Title: Answered Prayer
Date: September 20, 2009
Text: 1 John 5:14
Introduction
- How many of us would like to have answered prayers?
- Some say, God knows everything about me, so why do I need to ask Him for anything?
- Did you know that it is God’s intention and desire, to answer our prayers?
- But sometimes things get in the way and our prayers do not seem to be answered
- James 4:2-3
- You don’t have because you don’t ask God
- God is too busy with bigger things
- My need is too small
- I don’t know if God will answer
- We don’t have because we don’t ask
- When our motives are right, God will respond
- It is normal for a child to ask for things from their physical dad
- It is the same with God
- 1 John 5:14-15
1. Discover God’s will and then ask for it
- Read the Bible to find out how God thinks about it
- Be full of God’s word, and then pray accordingly
- When we find God’s will we can be confident in our request
- Mark 11:24
- James 1:5-6 – ask in faith not doubting
- Math 21:21-22 – if you believe you will receive whatever you ask for
- Knowing God’s will we bring our requests before Him
- Lord, I need wisdom
- Lord, I need financial help
- Lord, my body needs healing
2. Live a life that is pleasing to God
- 1 John 3:22 - We receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands
- John 8:29 - I do always those things that please him
- 1 Pet 3:7- When we behave contrary to God’s will, our prayers will be hindered
- Walk closely with God
- Mat 7:7 – ask and it will be given
- John 15:7 – if you remain in me, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you
3. Pray in the right manner
- James 1:5-6 - Ask in faith, not doubting
- Mat 21:22 – if you believe you will receive whatever you ask for
- Faith is the key to answered prayer
- Matt 18:19-20 – if two of you agree on earth. . .
- Have a prayer partner – share your needs and pray for them together
- Maybe your spouse, a believing relative, a trusted friend (same sex)
- Great benefit of praying in church – others agree with you in your prayers
- Persist in asking
- Mat 7:7-8
- Luke 18:1 – always pray and don’t give up
Conclusion
- God wants to answer our prayers
- When we have needs, don’t be afraid to ask God to respond
- 1. Discover God’s will
- 2. Live a life that is pleasing to God
- 3. Pray in the right manner
- Keep a prayer journal
- Write down your requests, and then make a note when they are answered
- Will encourage you in future prayer requests
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Repent and be Baptized - Acts 2:38
Title: Repent and be baptized
Date: September 15, 2009
Text: Acts 2:38
Introduction
- Once there was a young minister who kept boring his congregation with sermon after sermon on baptism. Finally church officers instructed him to preach on the subject of pills the following Sunday. They could see no connection between pills and baptism.
- So on Sunday, the young minister announced that would be his topic for the day. "There are big pills and there are little pills," he said, "bitter pills and sweet pills, cheap pills and expensive pills. Another pill is the gospill-and that gets to my real subject-'baptism.'
- The Bible instructs us to be baptized
- Mat 28:19-20
- Acts 2:38
Examples of baptism
- Mat 3:13-17 Jesus baptism
- Acts 8:26-39 Ethiopian eunuch
Baptism by immersion
- Jesus was baptized by immersion
- The eunuch was baptized by immersion
- The word baptidzo means “to immerse or dip under water”
- Example of pickle recipe
- Example of sunken galley
Jewish baptism
- repentance first
- self-immersion
- there had to be a witness
- for both men and women after conversion to Judaism
- a ceremonial cleansing after defilement
- seen as new birth
- spring or flowing river the highest form of ritual bath or mikveh
Being born again
- “The baptismal water (Mikveh) in rabbinic literature was referred to as the womb of the world, and as a convert came out of the water it was considered a new birth separating him from the pagan world. As the convert came out of these waters his status was changed and he was referred to as "a little child just born" or "a child of one day" (Yeb. 22a; 48b; 97b). We see the New Testament using similar Jewish terms as "born anew," "new creation," and "born from above."” - http://www.bebaptized.org/Jewishroots.htm
- John 3:1-7
Symbolism of baptism
- Rom 6:3-4
- Just as Jesus died, was buried and was raised from the dead, we die to our old life, are buried in baptism and come up to live a new life
- Baptism gives us a fresh start
Date: September 15, 2009
Text: Acts 2:38
Introduction
- Once there was a young minister who kept boring his congregation with sermon after sermon on baptism. Finally church officers instructed him to preach on the subject of pills the following Sunday. They could see no connection between pills and baptism.
- So on Sunday, the young minister announced that would be his topic for the day. "There are big pills and there are little pills," he said, "bitter pills and sweet pills, cheap pills and expensive pills. Another pill is the gospill-and that gets to my real subject-'baptism.'
- The Bible instructs us to be baptized
- Mat 28:19-20
- Acts 2:38
Examples of baptism
- Mat 3:13-17 Jesus baptism
- Acts 8:26-39 Ethiopian eunuch
Baptism by immersion
- Jesus was baptized by immersion
- The eunuch was baptized by immersion
- The word baptidzo means “to immerse or dip under water”
- Example of pickle recipe
- Example of sunken galley
Jewish baptism
- repentance first
- self-immersion
- there had to be a witness
- for both men and women after conversion to Judaism
- a ceremonial cleansing after defilement
- seen as new birth
- spring or flowing river the highest form of ritual bath or mikveh
Being born again
- “The baptismal water (Mikveh) in rabbinic literature was referred to as the womb of the world, and as a convert came out of the water it was considered a new birth separating him from the pagan world. As the convert came out of these waters his status was changed and he was referred to as "a little child just born" or "a child of one day" (Yeb. 22a; 48b; 97b). We see the New Testament using similar Jewish terms as "born anew," "new creation," and "born from above."” - http://www.bebaptized.org/Jewishroots.htm
- John 3:1-7
Symbolism of baptism
- Rom 6:3-4
- Just as Jesus died, was buried and was raised from the dead, we die to our old life, are buried in baptism and come up to live a new life
- Baptism gives us a fresh start
Sunday, September 13, 2009
God's Love - Romans 8:38-39
Title: God’s love
Date: September 13, 2009
Text: Rom 8:38-39
Introduction
- As we grow up we hear the word love all the time
- Our grandson Preston is regularly entertained by Barney on TV
- “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family
- “With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you
- “Won’t you say you love me too?”
- We ask our parents what love is and they say when you find love, you will know
- An old song says, it’s love that makes the world go round with a happy sound
- And so we experiment all kinds of ways and find our own concept of love by trial and error
- And yet it is true
- Love is at the center of our existence
- Without love, life would be very cold
- One of our needs as people is to be loved
- Our concept of love is formed by our experiences with the important people in our life
- Preston may grow up with the Barney theme song in his head, but I hope he also remembers my lying on the floor with him building blocks and racing toy cars, because it is an expression of how I love him
- The way I express love, however, is very inadequate
- It always hurts when I have to leave and say goodbye to Preston
- I know he doesn’t understand why I can’t always be there with him
- Our experiences with love impact our relationship with God
- Today I want to talk about some aspects of God’s love
God’s love is unconditional
- In our experience people love us because of how we behave
- When we behave ourselves and do things the way they want, they love us
- When we mess up and wreck our lives, people don’t want to know
- It’s a hard world out there
- That is why we are so intent on making a good appearance
- Whether that appearance is as goody-goody two shoes, or as the mean tough gangster, whatever fits into our environment
- We want to blend in and be accepted by our crowd, our friends
- It is hard for us to imagine ourselves standing out and being different, people with values and prepared to live them out
- The way God loves us though, is not dependent on our actions
- He loved us before we even thought about him
- Before we found a relationship with Jesus, we were out there, living for ourselves and not concerned with who got hurt in the process
- This was totally opposite to the way in which God lives, or wants us to live
- God is selfless and his love for us is totally unconditional
- Rom 5:6-8 – “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
- Deut 7:7 – “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.”
- Eph 1:4 – “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will”
- My love for Preston is unconditional
- I love him just because he is my grandson
- I would do anything for him that is in my power to do
- It is not dependent on how well he behaves, sometimes he behaves as though he doesn’t know me. But I still love him
- It is the same with each of us, and God
- God loves us, wherever we are at, whatever we have done
- His love for us is not dependent on our goodness
- He draws us to him and woos us until we surrender and allow him to have relationship with us
- God loves us because he has chosen to do so
- It is his sovereign will to love us, and have relationship with us
God’s love is unchanging
- When we meet that special person, and our heart flip-flops and goes head over heels, we say we have fallen in love
- We tell that special person, I love you, and we give them flowers and special things that show them we care about them and that they are special to us
- Later on, however, the storms of life and our own selfishness attack our marriage, and often we fall out of love and end up divorcing that special person and leaving them
- God’s love for us, however, does not change
- God’s love for us is persistent, it continues on through the hard times in our relationship
- Psa 103:15-17 – “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children”
- I may get upset at someone and write them off and tell them I never want to see them again
- But God does not deal with me that way
- His love is from everlasting to everlasting
- From the very beginning to the very end – infinity to infinity
- Ephesians tells us that God chose us to be his sons, in love, before the creation of the world
- And that this love relationship will continue through all eternity!
- Think about this: there never was a time when God did not love you; there will never be a time when God does not love you.
- That love is not only in terms of time
- It also relates to the nature of that relationship
- God’s love is infinitely greater than any love I can show to Preston
- I can spend some time with Preston and I feel I have expressed love to him
- However, Preston’s mom, Becky, has a way deeper love for Preston and his brand-new baby sister, Layla
- God’s love for all his children is infinite in its depth
- Rom 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
God’s love is all-encompassing
- Just couple of weeks ago, Preston’s little baby sister Layla was born
- This is a major adjustment for an only child like Preston
- Mom and dad and all of us had to be sensitive to Preston’s need to be loved, even though everything seemed to revolve around the new addition to the family
- We can sometimes and perhaps often think – God loves mankind, and he loves the church, and I am sure he loves all those people around me, but what about me, does he love me?
- It is often when things go badly in our life when the clouds are dark and the winds of doubt batter us, that we wonder if God really knows what is going on
- We feel sorry for ourselves and question if God really loves us
- Our experience with people has been that most people seem to be fair-weather friends, so we think God is like that too
- Proverbs tells us
- Prov 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
- God’s love is greater than any trial or problem
- God’s love is greater than all our sins and the pain in our lives
- Prov 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.”
- Yes, God loves us as a church, as a body of believers marching together towards our destiny
- But he also loves us as individuals, knowing all our needs and responding to us as we draw close to him
- God says he knows even our individual names
- Isa 43:1-2 – “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze”
- Jesus tells us “Fear not little flock, it is you father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom
Conclusion
- We can take heart because God does love us, personally and individually
- God knows everything we are going through and he loves us so much that he will never give up on us
- God’s love is not a temporary fuzzy feeling
- God’s love is unconditional, unchanging and all-encompassing
- John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
Date: September 13, 2009
Text: Rom 8:38-39
Introduction
- As we grow up we hear the word love all the time
- Our grandson Preston is regularly entertained by Barney on TV
- “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family
- “With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you
- “Won’t you say you love me too?”
- We ask our parents what love is and they say when you find love, you will know
- An old song says, it’s love that makes the world go round with a happy sound
- And so we experiment all kinds of ways and find our own concept of love by trial and error
- And yet it is true
- Love is at the center of our existence
- Without love, life would be very cold
- One of our needs as people is to be loved
- Our concept of love is formed by our experiences with the important people in our life
- Preston may grow up with the Barney theme song in his head, but I hope he also remembers my lying on the floor with him building blocks and racing toy cars, because it is an expression of how I love him
- The way I express love, however, is very inadequate
- It always hurts when I have to leave and say goodbye to Preston
- I know he doesn’t understand why I can’t always be there with him
- Our experiences with love impact our relationship with God
- Today I want to talk about some aspects of God’s love
God’s love is unconditional
- In our experience people love us because of how we behave
- When we behave ourselves and do things the way they want, they love us
- When we mess up and wreck our lives, people don’t want to know
- It’s a hard world out there
- That is why we are so intent on making a good appearance
- Whether that appearance is as goody-goody two shoes, or as the mean tough gangster, whatever fits into our environment
- We want to blend in and be accepted by our crowd, our friends
- It is hard for us to imagine ourselves standing out and being different, people with values and prepared to live them out
- The way God loves us though, is not dependent on our actions
- He loved us before we even thought about him
- Before we found a relationship with Jesus, we were out there, living for ourselves and not concerned with who got hurt in the process
- This was totally opposite to the way in which God lives, or wants us to live
- God is selfless and his love for us is totally unconditional
- Rom 5:6-8 – “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
- Deut 7:7 – “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.”
- Eph 1:4 – “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will”
- My love for Preston is unconditional
- I love him just because he is my grandson
- I would do anything for him that is in my power to do
- It is not dependent on how well he behaves, sometimes he behaves as though he doesn’t know me. But I still love him
- It is the same with each of us, and God
- God loves us, wherever we are at, whatever we have done
- His love for us is not dependent on our goodness
- He draws us to him and woos us until we surrender and allow him to have relationship with us
- God loves us because he has chosen to do so
- It is his sovereign will to love us, and have relationship with us
God’s love is unchanging
- When we meet that special person, and our heart flip-flops and goes head over heels, we say we have fallen in love
- We tell that special person, I love you, and we give them flowers and special things that show them we care about them and that they are special to us
- Later on, however, the storms of life and our own selfishness attack our marriage, and often we fall out of love and end up divorcing that special person and leaving them
- God’s love for us, however, does not change
- God’s love for us is persistent, it continues on through the hard times in our relationship
- Psa 103:15-17 – “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children”
- I may get upset at someone and write them off and tell them I never want to see them again
- But God does not deal with me that way
- His love is from everlasting to everlasting
- From the very beginning to the very end – infinity to infinity
- Ephesians tells us that God chose us to be his sons, in love, before the creation of the world
- And that this love relationship will continue through all eternity!
- Think about this: there never was a time when God did not love you; there will never be a time when God does not love you.
- That love is not only in terms of time
- It also relates to the nature of that relationship
- God’s love is infinitely greater than any love I can show to Preston
- I can spend some time with Preston and I feel I have expressed love to him
- However, Preston’s mom, Becky, has a way deeper love for Preston and his brand-new baby sister, Layla
- God’s love for all his children is infinite in its depth
- Rom 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
God’s love is all-encompassing
- Just couple of weeks ago, Preston’s little baby sister Layla was born
- This is a major adjustment for an only child like Preston
- Mom and dad and all of us had to be sensitive to Preston’s need to be loved, even though everything seemed to revolve around the new addition to the family
- We can sometimes and perhaps often think – God loves mankind, and he loves the church, and I am sure he loves all those people around me, but what about me, does he love me?
- It is often when things go badly in our life when the clouds are dark and the winds of doubt batter us, that we wonder if God really knows what is going on
- We feel sorry for ourselves and question if God really loves us
- Our experience with people has been that most people seem to be fair-weather friends, so we think God is like that too
- Proverbs tells us
- Prov 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
- God’s love is greater than any trial or problem
- God’s love is greater than all our sins and the pain in our lives
- Prov 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.”
- Yes, God loves us as a church, as a body of believers marching together towards our destiny
- But he also loves us as individuals, knowing all our needs and responding to us as we draw close to him
- God says he knows even our individual names
- Isa 43:1-2 – “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze”
- Jesus tells us “Fear not little flock, it is you father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom
Conclusion
- We can take heart because God does love us, personally and individually
- God knows everything we are going through and he loves us so much that he will never give up on us
- God’s love is not a temporary fuzzy feeling
- God’s love is unconditional, unchanging and all-encompassing
- John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
Sunday, August 23, 2009
God's Timing - Psalm 27:14
Title: God’s Timing
Date: August 23, 2009
Text: Psa 27:14
Introduction
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
- Is this a fatalistic concept?
- “When I was just a little child,
I asked my mother, “What will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?”
Here’s what she said to me:
“Que sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be;
The future’s not ours to see.
Que sera, sera, What will be, will be.”
- Is life just a matter of “whatever”?
- God is involved in our lives
God is a God of perfect timing
- God is not limited by time
- But he does things in an orderly manner, there is a beginning and an end
- Alpha and Omega
- Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty”.
- There is a time of preparation
- Example of our call to Wisconsin
God knows us
- He knew us the day we were born
- Psa 139:13-16 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
- He knows all that is happening in our life
- Verse 1-4
- God knows about your personal issues, things you have spoken about to no one
-
God knows our needs
- Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need,according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
- Example of providing for our needs
- Many times God has stepped in and provided for our needs
- Example of check for $4000
- I am restoring the years of the locust
- God knows what we need and when we need it
- He does not give it to us early, nor does he supply it too late
- He supplies our needs in the broader context of what we truly need
God knows the best time for us
- God knows the best time to call us
- He knows the best time to intervene in our affairs
- He is a God who leads us and draws us, not forces us
- Hosea 11:4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
- God’s ways are different from our ways
- Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
- One way in which God’s thoughts are different from ours, is that He looks long term
- He sees the end from the beginning
- Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
- On the other hand, we tend to live and think about the present
- That is the way we are made
- Jesus even tells us to live by the day
- Matt 6:33-34 “Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
God knows when things are hard
- God is teaching us to live in relationship with him
- When we need things, he asks us to talk to him
- Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Sometimes the hard times are there for another reason, to teach us a lesson
- Sometimes we have brought things on ourselves and it is a form of discipline
- Heb 12:5-11
In all these things, God is with you
- Heb 13:5 “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you
- God knows what the reason is for the trial
- We don’t
- It may be something to strengthen our character
- It may be something we brought on ourselves, but even then God is in charge
- And it may even just be time and chance
- But God can step in and deal with the situation
- So ask him if there is something to learn
- Or something we should change
- Or some action we should take
- Then make your requests known and allow God to do his work in his timing
- God is with you, wherever you are
- Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
- Psalms 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait I say on the Lord.” NKJV
- And finally
- Psalms 40:1,2 “I waited patiently for the Lord, he turned to me and heard my cry He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
Date: August 23, 2009
Text: Psa 27:14
Introduction
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
- Is this a fatalistic concept?
- “When I was just a little child,
I asked my mother, “What will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?”
Here’s what she said to me:
“Que sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be;
The future’s not ours to see.
Que sera, sera, What will be, will be.”
- Is life just a matter of “whatever”?
- God is involved in our lives
God is a God of perfect timing
- God is not limited by time
- But he does things in an orderly manner, there is a beginning and an end
- Alpha and Omega
- Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty”.
- There is a time of preparation
- Example of our call to Wisconsin
God knows us
- He knew us the day we were born
- Psa 139:13-16 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
- He knows all that is happening in our life
- Verse 1-4
- God knows about your personal issues, things you have spoken about to no one
-
God knows our needs
- Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need,according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
- Example of providing for our needs
- Many times God has stepped in and provided for our needs
- Example of check for $4000
- I am restoring the years of the locust
- God knows what we need and when we need it
- He does not give it to us early, nor does he supply it too late
- He supplies our needs in the broader context of what we truly need
God knows the best time for us
- God knows the best time to call us
- He knows the best time to intervene in our affairs
- He is a God who leads us and draws us, not forces us
- Hosea 11:4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
- God’s ways are different from our ways
- Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
- One way in which God’s thoughts are different from ours, is that He looks long term
- He sees the end from the beginning
- Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
- On the other hand, we tend to live and think about the present
- That is the way we are made
- Jesus even tells us to live by the day
- Matt 6:33-34 “Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
God knows when things are hard
- God is teaching us to live in relationship with him
- When we need things, he asks us to talk to him
- Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Sometimes the hard times are there for another reason, to teach us a lesson
- Sometimes we have brought things on ourselves and it is a form of discipline
- Heb 12:5-11
In all these things, God is with you
- Heb 13:5 “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you
- God knows what the reason is for the trial
- We don’t
- It may be something to strengthen our character
- It may be something we brought on ourselves, but even then God is in charge
- And it may even just be time and chance
- But God can step in and deal with the situation
- So ask him if there is something to learn
- Or something we should change
- Or some action we should take
- Then make your requests known and allow God to do his work in his timing
- God is with you, wherever you are
- Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
- Psalms 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait I say on the Lord.” NKJV
- And finally
- Psalms 40:1,2 “I waited patiently for the Lord, he turned to me and heard my cry He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Called to be Cleansed - Isaiah 1:18
Title: Called to be cleansed
Date: August 9, 2009
Text: Isaiah 1:18
Introduction
- Background
- Isaiah lived during the early 700’s BC
- During his day, the House of Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians, in 721 BC
- Isaiah prophesies to the House of Judah, to turn from their wicked ways
- They had seen the results of the disobedience of the northern 10 tribes
- But they were going down exactly the same road
- In fact they were even more hypocritical
- They were bringing their sacrifices to the temple and seemed to be worshipping God
- But their lives inside did not match their outside form of religion
- God says they were like Sodom and Gomorrah
- Isa 1:2-15
- But God calls to them to repent
- 16-20
God calls to rescue us
- God makes the first move
- God always makes the first move
- God has to make the first move
- Because we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1)
- We cannot come to God
- Our nature rebels against him, we don’t want him in our lives
- So we battle against it continually
- Luke 19:10 – Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost
- We think there is some goodness in man that will cause him to seek God at some point
- No, man is utterly depraved
- Within me dwells no good thing (Rom 7:18)
- John 6:44 – I can never come to God except God draws me to him
- 1 John 4:19 – we love because He first loved us
- God sees our state way better than we do
- Have you ever been in a position of total depravity
- I respect every human being as a person, but there is nothing respectable about a drunk who is lying in his own vomit underneath a bush or out on the street somewhere
- If you have ever been there, you probably had no concept of how bad things were
- It is only when you sobered up that you saw the blood in your vomit and knew this had to stop
- It takes God to sober us up
God’s call is for now
- 2 Cor 6:2 – now is the day of salvation
- When a man has fallen over the edge of a cliff, and is hanging onto some roots to stop his fall to destruction, he does not argue about when he needs to respond to the rescue helicopter
- Oh, I’ll wait till tomorrow
- No, the time to deal with it is now
- Otherwise we are like the person described in
- 2 Pet 2:22
- This person is not yet sick and tired of being sick and tired
- God saw where the Israelites were going
- He knew what captivity would be like and the horrors of the punishment that they were bringing on themselves
- If we only could see and experience a little of where our sinful life is taking us
- If we could only see the video in heaven called, this is your life
- If we could see our shame and embarrassment when that video is played on judgment day, and the awful voice of him who says “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mat 25:41)
God’s call is personal
- Isa 1:18 – come let us reason together
- This is an intimate and very personal call
- This is not a pastor saying some words to the whole church hoping someone will listen
- This is a personal, intimate call to an individual
- So if we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit, God is knocking at the door of our heart
- God says to us, let’s get together and settle this issue
- It will be sorted out, one way or another
- In this verse we sense God’s longing for us to get our act together
- This is a personal thing
- He draws a line on our heart and pulls on us to step across that line, to safety
- Do you see that line, do you feel that pressure, that sense that God is talking to you personally (Hos 11:4)
God’s cleansing is total
- God promises, when we come to him, our sins that were scarlet will be white as snow
- This is a total transformation
- God no longer sees us as being sinful
- Because ours ins have been blotted out
- We can now commence a journey of walking with him, without all the baggage of the past
- Amos 3:3 – can two walk together except they be agreed
- We can walk together with God, but only when we have sorted things out
- God says, lets settle this case out of court, I’m giving you a chance for freedom
- If we don’t accept this invitation, one day we will see the video and hear the words, and feel the torment
- We don’t want to go there, now is the time to change our future
Date: August 9, 2009
Text: Isaiah 1:18
Introduction
- Background
- Isaiah lived during the early 700’s BC
- During his day, the House of Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians, in 721 BC
- Isaiah prophesies to the House of Judah, to turn from their wicked ways
- They had seen the results of the disobedience of the northern 10 tribes
- But they were going down exactly the same road
- In fact they were even more hypocritical
- They were bringing their sacrifices to the temple and seemed to be worshipping God
- But their lives inside did not match their outside form of religion
- God says they were like Sodom and Gomorrah
- Isa 1:2-15
- But God calls to them to repent
- 16-20
God calls to rescue us
- God makes the first move
- God always makes the first move
- God has to make the first move
- Because we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1)
- We cannot come to God
- Our nature rebels against him, we don’t want him in our lives
- So we battle against it continually
- Luke 19:10 – Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost
- We think there is some goodness in man that will cause him to seek God at some point
- No, man is utterly depraved
- Within me dwells no good thing (Rom 7:18)
- John 6:44 – I can never come to God except God draws me to him
- 1 John 4:19 – we love because He first loved us
- God sees our state way better than we do
- Have you ever been in a position of total depravity
- I respect every human being as a person, but there is nothing respectable about a drunk who is lying in his own vomit underneath a bush or out on the street somewhere
- If you have ever been there, you probably had no concept of how bad things were
- It is only when you sobered up that you saw the blood in your vomit and knew this had to stop
- It takes God to sober us up
God’s call is for now
- 2 Cor 6:2 – now is the day of salvation
- When a man has fallen over the edge of a cliff, and is hanging onto some roots to stop his fall to destruction, he does not argue about when he needs to respond to the rescue helicopter
- Oh, I’ll wait till tomorrow
- No, the time to deal with it is now
- Otherwise we are like the person described in
- 2 Pet 2:22
- This person is not yet sick and tired of being sick and tired
- God saw where the Israelites were going
- He knew what captivity would be like and the horrors of the punishment that they were bringing on themselves
- If we only could see and experience a little of where our sinful life is taking us
- If we could only see the video in heaven called, this is your life
- If we could see our shame and embarrassment when that video is played on judgment day, and the awful voice of him who says “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mat 25:41)
God’s call is personal
- Isa 1:18 – come let us reason together
- This is an intimate and very personal call
- This is not a pastor saying some words to the whole church hoping someone will listen
- This is a personal, intimate call to an individual
- So if we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit, God is knocking at the door of our heart
- God says to us, let’s get together and settle this issue
- It will be sorted out, one way or another
- In this verse we sense God’s longing for us to get our act together
- This is a personal thing
- He draws a line on our heart and pulls on us to step across that line, to safety
- Do you see that line, do you feel that pressure, that sense that God is talking to you personally (Hos 11:4)
God’s cleansing is total
- God promises, when we come to him, our sins that were scarlet will be white as snow
- This is a total transformation
- God no longer sees us as being sinful
- Because ours ins have been blotted out
- We can now commence a journey of walking with him, without all the baggage of the past
- Amos 3:3 – can two walk together except they be agreed
- We can walk together with God, but only when we have sorted things out
- God says, lets settle this case out of court, I’m giving you a chance for freedom
- If we don’t accept this invitation, one day we will see the video and hear the words, and feel the torment
- We don’t want to go there, now is the time to change our future
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Agony of Gethsemane - Luke 22:39-46
Title: The agony of Gethsemane
Date: July 19, 2009
Text: Luke22:39-46, Matt 26:36, Mark 14:32
Introduction
- We do not often hear sermons about Gethsemane
- The story about Gethsemane is dark and foreboding
- There is something that is often overlooked, when it is talked about
- That is, why was Jesus in such intensity that evening, just before his arrest
- There is a lesson for us to learn
- We often focus on the intensity of Jesus’ prayer, and his agony
- But we can miss the reason for the agony
- Today we will be looking at why it was, that Jesus agonized so, about his impending crucifixion
The Last Supper
- The story starts in Luke 22:7
- Jesus sends out Peter and John to get ready to observe Passover with the disciples
- That evening they get together for the celebration of the coming out of Egypt
- Before the meal starts, Jesus washes the disciples feet, teaching them about humility and service – John 13
- Verse 14 – Jesus would be leaving them but he treasures this time of solemnity as they commemorate the exodus from slavery to the Egyptians
- At the end of the meal, he introduces what we call the Last Supper, or Communion
- Verse 19 – as we take the bread, it represents his body that was broken for us, was voluntarily given for us
- We are told to do this in remembrance of Him, to remember this selfless act of love
- Verse 20 – as we take the cup and share in this communion, we are remembering Jesus’ blood that was poured out for us
- Pictures of Jesus show a few drops of blood – they are not accurate
- Jesus poured out his blood, just like the Passover lamb they had eaten that evening, had had its throat slit and its blood soaked the ground beneath it
- PRAYER
The teaching – John 14-17
- Jesus then teaches the disciples, these are his last words to them
- The disciples are fighting amongst themselves about who is going to be greatest
- Jesus promises them that he will send the Holy Spirit to live in everyone who believes in him
- He tells about the intimate relationship that Christians will have with God
- He calls the disciples friends, not servants as they had been as students of the rabbi
- He talks about the cost of discipleship, that the disciples will be persecuted, just as he was
- He tells Peter that he has been praying for him not to fall, but that he will deny Jesus 3 times, that night.
- Jesus prays for the disciples and prays for the unity of al, believers
- Then they sing a hymn and go out to the garden of Gethsemane
Gethsemane – Luke 22:40
- the word Gethsemane means “oil-press”
- on the west slopes of the mount of Olives, is an orchard of olive trees
- in the middle of the orchard, was an olive press. The press consisted of two parts –
- the first part was a stone table, with a gutter running around it, leading to a container underneath
- the second part was a huge square stone pillar, five feet high
- when they used the oil press, they would place the olives into netting so they would not fall out. They would place them on the table. Then they would lift up the huge stone pillar and place it on top of the olives.
- The enormous pressure caused the olives to be squeezed, and the olive oil would run across the table, down into the gutter, and then into the container underneath
What Jesus experienced
- Matt 26:37-38 – began to be sorrowful and troubled – overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death
- Mark 14:33-34 – deeply distressed and troubled – overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death
- Luke 22:43 – and angel comes to strengthen him
- Now he is in anguish – prays even more intensely
- His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground
- I have never sweated blood
- None of us
- Jesus was not a wimp that he was so scared of what was coming, as to sweat blood
- Plenty of people have had courage, while facing death – Jesus was not a coward
- Jesus now started carrying the sins of the world
- Gal 1:3-4 – Gave himself for our sins
- 1 John 2:2 – atoning sacrifice for our sins – also for the sins of the whole world
- during his time in Gethsemane, Jesus was not being tested by God, or tempted by the devil
- he was not being tempted by his flesh
- In Gethsemane, Jesus started the journey of carrying the sins of the whole world
- In Gethsemane he was in an emotional and mental oil press, squeezing the life out of him
- The stress he was under must have been incredible
- Luke was a doctor, he describes the great drops of blood he is sweating
Baptism
- some of you will be baptized this afternoon
- baptism is not something to take lightly
- making that commitment before God and before witnesses is something we are instructed to do
- this sermon is intended so that you may know the enormity of the load Jesus carried, and the love he had for you personally
- we say I can’t forgive myself for what I have done
- but Jesus HAS forgiven you
- accept the gift he gives you so you can have a fresh start in life
- Isa 1:18 – Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool
- Wherever you have been, whatever you have done – Jesus carried it all for you, so that you can have a fresh beginning
Date: July 19, 2009
Text: Luke22:39-46, Matt 26:36, Mark 14:32
Introduction
- We do not often hear sermons about Gethsemane
- The story about Gethsemane is dark and foreboding
- There is something that is often overlooked, when it is talked about
- That is, why was Jesus in such intensity that evening, just before his arrest
- There is a lesson for us to learn
- We often focus on the intensity of Jesus’ prayer, and his agony
- But we can miss the reason for the agony
- Today we will be looking at why it was, that Jesus agonized so, about his impending crucifixion
The Last Supper
- The story starts in Luke 22:7
- Jesus sends out Peter and John to get ready to observe Passover with the disciples
- That evening they get together for the celebration of the coming out of Egypt
- Before the meal starts, Jesus washes the disciples feet, teaching them about humility and service – John 13
- Verse 14 – Jesus would be leaving them but he treasures this time of solemnity as they commemorate the exodus from slavery to the Egyptians
- At the end of the meal, he introduces what we call the Last Supper, or Communion
- Verse 19 – as we take the bread, it represents his body that was broken for us, was voluntarily given for us
- We are told to do this in remembrance of Him, to remember this selfless act of love
- Verse 20 – as we take the cup and share in this communion, we are remembering Jesus’ blood that was poured out for us
- Pictures of Jesus show a few drops of blood – they are not accurate
- Jesus poured out his blood, just like the Passover lamb they had eaten that evening, had had its throat slit and its blood soaked the ground beneath it
- PRAYER
The teaching – John 14-17
- Jesus then teaches the disciples, these are his last words to them
- The disciples are fighting amongst themselves about who is going to be greatest
- Jesus promises them that he will send the Holy Spirit to live in everyone who believes in him
- He tells about the intimate relationship that Christians will have with God
- He calls the disciples friends, not servants as they had been as students of the rabbi
- He talks about the cost of discipleship, that the disciples will be persecuted, just as he was
- He tells Peter that he has been praying for him not to fall, but that he will deny Jesus 3 times, that night.
- Jesus prays for the disciples and prays for the unity of al, believers
- Then they sing a hymn and go out to the garden of Gethsemane
Gethsemane – Luke 22:40
- the word Gethsemane means “oil-press”
- on the west slopes of the mount of Olives, is an orchard of olive trees
- in the middle of the orchard, was an olive press. The press consisted of two parts –
- the first part was a stone table, with a gutter running around it, leading to a container underneath
- the second part was a huge square stone pillar, five feet high
- when they used the oil press, they would place the olives into netting so they would not fall out. They would place them on the table. Then they would lift up the huge stone pillar and place it on top of the olives.
- The enormous pressure caused the olives to be squeezed, and the olive oil would run across the table, down into the gutter, and then into the container underneath
What Jesus experienced
- Matt 26:37-38 – began to be sorrowful and troubled – overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death
- Mark 14:33-34 – deeply distressed and troubled – overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death
- Luke 22:43 – and angel comes to strengthen him
- Now he is in anguish – prays even more intensely
- His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground
- I have never sweated blood
- None of us
- Jesus was not a wimp that he was so scared of what was coming, as to sweat blood
- Plenty of people have had courage, while facing death – Jesus was not a coward
- Jesus now started carrying the sins of the world
- Gal 1:3-4 – Gave himself for our sins
- 1 John 2:2 – atoning sacrifice for our sins – also for the sins of the whole world
- during his time in Gethsemane, Jesus was not being tested by God, or tempted by the devil
- he was not being tempted by his flesh
- In Gethsemane, Jesus started the journey of carrying the sins of the whole world
- In Gethsemane he was in an emotional and mental oil press, squeezing the life out of him
- The stress he was under must have been incredible
- Luke was a doctor, he describes the great drops of blood he is sweating
Baptism
- some of you will be baptized this afternoon
- baptism is not something to take lightly
- making that commitment before God and before witnesses is something we are instructed to do
- this sermon is intended so that you may know the enormity of the load Jesus carried, and the love he had for you personally
- we say I can’t forgive myself for what I have done
- but Jesus HAS forgiven you
- accept the gift he gives you so you can have a fresh start in life
- Isa 1:18 – Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool
- Wherever you have been, whatever you have done – Jesus carried it all for you, so that you can have a fresh beginning
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Names of God - Pt 2 - Exodus 3:143-15
Title: The Names of God – Part 2
Date: July 2, 2009
Text: Exodus 3:13-15
Introduction
- Last Sunday we examined four of God’s names
- Each of these names had something to do with God’s greatness
- 1. God is Yahweh – the existing One
- 2. God is Elohim – a God who is bigger than we are, able to change things
- 3. God is Adonai – a God who is our Lord and Master – someone to whom we surrender
- 4. God is El-Shaddai – the Almighty – the most powerful being in the universe
- Today we will look at other names of God in the Old Testament which tell some of the ways in which he relates to us as people.
5. Jehovah-jireh
- "The Lord will Provide."
- From "jireh" ("to see" or "to provide," or to "foresee" as a prophet.) God always provides, adequate when the times come.
- Gen. 22:14.
- IMPLICATION
- When we go through trials, God is able to provide a way
- Abraham had no idea where the lamb would come from
- But God provided
- 1 Cor 10:13 – God provides a way to get through the trial we are facing
6. Jehovah-rapha
- The Lord Who Heals"
- From "rophe" ("to heal"); implies spiritual, emotional as well as physical healing.
- Ex. 15:22-26.
- God offers us healing, in our spirit, when we turn to God, in our thinking and emotions, when we have been hurt, and in our body, when our body is damaged or ill
- (Jer. 30:17, 3:22; Isa. 61:1)
- God heals body, soul and spirit; all levels of man's being.
- IMPLICATION
- God desires to take care of us, not only in providing the things we need, or in changing circumstances, but also in our individual needs, in our emotions, body and in giving us life through Jesus
- James 5:14 – if sick, ask for prayer.
7. Jehovah-nissi
- The Lord Our Banner."
- Ex. 17:15. YHWH-Nissi – after Joshua defeats Amalek – Aaron and Hur hold up Moses arms
- God on the battlefield, from word which means "to glisten," "to lift up," Noticeable from a long distance
- See Psalm 4:6. Lift up the light of your face upon us
- IMPLICATION
- God is the One who fights our battles
- Learn to trust Him to do the fighting
- Turn our problems over to Him
- 2 Chron 20:15
8. Jehovah-M'Kaddesh
- The Lord Who Sanctifies"
- Lev. 20:8. I am the Lord who makes you holy
- God is the one who sets us apart and makes the difference, not our own efforts to be holy
- "To make whole, set apart for holiness."
- IMPLICATION
- Only God can make us holy
- Eph 2:10 – we are his workmanship
- 2 Cor 5:17 – a new creation
9. Jehovah-shalom
- The Lord Our Peace"
- Judges 6:24. Gideon comes face to face with JHWH – who tells him nothing bad will happen, God is our peace
- "Shalom" translated "peace" 170 times means "whole," "finished," "fulfilled," "perfected."
- Related to "well," welfare."
- IMPLICATIONS
- Shalom means that kind of peace that results from being a whole person in right relationship to God and to one's fellow man.
- Eph 2:16-17 – removed the enmity by the cross
- James 4:4 – friendship of world, enmity with God
10. Jehovah-tsidkenu
- The Lord Our Righteousness"
- Jer. 23:5, 6, 33:16. Messiah will be a wise, just and righteous King
- From "tsidek" (straight, stiff, balanced - as on scales - full weight, justice, right, righteous, declared innocent.)
- The Lord our Righteousness.
- IMPLICATIONS
- My own righteousness doesn’t cut it – I need Jesus righteousness inside me
- I can work as hard as I like, but it is only God who can make me totally righteous
- Phil 3:9 – righteousness that is by faith
11. Jehovah-rohi
- The Lord Our Shepherd"
- Psalm 23
- from "ro'eh" (to pasture).
- IMPLICATIONS:
- John 10 – Jesus is our shepherd
- He goes after the lost sheep
- He is not willing hat any should perish
- He finds us, cares for us, heals us, provides for us, protects us
- This is all described in his names
12. Jehovah-shammah
- The Lord is There"
- (Ezek. 48:35).From chapter 40 on, a description of worship after Jesus returns
- the temple will be rebuilt, and it says here that the Lord will be there
- IMPLICATIONS:
- When we accept Jesus, we invite him into our heart
- Our spirit now becomes His dwelling place
- Eph 2:19-22 we are now a dwelling where God lives
- And he tells us he will be with us always, even to the end of the world
Conclusion
- We have now looked at 12 of God’s names, as he is described in the Old Testament
- God is a God who is great and powerful, as well as kind and gentle and sensitive to our needs
- God is a God who wants to be with us, today, tomorrow and into eternity
- God is an awesome God
Date: July 2, 2009
Text: Exodus 3:13-15
Introduction
- Last Sunday we examined four of God’s names
- Each of these names had something to do with God’s greatness
- 1. God is Yahweh – the existing One
- 2. God is Elohim – a God who is bigger than we are, able to change things
- 3. God is Adonai – a God who is our Lord and Master – someone to whom we surrender
- 4. God is El-Shaddai – the Almighty – the most powerful being in the universe
- Today we will look at other names of God in the Old Testament which tell some of the ways in which he relates to us as people.
5. Jehovah-jireh
- "The Lord will Provide."
- From "jireh" ("to see" or "to provide," or to "foresee" as a prophet.) God always provides, adequate when the times come.
- Gen. 22:14.
- IMPLICATION
- When we go through trials, God is able to provide a way
- Abraham had no idea where the lamb would come from
- But God provided
- 1 Cor 10:13 – God provides a way to get through the trial we are facing
6. Jehovah-rapha
- The Lord Who Heals"
- From "rophe" ("to heal"); implies spiritual, emotional as well as physical healing.
- Ex. 15:22-26.
- God offers us healing, in our spirit, when we turn to God, in our thinking and emotions, when we have been hurt, and in our body, when our body is damaged or ill
- (Jer. 30:17, 3:22; Isa. 61:1)
- God heals body, soul and spirit; all levels of man's being.
- IMPLICATION
- God desires to take care of us, not only in providing the things we need, or in changing circumstances, but also in our individual needs, in our emotions, body and in giving us life through Jesus
- James 5:14 – if sick, ask for prayer.
7. Jehovah-nissi
- The Lord Our Banner."
- Ex. 17:15. YHWH-Nissi – after Joshua defeats Amalek – Aaron and Hur hold up Moses arms
- God on the battlefield, from word which means "to glisten," "to lift up," Noticeable from a long distance
- See Psalm 4:6. Lift up the light of your face upon us
- IMPLICATION
- God is the One who fights our battles
- Learn to trust Him to do the fighting
- Turn our problems over to Him
- 2 Chron 20:15
8. Jehovah-M'Kaddesh
- The Lord Who Sanctifies"
- Lev. 20:8. I am the Lord who makes you holy
- God is the one who sets us apart and makes the difference, not our own efforts to be holy
- "To make whole, set apart for holiness."
- IMPLICATION
- Only God can make us holy
- Eph 2:10 – we are his workmanship
- 2 Cor 5:17 – a new creation
9. Jehovah-shalom
- The Lord Our Peace"
- Judges 6:24. Gideon comes face to face with JHWH – who tells him nothing bad will happen, God is our peace
- "Shalom" translated "peace" 170 times means "whole," "finished," "fulfilled," "perfected."
- Related to "well," welfare."
- IMPLICATIONS
- Shalom means that kind of peace that results from being a whole person in right relationship to God and to one's fellow man.
- Eph 2:16-17 – removed the enmity by the cross
- James 4:4 – friendship of world, enmity with God
10. Jehovah-tsidkenu
- The Lord Our Righteousness"
- Jer. 23:5, 6, 33:16. Messiah will be a wise, just and righteous King
- From "tsidek" (straight, stiff, balanced - as on scales - full weight, justice, right, righteous, declared innocent.)
- The Lord our Righteousness.
- IMPLICATIONS
- My own righteousness doesn’t cut it – I need Jesus righteousness inside me
- I can work as hard as I like, but it is only God who can make me totally righteous
- Phil 3:9 – righteousness that is by faith
11. Jehovah-rohi
- The Lord Our Shepherd"
- Psalm 23
- from "ro'eh" (to pasture).
- IMPLICATIONS:
- John 10 – Jesus is our shepherd
- He goes after the lost sheep
- He is not willing hat any should perish
- He finds us, cares for us, heals us, provides for us, protects us
- This is all described in his names
12. Jehovah-shammah
- The Lord is There"
- (Ezek. 48:35).From chapter 40 on, a description of worship after Jesus returns
- the temple will be rebuilt, and it says here that the Lord will be there
- IMPLICATIONS:
- When we accept Jesus, we invite him into our heart
- Our spirit now becomes His dwelling place
- Eph 2:19-22 we are now a dwelling where God lives
- And he tells us he will be with us always, even to the end of the world
Conclusion
- We have now looked at 12 of God’s names, as he is described in the Old Testament
- God is a God who is great and powerful, as well as kind and gentle and sensitive to our needs
- God is a God who wants to be with us, today, tomorrow and into eternity
- God is an awesome God
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The Names of God - Pt 1 - Exodus 3:13-15
Title: The Names of God – Part 1
Date: June 28, 2009
Text: Exodus 3:13-15
- Introduction
- How many of us know what our name means?
- It may tell something about us or our ancestors, or how our parents thought about us, or what they expected of us
- I knew someone called Jim Smith – one of his ancestors was a smith who worked in a smithy, back in England
- One of my ancestors around 1800, was known as “old John”. He was married to someone called “Joanie Come To Bed”. I guess Joanie used to stay up late!!!
- When we name our children we think about what the name means
- It has an impact on how they see themselves and it also expresses our hopes for their success in life.
- God also has a name. In fact, he has many names, each describing a facet of His character
- Today we are going to examine 6 of these names, in the Old Testament, and see what they tell us about God.
- The Jewish Encyclopedia says “Like other Hebrew proper names, the name of God is more than a mere distinguishing title. It represents the Hebrew conception of the divine nature or character and of the relation of God to His people. It represents the Deity as He is known to His worshipers, and stands for all those attributes which He bears in relation to them and which are revealed to them through His activity on their behalf. A new manifestation of His interest or care may give rise to a new name. So, also, an old name may acquire new content and significance through new and varied experience of these sacred relations.
1. Jehovah (6823 x)
- LORD in our English Bibles (all capitals).
- Yahweh is the covenant name of God.
- From the verb "to be", havah, similar to chavah (to live), "The Self-Existent One," "I AM WHO I AM" or 'I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE" as revealed to Moses at the burning bush,
- Ex.3:13-15.
- Third century BC the Jews decided they would no longer pronounce God’s name – based on Ex 20:7 (not take name of Lord in vain), and Lev 24:11 (Jewish Encyclopedia)
- The name of God, too sacred to be uttered, abbreviated ( . . . . ) or written "YHWH" without vowel points. Known as the Tetragrammaton.
- Gen 2:4
- Deut. 6:4, 5 known to Jews as the Sh'ma uses both Jehovah and Elohim to indicate one God with a plurality of persons.
- IMPLICATION
- God exists, as opposed to all the other gods we have in our lives
- Not only that, but as the only God who lives, he is the only one who gives life
- This name sets God apart from all other Gods
- John 1:1-5 – Jesus has life and provides hope for mankind
- This is why Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)– there is no other way to life
2. Elohim (2507 x)
- The word Elohim is a plural word
- It describes God as being Transcendent, Mighty and Strong. (Jewish Encylopedia)
- It describes a God who is a God, a divine ruler and a judge (Strongs-136)
- See Gen. 1:1.
- IMPLICATION
- God is a God who is bigger than we are
- We don’t want a God who is a weakling, who is impotent to affect us
- We need a God who can bring change into the important areas of our lives
- We need a God who can and will fight our battles
3. Adonai (434 x)
- Lord in our English Bibles (Capitol letter 'L ', lower case, 'ord')
- (Adonai is plural, the sing. is "adon").
- "Master'' or "Lord" always plural when referring to God, when sing. the reference is to a human lord.
- First use of Adonai, Gen. 15:2 – used as term of reverence in the place of Jahweh
- Heavy use – 101 times in Psalms and Isaiah. 214 times by Ezek
- IMPLICATION
- Surrendering to God as our Lord and Master
- John 20:24-28 - Thomas
4. El-Shaddai (48 x – 31 x in Job)
- God Almighty or "God All Sufficient."
- First used in Gen. 17:1, 2. – Almighty, most powerful – I can perform what I have promised
- Used to have a bank as I was growing up, “get with the strength, bank Commonwealth”
- Gen 49:24-25
- IMPLICATION
- God is the most powerful being in the universe
- He is almighty, able to perform what he has promised
- He uses that incredible power to bless us
- He is like a gentle giant, taking care of us with great sensitivity
Summary
- God is Yahweh – the existing One
- God is Elohim – a God who is bigger than we are, able to change things
- God is Adonai – a God who is our Lord and Master – someone to whom we surrender
- God is El-Shaddai – the Almighty – the most powerful being in the universe
Date: June 28, 2009
Text: Exodus 3:13-15
- Introduction
- How many of us know what our name means?
- It may tell something about us or our ancestors, or how our parents thought about us, or what they expected of us
- I knew someone called Jim Smith – one of his ancestors was a smith who worked in a smithy, back in England
- One of my ancestors around 1800, was known as “old John”. He was married to someone called “Joanie Come To Bed”. I guess Joanie used to stay up late!!!
- When we name our children we think about what the name means
- It has an impact on how they see themselves and it also expresses our hopes for their success in life.
- God also has a name. In fact, he has many names, each describing a facet of His character
- Today we are going to examine 6 of these names, in the Old Testament, and see what they tell us about God.
- The Jewish Encyclopedia says “Like other Hebrew proper names, the name of God is more than a mere distinguishing title. It represents the Hebrew conception of the divine nature or character and of the relation of God to His people. It represents the Deity as He is known to His worshipers, and stands for all those attributes which He bears in relation to them and which are revealed to them through His activity on their behalf. A new manifestation of His interest or care may give rise to a new name. So, also, an old name may acquire new content and significance through new and varied experience of these sacred relations.
1. Jehovah (6823 x)
- LORD in our English Bibles (all capitals).
- Yahweh is the covenant name of God.
- From the verb "to be", havah, similar to chavah (to live), "The Self-Existent One," "I AM WHO I AM" or 'I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE" as revealed to Moses at the burning bush,
- Ex.3:13-15.
- Third century BC the Jews decided they would no longer pronounce God’s name – based on Ex 20:7 (not take name of Lord in vain), and Lev 24:11 (Jewish Encyclopedia)
- The name of God, too sacred to be uttered, abbreviated ( . . . . ) or written "YHWH" without vowel points. Known as the Tetragrammaton.
- Gen 2:4
- Deut. 6:4, 5 known to Jews as the Sh'ma uses both Jehovah and Elohim to indicate one God with a plurality of persons.
- IMPLICATION
- God exists, as opposed to all the other gods we have in our lives
- Not only that, but as the only God who lives, he is the only one who gives life
- This name sets God apart from all other Gods
- John 1:1-5 – Jesus has life and provides hope for mankind
- This is why Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)– there is no other way to life
2. Elohim (2507 x)
- The word Elohim is a plural word
- It describes God as being Transcendent, Mighty and Strong. (Jewish Encylopedia)
- It describes a God who is a God, a divine ruler and a judge (Strongs-136)
- See Gen. 1:1.
- IMPLICATION
- God is a God who is bigger than we are
- We don’t want a God who is a weakling, who is impotent to affect us
- We need a God who can bring change into the important areas of our lives
- We need a God who can and will fight our battles
3. Adonai (434 x)
- Lord in our English Bibles (Capitol letter 'L ', lower case, 'ord')
- (Adonai is plural, the sing. is "adon").
- "Master'' or "Lord" always plural when referring to God, when sing. the reference is to a human lord.
- First use of Adonai, Gen. 15:2 – used as term of reverence in the place of Jahweh
- Heavy use – 101 times in Psalms and Isaiah. 214 times by Ezek
- IMPLICATION
- Surrendering to God as our Lord and Master
- John 20:24-28 - Thomas
4. El-Shaddai (48 x – 31 x in Job)
- God Almighty or "God All Sufficient."
- First used in Gen. 17:1, 2. – Almighty, most powerful – I can perform what I have promised
- Used to have a bank as I was growing up, “get with the strength, bank Commonwealth”
- Gen 49:24-25
- IMPLICATION
- God is the most powerful being in the universe
- He is almighty, able to perform what he has promised
- He uses that incredible power to bless us
- He is like a gentle giant, taking care of us with great sensitivity
Summary
- God is Yahweh – the existing One
- God is Elohim – a God who is bigger than we are, able to change things
- God is Adonai – a God who is our Lord and Master – someone to whom we surrender
- God is El-Shaddai – the Almighty – the most powerful being in the universe
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Fathers' Day - 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12
Sermon: Fathers Day
Date: June 21, 2009
Text: 1 Thes 2:7-12
Introduction
- The third Sunday in June is generally observed as Father’s Day, throughout the United States
- It was a woman in Spokane WA, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, who is most frequently credited with originating the idea for a Father's Day observance, in 1909 - http://www.historictrinity.org/fathersdayorigin.html
- Her mother had died when she was very young, and her dad, a civil war veteran named William Smart, had had to raise herself and five sons
- Recognizing the difficulties he had faced, and as an expression of appreciation for his devotion, Mrs Dodd urged the Spokane Ministers Association to sponsor the first Father’s Day Celebration, to honor all fathers
- This first celebration was held in Spokane on the third Sunday of June - the month of her father's birth - in 1910, with local ministers calling the attention of their congregations to the appreciation fathers deserved.
- William Jennings Bryan, complimented Mrs. Dodd on the inspiration for Father's Day , and remarked," too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the relation between parent and child."
- The observance of Father's Day did not spread rapidly - not, for instance, as rapidly as Mother's Day, which was started just before this time
- Several others also came up with the idea, independently, but Mrs. Dodd is credited with beginning the celebration.
- President Woodrow Wilson officially approved the idea of Father's Day in 1916.
- Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson issued a Proclamation that Father's Day be observed on the third Sunday in June.
- On Father's Day in 1970 Mrs. Dodd, still living in Spokane, stressed the fact the one very important, timely, practical value attached to Father's Day was to provide an occasion for children to express appreciation of their fathers and for fathers to acknowledge their responsibilities to their children.
- Many of us have had dads who did not live up to their responsibilities
- Many of us ourselves have not been the parents we should have been.
- But we can break the cycle, by being good role models in the future, and raising up our children to be responsible dads when they grow up
- Today we are going to look at some of the roles dad’s play in the family
- 1 Thes 2:7-12 “As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.
8We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
- 9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
- 11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,
- 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
ABLE TO EXPRESS GENUINE LOVE
- 1 Thes 2:7-12 “As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.
- The first attribute a father exhibits, is that of love
- This is important – it does not come naturally to most men
- We need to learn to show love
- In the Bible, women are rarely told to love their husbands because that tends to come naturally for them
- That can be stunted and crippled of course, by the experiences men have put them through
- But it the natural order of things, women are naturally loving.
- Men, on the other hand do not have this natural ability
- So Paul tells us in Eph 5:25 – husbands love your wives
- He describes this love as the love which will give up everything for the other person, including his life
- This does not come naturally, and it is something we have to learn
- This applies not only to our relationship with our wife, but also with our children
- How many of us are fathers?
- When our baby came home, we had to learn to cradle the baby in our arms, so the head is supported
- We had to learn to protect the soft spot on the top of the baby’s head, because it was vulnerable
- We had to learn how to deal with our baby when it cried, and when it needed its diaper changed
- For our wife, however, it seemed a more natural thing
- Our wives don’t seem to have the same learning curve in this area
- We have to learn to be affectionate dads
- But then one day, our baby is grown up
- Our grownup child still needs the same affection
- We don’t change diapers any more, but our kids still need hugs and kisses and affection
- In my case I never had a child of my own
- I have had to learn to be a dad to my step children
- I know I still have a lot of learning to do
- But I love them, and I tell them and they know it and love me back
-
- LIVING A TRANSPARENT LIFE
- The second train Paul talks about is transparency
- 1 Thes 2:8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
- He speaks of sharing the gospel and his own life as well
- It is one thing to speak the gospel, it is another to live it
- Paul is saying he was a role model for these people in Thessalonica
- If you are a Christian, your children should know it by the way you live
- It will affect the way you speak, the things you watch, the activities you engage in, and the values you hold dear
- It means that when it is appropriate, you will tell your kids about mistakes you have made in the way in which you brought them up, in the e3xample you have set, and the ways in which you have let them down
- This will promote healing in your relationship
-
- CARING FOR OUR FAMILY
- 1 Thes 2:8 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
- Part of being a dad is that we take care of those for whom we have taken responsibility
- This means that we get a job, build a stable home, and provide for our family
- In our lives, thing have often gone wrong
- We no longer have that relationship that we used to have
- But we still have a responsibility to our children, to ensure they are cared for and able to grow to maturity
- So it is important that we take care of these responsibilities
- We should pay our child support, to the utmost of our ability
- Some of us probably owe enormous sums
- But our role as dad, is also that of a provider
- After we divorce, we still have a responsibility to our children
- Financially, but also in our communication with them, our encouragement, and backing them up, and the example we set
-
- CONCLUSION
- A dad has many responsibilities
- But it is awesome to be a dad and have children whom we see grow up under our very eyes
- It is incredible that we have the chance to mold a new life as it grows up, to become a mature and responsible adult
- We may have messed up in the past, but we can make amends and change the course of the future, starting today
- We may need forgiveness, both from our child and from God
- But God’s forgiveness is available to us, so that we can move beyond the wreckage of the past
- The cycle can stop with us
Date: June 21, 2009
Text: 1 Thes 2:7-12
Introduction
- The third Sunday in June is generally observed as Father’s Day, throughout the United States
- It was a woman in Spokane WA, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, who is most frequently credited with originating the idea for a Father's Day observance, in 1909 - http://www.historictrinity.org/fathersdayorigin.html
- Her mother had died when she was very young, and her dad, a civil war veteran named William Smart, had had to raise herself and five sons
- Recognizing the difficulties he had faced, and as an expression of appreciation for his devotion, Mrs Dodd urged the Spokane Ministers Association to sponsor the first Father’s Day Celebration, to honor all fathers
- This first celebration was held in Spokane on the third Sunday of June - the month of her father's birth - in 1910, with local ministers calling the attention of their congregations to the appreciation fathers deserved.
- William Jennings Bryan, complimented Mrs. Dodd on the inspiration for Father's Day , and remarked," too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the relation between parent and child."
- The observance of Father's Day did not spread rapidly - not, for instance, as rapidly as Mother's Day, which was started just before this time
- Several others also came up with the idea, independently, but Mrs. Dodd is credited with beginning the celebration.
- President Woodrow Wilson officially approved the idea of Father's Day in 1916.
- Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson issued a Proclamation that Father's Day be observed on the third Sunday in June.
- On Father's Day in 1970 Mrs. Dodd, still living in Spokane, stressed the fact the one very important, timely, practical value attached to Father's Day was to provide an occasion for children to express appreciation of their fathers and for fathers to acknowledge their responsibilities to their children.
- Many of us have had dads who did not live up to their responsibilities
- Many of us ourselves have not been the parents we should have been.
- But we can break the cycle, by being good role models in the future, and raising up our children to be responsible dads when they grow up
- Today we are going to look at some of the roles dad’s play in the family
- 1 Thes 2:7-12 “As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.
8We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
- 9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
- 11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,
- 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
ABLE TO EXPRESS GENUINE LOVE
- 1 Thes 2:7-12 “As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.
- The first attribute a father exhibits, is that of love
- This is important – it does not come naturally to most men
- We need to learn to show love
- In the Bible, women are rarely told to love their husbands because that tends to come naturally for them
- That can be stunted and crippled of course, by the experiences men have put them through
- But it the natural order of things, women are naturally loving.
- Men, on the other hand do not have this natural ability
- So Paul tells us in Eph 5:25 – husbands love your wives
- He describes this love as the love which will give up everything for the other person, including his life
- This does not come naturally, and it is something we have to learn
- This applies not only to our relationship with our wife, but also with our children
- How many of us are fathers?
- When our baby came home, we had to learn to cradle the baby in our arms, so the head is supported
- We had to learn to protect the soft spot on the top of the baby’s head, because it was vulnerable
- We had to learn how to deal with our baby when it cried, and when it needed its diaper changed
- For our wife, however, it seemed a more natural thing
- Our wives don’t seem to have the same learning curve in this area
- We have to learn to be affectionate dads
- But then one day, our baby is grown up
- Our grownup child still needs the same affection
- We don’t change diapers any more, but our kids still need hugs and kisses and affection
- In my case I never had a child of my own
- I have had to learn to be a dad to my step children
- I know I still have a lot of learning to do
- But I love them, and I tell them and they know it and love me back
-
- LIVING A TRANSPARENT LIFE
- The second train Paul talks about is transparency
- 1 Thes 2:8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
- He speaks of sharing the gospel and his own life as well
- It is one thing to speak the gospel, it is another to live it
- Paul is saying he was a role model for these people in Thessalonica
- If you are a Christian, your children should know it by the way you live
- It will affect the way you speak, the things you watch, the activities you engage in, and the values you hold dear
- It means that when it is appropriate, you will tell your kids about mistakes you have made in the way in which you brought them up, in the e3xample you have set, and the ways in which you have let them down
- This will promote healing in your relationship
-
- CARING FOR OUR FAMILY
- 1 Thes 2:8 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
- Part of being a dad is that we take care of those for whom we have taken responsibility
- This means that we get a job, build a stable home, and provide for our family
- In our lives, thing have often gone wrong
- We no longer have that relationship that we used to have
- But we still have a responsibility to our children, to ensure they are cared for and able to grow to maturity
- So it is important that we take care of these responsibilities
- We should pay our child support, to the utmost of our ability
- Some of us probably owe enormous sums
- But our role as dad, is also that of a provider
- After we divorce, we still have a responsibility to our children
- Financially, but also in our communication with them, our encouragement, and backing them up, and the example we set
-
- CONCLUSION
- A dad has many responsibilities
- But it is awesome to be a dad and have children whom we see grow up under our very eyes
- It is incredible that we have the chance to mold a new life as it grows up, to become a mature and responsible adult
- We may have messed up in the past, but we can make amends and change the course of the future, starting today
- We may need forgiveness, both from our child and from God
- But God’s forgiveness is available to us, so that we can move beyond the wreckage of the past
- The cycle can stop with us
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Rahab - a Woman of Faith - Joshua 2:1-24
Title: Rahab - a woman of faith
Date: June 6, 2009
Text: Joshua 2:1-24
Introduction
· There once was a rather rough, uncultured man who for some reason fell in love with a beautiful vase in a shop window.
· Eventually he bought the vase and put it on the mantelpiece in his room.
· There it became a kind of judgment on its surroundings.
· He had to clean up the room to make it worthy of the vase.
· The curtains looked dingy beside it. The old chair with the stuffing coming out of the seat would not do. The wallpaper and the paint needed redoing.
· Gradually the whole room was transformed.
· When Jesus comes into your life, gradually your whole life is transformed.
· Today we are going to look at the testimony of the life of someone who lived 3,500 years ago, and see the change that happened in her life
· It was around 1425 B.C.
· The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, the country that had been their dream for 40 years
· Joshua became the new leader after Moses died, and he sent out spies to report on the town of Jericho, the first challenge that the Israelites would face
· These two spies mingled with the travelers and traders entering the city through the gates, and tried to find somewhere to stay the night
· Someone said, why don’t you try Rahab’s place?
· So they stayed the night
· Who was this Rahab they stayed with?
Rahab – a sinful woman of the world
· Josh 2:1 – Rahab was a prostitute
· The Hebrew word used here is Zahnah
· It comes from a root word meaning “highly-fed and wanton” and it means “to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot”
· Some commentaries try to make it sound better by saying the word may mean inn-keeper, but the fact of the matter is that it literally means prostitute
· Rahab was a prostititute in a totally immoral city
· The implication is that she was doing pretty well and that her nature was that of someone who liked playing around
· Rahab was no worse and no better than each of us was before we accepted Jesus
· Eph 2:1-3
· Rahab was just fitting in with her surroundings
· People around her were messing up, so she followed suit
· Don’t we do the same?
· Most of us started using around age 13, when we get into high school
· What was the reason? Usually I hear you say, it was the friends I used to hang with
· I think the root word meaning wanton is interesting
· It tells me that this may have been a part of her character, not just a way to make a living
· She may have grown up in an abusive environment, and then started acting out her anger by throwing all moral standards to the winds
· She probably had a low opinion of herself, but knew no other way to live
Rahab – a repentant convert
· Joh 2:8-11
· Rahab had heard stories about the Israelites leaving Egypt
· All her life she had heard about the things God was doing with the Israelites
· Traders would come from Egypt, and as they sat around the campfire, they would tell stories of how a nation had been brought to its knees by a God no one knew about
· Six million Israelites leaving Egypt was a major occurrence – it would be today as well
· Midianites and Amalekites and Edomites would come as travelers and tell about how the Israelite army had whooped them and all but wiped them out
· Rahab heard all these stories
· She was not stupid, she knew the time was coming when they would be on the doorstep at Jericho
· But more than that, she also recognized that their must be a God behind all this who was way bigger than impotent idols she was used to worshipping
· So when the Israelite spies turned up, she chose to side with the God of Israel
· This was huge! Jericho was a major city and she was risking her life to side with these spies
· This took a huge step of faith for her. She was trusting a God she had not yet experienced, but she took that step of faith anyway
· When we come into this program, we learn about how we can know that there is a real God.
· We examine proofs that there has to have been a beginning, and if there was a beginning there has to have been a beginner, one who started it all, a Creator who is bigger than his creation.
· Recognizing this is a head thing, not a heart commitment
· It is when we take that step of faith, and say, ok, I am now going to commit my life to this God that my head says exists, but whom I have never seen - that is when it becomes a heart commitment
· Rahab took that step of faith
· That faith was expressed in her protection of the two spies
· We express that faith by praying to God and asking for forgiveness of our sins, and asking Jesus into our lives
Rahab – a transformed woman of faith
· Rahab was not yet a perfect Christian
· She lied to protect the spies and engaged in deception to get them out of town
· She had, however, turned to trusting God, rather than her old religion or lack thereof
· As a result of this she is mentioned in the list of heroes of faith in Hebrews 11
· Heb 11:31
· After Jericho fell, Rahab joined up with the Israelites, and adopted their God as her own
· She learned about the ten commandments, she learned about how to worship and what it meant to have God as her Savior
· Later on, she became the mother in law of Ruth, and the great-great-grandmother of King David. Through him, she became part of the physical ancestry of Jesus our Savior
· The Israelites had experienced God as a Savior when they were protected by the blood of a lamb on their doorposts
· Rahab had experienced God as a Savior when she let down the scarlet rope out of her window
· We experience Jesus as our Savior when we accept the blood of Jesus as payment for our sins
A step of faith
· God saving Rahab though, was after she had taken this step of faith
· The head knowledge of hearing about the miracles God had done, had been translated into action, by her taking a stand against Jericho and for God
· In the same way, we can agree that yes, I can see that there has to be a God
· That head knowledge needs to be translated into the step of faith when we turn our back on our old way, and ask Jesus into our life
Date: June 6, 2009
Text: Joshua 2:1-24
Introduction
· There once was a rather rough, uncultured man who for some reason fell in love with a beautiful vase in a shop window.
· Eventually he bought the vase and put it on the mantelpiece in his room.
· There it became a kind of judgment on its surroundings.
· He had to clean up the room to make it worthy of the vase.
· The curtains looked dingy beside it. The old chair with the stuffing coming out of the seat would not do. The wallpaper and the paint needed redoing.
· Gradually the whole room was transformed.
· When Jesus comes into your life, gradually your whole life is transformed.
· Today we are going to look at the testimony of the life of someone who lived 3,500 years ago, and see the change that happened in her life
· It was around 1425 B.C.
· The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, the country that had been their dream for 40 years
· Joshua became the new leader after Moses died, and he sent out spies to report on the town of Jericho, the first challenge that the Israelites would face
· These two spies mingled with the travelers and traders entering the city through the gates, and tried to find somewhere to stay the night
· Someone said, why don’t you try Rahab’s place?
· So they stayed the night
· Who was this Rahab they stayed with?
Rahab – a sinful woman of the world
· Josh 2:1 – Rahab was a prostitute
· The Hebrew word used here is Zahnah
· It comes from a root word meaning “highly-fed and wanton” and it means “to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot”
· Some commentaries try to make it sound better by saying the word may mean inn-keeper, but the fact of the matter is that it literally means prostitute
· Rahab was a prostititute in a totally immoral city
· The implication is that she was doing pretty well and that her nature was that of someone who liked playing around
· Rahab was no worse and no better than each of us was before we accepted Jesus
· Eph 2:1-3
· Rahab was just fitting in with her surroundings
· People around her were messing up, so she followed suit
· Don’t we do the same?
· Most of us started using around age 13, when we get into high school
· What was the reason? Usually I hear you say, it was the friends I used to hang with
· I think the root word meaning wanton is interesting
· It tells me that this may have been a part of her character, not just a way to make a living
· She may have grown up in an abusive environment, and then started acting out her anger by throwing all moral standards to the winds
· She probably had a low opinion of herself, but knew no other way to live
Rahab – a repentant convert
· Joh 2:8-11
· Rahab had heard stories about the Israelites leaving Egypt
· All her life she had heard about the things God was doing with the Israelites
· Traders would come from Egypt, and as they sat around the campfire, they would tell stories of how a nation had been brought to its knees by a God no one knew about
· Six million Israelites leaving Egypt was a major occurrence – it would be today as well
· Midianites and Amalekites and Edomites would come as travelers and tell about how the Israelite army had whooped them and all but wiped them out
· Rahab heard all these stories
· She was not stupid, she knew the time was coming when they would be on the doorstep at Jericho
· But more than that, she also recognized that their must be a God behind all this who was way bigger than impotent idols she was used to worshipping
· So when the Israelite spies turned up, she chose to side with the God of Israel
· This was huge! Jericho was a major city and she was risking her life to side with these spies
· This took a huge step of faith for her. She was trusting a God she had not yet experienced, but she took that step of faith anyway
· When we come into this program, we learn about how we can know that there is a real God.
· We examine proofs that there has to have been a beginning, and if there was a beginning there has to have been a beginner, one who started it all, a Creator who is bigger than his creation.
· Recognizing this is a head thing, not a heart commitment
· It is when we take that step of faith, and say, ok, I am now going to commit my life to this God that my head says exists, but whom I have never seen - that is when it becomes a heart commitment
· Rahab took that step of faith
· That faith was expressed in her protection of the two spies
· We express that faith by praying to God and asking for forgiveness of our sins, and asking Jesus into our lives
Rahab – a transformed woman of faith
· Rahab was not yet a perfect Christian
· She lied to protect the spies and engaged in deception to get them out of town
· She had, however, turned to trusting God, rather than her old religion or lack thereof
· As a result of this she is mentioned in the list of heroes of faith in Hebrews 11
· Heb 11:31
· After Jericho fell, Rahab joined up with the Israelites, and adopted their God as her own
· She learned about the ten commandments, she learned about how to worship and what it meant to have God as her Savior
· Later on, she became the mother in law of Ruth, and the great-great-grandmother of King David. Through him, she became part of the physical ancestry of Jesus our Savior
· The Israelites had experienced God as a Savior when they were protected by the blood of a lamb on their doorposts
· Rahab had experienced God as a Savior when she let down the scarlet rope out of her window
· We experience Jesus as our Savior when we accept the blood of Jesus as payment for our sins
A step of faith
· God saving Rahab though, was after she had taken this step of faith
· The head knowledge of hearing about the miracles God had done, had been translated into action, by her taking a stand against Jericho and for God
· In the same way, we can agree that yes, I can see that there has to be a God
· That head knowledge needs to be translated into the step of faith when we turn our back on our old way, and ask Jesus into our life
Thursday, June 4, 2009
God's Solution for Fear
Title: God’s solution for fear
Date: June 4, 2009
Text: 2 Timothy 1:7-9
Introduction:
- Everyone knows what it is like to be afraid. We all have things that we are afraid of
- Storms, spiders, snakes
- There are hidden fears that motivate us too
- Fear of failure causes many people to never start, or try anything that is not completely safe.
- Fear of rejection makes us afraid to do anything that could draw criticism or give someone a chance to laugh at us
- There are two kinds of fear :
- Fear that is good - Keeps us from driving 100 mph, or other foolish things that you can think of... and
- Fear that is harmful - This is the "spirit of fear" mentioned here
- This fear paralyzes us, keeps us from doing things we could or should do.
- Perhaps there is a fear that you need to overcome today.
Satan's Purpose For Our Fear
- Satan is a master at using our fears.
- He can keep us from being an effective Christian, or happy person by using our own fears ...
- He uses the "spirit of fear" to make our lives miserable. Worry and fear can make our life miserable!
There was a lady who died in 1916 named Hetty Green. She was called America's greatest miser. When she died in 1916, she left an estate valued at $100 million. But she was so miserly that she ate cold oatmeal in order to save the expense of heating the water. When her son had a severe leg injury, she took so long trying to find a free clinic to treat him that his leg had to be amputated because of advanced infection. I am sure she was worried about losing her wealth, so she didn't even enjoy her life!
- We can be so afraid of losing our wealth or job that we never enjoy or really experience life
- I know some people who are so afraid that something is going to happen to their marriage, that they never get close, or have the intimacy they could have ...
- We all know people who are "worry warts" and they are miserable!
- He also makes us ineffective
- Many times we do not share our faith with someone because of fear.
- What will they think of me? What if I turn them off? What if I mess up?
- They probably won't listen to me anyway!
- These are the common fears satan uses to make us ineffective witnesses!
- Sometimes we don't get involved in service because of fear-
- I could never teach or lead a Bible Study
- I could never encourage a brother
- I could never be a pastor, missionary ...
- Fear can keep us from serving God
- Satan's method for using fear:
o He uses our past sins
o He uses the possibilities of the future
o He uses the potential of failure
o He uses the certainty of criticism
- Satan is a master at using our fears to stop us, to bind us, and to rob us!
God's Gifts for Overcoming Our Fears
- 2 Tim 1:7-9
- God has not given us the "spirit of fear", But He has given us three things that will help us overcome fear:
A - The gift of Power
- Through Christ Jesus, I can do anything God wants me to do!!!
- (Phil 4:13) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
- That means anything God wants me to do, I can do it...
- God gives me
- 1. Power to be saved - (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
- 2. Power to be a witness for Him - (Acts 1:8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
- 3. Power to be Joyful - (Rom 15:13) Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
- 4. Power to make you a strong believer - (Rom 16:25) Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, ...
- 5. Power to endure trials – (2 Cor 12:9) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
- If you are trusting in, drawing from , relying on, believing in the one who has the power, He will give you the power you need!
- God is a powerful God
- Don't be afraid! use his power!!!
B. The Gift of Love
- At first glance, It does not seem that Love could be effective in conquering fear
- (1 John 4:18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
- Here is how this works:
- 1. Love for God
- The more we love God, the less fear we will have.
- It is a matter of trust. When we realize that God will take care of us, it relieves our fear.
- (Rom 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
- Love of God relieves our fears!
- 2. Love for Others
- The more we love others the less fear we will have.
- Love causes us to overcome our fear for the good of others .
- Rescue workers - Ambulance drivers ...
- Love causes us to tell others about Jesus.
- To serve in church
- To help others in need...
C. The Gift of a Sound Mind
- Most of the time our harmful fears are the result of wrong thinking.
- But something happens when we are saved and begin to trust God.
- Our mind is renewed! –
- (Rom 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
- 1. In my way of thinking, I may be afraid I won't make it financially –
- but IF I trust in God and put him first, I will be assured He will take care of me!
- (Luke 12:28) If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
- 2. I may be afraid of dying...
- That fear is calmed by knowing –
- (2 Cor 5:8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
- We could go on and apply this to every other fear we may have.
- When we think Biblically, we have a "sound mind".
Conclusion
- Conquering fear is not a matter of self determination, or will power
- It is a matter of dependence on the God whom we can trust and love. In Christ you can conquer your fear.
[Adapted from sermon by Rev. Otis Nixdorf
Pastor, East Side Baptist Church, Independence, MO]
Date: June 4, 2009
Text: 2 Timothy 1:7-9
Introduction:
- Everyone knows what it is like to be afraid. We all have things that we are afraid of
- Storms, spiders, snakes
- There are hidden fears that motivate us too
- Fear of failure causes many people to never start, or try anything that is not completely safe.
- Fear of rejection makes us afraid to do anything that could draw criticism or give someone a chance to laugh at us
- There are two kinds of fear :
- Fear that is good - Keeps us from driving 100 mph, or other foolish things that you can think of... and
- Fear that is harmful - This is the "spirit of fear" mentioned here
- This fear paralyzes us, keeps us from doing things we could or should do.
- Perhaps there is a fear that you need to overcome today.
Satan's Purpose For Our Fear
- Satan is a master at using our fears.
- He can keep us from being an effective Christian, or happy person by using our own fears ...
- He uses the "spirit of fear" to make our lives miserable. Worry and fear can make our life miserable!
There was a lady who died in 1916 named Hetty Green. She was called America's greatest miser. When she died in 1916, she left an estate valued at $100 million. But she was so miserly that she ate cold oatmeal in order to save the expense of heating the water. When her son had a severe leg injury, she took so long trying to find a free clinic to treat him that his leg had to be amputated because of advanced infection. I am sure she was worried about losing her wealth, so she didn't even enjoy her life!
- We can be so afraid of losing our wealth or job that we never enjoy or really experience life
- I know some people who are so afraid that something is going to happen to their marriage, that they never get close, or have the intimacy they could have ...
- We all know people who are "worry warts" and they are miserable!
- He also makes us ineffective
- Many times we do not share our faith with someone because of fear.
- What will they think of me? What if I turn them off? What if I mess up?
- They probably won't listen to me anyway!
- These are the common fears satan uses to make us ineffective witnesses!
- Sometimes we don't get involved in service because of fear-
- I could never teach or lead a Bible Study
- I could never encourage a brother
- I could never be a pastor, missionary ...
- Fear can keep us from serving God
- Satan's method for using fear:
o He uses our past sins
o He uses the possibilities of the future
o He uses the potential of failure
o He uses the certainty of criticism
- Satan is a master at using our fears to stop us, to bind us, and to rob us!
God's Gifts for Overcoming Our Fears
- 2 Tim 1:7-9
- God has not given us the "spirit of fear", But He has given us three things that will help us overcome fear:
A - The gift of Power
- Through Christ Jesus, I can do anything God wants me to do!!!
- (Phil 4:13) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
- That means anything God wants me to do, I can do it...
- God gives me
- 1. Power to be saved - (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
- 2. Power to be a witness for Him - (Acts 1:8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
- 3. Power to be Joyful - (Rom 15:13) Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
- 4. Power to make you a strong believer - (Rom 16:25) Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, ...
- 5. Power to endure trials – (2 Cor 12:9) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
- If you are trusting in, drawing from , relying on, believing in the one who has the power, He will give you the power you need!
- God is a powerful God
- Don't be afraid! use his power!!!
B. The Gift of Love
- At first glance, It does not seem that Love could be effective in conquering fear
- (1 John 4:18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
- Here is how this works:
- 1. Love for God
- The more we love God, the less fear we will have.
- It is a matter of trust. When we realize that God will take care of us, it relieves our fear.
- (Rom 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
- Love of God relieves our fears!
- 2. Love for Others
- The more we love others the less fear we will have.
- Love causes us to overcome our fear for the good of others .
- Rescue workers - Ambulance drivers ...
- Love causes us to tell others about Jesus.
- To serve in church
- To help others in need...
C. The Gift of a Sound Mind
- Most of the time our harmful fears are the result of wrong thinking.
- But something happens when we are saved and begin to trust God.
- Our mind is renewed! –
- (Rom 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
- 1. In my way of thinking, I may be afraid I won't make it financially –
- but IF I trust in God and put him first, I will be assured He will take care of me!
- (Luke 12:28) If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
- 2. I may be afraid of dying...
- That fear is calmed by knowing –
- (2 Cor 5:8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
- We could go on and apply this to every other fear we may have.
- When we think Biblically, we have a "sound mind".
Conclusion
- Conquering fear is not a matter of self determination, or will power
- It is a matter of dependence on the God whom we can trust and love. In Christ you can conquer your fear.
[Adapted from sermon by Rev. Otis Nixdorf
Pastor, East Side Baptist Church, Independence, MO]
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Mountains out of Molehills - Exodus 4:1-5
Title - God makes mountains out of molehills!
Date - May 31, 2009
Text - Ex 4:1-5
Introduction
- We often have a low estimation of what God could do with our lives
- We do not recognize the gifts he has given us
- And I am not even necessarily talking about our spiritual gifts
- “Margaret Storm Jameson, the English author, once expressed the view that we all spend too much time living in the past, feeling regret for lost joys or shame for things badly done.
- “Even when our minds turn to the future, she said, we spend an inordinate amount of time longing for it or dreading it.
- "The only way to live," she said, "is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle . . .
- “Work at your work. Play at your play. Shed your tears. Enjoy your laughter. Now is the time of your life." - Bits and Pieces, July, 1991
- Exodus 4:1-4
- God was telling Moses personally he was sending him to lead 6 million people out of slavery
- What an awesome task!
- But Moses did not feel adequate to the job
- He continued to come up with excuses even after God provided answers to each one, and eventually God even got angry at him!
- Moses had to learn that God could use anything for his glory
What are our abilities?
- God says to Moses, what’s that in your hand
- Moses has to say, a rod
- A rod identified Moses
- It meant he was a shepherd, who went around the desert with a bunch of smelly animals
- It meant he had a profession, even if it was lowly
- It meant he married a shepherd girl, Zipporah
- I am sure that Moses did not see his job as the ultimate in job satisfaction
- But it paid the bills, and under the circumstances, it kept him under the radar of the Egyptian FBI
- He used to be the heir-apparent of Egypt
- But his identity was now symbolized by that shepherd’s rod
- God said, what is that in your hand
- So what is in our hand?
- What are the abilities we have right now?
- Not, what did we used to be able to do, or what could we become with a lot of hard work
- God says what do you have in your hand, right now
- Right now, what you have in you hand is that you are clean and sober
- Right now, you have friendships and relationships with brothers and sisters who are making the journey with you
- Right now, you are learning perseverance, putting down the desires of the flesh and aligning yourself with God’s will and purpose
- These are your present abilities
Does God care about our past?
- For Moses, the rod also represented a former identity
- It represented times gone by, times of success
- The shepherd’s rod reminded him of the scepter he used to wield as the prince of Egypt, educated in the ways of the court
- He had been the general of Egypt’s armies and had waged a major and successful campaign against Ethiopia
- The scepter reminded him that he had all kinds of abilities
- His disability was, that that was no longer his identity
- He now had a shepherd’s staff
- What was in our past?
- We may have used to be very successful in our life before we were humbled by our addictions
- We may have used to be a top chef, or a successful carpenter, or maybe we used to teach at college, or we used to pastor a church, or lead a small group
- Our problem is that that was in the past. It is no longer in our present
- We have moved on in life, to places we wish we had never gone
- Our addictions have brought us down, and we feel we are no longer able to be of any value to anyone
- God says to us, what is that in your hand? He does not ask what it used to represent
- He does not ask, where have you come from, what have your past achievements been
- God asks what is that in your hand, today
What can God do with our present abilities?
- God was not ignoring Moses’ ability to lead people, his dedication to a task, his being educated in the court of Pharaoh
- God had a plan for Moses which would involve all his past experience
- But first of all, Moses had to focus on his present abilities, where he was right now
- Right now he was a lowly shepherd
- Isa 66:2 - This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
- 1 Cor 1:27-29 - But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
- 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are,
- 29 so that no one may boast before him
- Eph 3:20-21 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
- 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
- God is able to use the little ability we may have, and use it in a big way
- Remember the lady in Elijah’s day, who had a little cruze of oil
- God was able to multiply it
- God was only limited by the number of jars she brought to be filled
- The only limitation on what God can do through us, is the limitation we set on him
- Moses could not see beyond the shepherd’s rod in his hand
- But God had a bigger plan for him, to be the shepherd for a whole nation of ex-slaves
- The journey starts with being humble and recognizing our own inability to do anything hugely worthwhile
- Even Jesus said, “By mysef I can do nothing” – Jn 5:30
- He tells us in John 15:5 - “apart from me you can do nothing“
- It is only as we submit what we have in the present to Him, that he can make something useful out of it
- But when we do, there is no limit to what he can do
Conclusion
- As we consider where our life may be going, don’t focus on the past, whether good or bad
- Also, don’t be all focused on the future
- There is a place for planning and preparation and goals
- But keep your focus on the present, where you are today
- God is asking you, what do you have in your hand, right now
- This is what he wants to use, for his glory
- He will make it work, he will multiply the effect and impact
- He will make your life worthwhile
- Trust God that he will do it
- Zech 4:6 – 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty
Date - May 31, 2009
Text - Ex 4:1-5
Introduction
- We often have a low estimation of what God could do with our lives
- We do not recognize the gifts he has given us
- And I am not even necessarily talking about our spiritual gifts
- “Margaret Storm Jameson, the English author, once expressed the view that we all spend too much time living in the past, feeling regret for lost joys or shame for things badly done.
- “Even when our minds turn to the future, she said, we spend an inordinate amount of time longing for it or dreading it.
- "The only way to live," she said, "is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle . . .
- “Work at your work. Play at your play. Shed your tears. Enjoy your laughter. Now is the time of your life." - Bits and Pieces, July, 1991
- Exodus 4:1-4
- God was telling Moses personally he was sending him to lead 6 million people out of slavery
- What an awesome task!
- But Moses did not feel adequate to the job
- He continued to come up with excuses even after God provided answers to each one, and eventually God even got angry at him!
- Moses had to learn that God could use anything for his glory
What are our abilities?
- God says to Moses, what’s that in your hand
- Moses has to say, a rod
- A rod identified Moses
- It meant he was a shepherd, who went around the desert with a bunch of smelly animals
- It meant he had a profession, even if it was lowly
- It meant he married a shepherd girl, Zipporah
- I am sure that Moses did not see his job as the ultimate in job satisfaction
- But it paid the bills, and under the circumstances, it kept him under the radar of the Egyptian FBI
- He used to be the heir-apparent of Egypt
- But his identity was now symbolized by that shepherd’s rod
- God said, what is that in your hand
- So what is in our hand?
- What are the abilities we have right now?
- Not, what did we used to be able to do, or what could we become with a lot of hard work
- God says what do you have in your hand, right now
- Right now, what you have in you hand is that you are clean and sober
- Right now, you have friendships and relationships with brothers and sisters who are making the journey with you
- Right now, you are learning perseverance, putting down the desires of the flesh and aligning yourself with God’s will and purpose
- These are your present abilities
Does God care about our past?
- For Moses, the rod also represented a former identity
- It represented times gone by, times of success
- The shepherd’s rod reminded him of the scepter he used to wield as the prince of Egypt, educated in the ways of the court
- He had been the general of Egypt’s armies and had waged a major and successful campaign against Ethiopia
- The scepter reminded him that he had all kinds of abilities
- His disability was, that that was no longer his identity
- He now had a shepherd’s staff
- What was in our past?
- We may have used to be very successful in our life before we were humbled by our addictions
- We may have used to be a top chef, or a successful carpenter, or maybe we used to teach at college, or we used to pastor a church, or lead a small group
- Our problem is that that was in the past. It is no longer in our present
- We have moved on in life, to places we wish we had never gone
- Our addictions have brought us down, and we feel we are no longer able to be of any value to anyone
- God says to us, what is that in your hand? He does not ask what it used to represent
- He does not ask, where have you come from, what have your past achievements been
- God asks what is that in your hand, today
What can God do with our present abilities?
- God was not ignoring Moses’ ability to lead people, his dedication to a task, his being educated in the court of Pharaoh
- God had a plan for Moses which would involve all his past experience
- But first of all, Moses had to focus on his present abilities, where he was right now
- Right now he was a lowly shepherd
- Isa 66:2 - This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
- 1 Cor 1:27-29 - But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
- 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are,
- 29 so that no one may boast before him
- Eph 3:20-21 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
- 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
- God is able to use the little ability we may have, and use it in a big way
- Remember the lady in Elijah’s day, who had a little cruze of oil
- God was able to multiply it
- God was only limited by the number of jars she brought to be filled
- The only limitation on what God can do through us, is the limitation we set on him
- Moses could not see beyond the shepherd’s rod in his hand
- But God had a bigger plan for him, to be the shepherd for a whole nation of ex-slaves
- The journey starts with being humble and recognizing our own inability to do anything hugely worthwhile
- Even Jesus said, “By mysef I can do nothing” – Jn 5:30
- He tells us in John 15:5 - “apart from me you can do nothing“
- It is only as we submit what we have in the present to Him, that he can make something useful out of it
- But when we do, there is no limit to what he can do
Conclusion
- As we consider where our life may be going, don’t focus on the past, whether good or bad
- Also, don’t be all focused on the future
- There is a place for planning and preparation and goals
- But keep your focus on the present, where you are today
- God is asking you, what do you have in your hand, right now
- This is what he wants to use, for his glory
- He will make it work, he will multiply the effect and impact
- He will make your life worthwhile
- Trust God that he will do it
- Zech 4:6 – 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Facing Your Giants - 1 Samuel 17:28-50
Title: Facing your giants
Date: May 21, 2009
Text: 1 Samuel 17:28-50
Introduction
- In 19467 San Francisco's Potrero Hill was a real ghetto.
- That year was the year Oren was born.
- Rickets, a poverty-related disease actually caused by malnutrition, was Oren's major problem.
- His vitamin-mineral deficient diet caused his bones to soften. His legs began to bow under the weight of his growing body.
- Even though the family was too poor to afford braces, Oren's mom refused to sit back, sigh, and resign herself to the inevitable.
- She rolled up her sleeves and took charge. She rigged up a homemade contraption in hopes of correcting her son's pigeon-toed, bowlegged condition.
- How? By reversing his shoes! Right shoe, left foot; left shoe, right foot; plus an improvised metal bar across the shoe tops to keep his feet pointing straight.
- It didn't work perfectly, but it was good enough to keep the boy on his feet and ultimately able to play with his buddies.
- By the time he was about six years of age, his bones had hardened, his legs were still slightly bowed, his calves were unusually thin, and his head was disproportionately large.
- Nicknames from other kids followed him around: "Pencil-legs," "Waterhead"; but he refused to let all that hold him back.
- He compensated by acting tough. Street gangs on Potrero Hill were common: the Gladiators, Sheiks, Roman Gents, Persian Warriors.
- By age thirteen Oren had fought and won his way to being president of the Gladiators.
- For all the fighting, he was arrested only three times; that was the crowning achievement of his early youth.
- Those who don't know his background could easily think he got all the breaks. As they look at him today and see this fine and refined gentleman, they would assume he's always been wealthy.
- He lives in the exclusive Brentwood district of Los Angeles, drives a luxurious car, and has his elegant office in an elite bank building.
- He is now a busy executive with his own production company.
- He personally handles most of his own financial affairs and business negotiations.
- He has contracts with the media and various entertainment firms and agencies.
- In today's terms, Oren has it made. That plush office with the name on the door belongs to Orenthal James Simpson. Yes, none other than O.J. Simpson
- We all have obstacles to face
- Some will be large, some will be small
- But if we want to win, we will have to face them
- David had to face a giant
- 1 Sam 17:28-50
There is a time to face our giants
- Verse 28-32
- David starts this day like any other
- He gets up in the morning the same as he always does
- Little does he know that this day he is going to be facing the biggest crisis of his life
- Giants are like that, they pop up when we least expect them
- David’s brothers have been gone from home for 40 days, in Saul’s army
- Jesse sends David, the youngest son to see how they are doing, they didn’t have the 10 o’clock news back then
- David reaches his brothers and starts talking with them
- Suddenly, the giant Goliath comes out and mocks the Israelite army
- Davids day just changed
- Suddenly he is faced with a situation
- He has no idea how to deal with it
- But he knows he must act
- This moment did not come by accident
- We need to understand that giants don’t just show up; their appearance is well timed.
- From our perspective, they just appear. But, from God’s perspective, they are all part of His perfect plan for us.
- If we could ever grasp the truth that nothing comes our way apart from the will of God, it would change our attitude toward the giants of life.
- Rom. 8:28, Psa. 37:23
- Recognize that God is in control of your life
- He knows what is happening, and he either caused it, or allowed it to happen
- So we are not standing alone in this situation
There is a time to trust our God
- Verse 33-39
- When we recognize that God is in charge, we can also allow him to work the situation out
- David had experienced God’s taking care of him a number of times
- He had fought a lion and a bear and had won
- He could look back at his experience and see that God had been in control of those situations
- David knew God was backing him up and he could trust God to come through
- He did not trust in armour or all kinds of defensive manoevering
- He trusted that God was going to fight his battle
- Remember, God did not save you for some giant to destroy
- Phil 1:6
- 2 Tim 1:12
- God is able to take you through your trial, whatever it may be
- God is not going to change his mind halfway through and give up on you or leave you to your own devices
- God is a God who does not change
- Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8
- God has the power to part the Red Sea, to multiply the loaves and fishes, to raise Lazarus from the dead, to heal the blind and the lame and the epileptic
- He can also take care of your situation, however big it may seem to you
There is a time to take the giant
- verse 40-50
- There is a time when our talking needs to stop and we take action
- We may be able to quote verses from the Bible, but it is when we step out in faith and trust, that put our money where our mouth is
- We talk about God providing for us and we may quote Phil 4:19
- We talk about God be ing in control and quote Rom 8:28
- But there comes a moment when action is required
- David did this by
- Placing his trust in God
- Believing that he can do everything he has ever done
- Then he marched into the valley, faced his giant, and started slinging his rocks
- David took more than one stone
- He was determined not to give up
- If the first one did not work, the next one would
Conclusion
- God created us to be giant-killers
- Gods intention for us is that we overcome the enemy
- Jesus went before us and conquered the enemy, we too do battle with him
- And Gods purpose is that we win
- The giant may be our addiction, or our anxiety, or our depression
- Maybe our giant is our lack of trust
- Ultimately it is about going out there and doing battle, trusting that God will make up for our deficiencies
- Luke 12:32
Date: May 21, 2009
Text: 1 Samuel 17:28-50
Introduction
- In 19467 San Francisco's Potrero Hill was a real ghetto.
- That year was the year Oren was born.
- Rickets, a poverty-related disease actually caused by malnutrition, was Oren's major problem.
- His vitamin-mineral deficient diet caused his bones to soften. His legs began to bow under the weight of his growing body.
- Even though the family was too poor to afford braces, Oren's mom refused to sit back, sigh, and resign herself to the inevitable.
- She rolled up her sleeves and took charge. She rigged up a homemade contraption in hopes of correcting her son's pigeon-toed, bowlegged condition.
- How? By reversing his shoes! Right shoe, left foot; left shoe, right foot; plus an improvised metal bar across the shoe tops to keep his feet pointing straight.
- It didn't work perfectly, but it was good enough to keep the boy on his feet and ultimately able to play with his buddies.
- By the time he was about six years of age, his bones had hardened, his legs were still slightly bowed, his calves were unusually thin, and his head was disproportionately large.
- Nicknames from other kids followed him around: "Pencil-legs," "Waterhead"; but he refused to let all that hold him back.
- He compensated by acting tough. Street gangs on Potrero Hill were common: the Gladiators, Sheiks, Roman Gents, Persian Warriors.
- By age thirteen Oren had fought and won his way to being president of the Gladiators.
- For all the fighting, he was arrested only three times; that was the crowning achievement of his early youth.
- Those who don't know his background could easily think he got all the breaks. As they look at him today and see this fine and refined gentleman, they would assume he's always been wealthy.
- He lives in the exclusive Brentwood district of Los Angeles, drives a luxurious car, and has his elegant office in an elite bank building.
- He is now a busy executive with his own production company.
- He personally handles most of his own financial affairs and business negotiations.
- He has contracts with the media and various entertainment firms and agencies.
- In today's terms, Oren has it made. That plush office with the name on the door belongs to Orenthal James Simpson. Yes, none other than O.J. Simpson
- We all have obstacles to face
- Some will be large, some will be small
- But if we want to win, we will have to face them
- David had to face a giant
- 1 Sam 17:28-50
There is a time to face our giants
- Verse 28-32
- David starts this day like any other
- He gets up in the morning the same as he always does
- Little does he know that this day he is going to be facing the biggest crisis of his life
- Giants are like that, they pop up when we least expect them
- David’s brothers have been gone from home for 40 days, in Saul’s army
- Jesse sends David, the youngest son to see how they are doing, they didn’t have the 10 o’clock news back then
- David reaches his brothers and starts talking with them
- Suddenly, the giant Goliath comes out and mocks the Israelite army
- Davids day just changed
- Suddenly he is faced with a situation
- He has no idea how to deal with it
- But he knows he must act
- This moment did not come by accident
- We need to understand that giants don’t just show up; their appearance is well timed.
- From our perspective, they just appear. But, from God’s perspective, they are all part of His perfect plan for us.
- If we could ever grasp the truth that nothing comes our way apart from the will of God, it would change our attitude toward the giants of life.
- Rom. 8:28, Psa. 37:23
- Recognize that God is in control of your life
- He knows what is happening, and he either caused it, or allowed it to happen
- So we are not standing alone in this situation
There is a time to trust our God
- Verse 33-39
- When we recognize that God is in charge, we can also allow him to work the situation out
- David had experienced God’s taking care of him a number of times
- He had fought a lion and a bear and had won
- He could look back at his experience and see that God had been in control of those situations
- David knew God was backing him up and he could trust God to come through
- He did not trust in armour or all kinds of defensive manoevering
- He trusted that God was going to fight his battle
- Remember, God did not save you for some giant to destroy
- Phil 1:6
- 2 Tim 1:12
- God is able to take you through your trial, whatever it may be
- God is not going to change his mind halfway through and give up on you or leave you to your own devices
- God is a God who does not change
- Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8
- God has the power to part the Red Sea, to multiply the loaves and fishes, to raise Lazarus from the dead, to heal the blind and the lame and the epileptic
- He can also take care of your situation, however big it may seem to you
There is a time to take the giant
- verse 40-50
- There is a time when our talking needs to stop and we take action
- We may be able to quote verses from the Bible, but it is when we step out in faith and trust, that put our money where our mouth is
- We talk about God providing for us and we may quote Phil 4:19
- We talk about God be ing in control and quote Rom 8:28
- But there comes a moment when action is required
- David did this by
- Placing his trust in God
- Believing that he can do everything he has ever done
- Then he marched into the valley, faced his giant, and started slinging his rocks
- David took more than one stone
- He was determined not to give up
- If the first one did not work, the next one would
Conclusion
- God created us to be giant-killers
- Gods intention for us is that we overcome the enemy
- Jesus went before us and conquered the enemy, we too do battle with him
- And Gods purpose is that we win
- The giant may be our addiction, or our anxiety, or our depression
- Maybe our giant is our lack of trust
- Ultimately it is about going out there and doing battle, trusting that God will make up for our deficiencies
- Luke 12:32
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Search for Contentment - 1 Timothy 6:1-10
Title: Search for contentment
Date: May 12, 2009
Text: 1 Timothy 6:1-10
Introduction
- Philip Parham tells the story of a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat.
- "Why aren't you out there fishing?" he asked.
- "Because I've caught enough fish for today," said the fisherman.
- "Why don't you catch more fish than you need?' the rich man asked.
- "What would I do with them?"
- "You could earn more money," came the impatient reply, "and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish.
- You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you'd have a fleet of boats and be rich like me."
- The fisherman asked, "Then what would I do?"
"You could sit down and enjoy life," said the industrialist.
- "What do you think I'm doing now?" the fisherman replied as he looked placidly out to sea.
- Today we are going to talk about the subject of contentment
- Timothy was a young man when Paul asked him to join him in his missions work
- Eventually, Timothy was appointed the pastor of the church in Ephesus
- Paul wrote down some pointers for Timothy to remember, while taking care of the church
Contentment with our job (1 Tim 1-2)
- People who got into debt, could go into slavery to pay off that debt
- This does not mean they would be a slave forever, when the debt was paid off, they would be released
- You could buy a slave out of their slavery
- This was called redeeming the slave
- As a slave, you could have a good boss or a bad one
- If you have a bad boss, Paul says to still respect him, so that God’s name would not be slandered
- Ultimately, we have a higher boss, than our employer
- The way we work reflects on our Christian reputation
- When we work, we are really working for our higher boss, God
- Col 3:22
- Eph 6:6
- Paul’s point in these verses is to say that we should be working as though we are working for God
- We are known to be Christians
- Our behavior as an employee should not bring disrepute on Jesus
- You might be the only real Christian your boss has ever met, and how you treat your boss, how you do your job, and how you interact with your co-workers all communicate your commitment to Jesus Christ
- Paul also says that if we work for a good boss, a Christian, we should really work even harder for them, not taking advantage of their Christianity
- Sometimes people are slower to pay their bills to Christian suppliers or contractors, taking advantage of their Christian relationship
- Only, when we take advantage of them, we are not being Christian
- This is not God’s way
- There are lots of Christian business owners who prefer to not hire fellow Christians.
- The reason is that often a Christian employee thinks that he or she doesn’t have to work as hard, that they’ll get special breaks because they share a common faith with the boss
- In our employment relationships, do everything in a way that would please God
Contentment with our faith (3-5)
- There are genuine Christians who’ve grown dissatisfied with his or her Christian faith.
- I don’t mean that we should be content with who we are, we should always be growing as Christians
- “Be content with what you have, never with what you are”
- But we can become complacent in our faith
- This happens especially with people raised in Christian homes, people who’ve heard all the Bible stories since they were preschoolers.
- They’ve heard dozens of sermons on every Christian theme. For many of these people, familiarity has bred contempt.
- To spice things up, they can get all twiggy
- Instead of sticking with the trunk of the tree, they go off on the twigs, the non-essentials
- They develop their own pet theories about things, instead of sticking to the main message of Christianity
- Be content with what God is teaching you
- If it does not appear exciting, any more, ask God to give you back your first love
- Rev 2:4-5
- When we go off on interesting tangents and doctrines, we are ripe for being sidetracked into cultic ideas, and can lose out on what God is doing in our lives
- This can also lead to us losing focus entirely, and doing our ministry for the sake of profit
- Stick to the trunk of the tree
Contentment with our income 6-10
- Here Paul is telling that we should be satisfied with what God has given us
- Take care of it, maintain it, be thankful for it
- God is intimately involved in our life, he knows all that is happening to us
- He desires us to learn to trust him, and so we go through times when we may not be as well off as we would like
- But these times will probably be followed by times of blessing
- Prov 30:8-9
- "Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor." - Benjamin Franklin
- I heard about a rich man who was determined to take his wealth with him (Russell 88). He told his wife to get all his money together, put it in a sack, and then hang the sack from the rafters in the attic. He said, "When my spirit is caught up to heaven, I’ll grab the sack on my way." Well he eventually died, and the woman raced to the attic, only to find the money still there. She said, "I knew I should’ve put the sack in the basement."
- It’s been said, "Money will buy you a bed but not sleep. It will buy you books but not intelligence, food but not an appetite, a house but not a home, medicine but not health, amusement but not happiness, religion but not salvation--[money will buy you] a passport to anywhere in the world except to heaven."
- What’s most important in your today? Is it the value of your stocks or the kind of car you drive? Is it the amount of money you spend on your kids at Christmas?
- Or is it the quality of your relationships? Is it knowing that God loves you deeply and has rescued you from sin by bringing you to Jesus? What is most important?
Date: May 12, 2009
Text: 1 Timothy 6:1-10
Introduction
- Philip Parham tells the story of a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat.
- "Why aren't you out there fishing?" he asked.
- "Because I've caught enough fish for today," said the fisherman.
- "Why don't you catch more fish than you need?' the rich man asked.
- "What would I do with them?"
- "You could earn more money," came the impatient reply, "and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish.
- You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you'd have a fleet of boats and be rich like me."
- The fisherman asked, "Then what would I do?"
"You could sit down and enjoy life," said the industrialist.
- "What do you think I'm doing now?" the fisherman replied as he looked placidly out to sea.
- Today we are going to talk about the subject of contentment
- Timothy was a young man when Paul asked him to join him in his missions work
- Eventually, Timothy was appointed the pastor of the church in Ephesus
- Paul wrote down some pointers for Timothy to remember, while taking care of the church
Contentment with our job (1 Tim 1-2)
- People who got into debt, could go into slavery to pay off that debt
- This does not mean they would be a slave forever, when the debt was paid off, they would be released
- You could buy a slave out of their slavery
- This was called redeeming the slave
- As a slave, you could have a good boss or a bad one
- If you have a bad boss, Paul says to still respect him, so that God’s name would not be slandered
- Ultimately, we have a higher boss, than our employer
- The way we work reflects on our Christian reputation
- When we work, we are really working for our higher boss, God
- Col 3:22
- Eph 6:6
- Paul’s point in these verses is to say that we should be working as though we are working for God
- We are known to be Christians
- Our behavior as an employee should not bring disrepute on Jesus
- You might be the only real Christian your boss has ever met, and how you treat your boss, how you do your job, and how you interact with your co-workers all communicate your commitment to Jesus Christ
- Paul also says that if we work for a good boss, a Christian, we should really work even harder for them, not taking advantage of their Christianity
- Sometimes people are slower to pay their bills to Christian suppliers or contractors, taking advantage of their Christian relationship
- Only, when we take advantage of them, we are not being Christian
- This is not God’s way
- There are lots of Christian business owners who prefer to not hire fellow Christians.
- The reason is that often a Christian employee thinks that he or she doesn’t have to work as hard, that they’ll get special breaks because they share a common faith with the boss
- In our employment relationships, do everything in a way that would please God
Contentment with our faith (3-5)
- There are genuine Christians who’ve grown dissatisfied with his or her Christian faith.
- I don’t mean that we should be content with who we are, we should always be growing as Christians
- “Be content with what you have, never with what you are”
- But we can become complacent in our faith
- This happens especially with people raised in Christian homes, people who’ve heard all the Bible stories since they were preschoolers.
- They’ve heard dozens of sermons on every Christian theme. For many of these people, familiarity has bred contempt.
- To spice things up, they can get all twiggy
- Instead of sticking with the trunk of the tree, they go off on the twigs, the non-essentials
- They develop their own pet theories about things, instead of sticking to the main message of Christianity
- Be content with what God is teaching you
- If it does not appear exciting, any more, ask God to give you back your first love
- Rev 2:4-5
- When we go off on interesting tangents and doctrines, we are ripe for being sidetracked into cultic ideas, and can lose out on what God is doing in our lives
- This can also lead to us losing focus entirely, and doing our ministry for the sake of profit
- Stick to the trunk of the tree
Contentment with our income 6-10
- Here Paul is telling that we should be satisfied with what God has given us
- Take care of it, maintain it, be thankful for it
- God is intimately involved in our life, he knows all that is happening to us
- He desires us to learn to trust him, and so we go through times when we may not be as well off as we would like
- But these times will probably be followed by times of blessing
- Prov 30:8-9
- "Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor." - Benjamin Franklin
- I heard about a rich man who was determined to take his wealth with him (Russell 88). He told his wife to get all his money together, put it in a sack, and then hang the sack from the rafters in the attic. He said, "When my spirit is caught up to heaven, I’ll grab the sack on my way." Well he eventually died, and the woman raced to the attic, only to find the money still there. She said, "I knew I should’ve put the sack in the basement."
- It’s been said, "Money will buy you a bed but not sleep. It will buy you books but not intelligence, food but not an appetite, a house but not a home, medicine but not health, amusement but not happiness, religion but not salvation--[money will buy you] a passport to anywhere in the world except to heaven."
- What’s most important in your today? Is it the value of your stocks or the kind of car you drive? Is it the amount of money you spend on your kids at Christmas?
- Or is it the quality of your relationships? Is it knowing that God loves you deeply and has rescued you from sin by bringing you to Jesus? What is most important?
Saturday, May 9, 2009
The Role of a Mother - Luke 2:39-52
The Role of a Mother
Date: May 9, 2009
Text: Luke 2:39-52
Introduction
- Mother’s Day is a day we remember our mothers
- This may be a happy day for us, or it may have some sadder overtones to it
- Your mother may have passed away, and you miss her
- You may have bad memories of your mother - the Bible records a few of those
- You may have longed to be a mother and were not able
- Maybe you are a mother but are not able to have contact with your children
- So we may have different perceptions on this day
- This sermon today is not just for the ladies in our program, but also for the guys
- We are going to examine some of the roles that mothers play
- “For the hand that rocks the cradle, Is the hand that rules the world” - William Ross Wallace (1819-1881)
Women in the Bible
- Miriam who led the people in praising God after the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 15:21),
- Ruth who put God first and became the ancestress of King David (Ruth 1:16;4:17),
- Deborah, a judge in Israel (Judges 5), who was known as a “mother in Israel”
- Hannah who 'lent to the Lord' the child of her prayers (1Sam 1:28),
- Esther who took her life in her hands to plead for her doomed people,
- The widow whose obedience sustained the prophet Elijah (1Kings 17:9-16),
- The captive maid who told Naaman's wife of the man of God who could cure Naaman of his leprosy (2Kings 5:2-4),
- The woman who anointed Jesus with the expensive ointment (Mk14:3),
- The poor widow's gift of two mites which won Jesus' praise (Mk 12:43),
- Mary who gave birth to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Luke 1:28),
- Martha who served and Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:38-42),
- Mary Magdalene who brought spices to anoint Jesus, who first greeted the risen Lord and who received the first commission -'Go tell' (Jn 20:17-18; Mk 16:9),
- Lydia one of the first converts in Macedonia (Acts 16:14),
- Dorcas - full of good works (Acts 9:36),
- Phebe & Priscilla - servants of the church (Ro 16:1-4),
- Lois and Eunice who had sincere faith (2Tim 1:5),
- Persis 'the beloved' and Tryphena and Tryphosa who laboured for the Lord (Romans 16:12).
Women are equal with men
- Many of these women were women of responsibility
- Women in the Bible were not incapable, or second-rate citizens
- They led the nation, they brought their children up to be God-fearing adults, they showed great courage, they taught the Word, they exercised faith, they served the church and the people around them
- Down thru history, women have been relegated to the back seat
- Christianity has lifted women to equality with men
- Jesus honored women in his teachings
- Women were not playthings to be disposed of or divorced when a man tired of them – marriage is for life
- Paul tells us in Gal 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
- Lord Shaftesbury - 'Give me a generation of Christian mothers, and I will undertake to change the whole face of society in twelve months.'
- Women have a profound influence on the course of history, through the way in which they raise their children
-
The role of the mother
- The influence of a mother in her home upon the lives of her children cannot be measured.
- The mother-infant bond is an intense relationship of unparalleled human affection.
- It is the foundation of the child's emotional and physical survival.
- Psychologists say that the bonding of baby with mother in the first few minutes of life is vital for the stability of the child and that that bonding through childhood has greater importance than the input the father has at that time.
- The mother provides an atmosphere of protection and care
- The mother teaches the young child skills it needs as it grows up
- The mother is usually more accessible to the child and the one to whom it will go when faced with hurt or danger or uncertainty
- As the young child is developing, the mother’s role is totally important
The role of the father
- This does not mean the dad’s role is unimportant
- When the child reaches adolescence the mother's role diminishes and the father’s role becomes vitally important.
- He helps to affirm his son in his manhood, in a type of informal initiation.
- The Jewish culture places importance on the Bar-mitzva
- But the father 's role with his daughter is also of great importance as the adolescent girl grows up.
- She desperately needs to hear from her father that she is attractive and capable.
- She trusts her dad and it is essential that the dad affirms and values and protects his daughter
- When daughters have not had this male affirmation, they will seek it elsewhere, and this can have disastrous consequences
- God’s intention is that both the father and the mother work together in the upbringing of their children
The mother’s role can be painful
- Part of the role of a mother is to nurture the young child during its early years
- During this time the child needs the close bond that exists between a mother and her child
- The mother provides the protective environment the child needs in which to grow up
- As the child grows up, it starts to develop in its independence
- The father is more important in helping the adolescent child grow up into adulthood
- As the child grows up and eventually leaves home, the mother wants to keep that bond with her child intact
- This is why it is so painful for mothers when their children leave the nest
- Our children have been lent to us for just a short time, then they will go and start a family of their own
The single parent family
- Now not all of us have a marriage where both partners are present, where the child grows up with both a mom and dad
- Where the father is not present, the mother has to play both roles
- She has had to be there for the child, usually at the same time as holding down a job to provide for the family
- She nurtures and has to be there for the child, whatever things may happen
- As the child grows up and becomes an adolescent, she now needs to add to her mother role, that of the father as well
- She has to teach the child to stand on its own two feet, to be responsible and become an adult
- This involves a letting go of the reins
- It is an enormous challenge to be a single parent
- It can be done, but it requires enormous wisdom to help our children grow up to be dependable, responsible adults.
A Mother’s Creed
A Mother’s Creed
- I will worry less about my children and trust God more.
- I will commit them into the Lord's care
- I will love my children unconditionally and let them know I do.
- I will believe in them constantly and encourage them often.
- I will pray for them daily.
- I will teach them responsibility for their own actions.
- I will try to be an example of godliness, but I will be unafraid to let them see my faults.
- I will give them generous doses of laughter, interspersed with fun.
- I will release them when they are grown but they will always be my own.
A MOTHERS' DAY CREED
- I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who was born of the promise to a virgin named Mary.
- I believe in the love Mary gave her Son, that caused her to follow him in his ministry and stand by his cross as he died.
- I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children they bear.
- It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside.
- It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.
- I believe that this love, even at its best, is only the shadow love of God, a dark reflection of all that we expect of him in this life and the next.
- And I believe that one of the most beautiful sights in the world is a mother who lets this greater love flow through her to her child, blessing the world with the tenderness of her touch and the tears of her joy.
- Thank God for mothers, and thank mothers for helping us understand God!
Date: May 9, 2009
Text: Luke 2:39-52
Introduction
- Mother’s Day is a day we remember our mothers
- This may be a happy day for us, or it may have some sadder overtones to it
- Your mother may have passed away, and you miss her
- You may have bad memories of your mother - the Bible records a few of those
- You may have longed to be a mother and were not able
- Maybe you are a mother but are not able to have contact with your children
- So we may have different perceptions on this day
- This sermon today is not just for the ladies in our program, but also for the guys
- We are going to examine some of the roles that mothers play
- “For the hand that rocks the cradle, Is the hand that rules the world” - William Ross Wallace (1819-1881)
Women in the Bible
- Miriam who led the people in praising God after the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 15:21),
- Ruth who put God first and became the ancestress of King David (Ruth 1:16;4:17),
- Deborah, a judge in Israel (Judges 5), who was known as a “mother in Israel”
- Hannah who 'lent to the Lord' the child of her prayers (1Sam 1:28),
- Esther who took her life in her hands to plead for her doomed people,
- The widow whose obedience sustained the prophet Elijah (1Kings 17:9-16),
- The captive maid who told Naaman's wife of the man of God who could cure Naaman of his leprosy (2Kings 5:2-4),
- The woman who anointed Jesus with the expensive ointment (Mk14:3),
- The poor widow's gift of two mites which won Jesus' praise (Mk 12:43),
- Mary who gave birth to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Luke 1:28),
- Martha who served and Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:38-42),
- Mary Magdalene who brought spices to anoint Jesus, who first greeted the risen Lord and who received the first commission -'Go tell' (Jn 20:17-18; Mk 16:9),
- Lydia one of the first converts in Macedonia (Acts 16:14),
- Dorcas - full of good works (Acts 9:36),
- Phebe & Priscilla - servants of the church (Ro 16:1-4),
- Lois and Eunice who had sincere faith (2Tim 1:5),
- Persis 'the beloved' and Tryphena and Tryphosa who laboured for the Lord (Romans 16:12).
Women are equal with men
- Many of these women were women of responsibility
- Women in the Bible were not incapable, or second-rate citizens
- They led the nation, they brought their children up to be God-fearing adults, they showed great courage, they taught the Word, they exercised faith, they served the church and the people around them
- Down thru history, women have been relegated to the back seat
- Christianity has lifted women to equality with men
- Jesus honored women in his teachings
- Women were not playthings to be disposed of or divorced when a man tired of them – marriage is for life
- Paul tells us in Gal 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
- Lord Shaftesbury - 'Give me a generation of Christian mothers, and I will undertake to change the whole face of society in twelve months.'
- Women have a profound influence on the course of history, through the way in which they raise their children
-
The role of the mother
- The influence of a mother in her home upon the lives of her children cannot be measured.
- The mother-infant bond is an intense relationship of unparalleled human affection.
- It is the foundation of the child's emotional and physical survival.
- Psychologists say that the bonding of baby with mother in the first few minutes of life is vital for the stability of the child and that that bonding through childhood has greater importance than the input the father has at that time.
- The mother provides an atmosphere of protection and care
- The mother teaches the young child skills it needs as it grows up
- The mother is usually more accessible to the child and the one to whom it will go when faced with hurt or danger or uncertainty
- As the young child is developing, the mother’s role is totally important
The role of the father
- This does not mean the dad’s role is unimportant
- When the child reaches adolescence the mother's role diminishes and the father’s role becomes vitally important.
- He helps to affirm his son in his manhood, in a type of informal initiation.
- The Jewish culture places importance on the Bar-mitzva
- But the father 's role with his daughter is also of great importance as the adolescent girl grows up.
- She desperately needs to hear from her father that she is attractive and capable.
- She trusts her dad and it is essential that the dad affirms and values and protects his daughter
- When daughters have not had this male affirmation, they will seek it elsewhere, and this can have disastrous consequences
- God’s intention is that both the father and the mother work together in the upbringing of their children
The mother’s role can be painful
- Part of the role of a mother is to nurture the young child during its early years
- During this time the child needs the close bond that exists between a mother and her child
- The mother provides the protective environment the child needs in which to grow up
- As the child grows up, it starts to develop in its independence
- The father is more important in helping the adolescent child grow up into adulthood
- As the child grows up and eventually leaves home, the mother wants to keep that bond with her child intact
- This is why it is so painful for mothers when their children leave the nest
- Our children have been lent to us for just a short time, then they will go and start a family of their own
The single parent family
- Now not all of us have a marriage where both partners are present, where the child grows up with both a mom and dad
- Where the father is not present, the mother has to play both roles
- She has had to be there for the child, usually at the same time as holding down a job to provide for the family
- She nurtures and has to be there for the child, whatever things may happen
- As the child grows up and becomes an adolescent, she now needs to add to her mother role, that of the father as well
- She has to teach the child to stand on its own two feet, to be responsible and become an adult
- This involves a letting go of the reins
- It is an enormous challenge to be a single parent
- It can be done, but it requires enormous wisdom to help our children grow up to be dependable, responsible adults.
A Mother’s Creed
A Mother’s Creed
- I will worry less about my children and trust God more.
- I will commit them into the Lord's care
- I will love my children unconditionally and let them know I do.
- I will believe in them constantly and encourage them often.
- I will pray for them daily.
- I will teach them responsibility for their own actions.
- I will try to be an example of godliness, but I will be unafraid to let them see my faults.
- I will give them generous doses of laughter, interspersed with fun.
- I will release them when they are grown but they will always be my own.
A MOTHERS' DAY CREED
- I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who was born of the promise to a virgin named Mary.
- I believe in the love Mary gave her Son, that caused her to follow him in his ministry and stand by his cross as he died.
- I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children they bear.
- It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside.
- It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.
- I believe that this love, even at its best, is only the shadow love of God, a dark reflection of all that we expect of him in this life and the next.
- And I believe that one of the most beautiful sights in the world is a mother who lets this greater love flow through her to her child, blessing the world with the tenderness of her touch and the tears of her joy.
- Thank God for mothers, and thank mothers for helping us understand God!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Olive Press - Mark 14:32-41
Title: The olive press
Date: March 29, 2009
Text: Mark 14:32-41
Introduction
- Ever been in a hard place
- No hope of making it
- Like chemistry class
Disciples thought they were ready
- Mark 10:35-40
- James and John thought they were up for anything
- Mark 14:27-31
- Peter is told he will deny Jesus 3 times
- All the others said they would never disown Jesus
- How often do we think we have it together
- We can do this thing
- With enough effort I can make it
- But there is a warning for us in Proverbs 16:18
- Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall
- Peter, James and John forgot about that proverb
Jesus knew he couldn’t do it on his own
- He had said previously
- Joh 5:30 – By myself I can do nothing, I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me
- So Jesus was very dependent on the Father
- So now let’s read about what happens in Gethsemane
- Gethsemane was a garden area on the mount of olives, where there were a lot of olive trees. I have been there and have seen these trees.
- Mark 14:32
- Jesus tells the disciples to wait while he goes and prays
- V 33-34
- He takes Peter James and John with him
- He tells them to watch
- Gregoreuo – watch, wake, be vigilant, to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one
- And it was used to describe the posture of a leopard lying in wait.
- It speaks of a certain spiritual posture. And the opposite of this word involves spiritual sleepiness.
- What happens
- Jesus prays and commits the anguish to God
- He knows he cant do it on his own
- Not what I will, but what you will
- V 38 - Jesus wants the disciples to pray not for him, but for themselves
- They weren’t totally tuned in
- It wasn’t just that they didn’t understand what was happening
- They thought they could handle it
- But they couldn’t
- And what is absolutely remarkable that in the midst of his deepest distress, he does come back and check on them three times and he tells them how to avoid failing the test.
- He says to watch and to pray with full reliance on God's Spirit. Jesus is basically saying to those three and he is saying to us, YOU CAN NOT MAKE IT THROUGH GETHSEMANE ON YOUR OWN STRENGTH
- The son and daughter-in-law of an eighty-year old woman were trying to persuade her to come and live with them. "Mom, now that Dad is gone you shouldn't live alone, you should be with us." But the woman resisted, protesting, she said, "No, a thousand times no. I've always said that I would never live with one of my children. It brings on too many problems. It just raises too many issues." The daughter-in-law insisted, "That's true mother, but you're different." The mother-in-law looked at her said, "Yes, I know dear, but you're not."
- We often have an unrealistic idea of our own capabilities
- So we don’t come for help
- That would be a sign of weakness
- The one person we need to go to for help is God, and specifically Jesus
- John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing
- Gethsemane means oil press
- Have you ever seen an oil press?
- The olives get loaded in and then they are squeezed and ground and crushed till the olive is unrecognizable and comes out as olive oil
- What is your trial that you are facing
- What is your insurmountable difficulty
- Is it your anger, foul mouth, your fear
- Is it your addiction
- We can feel that we have it together and that we can lick this problem
- But in reality, without Jesus we are pretty powerless
- God may be calling us in a particular direction, but we feel it is too hard
- And it may well be so, in the flesh
- But with God all things are possible
- And without Jesus we can do nothing
- Maybe our struggle today is in allowing Jesus to come in and fight our battles
- Maybe we smugly feel I dnot need this Jesus thing
- I can do it on my own, in the right environment
- Don’t forget the warning that the disciples ignored
- Pride comes before a fall
- Perhaps someone today is facing a hard decision and think "I can't do it, it's too hard, but God says, "Oh no, you can with my strength, you can do it."
- Maybe this is the day you have to make that choice
- Ask God to help you make that choice, and follow through on it
- With God’s strength we can do it
- The disciples may have failed this test, they all ran away and left Jesus standing alone
- But later on they were filled with the Holy Spirit and a new relationship with Jesus and they stood their ground, even facing matyrdom with courage
- So you cant do it on your own, but you can with God’s help
- Make that choice today
Date: March 29, 2009
Text: Mark 14:32-41
Introduction
- Ever been in a hard place
- No hope of making it
- Like chemistry class
Disciples thought they were ready
- Mark 10:35-40
- James and John thought they were up for anything
- Mark 14:27-31
- Peter is told he will deny Jesus 3 times
- All the others said they would never disown Jesus
- How often do we think we have it together
- We can do this thing
- With enough effort I can make it
- But there is a warning for us in Proverbs 16:18
- Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall
- Peter, James and John forgot about that proverb
Jesus knew he couldn’t do it on his own
- He had said previously
- Joh 5:30 – By myself I can do nothing, I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me
- So Jesus was very dependent on the Father
- So now let’s read about what happens in Gethsemane
- Gethsemane was a garden area on the mount of olives, where there were a lot of olive trees. I have been there and have seen these trees.
- Mark 14:32
- Jesus tells the disciples to wait while he goes and prays
- V 33-34
- He takes Peter James and John with him
- He tells them to watch
- Gregoreuo – watch, wake, be vigilant, to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one
- And it was used to describe the posture of a leopard lying in wait.
- It speaks of a certain spiritual posture. And the opposite of this word involves spiritual sleepiness.
- What happens
- Jesus prays and commits the anguish to God
- He knows he cant do it on his own
- Not what I will, but what you will
- V 38 - Jesus wants the disciples to pray not for him, but for themselves
- They weren’t totally tuned in
- It wasn’t just that they didn’t understand what was happening
- They thought they could handle it
- But they couldn’t
- And what is absolutely remarkable that in the midst of his deepest distress, he does come back and check on them three times and he tells them how to avoid failing the test.
- He says to watch and to pray with full reliance on God's Spirit. Jesus is basically saying to those three and he is saying to us, YOU CAN NOT MAKE IT THROUGH GETHSEMANE ON YOUR OWN STRENGTH
- The son and daughter-in-law of an eighty-year old woman were trying to persuade her to come and live with them. "Mom, now that Dad is gone you shouldn't live alone, you should be with us." But the woman resisted, protesting, she said, "No, a thousand times no. I've always said that I would never live with one of my children. It brings on too many problems. It just raises too many issues." The daughter-in-law insisted, "That's true mother, but you're different." The mother-in-law looked at her said, "Yes, I know dear, but you're not."
- We often have an unrealistic idea of our own capabilities
- So we don’t come for help
- That would be a sign of weakness
- The one person we need to go to for help is God, and specifically Jesus
- John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing
- Gethsemane means oil press
- Have you ever seen an oil press?
- The olives get loaded in and then they are squeezed and ground and crushed till the olive is unrecognizable and comes out as olive oil
- What is your trial that you are facing
- What is your insurmountable difficulty
- Is it your anger, foul mouth, your fear
- Is it your addiction
- We can feel that we have it together and that we can lick this problem
- But in reality, without Jesus we are pretty powerless
- God may be calling us in a particular direction, but we feel it is too hard
- And it may well be so, in the flesh
- But with God all things are possible
- And without Jesus we can do nothing
- Maybe our struggle today is in allowing Jesus to come in and fight our battles
- Maybe we smugly feel I dnot need this Jesus thing
- I can do it on my own, in the right environment
- Don’t forget the warning that the disciples ignored
- Pride comes before a fall
- Perhaps someone today is facing a hard decision and think "I can't do it, it's too hard, but God says, "Oh no, you can with my strength, you can do it."
- Maybe this is the day you have to make that choice
- Ask God to help you make that choice, and follow through on it
- With God’s strength we can do it
- The disciples may have failed this test, they all ran away and left Jesus standing alone
- But later on they were filled with the Holy Spirit and a new relationship with Jesus and they stood their ground, even facing matyrdom with courage
- So you cant do it on your own, but you can with God’s help
- Make that choice today
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Come to Worship - part 2 - Psalm 95:1-11
Title: Let us come to worship – part 2
Date: February 8, 2009
Text: Psalm 95:1-11
Introduction
- Deeply immersed in meditation during a church service, Italian poet Dante Alighieri failed to kneel at the appropriate moment.
- His enemies hurried to the bishop and demanded that Dante be punished for his sacrilege.
- Dante defended himself by saying, "If those who accuse me had had their eyes and minds on God, as I had, they too would have failed to notice events around them, and they most certainly would not have noticed what I was doing."
- Last week we started talking about worship
- We discussed the greatness of God and we also talked about his closeness
- God is here with each one of us that has accepted him into our life
- Today we are going to look at Psalm 95 which leads us into a further discussion about worship
An invitation to worship
- Psa 95:1-5 “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
- Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
- For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
- In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
- The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land”.
- It is an invitation, a privilege, to be allowed into the presence of Almighty God
- This is not a take it or leave it kind of thing
- God is the creator of all things
- He is the one who created the sun which gives us warmth and light
- Did you know that the Sun is by far the largest object in our solar system. It contains 98% of the solar system's total mass.
- It would take 109 Earths to stretch across the Sun, and it would take over one million Earths to "fill up" the Sun if it were hollow
- God created this sun. But this sun is not alone
- Astronomers estimate that there are over 100 billion galaxies or clusters of stars in the universe
- On average, each galaxy has around 100 billion stars
- This means that our sun which is a relatively small star, is only one of 10 thousand billion, billion stars
- That is a 10 with 21 zeros after it
- This one person or being we worship, to whom we sing praise songs, made all of this!
- This demands some respect!!!
- But this person also wants to spend time with us, help us, lead us in ways that are beneficial to us! That is awesome!
Ways to worship
- Psa 95:6-7a “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
- For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”
- There are many ways in which we can worship
- We can worship in silence, just like Dante Alighieri. We can be so absorbed by the closeness and love of God, that we are silent before him
- We can also show emotion in our worship
- Dance
- David was so enthusiastic at the ark being brought to Jerusalem that he danced before the Lord with all his might – have you ever seen people dance the highland fling!
- 2Samuel 6:14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod
- Kneel
- Psa 95:6-7a “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
- We can lift our hands to God
- Psalms 28:2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
- Psalms 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
- Lifting our hands to God is an expression of our desire for closeness with him at particular times in worship
- My own experience with raising hands – was afraid people would see me
- But was really denying God, not doing what I recognized I needed to learn to do, because of fear of people
- My worship is something I want to do with all my heart
- We will cheer at the top of my lungs when someone puts a little leather ball on the ground in a football game
- How much more do I want to be enthusiastic in my worship of this great God who has come so close to us
- Ultimately it does not matter if we raise our hands, kneel or dance
- What counts is what is happening inside
The source of worship
- Psa 95:7b “To day if ye will hear his voice,
- Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
- When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
- Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
- Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.”
- It seem strange that these verses are tacked on to a psalm about worship
- But they are not just tacked on, they mean something
- David is here drawing attention to the rest of our life when we leave this chapel
- The whole of my life should be an expression of the relationship I have with God
- And it is
- When I am close to God, the things I do on a day to day basis will be close to the way God would conduct himself
- And when I am far away from God, that will be evident in my actions, because I will not be as open to being led by the Holy Spirit
- This is why David refers to the ways in which the ancient Israelites messed up – he is encouraging us to not be like that but let our whole life be an expression of worship to the one who made us
- Everything we do can express our worship to God
- Because we are in close relationship with God every moment of the day
- He is here, inside us – can’t get any closer than that
Sing “All the Earth”
- We will now sing a praise song. First of I I would like you to sit and listen to the tune
- Then we will all get up and have an opportunity to worship God from the depths of our being
Prayer
Date: February 8, 2009
Text: Psalm 95:1-11
Introduction
- Deeply immersed in meditation during a church service, Italian poet Dante Alighieri failed to kneel at the appropriate moment.
- His enemies hurried to the bishop and demanded that Dante be punished for his sacrilege.
- Dante defended himself by saying, "If those who accuse me had had their eyes and minds on God, as I had, they too would have failed to notice events around them, and they most certainly would not have noticed what I was doing."
- Last week we started talking about worship
- We discussed the greatness of God and we also talked about his closeness
- God is here with each one of us that has accepted him into our life
- Today we are going to look at Psalm 95 which leads us into a further discussion about worship
An invitation to worship
- Psa 95:1-5 “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
- Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
- For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
- In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
- The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land”.
- It is an invitation, a privilege, to be allowed into the presence of Almighty God
- This is not a take it or leave it kind of thing
- God is the creator of all things
- He is the one who created the sun which gives us warmth and light
- Did you know that the Sun is by far the largest object in our solar system. It contains 98% of the solar system's total mass.
- It would take 109 Earths to stretch across the Sun, and it would take over one million Earths to "fill up" the Sun if it were hollow
- God created this sun. But this sun is not alone
- Astronomers estimate that there are over 100 billion galaxies or clusters of stars in the universe
- On average, each galaxy has around 100 billion stars
- This means that our sun which is a relatively small star, is only one of 10 thousand billion, billion stars
- That is a 10 with 21 zeros after it
- This one person or being we worship, to whom we sing praise songs, made all of this!
- This demands some respect!!!
- But this person also wants to spend time with us, help us, lead us in ways that are beneficial to us! That is awesome!
Ways to worship
- Psa 95:6-7a “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
- For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”
- There are many ways in which we can worship
- We can worship in silence, just like Dante Alighieri. We can be so absorbed by the closeness and love of God, that we are silent before him
- We can also show emotion in our worship
- Dance
- David was so enthusiastic at the ark being brought to Jerusalem that he danced before the Lord with all his might – have you ever seen people dance the highland fling!
- 2Samuel 6:14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod
- Kneel
- Psa 95:6-7a “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
- We can lift our hands to God
- Psalms 28:2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
- Psalms 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
- Lifting our hands to God is an expression of our desire for closeness with him at particular times in worship
- My own experience with raising hands – was afraid people would see me
- But was really denying God, not doing what I recognized I needed to learn to do, because of fear of people
- My worship is something I want to do with all my heart
- We will cheer at the top of my lungs when someone puts a little leather ball on the ground in a football game
- How much more do I want to be enthusiastic in my worship of this great God who has come so close to us
- Ultimately it does not matter if we raise our hands, kneel or dance
- What counts is what is happening inside
The source of worship
- Psa 95:7b “To day if ye will hear his voice,
- Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
- When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
- Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
- Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.”
- It seem strange that these verses are tacked on to a psalm about worship
- But they are not just tacked on, they mean something
- David is here drawing attention to the rest of our life when we leave this chapel
- The whole of my life should be an expression of the relationship I have with God
- And it is
- When I am close to God, the things I do on a day to day basis will be close to the way God would conduct himself
- And when I am far away from God, that will be evident in my actions, because I will not be as open to being led by the Holy Spirit
- This is why David refers to the ways in which the ancient Israelites messed up – he is encouraging us to not be like that but let our whole life be an expression of worship to the one who made us
- Everything we do can express our worship to God
- Because we are in close relationship with God every moment of the day
- He is here, inside us – can’t get any closer than that
Sing “All the Earth”
- We will now sing a praise song. First of I I would like you to sit and listen to the tune
- Then we will all get up and have an opportunity to worship God from the depths of our being
Prayer
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Why Should I Worship? - Psalm 122
Title: Why should I worship?
Date: February 3, 2009
Text: Psalm 122
Introduction
- Many people are like nomads
- In school we learned that nomads move from place to place, nowhere is really the place to stay and put down roots
- nomads focus on the journey, on enjoying the traveling rather than finding meaning or relevance in a fixed place
- a lot of us have been like nomads
- we traveled our journey, enjoying life as we were able, but without a fixed purpose or destination in life
- a pilgrim, on the other hand, is a person who is on a journey, but to a fixed destination- their life has meaning and purpose
- they are not walking around aimlessly, but have a reason for being
- this difference particularly comes out in the way we worship
Whom to worship
- Nomads have all kinds of ideas about whom to worship
- People think it doesn’t really matter whom we worship
- It is as though we can have our own personal private little God and we can take it or leave it
– this morning I want to have relationship with Him, the next day we choose to leave Him aside
- Here are some comments by college students being asked about their views on God and why they exist:
- “Why do we exist? Um, because we are very, very lucky
- “Because we're here; because that's what happened, I think."
-“ I think people should be here just to do as much good as they can."
- “Some rock got moved to the side which caused some blade of grass that some cow was going to eat to not eat it and then that cow died."
- “I guess we are here to help other people"
- “To have as much fun before we go."
- “Don't read any Bible or any scripture from any of those religions."
- “I am pretty scarce. I have my own ways of doing it."
- “Evolving to the more individualized and personal religion where everybody has their own conception of what is good and what is bad and what is right and what is wrong."
- “I would like to be a good person in my own relative terms."
- “I have my own little traditions, like my own rituals, but nothing that like has a name or people affiliated with it or anything like that.”
- “You know it's karma based - it's give and take."
- “My own voodoo or something you know."
- Here are some comments from people you know of:
- “I believe in God. I just don't know if that God is Jehovah, Buddha or Allah." – actress Halle Berry
- “Eastern thought western mysticism. I really dig the whole Hindu pantheon and I just pull from all kinds of things." – actress Meg Ryan
- “I go to the synagogue. I study Hinduism. All paths lead to God," and then she has her son baptized in an Anglican Church - Madonna in interview on 60 Minutes
- this is all very normal thinking for a nomad
– a nomad has no purpose in life except to enjoy the journey, wherever it leads
Pilgrim worship
- Madonna’s type of thinking is very different than the thinking of a pilgrim.
- In Psalm 122 we have the mindset of the pilgrim.
- this pilgrim has been on a journey, but this journey has a focus
- the pilgrim’s focus is to come to Jerusalem to worship
- This psalm gives a picture of the pilgrim arriving at the gates of Jerusalem and the kind of response that that person has
- let's take a look at Psalm 122
David the pilgrim
- Psalm 122:1-2- King David was a pilgim
- he had been anointed to be king, and his destination was Jerusalem
- Jerusalem was the place of God’s temple, a place where God was close, where man and God met each other in worship
- Jerusalem was also the place where David would reach his purpose, to be king
- David longed to reach his destination, Jerusalem
- but the road had been difficult and hard for David
- he had been kept from worshiping God in Jerusalem because of being on the run from King Saul
- so to David it was very special to at last be at the entrance to Jerusalem
- David in this psalm expresses his heart for the destination of his journey
- Verse 3-5 David describes the place to which he has been traveling all these many years
- it is a place with foundations, a place where people go to worship, a place where God rules his people, and a place which is David’s destiny
- Verses 6-9 Here David responds to his joy at having arrived at the destination of his journey
- he prays for the peace of Jerusalem, because it is a place where God dwells, a place where David goes to worship, a place which is the focal pointy of David’s journey
We too are pilgrims
- we too are on a journey
- our journey is to meet God in the place that he has chosen
- God no longer dwells in a temple made with hands
- today, he dwells in a different kind of temple
- the temple today is inside of us
- he tells us in John 14 that he will make his home with us individually
- the journey we have been on has not been one of traveling various roads till we reach our destination
- instead, our journey has been to find the one being who can give meaning and purpose to our lives
- this is the reason why we worship
- in Psalm 122 David expresses his joy at having arrived at the place where he can finally worship with all his being and strength
- when we worship here in chapel we have a chance to express our joy at having found our destination, Jesus
- when we worship we express that joy in the words we sing, in our participation, in our heart of prayer before God
- worship is a special event, it is the whole purpose of our being
- worship expresses our relationship with God
- We can’t imagine David standing quietly while everyone is worshiping God
- David worshiped with all his heart
- we too desire to worship God with all our being
- that may mean getting out of our personal comfort zone
- but we want to express what is in our heart when we hear the songs of worship that are expressed here in chapel
- if we don’t feel that joy, there is something missing and maybe we should consider what is going on
- we are not nomads, focusing on the journey
- instead we are pilgrims with a destination
- that destination is a close and intimate relationship with God
- Next week we will take a look at how we worship – what God’s word says about it
Date: February 3, 2009
Text: Psalm 122
Introduction
- Many people are like nomads
- In school we learned that nomads move from place to place, nowhere is really the place to stay and put down roots
- nomads focus on the journey, on enjoying the traveling rather than finding meaning or relevance in a fixed place
- a lot of us have been like nomads
- we traveled our journey, enjoying life as we were able, but without a fixed purpose or destination in life
- a pilgrim, on the other hand, is a person who is on a journey, but to a fixed destination- their life has meaning and purpose
- they are not walking around aimlessly, but have a reason for being
- this difference particularly comes out in the way we worship
Whom to worship
- Nomads have all kinds of ideas about whom to worship
- People think it doesn’t really matter whom we worship
- It is as though we can have our own personal private little God and we can take it or leave it
– this morning I want to have relationship with Him, the next day we choose to leave Him aside
- Here are some comments by college students being asked about their views on God and why they exist:
- “Why do we exist? Um, because we are very, very lucky
- “Because we're here; because that's what happened, I think."
-“ I think people should be here just to do as much good as they can."
- “Some rock got moved to the side which caused some blade of grass that some cow was going to eat to not eat it and then that cow died."
- “I guess we are here to help other people"
- “To have as much fun before we go."
- “Don't read any Bible or any scripture from any of those religions."
- “I am pretty scarce. I have my own ways of doing it."
- “Evolving to the more individualized and personal religion where everybody has their own conception of what is good and what is bad and what is right and what is wrong."
- “I would like to be a good person in my own relative terms."
- “I have my own little traditions, like my own rituals, but nothing that like has a name or people affiliated with it or anything like that.”
- “You know it's karma based - it's give and take."
- “My own voodoo or something you know."
- Here are some comments from people you know of:
- “I believe in God. I just don't know if that God is Jehovah, Buddha or Allah." – actress Halle Berry
- “Eastern thought western mysticism. I really dig the whole Hindu pantheon and I just pull from all kinds of things." – actress Meg Ryan
- “I go to the synagogue. I study Hinduism. All paths lead to God," and then she has her son baptized in an Anglican Church - Madonna in interview on 60 Minutes
- this is all very normal thinking for a nomad
– a nomad has no purpose in life except to enjoy the journey, wherever it leads
Pilgrim worship
- Madonna’s type of thinking is very different than the thinking of a pilgrim.
- In Psalm 122 we have the mindset of the pilgrim.
- this pilgrim has been on a journey, but this journey has a focus
- the pilgrim’s focus is to come to Jerusalem to worship
- This psalm gives a picture of the pilgrim arriving at the gates of Jerusalem and the kind of response that that person has
- let's take a look at Psalm 122
David the pilgrim
- Psalm 122:1-2- King David was a pilgim
- he had been anointed to be king, and his destination was Jerusalem
- Jerusalem was the place of God’s temple, a place where God was close, where man and God met each other in worship
- Jerusalem was also the place where David would reach his purpose, to be king
- David longed to reach his destination, Jerusalem
- but the road had been difficult and hard for David
- he had been kept from worshiping God in Jerusalem because of being on the run from King Saul
- so to David it was very special to at last be at the entrance to Jerusalem
- David in this psalm expresses his heart for the destination of his journey
- Verse 3-5 David describes the place to which he has been traveling all these many years
- it is a place with foundations, a place where people go to worship, a place where God rules his people, and a place which is David’s destiny
- Verses 6-9 Here David responds to his joy at having arrived at the destination of his journey
- he prays for the peace of Jerusalem, because it is a place where God dwells, a place where David goes to worship, a place which is the focal pointy of David’s journey
We too are pilgrims
- we too are on a journey
- our journey is to meet God in the place that he has chosen
- God no longer dwells in a temple made with hands
- today, he dwells in a different kind of temple
- the temple today is inside of us
- he tells us in John 14 that he will make his home with us individually
- the journey we have been on has not been one of traveling various roads till we reach our destination
- instead, our journey has been to find the one being who can give meaning and purpose to our lives
- this is the reason why we worship
- in Psalm 122 David expresses his joy at having arrived at the place where he can finally worship with all his being and strength
- when we worship here in chapel we have a chance to express our joy at having found our destination, Jesus
- when we worship we express that joy in the words we sing, in our participation, in our heart of prayer before God
- worship is a special event, it is the whole purpose of our being
- worship expresses our relationship with God
- We can’t imagine David standing quietly while everyone is worshiping God
- David worshiped with all his heart
- we too desire to worship God with all our being
- that may mean getting out of our personal comfort zone
- but we want to express what is in our heart when we hear the songs of worship that are expressed here in chapel
- if we don’t feel that joy, there is something missing and maybe we should consider what is going on
- we are not nomads, focusing on the journey
- instead we are pilgrims with a destination
- that destination is a close and intimate relationship with God
- Next week we will take a look at how we worship – what God’s word says about it
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