2013-06-23+ Cambrian Park Nazarene

This webpage contains notes for a 3 week preaching series at Cambrian Park Nazarene, a church in the San Jose, California area. My theme for these three weeks is Courageous Living. If you are looking for some extra reading on this topic, check out Telling Yourself the Truth by Marie Chapian and William Backus. Other than the Bible, this is my main resource for the series.Courageous Living 1: Dealing with Bad Fears

Click on preaching notes to read Tim's notes for this sermon.

Psalms 23.4 (Even when I walk through the darkest valley...), Numbers 13 & 14 (Moses sends out spies. Esp v9), 1 Samuel 17.1-50 (David/Goliath. Esp v34-37), Luke 8.22-25 (Jesus/storm).

Thesis: Because of the high cost of living in fear, God offers us his presence and the promise that “I will allow nothing into your life that you and I together cannot handle.”

After putting God's instructions about fear in biblical perspective this sermon describes 4 costs for living in fear, and one of the several benefits for living in courageous faith. The last part of the sermon teaches that the reason God's followers don't need to fear is because God's presence goes with them into every situation, and also that God never lets us get into a situation that together with God we cannot handle.

6/30: Courageous Living 2: Responding to Fear

Here's the paragraph I introduced in the Prayer Time Teachable Moment, and circled back to at the end of the message:

God is in control, despite all appearances to the contrary.

This is what we believe.

This is what we have seen.

This is what we have to share with the world.

Here's the photo I used to start the sermon. For a larger version, just click on it.

Sermon text: 1 Kings 19.15 is the core text. But I encourage you to read the broader story of Elijah's interaction with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. You will find this spanning 1 Kings 16.29 through the end of 1Kings 22. It's a great story!

Thesis: God wants us to face fear knowing that he is present and that together there is nothing we can’t handle. He urges us to take concrete steps directly toward our fear - often by “going back the way we came.” (1 Kings 19.15).

Here are the preaching notes for this sermon.

7/7: Courageous Living 3: Courage in the Face of Fear

Here are the preaching notes for the third sermon in the series.Text: 1 John 5.4-5

Thesis: There are at least 5 kinds of courage that delight God’s heart: relational courage, courage to resist temptation, courage to pursue the dreams God gives us, courage for difficult decisions, and courage to endure.