SERMON: WHEN THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE NOT ENOUGH

PURPOSE AND PASSION SERMON SERIES #3

I.  Introduction

      -- turn in Bibles to John 13:3-15

John 13:3-15 New International Version (NIV)

3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

-- a few years ago in Atlanta, 11-year old Sade Law would get out of school and climb on a bus that would carry her to an after-school program -- as she traveled along Peachtree Street, she looked out her window and watched the city go by -- and one day she noticed a homeless man living under a bridge along her route

-- almost every day she would see him, sitting on a milk crate and reading the newspaper or sleeping -- and something stirred inside her -- God placed a burden for the homeless on her heart and Sade went into action -- at school, when she was told to pick a topic for a class project, she chose the issue of homelessness -- in October of that year, Sade volunteered at both a soup kitchen and with Atlanta Urban Ministries -- and she launched a food and clothing drive at her school to help the homeless in Atlanta

-- but still, the man under the bridge weighed on her heart -- and she continued to see him through her window almost every day as she traveled down Peachtree Road -- the man under the bridge was Billy Watson, a plumber and carpenter who had been homeless and in prison off and on for 14 years -- Billy wound up on the street because he was an alcoholic and couldn't hold onto a job -- by the time Sade spied Billy under the bridge, Billy was living without hope -- he had no family -- no friends -- no job -- no food -- no home -- he lived under the bridge and looked for food in dumpsters

-- despite all she was doing to help the homeless, Sade wanted to do something for the man under the bridge -- her mother didn't want her to approach the man directly, so they found an advocate for the homeless who worked in a ministry in Atlanta and he agreed to carry supplies to Billy -- Sade prepared a care package for Billy with a blanket, a pair of boots, jeans and other clothes -- and, she also included a note from her to the man under the bridge -- the note ended with this thought:  "Please take care of yourself and be safe.  I will pray every night that God will watch over you and that something will happen good for you.  You do deserve good things to happen for you!  Please don't give up."

-- Billy read that note and his heart broke -- because of Sade's influence, Billy told the advocate that he wanted to go to a hospital to deal with the alcoholism -- but, he stayed only long enough to get sober and then went back under the bridge again, relapsing with alcohol -- on Thanksgiving of that year, Sade and her mother carried plates of food to the bridge for him -- they got him to agree to go back to the hospital again -- and this time he stayed 

-- Billy completed the program and was released to a residential recovery program in Sandy Springs -- he now shares an apartment with three other men who also are recovering alcoholics and he plans to stay in the program as long as needed -- and then he's going to find a job and start his life over

-- Billy has visited Sade and her mother several times -- they talk on the phone and Sade encourages him to continue with the program while he encourages her with her school work

-- Sade's project on homelessness took first place in a DeKalb County Social Studies Fair -- but for Sade, the most important prize is this:  She reached out to a man she noticed from a bus, and that man doesn't live under a bridge anymore.

      -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series, “Purpose and Passion” -- we have been looking at the five purposes of the church and of Christians -- as you remember, there are two scriptures in the Gospel of Matthew that give us these five purposes:

            -- the first passage is Matthew 22:37-39 -- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” -- this is worship

            -- this passage goes on to say, “love your neighbor as yourself” -- that is ministry

            -- the second passage is Matthew 28:19-20 where Jesus gives us the Great Commission -- “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” -- that’s evangelism

            -- “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” -- that’s fellowship -- bringing others into the church community

            -- “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” -- that’s discipleship

            -- so, the five purposes are worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship

            -- last week, we looked at worship -- this week, we’re going to be looking at ministry -- what is ministry? -- what does ministry look like? -- how can we be ministers for Christ where we are?

            -- one of my mentors in the church was Tommy Newberry -- he was pastor in the South Georgia conference and did a lot of work with Emmaus, Chrysalis, and Kairos -- he loved to ask people the question, “where do you minister?” -- one guy he asked responded by saying, “I’m not a minister -- I work on HVAC systems -- I repair air conditioners” -- Tommy just grinned and said, “I didn’t ask you what your vocation was -- I asked you where you minister”

            -- the point Tommy was trying to get across is that every Christian -- every believer in Jesus -- is called to be a minister to others -- to show God’s love to them in tangible ways -- to be the hands and the feet of Christ to others -- to love our neighbors as ourselves

            -- that’s what we’re going to talk about today, so let’s get right into it

II. What is Ministry?

      --so, let’s start by answering the question, “What is ministry?” -- what do we mean when we say that everyone is to be a minister?

      -- ministry is nothing more than treating your neighbor as you wish to be treated -- nothing more than serving people in the name of Jesus Christ -- as our verse says, it is loving our neighbor as ourselves

      -- ministry comes in all various shapes and sizes -- ministry is meeting the needs of our brothers and sisters without seeking to evangelize -- without seeking to preach -- without seeking reward or recognition -- ministry should be service to others without religious ties

      -- in other words, ministry is helping other people without trying to evangelize them or convert them or get them to come to church -- ministry is just showing the love of Christ to other people simply as an expression of our love for Jesus

      -- now, that doesn’t mean that if the people ask why we are serving them, that we shouldn’t tell them -- that’s perfectly okay -- but it does mean we should not force the message on them -- as these people experience the love of Christ through us, the opportunity to share with them the good news about Jesus and the plan of salvation will come -- but the goal of ministry should simply focus on "making a friend and being a friend" and loving that person in the name of Jesus

      -- think about Jesus -- Jesus ministered to lots of people in various places and at different times, but usually He did so without preaching to them

      -- yes, there were times when He taught about the Kingdom of God and shared the good news of His coming with others, but that wasn’t the reason He ministered and did good things for people -- He did it because He was moved by compassion at their plight -- He didn’t do it just to get the opportunity to preach to them

      -- so, throughout the gospels, you see Jesus ministering to others -- healing the sick -- casting out demons -- washing the feet of His disciples -- making breakfast for them -- all without preaching or teaching -- He did it just as an expression of His love

      -- we need to follow His example -- we need to minister without condition and without ties -- I have seen some churches that make church attendance a requirement for help -- I’ve seen churches tell people that they couldn’t get a handout or money or school supplies unless they came to a church service or took a class -- this is not the right way to minister

      -- let me give you an example of what true ministry looks like -- when we were at Morven, we had a missionary visit the church -- he and his family had moved to Pakistan to share God’s love with the people there -- one time, as they were flying from the U.S. back to Pakistan, they ran across an elderly Muslim woman in a wheelchair who was having a hard time negotiating through the airport with her luggage -- no one was helping her and she was having problems -- so this missionary family leapt to her aid -- one of the kids carried her luggage -- the other kid grabbed the wheelchair and started pushing her towards her gate -- and all the while, the woman is saying, “Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? -- What do you want?”

      -- they said, “We’re Christians -- we don’t want anything from you -- we just want to help you because Jesus loved us and we want to show His love to others” -- the woman couldn’t believe it -- no one else in that airport offered to help -- not even her fellow Muslims who were passing her by -- but, because this family ministered out of love without trying to share their faith, they were able to tell her about Jesus -- that’s the right way to minister

      -- the point I’m trying to make here is that ministry has to come from the heart -- it’s not a means to an end -- you’re not doing it just so you can get someone to come to church or tell them about Jesus -- you’re not doing it because you think you have to do good deeds in order to be saved -- you do it simply out of love and gratitude to Jesus, expecting nothing back in return

      -- 1 Peter 5:2 -- serve not because you must but because you are willing, as God wants you to be -- we minister and serve because we want to help people -- not because we want anything from them or because we think we’ll get recognized or applauded for what we have done

III.  What Does Ministry Look Like

      -- when we use the word ministry, a lot of people just think of church -- of what the church does -- but ministry as Jesus calls us to do it -- ministry as just loving our neighbor to ourselves -- is usually not done in a church setting

      -- ministry happens any time we reach out to another person in love with no other desire but to love and serve that person however they need

      -- in the passage we opened with, we read how Jesus took upon Himself the position of a slave -- how He humbled Himself before the disciples and took a towel and a basin and washed their feet -- He showed us how to love others by His example

      -- look back at verse John 3:14-17

14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

      -- Jesus says that we should wash one another’s feet -- He didn’t mean that literally, that we should constantly stop other people and wash their feet -- but He meant it as an example -- that we were to humble ourselves and to serve and love people however they needed it

      -- in Jesus’ day, people needed their feet washed because the roads were dirty and their feet would get filthy -- people in our day need their lives washed for the same reason, because we walk through a world that is dirty and filthy -- and Jesus is calling on us to wash them -- to cleanse them -- to show them His love by loving them just as He loved the disciples

      -- Jesus is calling us to minister to those around us, no matter where they are

      -- that means that ministry occurs while you go about your day -- anywhere you go, you can minister God’s love to someone else

      -- ministry can be teaching school -- helping a neighbor build a porch -- stopping to help someone change a flat tire -- it can mean feeding the poor or helping the homeless -- it can mean taking a kid hunting or fishing -- or just being there with them at school events when no one else is there

      -- ministry looks like love -- it is simply being there for someone else, just like Jesus would -- do you know what the number one problem people say they have today in America? -- it’s not crime or violence -- it’s not low wages or no money -- it’s loneliness -- even with Facebook and Instagram and all those social media sites, people are more lonely now than ever before

      -- they have a lot of friends online, but no friends to be with them -- one way you can show God’s love to someone else is just by being there -- we call this the ministry of presence -- not doing anything -- just being there with someone else -- just noticing them -- just listening to them -- that can do more to change a person’s heart than anything else

      -- the key to ministry is learning to open your eyes and open your ears and open your heart to see the needs around you -- every single day you are invited to serve God in a hundred different ways -- it doesn't have to be feeding the poor or witnessing to strangers or helping the homeless or ministering to lepers in India -- it might be something as simple as helping a neighbor paint a house -- mowing someone else's grass -- giving someone a smile at the grocery store -- bringing buggies in for a tired buggy boy

      -- it doesn't matter what you do -- what does matter is that you do something -- don't just stand there -- do something

you step forward into new areas of ministry that you haven't done before

IV.  Closing -- Challenge to Go Forth and Do Ministry

      -- when John Wesley would ordain and send people out to minister in the church, he would tell them, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."

      -- the Bible sums this up by simply telling us to love our neighbors as ourselves

      -- we need to redefine ministry in our lives -- ministry is not just done by pastors or by church leaders -- it’s not just done in church settings -- but, ministry occurs when you simply love someone like Jesus would

      -- we need to get back to the concept of every believer being a minister -- of every believer being called to serve and love            

      -- I like what some churches in China do -- when someone joins the church, they welcome the new believers to their community by saying "Jesus now has new eyes to see with; new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, new heart to love others with"

      -- that should be our prayer -- to have new eyes to see with -- new ears to hear with -- new hands to help with -- and new hearts to love with

      -- there are opportunities for ministry and service everyday -- all you have to do is step up and do what He asks -- to serve and love God by loving others in His name

      -- we’re about to close in prayer, and as we do so, I want to challenge you -- I want you to leave here and love somebody this week -- it doesn't have to be in a big way -- just something small -- but I expect everyone in here to do some act of ministry this week

      -- next Sunday, we are going to have the opportunity to share what we did this week -- not to gain the praise of men but to see if there are areas where God is calling our church to do more

      -- so, let’s close and then we’ll sing the final hymn -- and, as we do so, I want to invite you to commit to loving others as God love them -- and to respond to God’s word as you feel led

      -- let’s pray

Diary of a Mad Southern Driver or "Why am I so offended?"

Every morning I get mad.  Every morning.  Without fail.  And it’s not that I get mad at things my friends or family do to me. I get mad at strangers -- people I don’t even know. Let me explain.

In the mornings when I leave my house, I come to an intersection with a four-lane divided highway.  I have to turn right.  There’s two lanes, so this should be easy, right?  But, no.  Invariably, when I pull up to the stop sign, there’s always a car coming from my left, heading the same way that I need to go.  So, I watch and wait for them to politely slide over into the vacant inner lane so I can turn into the outer lane.  That way, neither of us has to wait on the other, and both of us get to our destinations as quickly as possible.  But, this never happens.

For some reason, people don’t want to move.  They’re in their lane.  They’re happy there.  So, it doesn’t matter to them if someone else could be granted entry into the highway, perhaps someone who is already running late to work and watching the seconds and minutes tick away as this car slowly comes down the road in “my” lane, without any consideration or kindness.  And, as I watch them drive by, I find myself getting angry.  How dare they?  How dare they ignore me? Not consider my plight? Think themselves better than me?  Every day.  Every single day.

It reminds me of a Key and Poole comedy skit I saw one time where they couldn’t get into a parking place at the store because someone was sitting there, blocking traffic, while waiting for another car to back out.  When the car finally parked and they could get by, they yelled out the window, “Selfish!  You are selfish!” And I remember thinking, “That’s right!”

So, every day, I find myself getting angry first thing in the morning.  And that anger carries on with me throughout the day.  It puts me in a bad mood, affecting how I greet coworkers, how I do my job, how I respond to others on my commute.  I think about how selfish that other person was, how inconsiderate they were, and it makes me angry.  How dare they ignore my needs?  How dare they not conform to my wants and wishes?

Thinking on this, it makes me wonder just who the selfish one truly is in this scenario.  I was reading a devotional about the martyred saints under the altar from Revelation 6:9-11:

Revelation 6:9-11 New International Version (NIV)

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,[a] were killed just as they had been.

The devotional writer made this point, which really struck home to me:

“In contrast to [the martyred saints under the throne], we seem to care more about getting justice for the petty inequities we suffer.  A traffic ticket, a snide remark, or an accusation of bad motives [or an “inconsiderate” driver] can set us off on a holy crusade.  How poorly these causes compare to the cause [and true suffering and hurts] of these men and women who had entrusted themselves to Jesus”

In his book, “Unoffendable,” Brant Hansen makes the point that Christians should be different from those around us who are quick to take offense at everything.  The root of being offended, he says, is selfishness.  Wanting our own way.  Wanting others to do what we want.  And, when that doesn’t happen, we become offended, indignant, angry.  Sound familiar?

Sometimes, when we look into the mirror, we see someone we don’t like, or, at least I do.  I find it curious that this same issue with drivers refusing to move over happens to me almost every morning.  It’s never the same car twice.  It’s always someone different.  But, it happens every time I head to work.  And, it’s not like I live in a metropolitan area.  There might be one car every five minutes on this road at the time I leave for work.  But, every time, they choose to stay in the outer lane and keep me from pulling out, starting the chain reaction of anger and irritation driven by my own selfishness.

Every morning.  It’s almost like Someone is trying to point out a flaw in my life.  It’s almost like Someone is saying, “Here’s an area of your life that you need to work on.  Here’s an area of your life where you are selfish and not loving.” 

To quote Brant Hansen, “You can choose to be ‘unoffendable...’ It’s the taking of offense, and the very presumption that I’m somehow entitled to be angry with someone, that I’m talking about...

“Not only can we choose to be unoffendable; we should choose that. We should forfeit our right to be offended. That means forfeiting our right to hold on to anger...Forfeiting our right to anger makes us deny ourselves, and makes us others-centered. When we start living this way, it changes everything.”

Selfishness.  Being offended.  Getting angry because I have been slighted -- “my” rights have been ignored.  I’m afraid it’s become a way of life for me.  Maybe for you, too.  It is common, after all.  If you don’t believe me, just check out any social media site and you’ll see what Brant is talking about.

My prayer for this week is that I become aware of these opportunities to change.  That I begin realizing that these drivers who are “offending” me are actually the means of grace God is using to touch me and change me.  My prayer is that I turn the selfishness around.  That I learn patience and love.  That I learn to live my life “unoffendable.”  That I stop letting anger lead my day, and let selflessness become an attribute I clothe myself with each morning.

It starts tomorrow at the stop sign. 

Pastor Greg

SERMON: WORSHIP WAYS

PURPOSE AND PASSION SERMON SERIES #2

I.  Introduction

      -- if you have your Bibles with you, please turn over to Hebrews 12:28-29

Hebrews 12:28-29 New International Version (NIV)

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.

      -- today, we are continuing in our “Purpose and Passion” sermon series -- the goal of this series is to help you center your life around God in this new year by keeping the five purposes of the church as your goal and vision for all that you do

            -- as you probably remember, we said our purpose and passion should come from two scriptures in the Book of Matthew

            -- Matthew 22:37-39 -- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind -- this is the first and greatest commandment -- and the second is like it -- love your neighbor as yourself”

            -- Matthew 28:19-20 -- “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”

           

            -- in these two passages, we see the five purposes for us as individuals and as a church that make up our vision and our goal for living a meaningful life with Jesus:

                        -- “Love the Lord Your God” -- worship

                        -- “Love your neighbor as yourself” -- ministry

                        -- “Go and make disciples” -- evangelism

                        -- “Baptize them” -- -- fellowship

                        -- “Teach them to obey everything I have told you” -- discipleship

     

      -- today, we’re going to look at the first of these five purposes -- worship

      -- when I think of worship, I am reminded of the old story about the three blind men who were shown an elephant for the first time in their lives -- they each touched the elephant with their hands to determine what the creature was

      -- the first man felt the trunk, and claimed that an elephant was like a snake -- the second man touched its leg and claimed that an elephant was like a tree -- the third man touched its tail, and claimed that the elephant was like a slender rope

      -- all of them were right -- but, all of them were wrong -- they couldn’t get the whole picture by just touching a single part of the elephant

      -- worship is the same way -- we tend to have a narrow understanding of worship that is usually based on what we learned in church as children -- for most of us, when we hear the word, “worship,” we think of music -- we think of choirs or the congregation singing hymns -- this is what worship is to us

      -- but, while that is certainly a facet of worship, it is not the whole picture

      -- so, to begin, let’s start by talking about what worship really is

II.  What is Worship?

      -- worship is simply showing your love for God by praising and honoring Him for who He is and for what He has done -- worship is bringing glory to God -- it is recognizing God’s worth and value above all else in eternity -- and when we worship God in this way, we bring pleasure to God’s heart and we bless Him

      -- as Rick Warren pointed out in the Purpose Driven Life, worship is one of the primary purposes for which God made us -- He made us to be in a relationship with Him and to worship Him and to bring Him pleasure -- and when we live our lives in such a way that we recognize God’s presence and seek to bring Him glory and honor in all that we do, then we are truly worshiping God with our lives

      -- we do this by living our lives as God intended -- we do this by seeking God with all our hearts and lifting Him up in praise -- we do this by being who God has called us to be

      -- when I think of worship as living life to bring glory to God -- to please Him by fulfilling His calling in our lives -- I always think of Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner best known from the movie, “Chariots of Fire” -- Liddell said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast -- and when I run, I feel His pleasure” -- so Liddell strove to be the best runner he could -- not to bring glory to himself or his team or his country -- but to bring glory to God

      -- that is what true worship looks like -- it is more than just gathering on a Sunday and singing praise songs -- true worship is living life in such a way that all we do brings pleasure to Him -- where every moment of every day we bring glory to God by enjoying Him and expressing our enjoyment of Him -- whether that’s by singing hymns, praying, or even running fast

      -- Martin Luther King, Jr. understood this definition of worship, too, that worship was more than just singing and gathering on Sundays -- he wrote: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

      -- this reminds us that even our work can be worship to God if done in the light of God’s presence -- the Hebrew word, avodah, is the root word for both "work" and worship" -- avodah means both "giving splendor and worship" -- it can also mean "service" or "work"

      -- so even by working -- by serving for God’s glory -- by doing things for God and being what He called us to be, we can worship Him

      -- everything we do can be an act of worship if we simply recognize God’s presence and use that moment to bring Him the honor and glory and praise

      -- when we live our lives for God in such a way, God is pleased -- when we live our lives for God in such a way, we bring glory to Him -- when we live our lives for God in such a way, we are truly worshiping Him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength

      -- now, while we all understand that our entire lives and all that we do should be offered up to God as acts of worship, I do want to spend a few moments talking about what we traditionally recognize as worship acts within the church community

      -- if you would, turn over to 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 and let's see what the Apostle Paul had to say about worship in a church setting

1 Corinthians 14:26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

      -- we see in this passage that there were several different acts of worship recognized in the early church

      -- first, Paul tells us that when the church gathered, they would sing together -- in verse 26, we read that everyone has a hymn -- in that day, people would write songs of praise and joy from their heart and share those with their faith community

            -- this reminds me of the heart songs that we learned of in the video, “The Insanity of God” -- a Christian man named Dmitri was imprisoned in Russia because of his faith -- but despite his horrible situation, every day, he would get up and face the rising sun and sing a song of praise and worship from his heart to God -- the other prisoners would mock him and yell at him -- but Dmitri wasn’t deterred -- he did this every day for years

            -- one day, the guards dragged Dmitri from his cell to execute him -- but as they led him out into the courtyard, fifteen hundred hardened criminals stood at attention by their beds and faced the rising sun and joined together to sing the words of Dmitri’s heart song to Jesus -- they had learned to praise God because of a faithful and true worshiper -- as God gives us new songs in our own hearts, we should share them with others so God is glorified

      -- Ephesians 5:19-20 says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

      -- one of our first and most consistent acts of worship should be singing praises to God from our heart -- both in church and when we are alone with God

      -- next, we see that the church worshiped through a word of instruction -- this refers to the reading and sharing of Scripture -- as it says in 1 Tim 4:13, "devote yourself to public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching"

      -- all the way back to the early days of the first church, there has always been a time for the proclamation of God's word and the interpretation of God's word -- in the earliest days, the pastor was not the only person who did this -- the Bible tells us that others would stand and speak of their interpretations of Scripture or their experiences with God -- sort of like we do when we have praises or testimonies shared in the church

      -- studying God’s word is an important act of worship because it helps us experience and understand God better -- through God’s word we come to know Him -- through God’s word we come to understand what He wants us to do and how He wants us to live -- through God’s word we learn what is important to Him and what brings Him pleasure

      -- similar to that, Paul writes of the people in the church having a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation -- this refers to God speaking directly to His people in one way or the other -- we need to remember that God is always speaking -- that God’s word is always coming to us -- as we pray, as we read the Scriptures, as we gather together, as we simply go about our daily ways

      -- when God speaks to us, we should share that with the rest of our faith community -- and, in sharing what God tells us, we are worshiping Him -- we are proclaiming we serve a living God -- we are recognizing that God loves us and cares enough about us to speak to us and direct our paths -- and, as we respond to His word -- as we share it with others -- they, too, are blessed and bring honor and glory to God -- so, even prophecy and revelation are acts of worship

      -- one other major form of worship in the church is prayer -- prayer is our attempt to draw close to God by speaking directly to Him -- by giving Him praise and honor and thanksgiving with our words and with our heart -- and by asking for His presence in our lives and in the lives of those around us through sharing our needs and our intercessions

      -- traditionally, prayer in a worship service is both corporate and private -- there should be times where we come together as one and where we listen to and actively affirm the prayers of a leader -- whether that is me as the pastor or someone else who may lead a prayer

      -- but, there should also be times for private prayer as well -- some churches have a moment of silent prayer before corporate prayer -- while others, like us, allow a time for private prayer and response to the word at the end of the service

      -- these are all acts of worship that we can share in our worship times together -- whether at church or in a coffee shop or even in your place of employment

III.  The Attitude of Worship

      -- one thing that makes the difference between true worship and just going through the motions is our attitude when we worship

      -- in the passage I opened with from Hebrews 12, the author tells us that we need to worship God with reverence and awe -- true worship will always have these components, no matter what it is that you are offering up to God in worship

      -- to reverence God means that you lift Him up -- that you regard Him with respect -- that you find Him worthy of praise and honor -- that’s actually the root of the word, “worship” -- worship literally means to give "worth" to something, to ascribe value to something

-- when we worship God we are telling Him He is worthy of our praise and our adoration -- we are telling Him that He is our all in all -- we are telling Him He is valuable in our sight

      -- to show God awe means that you recognize that He is God and you are not -- that you recognize the mighty works that He has done and you know that you must approach Him with affection mingled with fear of His mighty power

      -- awe is what the Old Testament writers meant when they wrote about the fear of the Lord -- to fear God is to regard Him as awesome -- to regard Him in all His glory -- to recognize who He is and how wonderful and powerful and majestic is His name

      -- we need to remember to come before God with both reverence and awe, especially during times of worship -- I think this is something the church has forgotten -- when I was a child, it seemed like there was more of a sense of reverence and awe in church settings

      -- when we entered the sanctuary, it felt like I was entering into the presence of the sacred -- there was a sense of place -- a sense of power -- a sense of mystery and sacredness -- very few people spoke in the sanctuary prior to the service -- and those that did speak did so with a whisper -- there was a sense of being in the presence of God, and everyone entered the sanctuary with reverence and awe

      -- a lot of people have forgotten that our worship should be wrapped in reverence and awe -- we are not the Creator -- only God is the Creator -- all that we are and all that we do -- all that we have -- our gifts -- our skills -- our very life and breath -- all of this comes from God -- we exist for His pleasure -- we exist because of His love -- and so we should approach Him in reverence and awe, always remembering how great He is and how awesome is His love for us

IV.  Closing

            -- the main thing we need to remember about worship is the focus of our worship -- worship is not about the acts that we do -- it’s not about the singing or the praying or the preaching of the word -- it’s not about ministry or our work or acts of service

            -- worship is solely about God -- it’s about remembering Him -- magnifying Him -- drawing closer to Him -- becoming enveloped in His love and His presence

            -- that is why we worship -- that is worship that changes lives

            -- I heard a song this week by Natalie Grant called, “More than Anything,” that really spoke to me about what we should be seeking in our worship

            -- let me share with you the chorus of this song:

“Help me want the Healer more than the healing

Help me want the Savior more than the saving

Help me want the Giver more than the giving

Help me want you Jesus more than anything

Help me want you Jesus more than anything”

            -- that is what worship should be about -- it should be about Jesus and about praising and glorifying Him alone -- our prayer in worship should be the same as in this song -- “Help me want you Jesus more than anything”

            -- let me close by sharing with you a story from Max Lucado’s book, "The Applause of Heaven"

-- he tells the story of the building of the Taj Mahal -- the reason the Taj Mahal was built was because the favorite wife of the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan died -- in grief, the emperor began to build a temple around his wife's coffin -- he got obsessed by project -- it kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger -- one day while he was looking around and making plans to expand yet again, he saw an old box in the corner that seemed out of place and ordered it removed -- it was his wife's coffin

-- The one the temple was intended to honor was forgotten and cast away, but the temple was erected anyway

-- Lucado writes, and I'm quoting here:

-- "Difficult to believe? Perhaps -- But eerie nonetheless -- Could someone build a temple and forget why? -- Could someone construct a palace, yet forget the king? -- Could someone sculpt a tribute and forget the hero?

-- "You answer those questions -- Answer them in a church -- The next time you enter an assembly of worship, position yourself where you can see the people -- Then decide.

            -- "You can tell the ones who remember the slain one -- They're wide-eyed and expectant -- They're children watching the unwrapping of a gift -- They're servants standing still as a king passes -- You don't doze in the presence of royalty -- And you don't yawn while receiving a gift, especially when the giver is the king himself!

            -- "You can also tell the ones who see only the temple -- Their eyes wander -- Their feet shuffle -- Their hands doodle, and their mouths open -- not to sing, but to yawn  -- For no matter how hard they try to stay amazed, their eyes start to glaze over -- All temples, even the Taj Mahal, lose their luster after a while.

-- "The temple gazers don't mean to be bored -- They love the church -- They can cite its programs and praise its pastors -- They don't mean to grow stale -- They put on hats and hose and coats and ties and come every week -- But still, something is missing --The one they once planned to honor hasn't been seen in a while.

-- "But those who have seen him can't seem to forget him -- They find him, often in spite of the temple rather than because of it -- They brush the dust away and stand ever impressed before his tomb -- his empty tomb.

-- "The temple builders and the Savior seekers -- You'll find them both in the same church, on the same pew -- at times, even in the same suit.

            -- "One sees the structure and says, "What a great church." -- The other sees the Savior and says, "What a great Christ!"

-- "Which do you see?"

           

            -- true worship should always lead you to see Christ

            -- let’s pray

SERMON: THE WAY OF LOVE

4 February 2018

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 1 Timothy 1:1-7

1 Timothy 1:1-7 New International Version (NIV)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

            -- I just started reading a new book yesterday called “The Island of Lost Maps” -- it’s a true story about Gilbert Bland, who was finally arrested in the 1990s and convicted of stealing numerous historical maps from libraries, universities, and archives

            -- as the author searches for the motives behind Bland’s thefts, he points out that historically, maps were extremely important -- they were treasured by kings and kingdoms because the wealth and power of nations rose and fell based on the maps and the secrets they controlled

            -- in the 1400 and 1500s, Portugal was a major world power because it possessed secret nautical maps showing various routes to India, Brazil, and other exotic ports of call -- no other nation could trade in these areas because they did not have the maps showing them the way -- and Portugal became rich and prosperous and powerful -- and other nations were forced to submit to Portugal if they wanted access to the spices and goods and fabrics from these exotic lands

            -- as a result, other nations, including the Netherlands, employed professional thieves and spies to infiltrate the Portugal government and sailing communities in an attempt to steal the maps, thus allowing them to begin trading with India and other countries on their own, apart from Portugal -- when caught, these spies and thieves were executed by the Portuguese to keep the secrets intact, but eventually the maps were obtained and smuggled back to Amsterdam, which led to the rise of the Dutch East India Company and allowed Holland to overcome Portugal and become the new world power in trade and shipping until the mid-18th century

            -- until I picked up this book, I had no idea of the historical importance of maps -- especially in regards to world power and wealth -- even today, maps are important -- as one person commented, if you possess a map and a compass -- if you know true north -- you can find your location anyplace on this planet -- you know where you are -- you know where you are going -- and you know how to get there

            -- this passage in 1 Timothy is about finding your way to the truth of the gospel message -- despite the Apostle Paul having spent more time in Ephesus than in any other city during his missionary trips, the church at Ephesus had lost their way

            -- being one of the largest and most powerful cities along the Mediterranean Sea and located on the route from Jerusalem to Rome, Ephesus was constantly visited by various other missionaries and Christian teachers -- the problem, though, was that the messages taught by these visiting missionaries and teachers did not always conform to the truth of the gospel or the orthodox doctrine of the fledgling Christian church

            -- false teachings arose and were taught in the church at Ephesus -- Paul writes that men were teaching false doctrines in the church -- they were devoting themselves to myths and endless genealogies, promoting controversy and confusion

            -- the thing to remember is that the intentions of these teachers were not necessarily wrong -- most of them were not intentionally misleading the people -- Paul says in verse 7 that these men want to be teachers of the law -- which is a good thing -- but they don’t know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm

            -- because of their ignorance -- because of their lack of knowledge of the truth of the gospel, these men taught that which was not true -- and even went a step further by countering and discounting the commands and previous teachings of Paul and of Apollos and other true teachers -- as a result, these visitors were confusing the church and leading them astray -- the people had lost true north -- they had lost Christ -- they had lost their way

            -- so, Paul sent Timothy to the church to serve as their pastor -- to be their guide on the path to Christ -- to be their compass and to give them the map that would lead them on their way in the Kingdom of Heaven

            -- that map is found in 1 Timothy 1:5:  “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

            -- this morning, I want us to look at this map to Christ together, because it still holds true to this day -- by following this map and by keeping the Holy Spirit as our compass, we can confidently move forward in our Christian lives, knowing that we are heading in the right direction

            -- so, let’s look together at this verse and see what we can learn about finding our way with Christ

II.  Scripture Lesson (1 Timothy 1:5)

            -- the first thing we notice in this verse is the motive behind Paul’s command -- Paul sent Timothy to Ephesus with specific instructions -- in verse 2, he tells Timothy to stay there so that he might command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer

            -- the motive -- the reason -- behind this command of Paul was love -- the word Paul uses here in this verse is agape -- unconditional love -- the love of God -- the love that is pure and perfect and holy -- the love that puts others before self

            -- love is the universe that defines the Christian life -- all we are and all we do as Christians should be based on the agape love of Christ

            -- in the Upper Room on the night that He was betrayed, Jesus told His disciples in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: love one another -- as I have loved you, so you must love one another -- by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”

            -- Paul’s command to Timothy in regards to these false teachers was a reflection of Christ’s command to us -- Paul was telling Timothy to love these men back into the faith -- to guide them back to the truth through love -- to speak the truth to them in love

            -- the love of Christ was the mirror by which these men’s words and actions were to be measured

            -- in other epistles, Paul takes a more harsh stand against false teachers and false teachings -- but we don’t see that here in this passage -- I think Paul recognized that these men did not have evil intentions -- they were trying to do the right thing -- but, they had just lost their way -- they did not know what they were talking about -- so, rather than commanding Timothy to harshly rebuke them for their actions, Paul tells Timothy to direct them through love -- to guide them back to the truth -- to show them the error of their ways

            -- we need to keep this instruction firmly in our own minds -- too often in the church today, we see Christians bitterly opposed to other Christians because of doctrinal differences -- we see Christians attacking others because they have believed a false truth

            -- if these Christians are teaching from error, then our goal should be to lovingly confront them with the truth and show them the error of their ways -- to love them back into orthodoxy -- to love them back into the truth of the Kingdom -- not to accept or condone false teachings, but to separate the teaching from the teacher -- and to love them back into the church

            -- that is the counsel Paul is giving Timothy here -- and we need to remember that when we are confronted with false teachings in the church, too

            -- Paul goes on to say that this agape love which defines our Christian lives comes from three locations -- the first is a pure heart

            -- purity of heart comes from salvation -- it is the result of grace -- it is a gift of God -- it is not something we can do on our own -- it is not something that we earn by good works -- a pure heart is given by God through the justifying grace of the cross

            -- in Psalm 51:10, David cries out,, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” -- and in Ezekiel 36:26 God tells us, “I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you; I will remove from your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh”

            -- a pure heart comes from experiencing and knowing the love of Christ -- it is the result of repentance and redemption -- it is what makes us a new creation

            -- a pure heart leads us in obedience to God’s commands -- a pure heart reflects our relationship with God -- a pure heart guides us and directs our path

            -- it has been said that every journey begins with a single step -- every journey with God begins with a pure heart -- it is the starting place on our map to God’s Kingdom

            -- the next location of agape love Paul mentions in verse 5 is a good conscience

            -- a pure heart is an internal transformation -- it changes our motives -- it changes what drives us and motivates us in our daily lives -- our conscience takes the next step by affecting our external behaviors

            -- as we are led by a pure heart, our conscience directs us and guides us down the path we should follow -- our conscience is the “God-created, self-judging faculty of human beings”¹

            -- when we are faced with a choice in life -- when we are faced with a decision as to which way to go or what to do -- our conscience leads us to choose the correct path

            -- it does more than just warn us that we have sinned and are going astray -- a good conscience is like a compass that points out the way we should go -- before we take a misstep -- before we choose a wrong path -- our conscience should alert us and help us choose the right way to go -- and, if we do start down the wrong path, our conscience is a check that alerts us of our error and leads us back to the truth -- back to Christ

            -- the third location on our map of God’s agape love is sincere faith

            -- faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” -- sincere faith means that we trust God with all our hearts -- that we are sure of His goodness and His love -- that we trust Him where He leads, knowing that He only has our best in mind

            -- to walk in sincere faith means we give God our lives and hold nothing back -- we rely on Him and follow Jesus as our example

            -- sincere faith does not mean we walk blindly, but that we walk in the light of God’s love -- following our conscience and the Holy Spirit’s leading -- and living with pure hearts and pure minds, cleansed by the atoning grace of Christ

            -- sincere faith means truly living out God’s word in our lives -- obeying His commands and following His path, regardless of what others might say -- sincere faith means staying true to the course laid out before us and trusting that our destination is secure

III.  Closing

            -- in John Bunyan’s story, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” the main character Christian is on a journey to the Celestial City -- although voices try to lead him off his past, he makes his way to the Cross, where his burdens finally roll away and are seen no more

            -- he continues on the Holy Way beyond the Cross by going through the narrow gate -- there he is joined by two other travelers who are trying to get to the Celestial City without first visiting the Cross or by going through the narrow gate

            -- as he tries to convince them of the error of their ways, their path leads to the foot of Difficulty Hill, where three paths join and they must make a choice -- one path goes straight up the steep slope of the hill -- the other two paths follow level ground around the right and the left sides of the hill

            -- Christian’s conscience tells him the right path is the more difficult one -- straight up the hill -- his two companions argue against him, telling him he would be foolish to choose a hard path when there are two other paths more easily traveled -- in the end, Christian follows his heart and his conscience, trusting in his belief that this is the true road to the Celestial City

            -- just like Christian in Bunyan’s story, we are on a journey to the Celestial City -- we are on a journey with Christ to our eternal kingdom -- and just like Christian, we are constantly confronted with conflicting choices -- other paths and other roads appear along the way -- other voices urge us to leave the path we are on and to follow them along easier ways

            -- how do we know where to go?  -- how do we know when we are going the right way or not?

            -- those were the questions that were plaguing the Ephesians -- the false teachers and false voices were urging them to follow down another path, and they didn’t know what to do

            -- so, Paul commanded Timothy -- out of love -- to show the Ephesians the right way to go -- to give them a map to follow, so that even if Paul and Timothy were not there, they would not falter or be foolishly tricked into leaving the way of God

            -- our journey to God follows a path -- it begins with a pure heart -- it continues with a good conscience -- and it is empowered through a sincere faith

            -- trust in your conscience and in the leading of the Holy Spirit -- don’t listen to the competing voices -- don’t follow every teaching that comes your way -- but, test them through the Spirit -- confirm them through the word of God -- and follow your heart to Jesus

            -- this is the way of love -- this is the way to heaven

            -- let us pray

[Ron Teed, “The Goal is Love, http://www.villagechurchofwheaton.org/docs/sermon2009-06-07.pdf]

SERMON: FINDING OUR VISION

PURPOSE AND PASSION SERMON SERIES 1

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-62 New International Version (NIV)

Samaritan Opposition

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them^[a]?”⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

            -- A few years ago, I saw IMAX movie "Everest" -- this was a documentary about a team of explorers who were making an expedition to the top of Everest in 1996

            -- the film spent a lot of time documenting the team’s preparations for the trip -- you don’t just go to Mt. Everest and start climbing -- it takes months -- even years -- of training to be prepared to go

            -- you have to have specialized gear -- you have to know how to use this gear and how to repair and put it up in whatever environmental condition you find yourself in -- and you have to have a plan -- you have to know where you’re going and you have to be ready for the unexpected emergencies and deviations that will naturally occur

            -- the documentary spent a lot of time talking about how the team got physically prepared for the trip and how they planned out what they would need and how they would they would make it to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain

            -- after some time, the team flew into Nepal and made base camp at the foot of Everest and began to prepare for their ascent of the mountain -- the camera showed a scene with the base camp in front of Everest, and then it panned up to the top of the mountain -- to their goal -- to their vision

            -- it was a beautiful, clear day -- the snow on the mountain radiated the light from the sun -- and the whole team just looked at it and just basked in the glory of that vision -- this was their goal -- this was where they were headed -- the preparations were over -- it was time to get started

            -- but, things didn’t always go as planned -- and I noticed something interesting that the film-makers didn’t really talk about -- on the days when the weather was clear and beautiful -- on those days when the team could look up and see their goal -- when they could see the route ahead of them and had a clear path to follow -- they made great progress

            -- but, on the days when the weather turned and the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist -- when snow blanketed the path and it was hard to see where they were trying to go -- the team didn’t do well -- they just couldn’t make any progress -- they bogged down and couldn’t go

            -- it was days like this that made several quit -- they just couldn’t find it within themselves to keep going -- to keep slogging through the cold and the snow to the top of the mountain

            -- but, for some people, it didn’t matter to them what the environment was like on any particular day -- they just kept on moving resolutely towards their goal -- they knew where they were going -- and nothing was going to get in their way

            -- when asked what it was that kept them going, they said they had kept a vision of their destination firmly in mind the whole time -- that vision of Everest -- shining in the sun against the clear, blue sky -- was what kept them moving

            -- that vision was eventually what led them to victory

            -- vision makes the difference between success and failure

-- Proverbs 29:18 says, "when there is no vision, the people perish" -- there is a profound truth in that statement that we can clearly see portrayed in two different ways in our society

-- first, without a vision of the future to lead them and guide them, people may just quit living, such as the case with people who have just retired or who lose their job and find themselves doing nothing with their lives

-- and, secondly, without a vision of the future to lead them and guide them, people may get wrapped up in themselves and fail to live up to their potential -- spending time and money and effort to please themselves or better themselves while not moving forward into the plans that God has for them and their life -- people who are the face for midlife crises

-- the night before he was assassinated, President John F. Kennedy used Proverb 29:18 in a speech to the nation -- it was an impassioned appeal for the people of the United States to dream big -- to be big -- to do things that were greater than themselves

-- all throughout his short presidency, Kennedy cast a vision for America that propelled us to do great things -- remember his famous words in his inauguration address? -- "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country"

-- Kennedy was a visionary leader -- a person who recognized the value in having dreams and plans and goals for our individual lives and for our nation -- and his vision of a brighter and more productive future invigorated our country in a time when a vision of the future was sorely needed

-- without a vision, people and nations and churches perish -- their lives may be filled with sound and fury -- they may burn themselves out with activity -- but if it is action without purpose, it is to no avail

-- to have a vision is to have a future -- to have a vision is to have a plan -- a goal -- a direction -- to have a vision is to be part of something bigger than yourself -- it is to make a difference in the lives of others as you seek to fulfill God's plans for your life

II.  Scripture Lesson (Luke 9:51-62)

-- this morning, we are starting a new sermon series I have entitled “Purpose and Passion: Finding a Vision to Live By”

-- before we can begin living a life of purpose and passion, we have to know where we are going -- we have to have a clear vision of what we are doing and why we are here -- the purpose for which we are called

-- this vision should be the driving force behind our actions as servants of God -- vision becomes the energy and assurance that guides us through unforeseen difficulties or that propels us to move when we are threatened with fatigue or discouragement or ambivalence

-- this passage from Luke is a passage of vision -- a passage of calling -- a passage written to direct us and guide us in our life here on earth -- in this passage, we see the steps to catching and fulfilling a vision for our lives and our church

-- let’s look at this together as we begin this journey towards living lives of purpose and passion for Christ

-- verse 51

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

            -- this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible -- it shows that Jesus had come to earth for a purpose -- He had a vision -- a mission -- a calling from God -- to go to Jerusalem and offer Himself as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world -- and when the time came for that vision to be fulfilled, Luke tells us that Jesus "resolutely" set out for Jerusalem

-- that word, "resolutely" means "determined" -- "unwavering" -- in other words, when the time came for Jesus to fulfill His purpose -- to fulfill His calling -- to live out God's vision for Him -- He set His face towards Jerusalem with determination -- unwilling to detour or to waver from His path -- He knew where He was going -- He knew what He was supposed to do when He got there -- and nothing was going to keep Him from fulfilling that vision -- He was committed to the vision

            -- for us to be ready to live a life of purpose and passion, the first thing we must do is to be committed -- God wants us to have a vision for ministry, but it takes more than just envisioning the future -- we have to be committed to actually move forward to make that vision come true -- we have to be committed to the vision and have faith in God to provide all that is needed

-- just like Christ, we are called to be committed to the vision that God has for our lives -- we are called to keep this vision firmly in our mind and to set out resolutely along the path to fulfillment

-- when God gives us a vision, He wants us to act on it -- to move forward with unwavering determination to fulfill what He has called us to do

-- one thing we need to remember is that anytime we try to fulfill a God-given vision in our lives or in our church, we need to know we will face opposition -- our flesh and the things of this world will try to distract us from our mission

-- if we are going to be successful, we have to keep that vision constantly before us -- we have to keep that clear picture of our goal -- of what we’re trying to do -- of what we’re called to do -- in our minds or we’re not going to make it

-- remember the difference between those who were successful in climbing Everest and those who failed -- it was their vision

-- you are going to come up against people and things that are going to try to distract you from your goal -- and you need to be ready for that

-- immediately after Jesus set out towards Jerusalem, Luke tells us He was confronted with a group of people who didn't want anything to do with His vision -- who tried their best to divert Him from His calling

-- look at verse 52-56

52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

-- not everyone wants to be part of the vision that God gives -- there are many churches and many individuals who are living small lives because they refuse to live in the light of God's vision and God’s calling -- and, if we let them, they can distract us from our path -- James and John were more concerned with taking revenge on the villagers than they were in helping get Jesus to Jerusalem

-- when God gives us a vision, we need to focus on accomplishing the task at hand and not be distracted by the things of the world

-- I’ve seen churches refuse to live out God’s vision and calling for them because they felt like they didn't have enough money -- I've seen churches with a lot of money refuse to act because they didn't trust that God would provide in the future

-- a friend of mine was appointed to the finance committee in a church that sweated in the summertime -- and I literally mean sweated -- they had an air conditioner for the church that was put in in the mid 1950's and they wouldn't replace it -- when he joined the finance committee, he wanted to raise enough money to help them replace the air conditioner -- come to find out, the church had been given stock in Coca-Cola years before and actually had a net worth of several million dollars -- they just refused to cash it in to buy an air conditioner because they were worried about major expenses in the future -- now, how much ministry do you think that church did? -- that air conditioner was just a monument to that church's lack of faith in God's ability to provide

-- I've seen churches that refused to act because they didn't have enough time -- they were so busy with their own plans and projects and fellowship activities that they didn't think they could do anything else

-- I've seen churches that refused to act because they didn't think they were talented enough or skilled enough to do what God was calling them to do -- I’ve seen churches that refused to follow God’s vision and calling because they didn’t think they had enough people or enough resources -- the list goes on and on -- the excuses go on and on

-- "we don't have enough money" -- "we don't have enough talent" --" we don't have enough members" -- we need to remember that when we say, "don't have enough" that that is the point where God steps in and says, "I do"

-- but first, you must step forward in faith that God will provide where you fail -- as the Apostle Paul said, it is in our weakness that we are made strong -- this is especially true in setting and meeting visions in our individual spiritual lives and in our churches

-- more than anything else, churches are limited by their vision -- if they think they can't do something, then they are right -- the churches that you read about that are doing great things for God are doing so because they caught a vision of what God wanted them to do and they trusted that He would make it happen through them

-- finally, when we have a vision -- when God has called us to do something for Him, no matter the size -- then we have to do more than just acknowledge it -- we have to do something about it -- we have to act -- we have to move forward from where we are and start to fulfill the vision that He has given us

-- look at verse 57-62

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

-- as Jesus headed towards Jerusalem, many people recognized this vision from God -- they were called to be part of it, but they refused to act -- just like those with a lack of faith, these people came up with excuse after excuse as to why they just couldn't participate -- it wasn't that they lacked knowledge of what God wanted them to do -- it wasn't that they lacked faith that God would work through them to fulfill the vision -- it was failure to act that caused them to miss out of God's vision

-- when God gives us a vision -- when God gives us an assignment -- He expects us to fulfill it

III.  Closing

            -- so, what should be our guiding vision for this church? -- what is God’s calling for us as individuals and as a church? -- to what is He calling us to resolutely set our eyes towards accomplishing?

            -- for the next five weeks, this is what we are going to talk about -- we are going to be discussing living lives of purpose and passion for Christ based on God’s vision and calling for us

            -- in Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose-Driven Church,” he says that there are two passages in Scripture that give us God’s vision and mission for us as individuals and churches

            -- within these passages, we find the mission statement for the church -- the five purposes to which God has called all of us: worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship

            -- the first passage is Matthew 22:37-39 -- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind -- this is the first and greatest commandment -- and the second is like it -- love your neighbor as yourself”

            -- the second passage is Matthew 28:19-20 -- “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”

           

            -- in these two passages, we see the five purposes for us as individuals and as a church:

            -- “Love the Lord Your God” -- worship

            -- “Love your neighbor as yourself” -- ministry

            -- “Go and make disciples” -- evangelism

            -- “Baptize them” -- -- fellowship

            -- “Teach them to obey everything I have told you” -- discipleship

-- as I said earlier, before we can begin living a life of purpose and passion, we have to know where we are going -- we have to have a clear vision of what we are doing -- why we are here -- the purpose for which we are called

-- vision should be the driving force behind our actions as servants of God -- vision becomes the energy and assurance that guides us through unforeseen difficulties or that propels us to move when we are threatened with fatigue or discouragement or ambivalence

            -- these five purposes -- worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship -- encompass the vision God has given us

            -- by keeping this vision -- this calling --firmly in our minds, we will find ourselves living lives of purpose and passion -- we will know what we are supposed to do -- we will know where we are supposed to go -- and we will move forward knowing we are doing what God wants us to do in our lives

            -- next week, we’ll begin by looking more closely at what worship is and how we are to worship God with our hearts, minds, soul and strength -- I want to invite each of you to come back next week and to bring a friend as we start this study together

            -- so, let’s close in prayer and prepare ourselves to living lives of purpose and passion for Christ

            -- let’s pray