Video

A Kingdom Full of Fruit, Faith, and Fun – Ryan Casarez, John Zamora, Aaron Viscichini
Sermon Preached on January 26, 2014

Notes & Scriptures

A Kingdom Full of Fruit 
Ryan Casarez

John 15:1-16
– Bear the fruit of change

 Galatians 5:22-23
– These things should be prevalent in our lives
– These things cannot be in our lives without closeness to God
Hebrews 11:5-6
– The only way to change is to be close to God
– Lacking love and mercy in your life will not save this world
– The lessons we learn in life come to us personally
 James 2:12
– Mercy triumphs over judgment
– Is there fruit in your life? If not you may lack mercy
2 Chronicles 30:13-19
– Hezekiah prayed for mercy and God extended mercy to them
Luke 16:19-23
– The people in our lives who don’t choose to follow God will look up from hell and see us in a Heaven
– We need to repent as we bear fruit
– If you’re not at peace, you need to come close to God

A Kingdom Full of Faith 
John Zamora

Psalm 14:1
– Fools say there is no God

Hebrews 11:1-3
– God doesn’t spend a ton of time proving that he exists…He assumes it!
– Faith is not an option (verse 6)
2 Corinthians 5:6
– We need to be full of faith if we are going to be full of fruit

– We exercise some form of faith every day of our lives
– Rational reasoning has removed all faith of God
Romans 1:17
– Faith comes from hearing the message
– We need to get our faith on
– The Bible is full of examples of faith
–  If you don’t have faith…then you’re not reading your Bible!
– When the Red Sea parted, someone had to have the faith to take first step on dry ground
Matthew 14:22-30
– Peter walked on water, but Jesus was the only one who walked on water and didn’t sink
– Peter sunk when he focused on the wind
– Focus must be on Jesus
Matthew 16:33
– The Kingdom advances by our our advancement of a kingdom full of faith
John 14:12
– Do you believe you will do greater things than Jesus?
– Jesus was never able to preach of the death, burial and resurrection…but we can save others with that gospel!
John 13:34-35
– Love to show men
– Opposite of faith is fear
John 14:1
– Don’t have troubled heart
2 Thessalonians 1:3
– Our faith must continue to grow

A Kingdom Full of Fun 
Aaron Viscichini

Introduction
When we follow God, we have the most fulfilling, happy, purposeful, INCREDIBLE life we could possibly imagine!  And, because of THAT – we can’t stop (won’t stop) having as much fun as we can handle!John 10:10

  • Who is the this? The father of lies. The ancient serpent. The epitome of EVIL!
  • What does he want to do?
  • To steal!
  • To kill!
  • And, to destroy!
What does he steal, kill, and destroy?
  1. Your life!
  2. Your love!
  3. Your joy!
  4. Your soul… your spirit!
Fortunately, none of us are here to follow EVIL! (Prayerfully)
  • We are here to follow GOD!
  • What does God want for us?
  • To have LIFE, to the FULL!

Some things that fire you up when they are FULL:

  1. Your refrigerator (If not – Struggling!)
  2. Your gas tank (If not – Ticked!)
  3. Your belly (If not – Irritated!)
  4. Your wallet (If not – Depressed and stressed!)
  5. Your Facebook friends list (If not – Loser! “Real” friends are Facebook friends! Like a relationship – not official until it’s on Facebook!)
What does this tell us? This tells us what the life of someone who is following God looks like!Following God:
  1. Needs are met
  2. Happy and free
  3. Vibrant and alive
  4. Worry free and secure
  5. Awesome, deeply-rooted relationships
Not Following God:
  1. Discontent
  2. Grumpy and imprisoned by life
  3. Depressed
  4. Burdened and stressed
  5. Few and shallow relationships
When you break it down, you realize: Fullness = True Happiness = A Ton of Fun!NotesDeclaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

Benjamin Franklin said, “The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it yourself!”
Point: The Pursuit of Happiness is the Pursuit of God
Psalm 119:1-3
  • What does it mean to be “blessed”? SUPERLATIVELY HAPPY
  • NOTE: It doesn’t mean “God gives you things” (This isn’t prosperity gospel!)

Has nothing to do with:

  • Cadillac
  • Mansion
  • Husband or wife with lots of cosmetic surgery
  • Money in the bank
  • Dream job
  • Ivy league education
The Bible’s formula for happiness is simple:
  1. Stop seeking what you think makes you happy and SEEK GOD
  2. Seek God with your WHOLE HEART
  3. Seek God by TOTAL OBEDIENCE (being righteous, being blameless, knowing the Bible, and following it) (no picking and choosing!)
Illustration
Documentary called “Happy”
  • Research shows that genetics only has only about a 50% influence on our happiness (only determines our “range”)
  • Furthermore – our circumstances only account for 10% (very low!) of our happiness level
  • The other 40% of our happiness is determined by INTENTIONAL BEHAVIOR (we make DECISIONS that raise or lower our happiness)
This means that:
  • We can PRACTICE happiness! (Like a sport!)
  • If we don’t practice happiness – our ability & capacity to be happy DEGENERATES!
  • Over time can lead to diseases like Parkinson’s (intense)
What do we learn about the elements of TRUE happiness?
  1. Supportive group of family and friends and shared responsibility (Acts 2:42-47)
  2. Deep, unified relationships, with a cooperative lifestyle (John 13:34-35)
  3. Transcendent belonging and belief system (Acts 17:26-28)
  4. Security and basic needs provided for (Matthew 6:25-34)
  5. Surrender (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
  6. Vision, meaning, and purpose for life (Mark 1:14-18, Matthew 28:18-20)
  7. Personal growth, hope, and optimism (Romans 5:3-5)
  8. Love and gratitude (1 Corinthians 13, Colossians 3:15-17)
  9. Acts of kindness and compassion (Luke 10:25-37)
  10. Not greedy, or consumed with self-image and status (Philippians 2:1-8)
  11. Positive reinforcement and encouragement from others (Hebrews 3:12-13)
  12. Physical activity (1 Timothy 4:8)
The Irony of this “New Research” of 21st Century Academia
  • I only know of one place in the world where all of these elements can be found together
  • It’s a place that has been written about by different authors in a compilation of books spanning a timeframe of over 3,000 years
  • It’s called the “Kingdom of God”
  • The people who wrote about it, weren’t seeking Happiness – they were Seeking God
Closing

  • Are you following God? How do you know?
  • Are you happy?
  • What makes you happy?
  • Is it just temporary? Running from one thing to the next?
  • Or, is it real, deep, and substantial?
  • Are you running on empty?
  • Burdened? Worried?
  • Unloving? Ungrateful? Discontent? Greedy?
  • Without a purpose, meaning, or direction in life?
  • Or, are you secure, kind, joyful, loving, compassionate, and selfless?

The FULL Life only comes from GOD!