a solemn and serious relationship of promise.-Established by God: Accepted by people-My people: Our God-Treasured Possession : Obedient people-Kingdom of Priests: People who keep keeping His commands-Holy Nation: A people set apart from and to Grace changes everything.

More than a Story: Water, Manna, & Management Exodus 15:22-27,16:9-12, & 17:6-8 Provision is personal. -The Lord is our Provider. Trust the Provider, not the provision. -The danger of prosperity is provision without provider. Daily Bread is great to pray but difficult to practice. -What determines your standard of Daily Bread? -Is what the Lord provides good enough? -Are you honoring well what the Lord has provided? Exodus 18:10-24 Great leadership is healthy for both follower and leader. -It is not about the leader, nor is it about you, it is about the Lord. Four Practices of Faith 1. Listen hard. 2. Do right. 3. Live listening. 4. Keep keeping the commands.

More than a Story: The Exodus Begins Exodus 14 (Focus on 14:10-18) Faith is choice, not condition. -Faith is high, but healthy, expectations. Standing firm is staying, not stopping. -Firm faith stands still in the face of fear and feelings. Seeing is consequence, not cause. -What is seen is caused by faith; yet faith is not the cause of what is seen. Facing fears by Faith… 1. Move forward 2. Do what you already know. 3. Step where the Lord shows – even if seems strange. 4. Don’t stop here (in fear). 5. Celebrate your deliverance, not others’ demise.

More Than a Story: Passover Exodus 11-12 Judgment is real. (11:1-10, 12:29-42) -The judgment of the Lord is righteous. -Salvation is in the sacrifice; not the inheritance. Freedom has a cost. (12:1-13, 21-28) -Freedom costs judgment for the unrighteous. -Freedom costs obedience for the righteous. Always remember your deliverance. (12:14-20, 43-50) -Passover and Communion are celebrations of deliverance not remembrances of bondage. Truths for Meaningful Communion: -Stop living bound to bondage the Lord has broken. -Celebrate your deliverance by embracing your forgiveness. -Live expecting freedom to be real.

More than A Story: Moses Faces PharaohExodus 6-10The Lord works. (Exodus 6:2-9)-The Lord works first.-I come. I cause. I listen. I deliver. I redeem. I possess. I bring. I give.It is always good that all know the Lord is God. (Exodus 7:3-5, 9:14-18, 9:27-29)Evil is real. (Exodus 7:8-14)-Hard hearts destroy lives.Exalting self is denying the Lord. (7:11-12&22-23, 8:15&25, 9:34-35, 10:10-11&24-25)-Forms of self-exaltation: replication, negotiation, and limitation.

More than a Story Exodus 4:1-17 The Lord is Personal. -We experience the personal nature of God in His Presence, His Power, and His Purpose. The Q&A of Real Faith Question 1: Who am I? Answer 1: I am present. (3:11-12) Question 2: Who are you? Answer 2: I am. (3:13-15) Question 3: Is this worth it? Answer 3: I am powerful. (4:1-9) Question 4: Can I do this? Answer 4: This is my purpose. (4:10-12) “Not me” is not an option. (4:13-17)

More than a Story | Exodus 1-4 Truly faithful people are faithful with what they do not want to be faithful with. (Exodus2:1-10) Complacent is the enemy of contentment. (Exodus 2:21) Faith that is powerful is personal. (Exodus 3) -We are not the person of our faith. -The Lord defines himself by His otherness. The Lord is Personal. (Exodus 4:1-17) -The personal nature of God is revealed through His Presence, His Power, and His Purpose. The personal nature of God answers our question, “Who are you?” The personal presence of God answers our question, “Who am I?” The personal power of God answers our question, “How will I?” The personal purpose of God answers our question, “Why will I?”

More than a Story - Genesis 50:15-26 People who do great things do hard things. -Do the good God gave you to do. Victor over Victim -We cannot live in the identity of a victim and live the life of a victor. -Is it victory if we never accomplish what we wanted, but we accomplish what God wanted? Good over Evil -A deep desire for God and His good destroys the ability of evil to define us. -Suffering explains struggles; it does not excuse sin. Grace over Revenge -Forgiveness does not excuse wrong; it releases it.

More than a Story | Joseph, Part 1 – The Power of Presence Genesis 37:2-8,18-24; Genesis 39:1-6,19-23; Genesis 50:19-20 When we are faithful to God, you may end up in the pit, or you may end up in the palace. Neither is the promise. The promise is that we get God. And He is faithful in both the pit and the palace. Resistance does not mean that you are not going in the right direction. God is with you in the pit. God is with you even in the detour. What looks like a detour may actually be the destination. Sometimes God will change your circumstances. And sometimes God is using those circumstances to change you.

More Than a Story | Jacob: Running, Returning, & Wrestling Genesis 28:10-22 & 32:22-32 The Lord seeks us in our running and our returning. -We behold what we believe, and we believe what we behold. We wrestle with the Lord running and returning. -Fear and awe are friends, not enemies. -“If” is sometimes a statement to test and sometimes a statement of trust. We wrestle differently when returning than when running. -Everyone who knows God’s goodness is generous. -Closeness with God humbles and empowers. Devotional Truth to Consider this Week: -The prophet Hosea looks back at the story of Jacob in the struggles and sins of his descendants. Spend some time this week considering this passage in light of Jacob’s story and consider these truths. Seeking God (Hosea 12:1-6) 1. Strive – Are you striving with or against God? 2. Weep – Is your weeping in repentance or defiance? 3. Seek – Are you seeking the favor of God or the God of favor? 4. Hold on – What are you holding onto most tightly?

Jacob & Esau: The Value of a Cup of StewGenesis 25:29–34Don’t just believe the promise made; believe the Promise Maker.• Don’t let rivalry ruin you.• Valuing what we have is necessary to value what is ahead.• What we feed first defines us most.• Grace affords us what we cannot afford ourselves.It’s just a cup of stew.• Some things we can’t buy back.• Guard your appetites.• Desire does not create value.• Righteousness is not instant fulfillment.• Sinfulness cannot satisfy what God designed for righteousness.

More Than a Story: AbrahamGenesis 12:1-3, 15:1-6, 22:1-19BIG IDEA: The OBSTACLES we face do not LIMIT God's PROMISES...they become the STAGEfor His FAITHFULNESS.God's CALL is based on His grace, not our GREATNESS.FAITH is TRUSTING what God said, even when CIRCUMSTANCES say OTHERWISE.The GREATEST test of FAITH is SURRENDERING what we love MOST to God.