Posts filed under 'Post'
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 19, 2014:
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 19, 2014:
Cleaning: Week Jan. 19—Chambers.
Nursery: Jan. 26—Sarah C.
Potluck Dinner: Jan. 26 @ 6pm. Business mtg. to follow. Sign-up sheet available.
Follow us on Facebook or at teaguebiblechurch.org
Podcast Sermon 01/19/2014
James 2:8-13
Question: Which came first; the chicken or the egg?
Question: Which came first, a law code to guide people’s lives or grace through faith?
Most would answer that God saved people in ancient times by having them obey His laws, and when they did not, a sacrificial system covered their sin. (Check Romans 4 to see more,,,)
Question: What if they went through the system but were not really trusting and loving God?
Answer: It did them no good! Isaiah 1
Habakkuk 2: 4 “ ,,, the righteous will live by faith”
Romans 9:30 -32
The actually way it happened was God has always shown grace to those who would have faith in what He said to do. The premiere example is Abraham. He was a man who was around years before Moses and the written law code for Israel. How did he get saved if no law was written?
God offered him something, he did not deserve, and He believed what God was promising.
Because of his acting on what he believed , by moving to another place, it was said, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6. He now had a “right standing” with God, not because he was perfect, or deserved it, but because he believed what God was offering him.
What is grace?
A loving acceptance of us, by God, based on what Christ did for us on the cross.
We enter into this grace by believing what God says about Jesus Christ. Grace is activated in our life by accepting His gift of eternal life through faith. It includes forgiveness of all sins, and the removal of the crushing guilt associated with those sins. We receive a new heart that “wants to” please God. We receive the Holy Spirit who now empowers us to live the Christian life we are called to live. It is because of what Christ has done for us that we are saved, and therefore we have assurance that we will be saved forever. This gift is eternal and it is irrevocable.
So the pattern is:
Grace through faith-
Then a temporary period of Law- ( II Corinthians 3: 1-18, Galatians 2:11-21, Titus 3:5-7, Hebrews 4:1-2, 10:1-23)
Then the fullness of grace through faith in Jesus Christ-
We must spend a bit of time revealing the meaning of Galatians 3 to explain this and clarify our verse for today. In this way, if you will bear with me, we see most clearly the meaning of the “law of liberty” of which James speaks.
Galatians 3: 16-29 Acts 15:7-8
James, a strict Jew all his life, has met Christ, received His grace, trusting what Christ has done for him over what he was able to do on his own, in his own performance of good deeds, (which was always doomed to failure.)
He is now a transformed man and continues to be transformed throughout his life, simply by believing in Jesus and receiving this free gift of grace. Of course he does good deeds now, all the time,but he does so not to get saved- on his own merit- but because he is already saved and has assurance of that salvation because of Christ’ work done for him. He knows the limits of the Law and now knows the “law of liberty’ in Jesus Christ! (ck. Romans 8:1-4)
Review of context: James 2:1-13 *********************
Focus today on James 2: 8-13
v. 8-9 Leviticus 19:18 and 19: 15
Royal law- the king of all laws (relating to human relationships)
A comprehensive law Matthew 22:36-40 Galatians 5: 13-16
It includes not evaluating a man’s character by appearances. II Corinthians 5:16a
v. 8 Many times the Jews, in practice, showed partiality by limiting “love thy neighbor”
to fellow Jews.
Ex. Good Samaritan Luke 10:29
v. 10-11 What James is dealing with are people who want to “pick and choose,”
buffet-style, from God’s standards of right living.
But to fail in one point of the Law is to fail it all, because it is a failure to love others.
It does not mean a man who steals is automatically guilty of a murder he did not commit.
The point he is making is that obeying one law ,does not cancel out the failure to obey another law.
Examining the word, “transgress” might help us understand. It means to break through a boundary one is forbidden to cross.
Ex. Police catch man who jumped over the fence, into your yard, on the north side.
He criminal wants to know why he gets no credit for not crossing over at the
east or west side? It does not matter! He is over the fence at some point,
and a crime has been committed.
v. 12 a better way – “law of liberty”
Remember how you are to be judged because you have believed the Gospel.
The moment you placed your trust in what Christ did for you on the cross, and believe God raised Him from the dead, you were saved for all eternity. Grace through faith. You were, and forever will be, free from being judged by the Law.
Romans 8: 1-4 The word “now” is emphatic by position in the sentence. (In Greek original)
You do not have to ‘wait and see” if you will some day be saved. ( check Romans 8:28-30 where we see the plan of God for every believer. Once you have accepted Christ, these things take place. It is such a sure thing to take place He can put “glorified” in the aorist (past) tense; even though you have not been “glorified” yet! WOW!
Romans 4: 25
A theologian said, “ And it is just man’s utter failure to obey that Law, in its entirety, that makes it necessary for his salvation to depend, not on his own righteousness, but upon another; Christ Jesus.”
Question: How do you know you have entered into the “law of liberty?”
You have a changed heart that shows mercy to all, as mercy has been shown to you!
Song: “He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay”
Ex. Matthew 18: 23-35
v. 13 “mercy triumphs over judgment”
Mercy is a feeling of compassion expressed in action; what Christ did for us.
He took the judgment we would have suffered and then set us
free from it consequences.
Ex. Florida Flight 90
Judgment for our sins fell on Christ. God’s perfect standard was not done away with or compromised. Christ fulfilled the standard and we are credited with His righteousness! Now by His mercy He provided grace to us, all based on His work. It is ours when we believe this, and accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
God’s mercy triumphs at Calvary over His rightful judgment of our sins.
Ex. The brush fire and the dead hen with live chicks
Ex. Matthew 23: 37
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUNDAY JAN. 12, 2014
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUNDAY JAN. 12, 2014
Cleaning: Week Jan. 12—Twittys.
Nursery: Jan. 19—Linda C.
Potluck Dinner: Jan. 26 @ 6pm. Business mtg. to follow. Sign-up sheet available.
Follow us on Facebook or at teaguebiblechurch.org.
Podcast – Sermon 01/12/2014
Teague Bible Church Jimmy Petty 2014
TIME MANAGEMENT continued ….
The purpose of time management is not so that we can cram more into our schedule, but to defrag and rearrange our life to take away the wrong kind of stress and give back quality. Oddly enough, you end up with more free time than you had before. Would you be interested in that?
1. PLANNING is crucial to not wasting time or being
distracted by worthless activity.
JESUS’ EXAMPLE John 7:6, 9:1-5, 17:4
John 7:6 “,,, My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.”
9: 4 “ we must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day;
night is coming when no one can work.”
17: 4 “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which
You have given Me to do.”
Jesus was focused, but not rushed;
He was on aware of the passing of time and used that little bit of time
to stay on mission as you should be on your mission.
2. It is important to extract the PRECIOUS from the WORTHLESS.
A. Set PRIORITIES. Find the precious
( written before Lord Of The Rings- funny!)
Ex. “The Lies We Believe” Dr. Chris Thurman –
“Lie number 6. YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL” (youth group believed this!)
Ex. Cosby show – Wonderful family both working 60 hours weeks, doctor and lawyer;
can’t happen, something would have to give and that is
usually “relationships”; things and activities win out.
Ex. Man at Christian college- Lawyer, teacher at college, traveled all the time. Admired for his busy life. Paid for it
with his family!
POINT? There will not be enough time to “do it all.”
Life was not meant to be a string of meaningless activities.
Ex. Mountain climbing/ Further up you go; the less things you carry.
You must “lighten the load” to survive
B. Learn to say “no” to worthless things
Ex. Your “toxic” relative or friend wants to burn up an hour of time on the phone,
griping, with no intention of changing anything.
3. As disciples of Jesus it is essential to THINK about how
we allocate our time.
“ Money comes and goes; time only comes by once.”
(We want to come to the end of 2014 and say, “That was a year well spent!”)
4. IMPORTANT is not equal to = URGENT.
The * urgent things tend to absorb our time so there is none left for the important! If you have no concept of “most important” vs. the “less important,” the urgent will manipulate your life. It may “seem” urgent, but what is really important?
{* Urgent things = Those things we feel like have to be done at that moment,
not because they are truly urgent, but because we get stirred up emotionally
about it at the moment. Later, on reflection, we see we missed a great
opportunity if only we had established a set of priorities before the
emotion took over.}
Ex. Mary and Martha Luke 10:38-42
Ex. Acts 24: 24-25
“ But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla,
his wife, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in
Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control, and the
judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the
present, and when I find time I will summon you.”
5. (Self- analysis question) – Am I ‘spending time’ or
INVESTING TIME in what will pay off
in the long run?
Must be ‘people over things’ as a starting point.
(What else pays off in the long run?)
* You must see “helping others,” as not interruptions, but divine appointments
* Bible study
* Build relationships, to show the love of Christ, and earn the right to witness.
* Fellowship
* PRAYER- (in detail later, no.9)
6. Every day is a GIFT from God. Be Thankful!
( You will see things others are blind to see. It is like being lifted up high on a mountain as seeing clearly the lay of the land below. Thankfulness is vision!)
Phil. 4:6-8 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
WITH THANKSGIVING, let your request be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Usually thankful for things already done; so God helps us remember what
He has already done, as a testimony to His care, to keep us from freaking out,
in the present and have hope for the future.
Be a thankful person; anybody can whine.
I Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God
for you in Christ Jesus.”
James 4:13-16
“Come now you who say, “today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then it vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”
Be a thankful person. You can be thankful, with or without “feeling” thankful at the moment. It is not hypocritical to go against your feelings; it is hypocritical to go against the facts! You have been blessed; and you know it deep-down. Choose to be thankful!
It opens your eyes to opportunity; gives a bigger view of situations.
7. The key is to move through life with PURPOSE and BALANCE.
Colossians 4:5
“ Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.”
“make the most of the opportunity” = lit. : “redeem the time”/ “to purchase the time”
Ex. Imagine if you had to start each week by purchasing, with money, sections of
time for particular purposes.
8. Management of SELF, not time, is the problem.
It takes DISCIPLINE, (but habit soon takes over and it is less difficult- check paper attached to this one- “Habit”
Ephesians 5:15-17
“ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of God is.”
Gal. 5:23 fruit of the spirit is “self- control”
9. We have time to do exactly what God wants us to do. We need to decide if responsibilities are GOD-GIVEN or self- imposed; or imposed by the whims of others.
Ex. Jesus’prayer life. With all He had to do, why did He take time to pray?
Would not more “action” yield better results? NO!
Luke 4:42, 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 28, 11:1, 18:1 22: 31-32, 22: 39-45
QUESTION: How could Jesus be unhurried and get so much done? Prayer was priority!
Ex. Blaise Pascal 1623-1662 “Why we stay busy’ ( natural , unredeemed man)
“ Nothing is more intolerable to man than a state of complete repose, without desires, without work, without amusements, without occupation. In such a state he becomes aware of his nothingness, his abandonment, his inadequacy, his dependence, his futility. There at once wells up from the depths of his soul weariness, gloom, misery, exasperation, frustration, despair.”
Sport, pleasure, entertainment and society are so often pursued not because they bring pleasure, but because they take men’s minds off themselves.
10. Make a lifelong study of how to better use your time.
(Colossians. 4:5, Psalms 90:12, John 9:1-5, Ephesians 5:15-17)
Psalms 90:12 “ SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS THAT WE MAY
PRESENT TO YOU A HEART OF WISDOM”
*****************************************************************
ACTION STEP: (application of no. 2 in notes)
Make a list of about 5 things you look back on as precious.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Make a list of about 5 things you look back on as worthless.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Podcast – Sermon 01/05/2014
The audio gremlins crept back in on this one.
Teague Bible Church Jimmy Petty 2014
TIME MANAGEMENT
The purpose of time management is not so that we can cram more into our schedule, but to defrag and rearrange our life to take away the wrong kind of stress and give back quality. Oddly enough, you end up with more free time than you had before. Would you be interested in that?
1. PLANNING is crucial to not wasting time or being
distracted by worthless activity.
JESUS’ EXAMPLE John 7:6, 9:1-5, 17:4
John 7:6 “,,, My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.”
9: 4 “ we must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day;
night is coming when no one can work.”
17: 4 “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which
You have given Me to do.”
Jesus was focused, but not rushed;
He was on aware of the passing of time on used that little bit of time
to stay mission as you should be.
2. It is important to extract the PRECIOUS from the WORTHLESS.
A. Set PRIORITIES. Find the precious
( written before Lord Of The Rings- funny!)
Ex. “The Lies We Believe” Dr. Chris Thurman –
“Lie number 6. YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL” (youth group believed this!)
Ex. Cosby show – Wonderful family both working 60 hours weeks, doctor and lawyer;
can’t happen, something would have to give and that is
usually “relationships”; things and activities win out.
Ex. Man at Multnomah- Lawyer, teacher at college, traveled all the time. Paid for it
with his family!
POINT? There will not be enough time to “do it all.”
Life was not meant to be a string of meaningless activities.
Ex. Mountain climbing/ Further up you go; the less things you carry.
You must “lighten the load” to survive
B. Learn to say “no” to worthless things
Ex. Your “toxic” relative or friend wants to burn up an hour of time on the phone,
griping, with no intension of changing anything.
3. As disciples of Jesus it is essential to THINK about how
we allocate our time.
“ Money comes and goes; time only comes by once.”
(Come to the end of 2014 and say, “That was a year well spent!”)
4. IMPORTANT is not equal to = URGENT.
The * urgent things tend to absorb our time so there is none left for the important! If you have no concept of “most important” vs. the “less important,” the urgent will manipulate your life. It may “seem” urgent, but what is really important?
{* Urgent things” = Those things we feel like have to be done at that moment,
not because they are truly urgent, but because we get stirred up emotionally
about it at the moment.
Later, on reflection, we see we missed a great
opportunity if only we had established a set of priorities before the
emotion took over.}
Ex. Mary and Martha Luke 10:38-42
Ex. Acts 24: 24-25
“ But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla,
his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in
Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control, and the
judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the
present, and when I find time I will summon you.”
5. (Self- analysis question) – Am I ‘spending time’ or
INVESTING TIME in what will pay off
in the long run?
Must be ‘people over things’ as a starting point.
(What else pays off in the long run?)
* You must see “helping others,” as not interruptions, but divine appointments
* Bible study
* Build relationships, to show the love of Christ, and earn the right to witness.
* Fellowship
* PRAYER- (in detail later, no.9)
6. Every day is a GIFT from God. Be Thankful!
( You will see things others are blind to. It is like being lifted up high on a mountain as seeing clearly the lay of the land below. Thankfulness is vision!)
Phil. 4:6-8 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
WITH THANKSGIVING, let your request be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Usually thankful for things already done; so God helps us remember what
He has already done, as a testimony to His care, to keep us from freaking out,
in the present and have hope for the future.
Be a thankful person; anybody can whine.
I Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God
for you in Christ Jesus.”
(Don’t read this)
James 4:13-16 (correct on their paper- it has 4:17)
“Come now you who say, “today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then it vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”
Be a thankful person. You can be thankful, with or without “feeling” thankful at the moment. It is not hypocritical to go against your feelings; it is hypocritical to go against the facts! You have been blessed; and you know it deep-down. Choose to be thankful!
It opens your eyes to opportunity; gives a bigger view of situations.
7. The key is to move through life with
PURPOSE and BALANCE.
Colossians 4:5
“ Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.”
“make the most of the opportunity” = lit. : “redeem the time”/ “to purchase the time”
Ex. Imagine if you had to start each week by purchasing, with money, sections of
time for particular purposes.
8. Management of SELF, not time, is the problem.
It takes DISCIPLINE, (but habit soon takes over and it is less difficult- check paper attached to this one- “Habit”
Ephesians 5:15-17
“ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of God is.”
Gal. 5:23 fruit of the spirit is “self- control”
9. We have time to do exactly what God wants us to do. We need to decide if responsibilities are GOD-GIVEN or self- imposed; or imposed by the whims of others.
Ex. Jesus’prayer life. With all He had to do, why did He take time to pray?
Would not more action yield better results?
Luke 4:42, 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 28, 11:1, 18:1 22: 31-32,
22: 39-45
QUESTION: How could Jesus be unhurried and get so much done? Prayer was priority!
Ex. Blaise Pascal 1623-1662 “Why we stay busy’ ( natural , unredeemed man)
“ Nothing is more intolerable to man than a state of complete repose, without desires, without work, without amusements, without occupation. In such a state he becomes aware of his nothingness, his abandonment, his inadequacy, his dependence, his futility. There at once wells up from the depths of his soul weariness, gloom, misery, exasperation, frustration, despair.”
Sport, pleasure, entertainment and society are so often pursued not because they bring pleasure, but because they take men’s minds off themselves.
10. Make a lifelong study of how to better use your time.
(Colossians. 4:5, Psalms 90:12, John 9:1-5, Ephesians 5:15-17)
Psalms 90:12 “ SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS THAT WE MAY
PRESENT TO YOU A HEART OF WISDOM”
*****************************************************************
ACTION STEP: (application of no. 2 in notes)
Make a list of about 5 things you look back on as precious.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Make a list of about 5 things you look back on as worthless.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR JAN. 5, 2014
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR JAN. 5, 2014 (sorry for the delay)
Cleaning: Week Jan. 5—Arnolds.
Nursery: Jan. 12—Bev.
Follow us on Facebook or at teaguebiblechurch.org.
Podcast – Sermon 12/29/2013
THE LORD’S SUPPER Teague Bible Church
December 29, 2013
Every year they have a memorial at Normandy, France to remember the ones who died for freedom. For anyone there, who actually fought back at that time, it means much more to them than to their children or grandchildren.
Ex. “Private Ryan” the older man remembers as he kneels beside the grave.
Ex. Gideon ,
(He was NOT there when many miracles took place) Judges 6:13 “Then Gideon said to him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘did not the Lord bring us up from Eqypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (Exodus was 1445 B.C. Gideon lived in 1051 B.C. ) 394 years had passed.
Each generation does not need fresh miracles of historic proportion,( I Pet. 1:8, John 20:29, Matt. 12:38- 41) but each generation and each person in this room needs vital experiences of communion with the Lord and with each other as a body of believers.
Ex. I John 2: 7-8 “ Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard,” (John 13:34 love on another, John 15:12).
“On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, (increasing love, vital communion) because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.” (What John is fascinated by is the fact that communion with the Lord and other believers never gets stale because the Holy Spirit energizes the Word of God in us, making it fresh and like it is brand new.)
We come today to remember what the Lord has done for us on that cross over 2000 years ago. We are in danger of missing the true significance of the Lord’s Supper if we resign it to be only a ritual. We cheapen it if we get too get focused about the elements involved or the way it is done, or how often it is done.
By the way, the above illustrations are incomplete. The first Lord’s Supper was tragic for the disciples, who saw no way in which Jesus would live. The second Lord’s Supper, that was recorded in the book of Acts, was a celebration of the price Jesus paid, but also the fact of His resurrection! A joyful occasion! NOT a memorial service for some dead hero! Critical to remember this when we partake of the Lord’s supper!
QUESTION: What keep’s the Lord’s Supper fresh, vital, immediate, new to us and not a faded memory?
ANSWER: (The presence of the Holy Spirit.)
There is no such thing as , “ Getting used to” the Christian life! No more than you will ever be bored with heaven and get “used to” it. The very Spirit of God makes all things fresh and new as we adjust ourselves to His working in us.
QUESTION : As Christians, how do we adjust ourselves,
so the Spirit can accomplish all that He wants to within us today?
1. Be clean, confess your sins I John 1:9 (Too many only get this far then fall back and do not grow much)
2. Be surrendered Rom. 12 :1-2
3. Be Filled with the Spirit Eph 5:18 “ and do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation ( sqandered energy, uncontrolled useless activity),but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of the Lord.” (confession and surrender makes room for the Spirit to work)
4. Determine to “keep walking” in the Spirit Gal. 5: 16-25
Ex. Rechargeable flashlight.
( can’t stay “unplugged” too long , must have continual abiding with the source)
The typical experience for believers :
A great experience with the Lord ;
Then you think that will carry you;
You fall;
Big , emotional repentance;
Repeat pattern.
Not that this does not happen to you and me at times, but I mean looking as if this is the normal way to walk. Kind of a , “I wait till my life totally falls apart, then I turn to the Lord, when nothing else works!” That is just deliberate carnality! An attitude that the Christian walk is only “inevitable carnality.”
Some churches cater to this by always having a 3-ring circus going of “special events, so people do not get bored .” External stimuli, to substitute for what can only be done in your heart by being “spirit- filled,” in a steady, sensitive walk with the Lord.
Where are you in your life right now? { Share time}
Read Luke 22: 14-20
Read Luke 22: 21- 30 Will you “stand by Him?”
Podcast – Sermon 12/22/2013
The Incarnation, The Christmas Story Jimmy Petty
J.I. Packer “Knowing God” P.14-15
“You couldn’t be more cruel to yourself than to try to live in this world without knowing the God who made the world, who runs it, who will conclude it. The world becomes a strange, confusing, mad, and painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know God.”
“Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”
Intro:
These are absolutely true statements but it seems that once you grasp, just a little, of the greatness and power of God you may feel overwhelmed to consider; how does one relate to God?
** READ (Understanding the trinity / Michael Bronson)
“We are trying to look at an infinite being through finite eyes. Do we really think we can comprehend the magnitude of a being who has created a universe with more than a million billion galaxies; where each galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars? Are we naïve enough to think we can understand the complexity of a being who created a universe where every ounce of material has more than a hundred million trillion highly organized atoms?”
I think this complexity of God is part of the reason we find the trinity so difficult to understand.
I Cor. 8:2-3
“ If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.”
Galatians 4:9a
“But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be
known by Him,,,”
** READ J.B. Phillips “Your God is too small” P. 41-42
The key to understand is that He knows me.
** READ J.B Phillips “Your God Is too Small” P. 63
“We shall never want to serve God in our real and secret hearts if He looms in our sub-conscience mind as an arbitrary Dictator or a spoil-sport. Or as one who takes advantage of His position to make us poor mortals feel guilty and afraid. We have not only to be impressed by the size and unlimited power of God, we have to be moved to genuine admiration, respect, and affection, if we are ever to worship Him.”
Is it what He wants? Does He want to be near to us?
Sometimes we may feel He wants to be a “hands-off” directing manager, really not wanting to get close to us.
Let us think about how this would have to work if He did want to know us:
Share: What famous person, past or present, would you have liked to be friends with and really get to know?
Share: Now, if that were possible, who would take the initiative into how far the relationship would go; you or them?
POINT:
This is exactly what God has done in Christ. This is the Christmas Story. The story of the Incarnation ;God becoming a man, yet still fully God, to save us and to get close to us.
The concept we know by the name, “Incarnation.”
A Latin word that means:
in= in
carnis= flesh i.e. “in the flesh”
The Bible uses the word “manifest” to reveal the nature of Christ.
The invisible God made visible through Christ.
READ I John 1:1-4
Matthew 1:23 (from Isaiah 7:14) “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, “God with us.”
Even we as believers, sometimes think, unwittingly, that there is a limit to how close we can walk with God.
Question: What happens if you really seek to understand who God is? What might be the first revelation of that knowledge?
Answer: You see your sin in bold relief.
A natural response would be to run!
But that is not the end of the encounter
Question: What kind of people do you feel comfortable hanging around?
Answer: Those similar to you. God is dissimilar to us, so how do we deal with this dilemma?
God,,,,, the ultimate threat,,,God,,,,, the only hope !
Example: Luke 5:1-11 READ
We see the great threat and exposure that Peter felt! I hope you see the great comfort and relief he felt from that point on! This comfort is what we seem to miss.
Our “distant” prayers reflect that we are not sure how to relate to God.
Example: Beth Midler, “God is watching us, from a distance.” Totally false song for a Christian!
** HE UNDERSTANDS! **
READ Hebrews 2: 9-11, 14-18
READ Hebrews 4: 12- 16
To know God; that is the real Christmas message. To know Him personally is made possible through the incarnation;
God made man.
“As much God as if he were not man, and as much man as if he were not God”
** His Work **
Philippians 2:1-11 Jesus is Lord ! Kurious (Jehovah)
We Can Know Him Personally
John 17:1-3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”
“Eternal Life” is not just a change in geography or it would soon be a beautiful hell! The “heart’ of each person in heaven must have been changed supernaturally before arriving! Not just outward behavior!
Revelation 3:20 “ Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me.”
John 14:23 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode (home) with him.”
Podcast – Sermon 12/15/2013
NOTE: Some audio problems with the original recording
Rich Man/ Poor Man- Appearances have blinded me-A Christmas Message?
James 2: 1-9 12/15/13
“Daily” abiding in Christ is the key to living the full and abundant life that Jesus spoke about in John chapter 10 and 15. No one big experience with God; no miracle you have seen, no amount of past theological education, can substitute for a daily walk.
However, we continue to believe the lie that if our time in history were different, or our current circumstances different, we would somehow be better Christians.
Some say,“ If I had lived during the 1st century, right there in the pocket of Jesus’ miracles, and the Apostles miracles, when it was all fresh, I would certainly be a better Christian than I am in this modern society. Those people were not facing the same problems that we face!”
The truth is they faced exactly the same problems that we face, and many had not only seen miracles, but in the case of Peter and the apostles, had actually performed them!
And our text today will show that Christians, in that day, were very susceptible to falling into the sin, (that is easy to avoid) of judging people’s worth by appearances.
Particularly the appearance of success shown by how much money one has.
Example (Of going by appearance) Even after Pentecost, with the coming of the Holy Spirit to help them understand, from the inside out, (instead of by appearances I Cor. 2) we see Peter having a difficult time in obeying the changes that have taken place ( Acts 10 and 11.)
Example: Galatians 2: 11-21 Peter and Barnabus go backwards and, for a moment , because of appearances, denied a vital truth of the Gospel!
Example: Paul and the apostle’s terrible treatment not only by unbelievers, but believers as well. All because of appearance! They were the “real deal” but looked unimpressive. II Corinthians – chapter 4/6/11
READ II Cor. 5:12
READ II Cor. 5: 16
TEXT: The Appearances of Money James 2: 1-9
“Giving value to a man by what he has, over what he is”
A poor, unbelieving man entering this kind of church would hardly believe the Gospel message, once he see the seating arrangement!
Example: I get my brother to go to church with me.
What did he see? Answer: A dog and pony show
Example: Traveling Evangelist/Preacher with the 2000.00 suit, right here in
Teague. “What did you think about the message?” I said.
He said, “I stopped listening after I saw the suit he
was wearing!”
The Christian poor; if free from envy, enjoys a great position if he wants to please God.
(Side point) QUESTION: Having trouble with envy? READ Psalms 37: 1-26
James 2: 5 “Rich in faith”
The language does not mean “quantity” of faith that compensates for the financial lack, but rather that they have this complete faith as a possession by being born again. It can be, potentially, easier for these folks to see their need.
Just being poor does not make you spiritual. Like everybody else they can be prideful and sinful and not seek God.
We must remember what Jesus spoke about being
“poor in spirit” in Matthew 5:3
The financially poor cannot put on a show. It becomes evident to all that they have little of the means of this world.
Those who know they don’t have the riches of the world can be quicker to see their spiritual poverty as well. (Contrast Revelation 2:9 with Revelation 3: 17)
READ Jeremiah 9: 23-24a
QUESTION: Do you feel rich or do you feel you are barely making it along?
READ Ephesians 1: 3-8a “The treasure chest verse”
I can just hear someone say, “Well yea, but that won’t get you a job!”
READ Matthew 6: 33 “Seek first the kingdom, and its righteousness, and all
these things (material things you need; really most of the times
we are talkingabout wants anyway) will be added unto you.”
What is the first thing that you think about when your feet hit the floor in the morning?
READ Matthew 6:32 “Your heavenly Father KNOWS that you need
all these (material) things.”
The key? Put first things first!
Put 1st things 1st and you get 2nd things thrown in for free
(I Kings 3: 5-15.) You put 2nd things 1st and you lose both 1st and 2nd
things. You certainly will lose any happiness coming from material things,
once you decide to forget about God in your daily activities.
Some say, “ I am really going to serve God one day, just as soon as I get this
current situation straightened out!”
If that is what you think, then it will never happen; because you will never feel like all situations are “straightened out.”
I believe these folks are as sincere as the day is long when they say such things but they are also blind to the truth. Appearances have caused them to think that the material things are more important than the spiritual. Material things are solid, they say, and maybe after many years, they might be satisfying, but that spiritual stuff is whispy and kinda optional. We would not say it that directly, but our lives show it.
Final: So how does this all relate to Christmas? How does this related to appearances?
What was the appearance of Jesus coming into this world? If you were going to make a big impact on this world and had the power to do anything, what would you do?
1. God chose humility ( Philippians 2) and entered as a baby in weakness.
That same weakness made it possible for men to kill Him. ( II Corinthians 13:4)
In the most obscure way, the Savior is born into poverty, in a cow stall.
WHY?
2. He spoke in parables
WHY?
3. He would do a miracle then do all He could not to advertise it,
at least at the first. WHY?
4. His own half-brothers want Him to make a big splash and get the PR game going, but Jesus refuse to do it their way. WHY?
This was the only way that people would come to Jesus for the right reason, with the right humble heart to receive His free gift of eternal life.
Rich man/ Poor man- Appearances are blinding me – A Christmas Message?
The real meaning of Christmas?
II Corinthians 8:9 “ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Podcast – Sermon 12/08/2013
Technical issues – the first 7 minutes are lost
James 1:19- 25 Doers of the Word 12/8/13
While 1:19 ( quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger) can, and should relate to our dealings with individuals we encounter each day, we see that James’ primary emphasis is being “quick to hear” the Word of God as revealed in New Testament, the Gospel message, that “perfect law,” that “law of liberty.”
Sometimes we are too quick to say, “Yea, I got the message,” when the reality is we do not “have it.”
Some of you are teachers and know that there are 6 levels of learning:
Evaluation
Synthesis Synthesis
Analysis Analysis Analysis
Application Application Application Application
Comprehension Comprehension Comprehension Comprehension Comprehension
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
Example: Sunday school teacher/ for a teenage girl’s class/ teaching on modesty.
Later, the teacher is on the beach, and notices that same girl that was in class, there on the beach, in a string bikini! When she ask the girl why she was dressed that way, (after saying she believed in girls dressing modestly,) the girl said, “ I believe in having a boyfriend also, and this is how you get a boyfriend.”
Focus today is James 1: 22-25 ******************************************
James’ jump-off point is, “the word” from 1: 21. The Gospel message , the New Testament, the fulfillment of the preparatory message of the Old Testament.
Three verses help us to KNOW- COMPREHEND- APPLY this passage to ourselves today.
John 1: 1-18 The Word
Romans 10:17 The word increases faith
Colossians 3: 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell in your heart
MAIN TEXT: *********************************
1: 22 “Prove it out in experience” ( Check Romans 12:1-2)
God works through the new nature He has given us as the Holy Spirit abide there showing us how to apply the Word of God in daily circumstances.
You must be exposed to the Word of God on a regular basis!
It must operate at those deeper levels of learning
Example: “AKROATAI” “Hearers Only” Tyndale Commentary
“Deceive yourself” It really is possible to fool yourself!
If you have “knowledge,” but remain at the same comfort level– you do not have it. No real change has occurred.
What do we mean?
In gaining something you do not have, an uncomfortable change must take place; then , and only then, do the new pleasures of activating the Word of God at deeper experience levels take place in your life. You find God’s will for your life and find it fits you like a glove!
(Romans 12: 1-2) A renewed mind comes by absorbing the Word of God!
Example: We have heard people say, “He lives and breathes sports!” To know the game, play the game from childhood, now playing the game professionally, now coaching professionally, now writing books about the sport, etc.
MISERY is clearly seeing what you want to become; but along with this seeing is an equal desire to “not change a single thing” in your life to obtain the goal.
Everything in life takes;
1.“Desire” and you get more desire by absorbing the Word of God;
2.Then you need “Training /skills” to be different. You get this from the Word of God also.
Be humble enough to sit under someone dedicated to teaching the Word of God.
3.Then you need “Endurance.” Allow the training time to kick in and get a good hold.
1:23 “Looks at” – KATENOESEN – it means “A quick glance”
1: 24-25 A long, intense examination, view -PARAKUPSAS- from two words in greek;
Para- “to line up and be in sink with”
Kupto- “to stoop down to look”
“To stoop down and line up your eyes to take a long look”
Example: Mary “stooped down” (katenoesen) and looked into the empty tomb
1: 25 “Perfect law; law of liberty”
Romans 8: 1-4
Hebrews 8: 7-13
Galatians 3: 21-29
(1: 25) “Blessed in what he does”
A person that can take or leave the things of this world.
He allows the Word of God to direct him and uses the things of this world, if needed, to achieve the higher goals of pleasing God. Matthew 6:33
Summary: So instead of , “just a glance at my walk with God, then off I go to do my thing of trying to make myself happy with the bare minimum of my time spent with God.”
You become a “doer of the Word” and fully integrate that message into your life.
An unexamined life is not worth living
An unexamined faith is not worth having
Final: The “idol” the preacher dare not mention today is the idol called, “ I am so busy.”
It is the “soul-killing idol” that keeps us away from God
Example : People stay “over busy” to avoid emptiness
(This was one of the key factors in leading me to the Lord at 19 years old. I deliberately stayed busy to avoid my own emptiness. As I saw the truth of that emptiness, it eventually led me to turn to Christ)
Blaise Pascal 1623-1662 Scientist/mathematician/Christian
“Nothing is more intolerable to man than a state of complete repose, without desires,without work, without amusements, without occupation. In such a state he becomes aware of his nothingness, his abandonment, his inadequacy, his dependence, his emptiness, his futility. There at once wells up from the depths of his soul weariness, gloom, misery, exasperation, frustration, despair. Sport, pleasure, entertainment and society are so often pursued nor because they bring pleasure, but because they take men’s minds off themselves.”
There is a better life for you! Do you want it?