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Greenhouse Sermons
Hosted by Greenhouse Church · EN
Weekly sermon from Greenhouse Church in Gainesville, FL.
22episodes
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Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Feb 5, 202500:50:26Tap to summarizeDo you know anyone who will ask for forgiveness before they even do anything wrong? Pastor Mike Patz has been teaching word by word from the Sermon on the Mount. He concludes the series, warning us with these words of Jesus in the Lord's Prayer, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Know this, you're going into battle. This is why Jesus gave you the exact prayer you would need, deliver us from the evil one! There is a tendency of humans to radically overestimate our capacity of handling things that we shouldn't even try to handle. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, the early church was warned, "take heed lest you fall..." Consistently we overestimate ourselves. Forget about confidence in yourself. Cultivate a God-confidence!The word for temptation can be used for the word "test" or "temptation." Ask, "Is it a test, or a trap?" Don't be led to stumble! God doesn't tempt, but He does allow tests. Temptations come! Pleasure. Pride. Power. Beware of looking down on others in the areas you may feel strong in. We must recognize there is good and bad in each one of us. Tests are not evil, but temptations are laden with evil. It is Satan who tempts us to stumble and rush ahead of God's plan. None of us are good; Jesus prayed "deliver us..." There is a personality behind all evil, and it is the devil. The evil one depends on us not detecting him when we're in the midst of temptation. Father, we need your protection and deliverance against the demonic. The snake came with venom, but the Lamb came with the antidote! On the cross, Jesus invites us to begin to live "by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony"! Jesus is greater than any power found in the world. He invites us to use His words, "Our Father in heaven, we ask that your kingdom will come. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food again today, and forgive us our sins. Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen."
Transcribe →Forgive Us Our Debts
Feb 4, 202500:47:09Tap to summarizeIn America, we are a nation of debtors. In the ancient world, debt was a matter of life and death. Prisons were places where debtors would be sent. Foolish people would go into increasing amounts of debt, bringing along their spouse and children. In light of this, debt brings to mind anxiety. God's answer to that was redemption. Someone would agree to come alongside you to forgive the debts. "Debts" is a strange word. In Hebrew there are eight different words for "sin", and one of them is translated debts. In more recent days, this is where we get the phrase, "The borrower is a slave to the lender." Pastor Mike Patz continues this segment on the Lord's Prayer in the School of Jesus series by reading Matthew 6:9-15.So, why do we need to pray, "forgive us our debts?" Why do we even need to continue to pray for things that have already been forgiven? Religious, or churchy people functually feel like the debt has never been paid. The longer you live like that the more your life will be destroyed. Jesus brings the picture brilliantly, "forgive us our debts!" The ripple effects of sin vary. Some are small, and others are much larger, weighing you down. Sins of thought, sins of the mouth, debts of deed... Lies, gossip, looking lustfully, greed. Unforgiveness will weigh you down in this life and destroy you in the next. When one has sins on their account, it weighs them down. When we come to God admitting our sins of omission and commission, we are able to let go of the guilt of sin. Daily praying "Search me and know me" brings the lightness of heart that we need. Forgiveness sets us free in this life and prepares us for the next. Praying "forgive us our debts" allows you to be free of sin in this life, and eternal life to come. Jesus' prayer is genius! In the same breath He shows us that forgiving others brings freedom to us. The evidence of forgiveness in my life is my willingness to forgive others. Never forget how much we have been forgiven. Jesus gave His life so we can be loved much.
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