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July- December 2004 Sermons
The Power of Repentance 040606 As we begin the message Ahab had been confronted by Elijah. For him the killing of Naboth and the taking of his vineyard were only a little sin. He had done much worse. He had sold himself to Baal the god of Sidon. He had encouraged the fertility worship of the Asherah. In fact the Bible says, "Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him." In this we have the clear evidence of a person who deserves to be punished. He needs to be attacked by the God of Heaven and driven from the face of the earth. We can hardly wait to see how God will deal with him. And then . . . Ahab repents! I. Ahab was a very wicked man he deserved punishment. II. Ahab listened to the words of God. III. Elijah was given new instructions. God is the God justice. Only He knows how to punish. We are to let Him punish in His own time and in His own way. We would never get it right. We must rejoice in God's mercy. If He will postpone the punishment of an Ahab then surely He will postpone our punishment if we will but come to Him in repentance. Faith and Love at Work 040613 Paul looks back on his time with the Ephesians and rejoices in all that he has heard about them since he left them. He has heard of their growing faith. He has heard of the great love they have for one another. He rejoices in prayer that the seed planted has grown into such a powerful, fruit bearing plant. We need to also seek to see our faith and our love grow to the glory of God and the good of our community. I. Faith II. Love III. Giving thanks. We need to look around and rejoice in the work God has done and will continue to do in the lives of ordinary people. We see it happening every day but let it slip by. We must not frustrate the grace of God that He has poured out on us. Rather we must celebrate the grace He has worked in our midst. The Household of Faith 040620 The Apostle identifies his readers as those who are "no longer strangers and aliens" They are "fellow citizens with the saints" and "members of the household of God". For most of us that would simply identify them as "Christians". Yet the use of the term "Christian" in our day is far from what is shown here. We are not to be just adherents of the gospel but members of the family. That is too often missed today and needs to be restored. Father's Day is a great opportunity to visit these truths. I. The biblical organization of God's family. II. The Church as the household of God. The spirit of this age rejects all thoughts of "father" and all need for a "father" or a man in a responsible position. This lowers the value of "Father-God". That is exactly who the bible says He is and who our world needs Him to be/ Alive From the Dead 040627 Spiritual reality is more real than the temporary physical reality we can see and feel. The Bible refers to the outer man as decaying but the inner and unseen are being renewed day by day. That which is unseen is eternal. That is real reality! We need to live in it. We need to focus on the permanent rather than the temporary. I. Dead in trespasses and sins. II. God is rich in mercy. A. When Moses received the law God described His mercy.
III. He made us alive in Christ. Nothing can be more amazing than the fact that the Lord of Heaven came to earth in Jesus Christ and having, lived as a man, took our sins into His own body and suffered our death for us in order to give us life abundant and eternal. Micah saw how amazing and wonderful it was centuries before Christ came to earth. Micah 7:18 Included in the Commonwealth of Israel 040704 We have a great opportunity today to think of the wonder of being "included" in the people of God. This is the day we memorialize the founding of our nation. The United States of America is a nation that allows us to worship freely and protects our right to share our faith with all men everywhere. We live in a nation that has sufficient wealth to allow churches to send missionaries around the world. It is a good thing to be an American but it is a greater thing to be a Christian. Both citizenships come to us from God. I. We are saved by grace. II. Through faith. III. We cannot earn our salvation. The joy of being a child of God and being included in His kingdom should dominate our lives much more than it does. It is a great blessing to be a child of the King. It is an even greater blessing than the blessing of being an American. Celebrate the fourth but always celebrate our salvation. He Himself is our Peace 040711 Jesus has brought us into a kingdom of peace. Yet we still experience strife and struggle. This seems to be a contradiction. What can we do to live in the peace He is for us? Please do not miss out on this important aspect of the Christian life. God has given us peace and we are able to live in it. This is a choice no one but God can give. Praise God He is our peace. I. Our peace. II. What did He do to become our peace? III. He has reconciled us to each other. Too often Christians withdraw into small cliques and fail to enjoy the variety of the Body of Christ. We do not have to agree on all things but we do need to disagree agreeably. We need to treat one another with grace and love. At the same time we need to encourage and strengthen every other Christian who God places in our lives. They all serve a purpose. He is our peace. May we faithfully enjoy that peace. The Building God Lives in 040718 The peace that Christ gives is not always easy for us to see in our day-to-day activities, or even in our church relations. However, that peace is very real. We must remember that nothing comes our way that does not first pass by God. We also must focus on the truth that our struggle is not with people but instead with spiritual forces of wickedness. We have been brought out of the world of strife, darkness and division into a kingdom of peace, light and unity. We are all part of one body. Only God can give us that. I. Access to the Father. II. No longer strangers. III. Built by God into His dwelling. The people of God are His household. Like any family we see loving relationships along side sibling rivalry. We see harmony and support as well as strife and rejection. Knowing that our Father always observes our actions and uses them for our good (Rom 8:28) should help us to look to Him in time of trouble. He promises to always be with us and that He is longsuffering and extends lovingkindness to us by His grace. For this we must praise Him. The Ministry of the Gospel 040725 Paul is in prison for the sake of the gospel. This has been to condition of many over the years. I think of John Bunyan in Bedford Gaol. His imprisonment was much like that of Paul's. His life had a different ending he died of sickness as a result of his ministry while Paul was murdered because of his ministry. The gospel ministry has not always been an honor. Preaching the gospel has often led to persecution and death. What is this ministry that we should seek it? I. Paul's imprisonment. II. Administering the Mystery of God's Grace. III. So God's wisdom may be seen by spiritual forces. We must remember that we are the people of God. We are not to live like the world. We are not to war like the world. And we certainly are not to win like the world. We are to proclaim the good news of Jesus to every person, everywhere, any time we have the opportunity. The ministry of the gospel belongs to us all. A Prayer for Strength 040831 It is important for us to pray. When we read the prayers of the Bible we can see a pattern to follow. Paul's prayer for the Ephesian Christians is a wonderful example of the kinds of things we should pray for. He shows us the source of our strength and the purpose it works in our lives. Let's look at it to consider what we can learn from it. I. That we can be strengthened. II. That Christ may dwell in us. III. To comprehend the greatness and love of God. We need to pray for ourselves and for one another that we too will grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. We need to seek our salvation and that of our friends and family. The greatest knowledge is knowledge of the Lord. It is wonderful to know that we are chosen to be His children. It is not enough to know about God we must KNOW HIM and honor Him. To Him Who is Able 040808 One problem we face is the lack of power to deal with the basic problems of life. We get by but not peacefully. We manage to look good on a day to day basis but when we are confronted by something beyond the ordinary we recognize our inability to really be able to change the things that count. Then we are driven to solve our problem. How we do that determines what our life will be like. How will we solve our problems. I. He is Able. II. Able to do Abundantly. III. Able to give power. He is able. That should be our daily motto. When we cannot He can. Even if we are faithless He is faithful in all things. He only allows into our lives the things that are designed for our good. He is our caretaker and our physician. He enables us to face anything in His name and in His strength. Unity in the Body of Christ 040905 For those of us who are serving the One who is able there are many challenges and many rewards. One challenge that results in many rewards is "maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." The called of God always have the assurance of His presence "I am always with you" and of His provision "all things to work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose." The joy of being a part of the Body of Christ should never be taken for granted nor forgotten. We belong to Him and to one another. We are challenged to "live it out". I. Live in a manner worthy of our calling. II. The characteristics of love. III. There is one body. Our part is keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Of course, we can only do that by the power of the Spirit working in us. Thank God He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. We are His workmanship. We are called in this body with one hope and we will be united in eternity as a part of the one true Body of Christ. Grace Gifts to the Body 040912 The spiritual needs of each of us is so great we, at times, are overwhelmed by them. We cannot meet our own needs when the need is greatest. Certainly we cannot meet the spiritual needs of all of us when they are added together. What has God provided for us in this most important part of our life? Too often spiritual gifts are only viewed as a novelty for a special meeting or for a thrilling experience with the Holy Spirit. Grace Gifts are God's provision for our needs. I. To each one. II. Grace was given. III. Measured by Christ's gift. We have each one been gifted by God for the purpose of fulfilling the needs of his body, the church, in the world. He ministers through us to the world around and honors us with his gifts of grace. May we trust him to provide us and guide us in every way. Grace Gifts for the Body 040919 Last week we saw that God's grace gifts, given to all believers, are given to the body. The church is to benefit from the spiritual gifts given to all Christians. Not just the local bodies but also the entire body of Christ benefits from the use of the gifts of each member of the body. Today we see some of the specific gifts Christ gave when "He ascended on high". He promised that if He went away, He would send to Comforter. This is the Holy Spirit who comes to every believer and provides gifts for them. I. He gave "some". II. With a purpose in mind. III. Until we arrive. We can see how important these gifts are. To be able to serve the body and move it toward unity, knowledge of Christ, and maturity measured by Jesus. What a wonderful thought! We can be mature like Jesus! Of course this ultimately come to us in heaven but we will experience much of it here on earth. The Result of Godly Leadership 041003 God gave specific gifts to the body for the purpose of equipping the saints that they may serve. These gifts are to function until the body is built up and we come to a mature faith. The most important thing that can happen to us is to come to the knowledge of Christ. To know Him and then to make Him known is our greatest goal. Our goal is not just to know about Him but to really know Him. He came that we might have life and have it fully. I. We are no longer to be children. II. We are to speak the truth in love. III. We are to grow up to Jesus. Jesus is our goal. To be like Him and to know Him intimately is the very purpose of a Christian. "Christian" means "like Christ" or perhaps "little Christ". Others need to see in us a likeness to Jesus that will attract them as we grow up in Him. No Longer Like the World 041010 When God calls out a people unto himself he calls upon them to take on a new relationship to all that is around them. In this passage, he calls on us to no longer live like the world. However evidence brought forward by the church and the world says the church is not only like the world in all things but in some things even more so. Scripture (Old and New) is very clear. We are not to be like the world. Yet, as Wordsworth puts it, "The world is too much with us." What does scripture tell us to do about this? I. No longer walk as the gentiles do. II. We are to put off the old self. III. We are to put on the new self. As we often sing, "We're the people of God". As such we have responsibilities that we are often not living up to. We must renew our relationship with God and focus on the life we live in true righteousness and holiness. We are not just saved to go the heaven when we die. We are saved to reflect heaven here on earth and keep covenant with the God who has kept covenant with us. We are his people, or not! As his Spirit leads we must respond to him. The Faithfulness of God 041017 When God calls out a people unto himself he calls upon them to take on a new relationship to all that is around them. God called out Israel as a type of the future church we are a part of. We can see the commands he gives to Israel and know that they are for us also. We can see the promises he gives Israel and know they are ours as well. I. A people Holy to the Lord. II. Because He loves us and keeps his promises. III. To a Thousand Generations. He who called us is faithful. He will take care of His people. In Christ he has given us all we will ever need. Praise God for his eternal faithfulness to his people! The Process of "putting off" and "putting on" 041024 When we talk about "putting off the old" and "putting on the new" there is a disconnect between the desire and the action. The spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak. We must take positive action beyond the desire to show that we are "new creatures" in our faith walk with Christ. The change God works in us must be followed by responsible action on our part. We are saved by grace. We have also become "his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works". As his children we need to walk in those good works not to gain God's favor but to display his favor in us. Every negative action or activity can be replaced with a positive one. Or should be!
Since we have put on the new we need to enjoy the privileges this new life affords. To turn back to the old life is the most self-destructive thing a person can do. The habits of the old life cry out to us. We can refuse to give in but we must replace the old with the new in action not just word. The Faithfulness of God Two 041031 The story of Joseph in the Old Testament is one of the greatest examples of Almighty God's faithfulness to His people. In human terms many of Joseph's experiences represent a tragedy that we would try to avoid at all costs. In fact, we are not very good at seeing (or even looking for) the hand of God in our tragedies. I. Joseph had a pampered beginning. II. Joseph had a tragic period. III. Joseph rose to power. Every part of Joseph's life shows the hand of God. We should learn to look for what God is doing. We must trust when we do not see God's game plan. Nothing in the life of the believer is a coincidence or accident. God directs all things for those who have been chosen by Him. Romans 8:28; 1 Thess 5:24 Children of God, patterned after Him 041107 The Apostle continues the counsel to the Ephesian church with this reminder that we are God's children. As God's children we have the responsibility of living members of the family. How are we to live? The word of God must be our guide. To be like God must be our goal. I. We are to be imitators of God. II. We must avoid the evil of our world. III. Immorality is evidence of a lack of relationship. As imitators of God we are to live lives that honor Him. He has called us into His kingdom and we need to live like it. The people of God should be remarkably different from those who do not know Him. We should walk as children of light. Walk as Children of Light 041114 The word of God calls on us to live a life that is a witness to the light that has been given us. The enemy of our souls would try to deceive the people of God. Deception arises from inside the church as well as in the world. "Empty words" lead to the wrath of God. We have been called out of darkness into light. The Light is God's answer to the deception of the enemy. I. The only way to avoid deceit is to know the truth. II. The world is in darkness. III. We are the children of light. The fruit of the light is goodness and righteousness and truth. We have the great privilege of allowing the light of Christ to reflect off us into the light of others. It is a wonderful thing to be able to allow God's light to be seen in us. Praise God for the wonder of being children of light. Wholehearted Thanksgiving 041121 David, under the inspiration of Holy Spirit, has left us a wonderful song of Thanksgiving. Not only does he tell us that he gives thanks he tells us to whom he gives thanks and why he gives thanks. We need to learn from this and be very specific in our thanksgiving. We need to know (and show) who we give thanks to and why we give thanks. I. It is God, above all "gods", we worship
B. Clearly worship is directed to the true God.
Deut 6:13-15 II. God regards the lowly. III. God walks with us through trouble. We should thank our God for his faithfulness and steadfast love. We may often fail him. He will never fail us. His love is eternal and our need is great. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Discern What is Pleasing to the Lord 041128 Many times we seem the think that we will automatically know what is pleasing to the Lord. At least, we do not seem to put any effort into knowing what His will is. This week and next we will consider some of what God's word tells us in relation to knowing, and doing, the will of God. To discern (or as other translations have it: "learn", "find out", "prove") is the act of testing or analyzing to discover a matter. We need to apply ourselves to this. It is not an easy matter. I. Stay away from the unfruitful works of darkness. II. The light will take care of the truth. III. It is Christ in us who gives Light to see by. We can hardly please the Lord if we do not live in the light. We need to carefully consider our association with others and make sure our purpose is to bring people to Christ rather than to "make friends" with them and then become like them. Remember faithless Israel died in the wilderness never to see the promised land because they did not follow God's clear will. Be Careful in All Things 041205 "Be careful how you walk" certainly is not speaking of putting one foot in front of the other. It speaks of our day-to-day life. What we do, what we say, even what we think is covered by the word, "walk". As the people of God it is most important to us that we know God's will and that we know God's way in relation to that will. His way is an integrated part of His will. He is pleased with us when we are satisfied with Him and His way of living. I. Be wise in your "walk". II. Understand what the will of God is. III. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Col 3:15-17 Obviously God has a plan and it is not a secret. He will show us his will and his way. He will fill us with his Spirit and give us joy to share with others and allow us to serve others with his grace to his glory. Full of Grace and Truth 041212 In John's old age he looked back on all that had happened in those days when he first came to know Jesus. He had the other gospels to refer to and knew there was yet much to be told. There was much about Jesus not yet committed to parchment. The stories were being told but not yet written and not written by an eyewitness. So far as we know John the Apostle was the last of those who walked with Jesus. As we come to think of Christmas we need to hear John as well as the others. Luke and Matthew tell us of His birth. John goes beyond that to "the beginning". John sees Jesus as the vessel of "grace" and "truth". We need to see Him that way too. I. The word became flesh. Galatians 4:4 II. From His fullness we have received. III. Grace and truth were realized in Him. What an amazing thing it is that we should be allowed to take part in the life of Jesus. To know that the creator of the universe should give us His grace and reveal His truth in us. Literally God has come to reveal His Son in us. Gal 1:16 We are to be the reflection of His glory and a testimony of His grace. Christmas gives us a great opportunity to reveal Jesus to those around us. Let's make the most of every opportunity. He Will Save His People 041219 As we celebrate Christmas we must remember the real reason for the season. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He did not to promote the economy of the world. In fact He came to save "His people" not just anyone. His people should rejoice in the God of their salvation. Christmas should be a joy-filled time for those who have come to salvation. I. He came to save. II. He came to save "His people" III. He came to bear our sins. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He came for his people and no one can take them out of his hands. For this we should rejoice. May this be the best Christmas we have ever had. Appointed for the Fall and Rising of Many 041226 The "babe in the manger" is almost universally viewed as the "gentle Jesus". Indeed, he is the Lamb of God and lambs are universally gentle and meek. Certainly Jesus was gentle with little children. He was the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah that stated that "a bruised reed he will not break" and that he would be "like a lamb led to the slaughter". Yet we must remember "the government shall be upon his shoulder". The Lamb of God is also "the lion of the tribe of Judah"! I. He is gentle with those who need it. II. He is harsh when it is called for. III. Justice, tempered with mercy, is his theme. Too often our reaction to the gentle Jesus is to overly condemn the poor and the suffering. We must be stern with those who refuse to help themselves and with those who know the truth and will not keep it but always gentle and encouraging to those who are willing to correct and are trying to do right. See also:
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