Sermon Central
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Recovery
Contributed by Robert Butler on Jan 8, 2020 (message contributor)
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1. Step One - Admit It
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
Why talk about recovery? Well, The 12 steps are based on biblical principles and were written at a time when the AA group was associated with teachings of a now defunct Christian organization called the Oxford Group.
Why the Twelve Steps and the Bible?? It makes sense because 1) 12 steps are based on biblical principles and were written at a time when the AA group was associated with teachings of a now defunct Christian organization called the Oxford Group. This group was founded by Sam Shoemaker at the ...read more
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2. Step Two - Only God Can Save You
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
For it is God who works in you to will and act in order to fulfill every good purpose. The words "Came to believe" mean that we are trusting in God’s promise to restore all His creation to himself for a life time.
Step 2: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity Scripture: Phil 2:13: For it is God who works in you to will and act in order to fulfill every good purpose. Assertion: Came to believe means trusting in God’s promise to restore all His creation to himself for ...read more
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3. Step Three - Surrender Or Die
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him.., is how it reads but what it means is: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
I love the smells and sounds of spring: spring rain, cut grass and people rooting for or playing one of the many spring summer sports. However, I also remember the pain of one fateful night. You see, I loved to play softball. It was always a blast but I’m competitive. On this night, I tried to ...read more
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4. Step Four - Time To Get Real
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
Step Four is the stethoscope for what really ails us. The next steps are the cure. So are you ready to do your inventory?
The reality is all people have a problem with really getting honest. Honest with others and honest with ourselves. It’s probably the reason God has so much to say about in His Big Book the bible. Here are just a few quotes about taking an inventory from the Bible… (See sheet) In addition to ...read more
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5. Step Five - Go Tell It On The Mountain
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
Confession is good for the soul we are told bu if you have never done a fifth or haven’t done one in a while, How free do you want a be? How strong do you want to become? How is it with your soul?
In the scriptures we heard earlier, James was trying in his own way to provide advice to a set of new Christian Churches after his step brother, Jesus’ resurrection. The Way, as the early Christian movement was called to try and enlighten new Christians but also to manage and lead a whole new set ...read more
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6. Step Six - Separating The Men From The Boys
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
The fifth step is a building block to the sixth step. It is not a separate event. The fifth step focuses on cleaning house but it is also about bringing our character defects to the surface so we can see the thousands of ways we have attempted to manipulate the world around us.
The fifth step is a building block to the sixth step. It is not a separate event. The fifth step focuses on cleaning house but it is also about bringing our character defects – selfishness, self centeredness, low self esteem and big egos – to the surface so we can see the thousands of ways we ...read more
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7. Step Seven - Give It To God
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
The way in which we approach God matters because it demonstrates our our willingness to change, honest awareness of who we are as well as shows our open-mind about the fact that God is the better way.
Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings Read the Scripture James 4: 1-10 He gives us more grace. That is why scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he ...read more
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8. Step Eight - Its A List Dummy
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
Step eight comes across as a fairly easy step at first glance. I only need to transfer my list of people, places and things from step 5 and be willing to change. The “big book” offers all of three sentences so maybe it is that easy. NOT!
Step eight comes across as a fairly easy step at first glance. I only need to transfer my list of people, places and things from step 5 and be willing to change. The “big book” offers all of three sentences so maybe it is that easy. NOT! If I’m truly committed to changing I must dig a bit deeper. ...read more
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9. Step Nine - Not Saying I'm Sorry?
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
Step 9 is making direct amends except when to do so would injure those or others. It’s also the place the writers tell us of the promises come true when one earnestly works the steps of recovery.
I have been thinking about Step nine over the last few days. I really think the writers knew how much humility and courage it takes to do a 9th step amends and it’s the reason, they made sure the other steps of getting right with oneself and then God came before reconciling with others. Step 9 is ...read more
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10. Step Ten - Review, Rinse And Repeat
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
Continued to take personal inventory and when we wrong promptly admitted it. How?!!!
STEP 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we wrong promptly admitted it. How?!!! Read Scripture: John 15:2 "Every Branch in Me that does not bear fruit, he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit he prunes it, that it may bear more fruit" The biblical equivalent of ...read more
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11. Step Eleven: Prayer And Meditation
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
This step and all the steps are based on the fact that God is alive and capable of revealing himself as he truly is through a personal relationship with Him and others in a group of people or a community of faith.
Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His Will for us and the power to carry that out. Scripture: Col 3:16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one ...read more
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12. Step Twelve - I'm Done Right?
Contributed on Jan 8, 2020
As we meet God on our journey, he changes us and the reaction is to bring others to him.
Step 12 – Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. <Read the scripture> John 4:1-26, 39-42 Personally, I love the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. It is such a ...read more