Above The Noise
Sermon Notes - January 3, 2021
RESET: Above the Noise - Brian Becker
Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 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.
John 10:3-5 (NIV)
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
Proverbs 3:6 (MSG)
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Luke 8:8b (NIV)
"When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Luke 8:5-8 (NIV)
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Luke 8:11-12 (NIV)
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
The Polluted Heart
James 1:21 (NLT)
“Get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your soul.”
We can’t begin a new life until we turn from the old.
Luke 8:13 (NIV)
Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
The Unrooted Heart
Colossians 2:7 (NLT)
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
We can’t choose the temperature of the sun, but we can choose the shade under which we dwell.
Psalm 91:1-2
"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Luke 8:14 (NIV)
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
The Distracted Heart
To hear God’s voice, I must turn down the world’s volume.
Rich Villodas quote: “Christians can read the Bible every day and still have our hearts firmly against the ways of the kingdom of God…Unless we read scripture through the lens of the crucified Christ, our exegesis is dangerously subject to personal preferences and political allegiances.”
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.
Luke 8:15 (NIV)
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
The Prepared Heart