Made Useful
2 Timothy 2:20-21
Let’s say that you and I had a special dinner planned at our house. Amy is cooking (so it will be good) and we’ve been planning for months for the time together. You get ready and arrive at the stated time. You’re on time, not late. You ring the bell, and I come and answer the door, welcome you in and ask you to have a seat at the table.
Amy’s prepared a great meal, but I serve you the trashcan. At your spot, I bring the trash and dump it, then put your dinner in the can and say – eat up. Wouldn’t you feel welcomed?
Not at all! You’d probably hate me, or at least question my sanity. That’s no way to treat a guest or to honor someone, but sadly, isn’t that how we often honor God?
We’ve talked about leadership the past several weeks, and David shared for 2 weeks on the life of Jeremiah. There is a thread of connection between Jeremiah and leaders and that is this: they made themselves useful to God.
There is a difference between being useful to God, and used by God.
Read 2 Timothy 2:20-21.
Leaders clean house. We value, as a church, God, His word, worship, and desire to be leaders. We desire to be people who are sensitive to God and His leading so that we can be thermostats, people who make change around us.
God can use anyone to do His will, but calls us to be made useful to Him – there is a difference.
I. God can use anyone
a. The Bible is full of people who God used, but weren’t exactly models of the faith. If you want a lot of examples in one place, read through the book of Judges. Samson, one of the heroes of Judges, was a womanizer, adulterer, and full of passionate lust (and the inability to recognize an obvious trap laid for him). Yet God used him. We’re left wondering, though, when he died a martyr in captivity, what his life could have been – not so much what it was.
b. In the time of the exodus, God used Pharaoh, and the Bible tells us that God “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 10:1). God can use anybody at anytime to accomplish His will. He can use believers and non-believers alike.
i. I can invite anyone one at anytime to my house, but if I serve them trash what good have I done.
c. Abraham, the father of all who would be justified by faith, started out as a polytheist – he believed in many Gods. A difference is that in his life, as god used him, he made himself more useful to God.
d. Peter in the New Testament provides an example as well. His life is in and out; he has glimpses of greatness, and then shrinks back in doubt and unbelief. Peter told Christ he would walk with Him all the way to prison and the grave; but when the time came he ran. There was still fear in Him, doubt that held Him back. After the resurrection Christ dealt with Peter and Peter made Himself useful to God.
e. But you have been called to a different standard, believer. The Bible makes it clear that God expects you to be useful to Him, and you should expect Him to use you. But how do you make yourself useful?
II. Being made useful (Cleaning house)
a. Read 2 Tim. 2:20-21 again.
b. The trashcan serves a purpose. The kids diaper pail serves a purpose. Our three outdoor trashcans serve a purpose, but I don’t use the lids to serve dinner. Paul is making out an illustration: in your life, as in your home, there are things that are good, and things that are bad. In your life, to be made useful to God, we need to clean house – we need to get rid of the stuff in our lives that keeps us “dirty” that holds us back from being totally useful to God.
c. The Bible calls this stuff sin. It straps us down to this world and holds us back. Sin suppresses freedom.
i. The letter to the Hebrews puts it this way: “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus” Heb. 12:1-2.
ii. This is just after a long passage of scripture declaring the heroes of faith who cleaned house and were used by God to accomplish His purpose. The encouragement is for us to do the same.
d. Sin that so easily entangles. Thursday morning, having heard that this tropical storm was coming our way, I knew I needed to take care of our gutters. They were plugged up. It’s amazing to look at our yard, all those trees with little leaves. You can think one leaf won’t hurt anything. But a whole bunch of leaves will ruin the whole gutter, causing it to overflow, and then you’ve got leakage by the foundation – and that’s not good.
i. Sin is the same way. We may look around and think, one little sin won’t hurt, and it won’t hurt anyone. So what if I’m callous toward my neighbor. What can one little hit do? What can one movie that I shouldn’t watch, what can that really do to me, and I can close my eyes during all the bad parts anyway?
1. Have you ever examined your thinking after watching a movie – usually it’s half in the real world and half in Hollywood world?
2. One little sin leads to another. Wherever there is one leaf, there is more. No doubt about it. One sin leads to another. It’s like lays potato chips – you can’t eat just one. Before you know it the gutter of your life will be plugged, the storms of life will come and you’ll wake up one day and discover your foundation is destroyed. That’s a hefty price for a momentary thrill.
ii. Throw it off.
e. But how do we cleanse house? Paul gives Timothy some clear instructions. It always seems that way with sin – as much as we want to make a grey area between wrong and right, wrong is wrong and right is right.
f. Read 2 Tim. 2:15-16, 19b, 22-23. Avoid this, pursue that. A friend of mine will be celebrating 50 years of marriage this coming year. I asked him – what are you going to be doing to celebrate. He said nothing. I thought, hmmm…. You can do better than that – he said, “Why should you celebrate a milestone that is expected. We’re just doing what is right. We obeyed, you’re supposed to stay married and that’s what we did.” He’s an older guy, and with spiritual clarity and insight he brought a lot into focus with those words: pursue what is right.
g. In your relationships, work for the best of the other person: what is trustworthy, honorable, noble, excellent, and praiseworthy. A common question daters ask is “How far is too far?” What can we do physically and still be okay? That’s a legalistic question that misses the heart of what God wants for us to be useful to Him. Let’s reset the question to this: “What can I do in my relationships to promote the best, what is true, noble, honorable that will help me and them to love God more?” That’s the question we need to ask, the concern then moves from am I sinning to “am I worshipping.” That’s what it means to cast of sin, and cleans house. You don’t let sin in and you clear it out where it is. If you have a drinking problem, don’t get near alcohol. If you have a commitment problem, begin by keeping your word. If you have a gossip problem, start focusing on the Truth and not rumor. Cast sin aside, clean house.
The Message is a paraphrase of the Bible. I don’t really recommend it for in depth study, but for a devotional read it can grab your attention. I’d like to close by reading Romans 6. In this chapter Paul talks about sin and freedom. Leaders, be free. Christians, live free!
1 -3So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
3 -5That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.
6 -11Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.
12 -14That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.
What Is True Freedom?
15 -18So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!
19I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?
20 -21As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn't have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you're proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.
22 -23But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.
What are you working for? Pray.
7.20.2006
6.15.2006
we will... lead
We will…
Lead and transform
Father’s Day 2007
2 Timothy 1: 3-18
The last two weeks we’ve looked at a couple of passages that show clearly the church is to primarily participate in and encourage Worship.
An effective church is a body of believers living a 24/7 lifestyle of worship and encouraging others to worship through evangelism and missions. This church encourages worship through making disciples and growing as disciples.
An effective church does not lose this primary focus: to worship God and call others to worship. Keeping focus on God and worshipping Him through making disciples is the sign of an effective church.
*It is not the church who makes disciples but the members of the church. Sometimes when we talk about “church” we can think of an institution or a religion like Christianity. When I talk about church today I want us to think in terms of relationship with God, each other, and the community – the kind of gathering that we talked about last week from Acts 2. In Matthew 28, when Jesus gave the command to make disciples of all nations he gave it to his followers – the church – not as an institution but as individuals.
We have a real, spiritual, faith relationship with Jesus and part of that relationship is to befriend others, tell others about Jesus, and call people to worship Him – the 24/7 lifestyle of worship, not just coming to “Church” on a Sunday morning.
How do we develop that kind of relationship with Jesus? How do we become a church of leaders who lead others to worship?
Leadership today, unfortunately is more often based on skill than character. The need of leaders starts with character, not skill or gifting. Your skills or you spiritual gifting can carry you to places that your character will pull you back from unless your character is ready to sustain you. Some thieves are highly skilled – but aren’t leaders. In High School the most skilled athletes can be captains, but the character isn’t there to sustain them. A church of leaders must be a gathering of believers who worship and live their devotion to God all the time, upholding the Bible, loving God, and living for His name.
Today, Next week, and the week after I return from vacation (we’re going to Rapid City, SD, catching a Cubs game on the way, fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, and hopefully stamp our National Parks Passport at the Badlands – as well as a family wedding), these next several weeks we’ll be digging through some passages in 2 Timothy that can help us answer those questions about how to develop as leaders and what spiritual leaders are.
I’m excited to start with today – because today is Father’s day. There are a few father’s here, and there are a few of you who will one day be father’s so I hope that what is said will help you on the journey of fatherhood. Ultimately, fathers, fathers – to – be you are leaders in your families.
The examples and instruction from 2nd Timothy come from the last letter Paul wrote before His death. He is passing on final instruction and encouragement to Timothy, his friend and “son in the faith.” Their relationship will show us a lot about being spiritual leaders: people who lead others to God, and authentic Christians: believers who put God first despite the consequence.
Read 2 Timothy 1:3-18.
1. A good leader has “deep” relationships. 3-7
a. Why “Deep” relationships? Because most of our relationships today are pretty superficial: it is work to get beyond the weather, food, sports, or the activities of life. It is work to love and share life. Most of us feel like if we can love one other person – a spouse maybe – our needs are met and we’re fine – not really needing more. But that’s not it: we are meant for so much more. Among humans your spouse if married should be your first relationship, but not the last. It should be a special, intimate in a way that no other relationship you have will be; it should be unique in character and quality – it should be a witness of Christ and His church to everyone around you. But if you make it an end in itself, then there will be no one to witness its beauty.
b. So what am I talking about in a deep relationship? It is a relationship that moves beyond the mundane of life to spiritual issues, life issues – parenting, dating, encouragement, celebration and mourning together.
c. It starts with God.
i. Paul thanked God for Timothy. Do you thank God for your relationships? All of Paul’s life flowed from His relationship with God.
1. He served God with a clear conscience – the way his forefathers did.
a. We’ll start with the back of that statement first: we have models in the faith: older Christians, more mature Christians who pass the good news on to us, and we should do the same – as Paul is to Timothy. Leaders lead and follow. Jesus was a leader of 12 and follower of 1: His father. If you’re in a debacle, call on those older in the faith. Now, about the clear conscience (how hard is that to obtain – I can think at night of things I did years ago without even remembering it in the mean time).
2. Prov. 4:23
3. The springs flow clear or dirty. More on that in a couple of weeks, but for now know that your heart relationship with God defines how you relate to other people. You will be a source of refreshment, or a polluted stream pulling others down.
4. Paul was confident in God, faithful in prayer, and committed to Him.
d. 2nd the leader relates to friends.
i. Paul and Timothy had a deep relationship: Timothy cried as he and Paul went their separate ways.
ii. Most of us will build walls to insulate us from such pain before we build such a close relationship that we cry, long to see each other, and hurt over separation.
1. We insulate ourselves with our work, our family commitments, our own kids can be easy to hide behind, our educational commitments, or just making ourselves so busy that we simply can’t spend time hanging out, fellowshipping, growing together.
iii. Spiritual leaders take time for friends – no matter how close or far. My brother and one of His friends live about 8 hours apart – they meet for breakfast about 6 in the morning every 3-4 months to continue their relationship and encourage each other. They make time, make the effort, and are rewarded well. Paul constantly remembers Timothy, and in His pain drew comfort from God, who he thanked – so that he would be filled with joy.
iv. In our pain, we can have joy if we can see past the hurt to thank God for the friendships, the opportunities, and the lives He has given us.
v. Leverage your friendships for God’s glory. Paul, in v. 6 calls Timothy to obedience for the Kingdom. If we build great relationships, but never share Christ or leverage them for spiritual purposes, we’ve missed the point of being a leader: one who leads another to worship.
e. 3rd go deep with family. Timothy’s mother and grandmother poured into Him, so evidently that Paul knew about it, and knew first hand their faith. Fathers, Parents, pour faith into your kids – it starts with your heart, let clean streams of faith flow into their lives. If you’re the only Christian in your family, don’t forsake them, witness to them. If they won’t hear it, win them by your actions so they will see it. I Corin. 7:14 (read). Your faith will sanctify them – your clear stream of life will clean up a polluted stream. But, listen, they are not justified, they just know by your example the behavior they should live, but the faith is not evident in their lives until they confess it. So live that they may see God in you, be sanctified, and pray that they will come to faith and be justified – that is they will be saved by grace through faith – not by works.
2. Leaders are Courageous (v.7-12, 16-18)
a. Attempting great things for God takes courage. Wed. Debra, Mandy, James and I made a trip to Williamstown, MA, 3 hours away near the NY/VT border. We went to the Haystack monument on the campus of Williams College that commemorates the beginning of the American Foreign Mission movement in 1806. Haystack story: 5 men, ministers, missionaries, 80 years later 20,000 students with 80,000 student supporters; Luther Rice…
b. Those 5 men, led by a freshmen, had courage. Courage comes from confidence in God: read 7, 12
c. Suffering for the Gospel is part of being a leader. No leader is immune from suffering from personal attacks, pessimism, doubt, slander. But a confident leader can suffer for the Gospel – by the power of God, live their holy calling, and rejoice in the destruction of death and the light of life and immortality. Take Courage, believer, God is able and willing to meet you, empower you, and lead you to make His name great. The Haystack monument had 5 names on it, erected by a secular campus. Names of men: but their work, the movement, the power, the outcome is all about God. I don’t even know all their names, but I know the One whom they believed and preached.
d. Courage involves action: Onesiphorus: sought Paul out and ministered to Him – in Ephesus and Rome. He was a leader, a servant leader who was not ashamed of the chains. Courage to travel, go to prison, be identified with a prisoner. A spiritual leader's actions speak for them. Friends of ours who live elsewhere recently spent an evening with an acquaintance that was hurting and suffering. They got to know each other – but he was encouraged all the more by their presence. Sometimes our actions, like Onesiphorus speak so much louder than words: Maria & the Silent children.
3. Leaders hold to the truth. (13-14)
a. Get a firm grasp on the gospel – in your head and in your life. And Guard it by the Holy Spirit. There is one truth, one way, one salvation, one baptism, one Lord, one Savior, one God and Father of all. We live in a world of many that refuses to recognize the One.
i. This is gay pride month. Either homosexuality is a sin, therefore morally wrong and destructive in the end to society, or it is not. God is not making up His mind. He is not on the fence. With Him it is one way or the other. The world promotes many paths, many gods, many ways of life. But in the end, Jesus says, “I am the alpha and omega, beginning and end.” And “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the father but by me.” Hold firmly to Jesus and guard the faith of your life closely.
b. Read 1 Tim. 1:18c-19 rejecting the faith, letting the stream of your life flowing from your heart become muddied, and embracing the ways of the world will shipwreck your faith. Leaders persevere and hold the faith close.
Leaders go deep in relationships, are courageous, and hold the Truth. The power of the Gospel allows this. When Jesus Christ lived, and died on the Cross, he freed everyone who would call to Him and believe from every action that muddies their heart, every belief that ensnares them, and every attitude that enslaves them. When he rose again he defeated death. There is always hope! Pray.
Lead and transform
Father’s Day 2007
2 Timothy 1: 3-18
The last two weeks we’ve looked at a couple of passages that show clearly the church is to primarily participate in and encourage Worship.
An effective church is a body of believers living a 24/7 lifestyle of worship and encouraging others to worship through evangelism and missions. This church encourages worship through making disciples and growing as disciples.
An effective church does not lose this primary focus: to worship God and call others to worship. Keeping focus on God and worshipping Him through making disciples is the sign of an effective church.
*It is not the church who makes disciples but the members of the church. Sometimes when we talk about “church” we can think of an institution or a religion like Christianity. When I talk about church today I want us to think in terms of relationship with God, each other, and the community – the kind of gathering that we talked about last week from Acts 2. In Matthew 28, when Jesus gave the command to make disciples of all nations he gave it to his followers – the church – not as an institution but as individuals.
We have a real, spiritual, faith relationship with Jesus and part of that relationship is to befriend others, tell others about Jesus, and call people to worship Him – the 24/7 lifestyle of worship, not just coming to “Church” on a Sunday morning.
How do we develop that kind of relationship with Jesus? How do we become a church of leaders who lead others to worship?
Leadership today, unfortunately is more often based on skill than character. The need of leaders starts with character, not skill or gifting. Your skills or you spiritual gifting can carry you to places that your character will pull you back from unless your character is ready to sustain you. Some thieves are highly skilled – but aren’t leaders. In High School the most skilled athletes can be captains, but the character isn’t there to sustain them. A church of leaders must be a gathering of believers who worship and live their devotion to God all the time, upholding the Bible, loving God, and living for His name.
Today, Next week, and the week after I return from vacation (we’re going to Rapid City, SD, catching a Cubs game on the way, fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, and hopefully stamp our National Parks Passport at the Badlands – as well as a family wedding), these next several weeks we’ll be digging through some passages in 2 Timothy that can help us answer those questions about how to develop as leaders and what spiritual leaders are.
I’m excited to start with today – because today is Father’s day. There are a few father’s here, and there are a few of you who will one day be father’s so I hope that what is said will help you on the journey of fatherhood. Ultimately, fathers, fathers – to – be you are leaders in your families.
The examples and instruction from 2nd Timothy come from the last letter Paul wrote before His death. He is passing on final instruction and encouragement to Timothy, his friend and “son in the faith.” Their relationship will show us a lot about being spiritual leaders: people who lead others to God, and authentic Christians: believers who put God first despite the consequence.
Read 2 Timothy 1:3-18.
1. A good leader has “deep” relationships. 3-7
a. Why “Deep” relationships? Because most of our relationships today are pretty superficial: it is work to get beyond the weather, food, sports, or the activities of life. It is work to love and share life. Most of us feel like if we can love one other person – a spouse maybe – our needs are met and we’re fine – not really needing more. But that’s not it: we are meant for so much more. Among humans your spouse if married should be your first relationship, but not the last. It should be a special, intimate in a way that no other relationship you have will be; it should be unique in character and quality – it should be a witness of Christ and His church to everyone around you. But if you make it an end in itself, then there will be no one to witness its beauty.
b. So what am I talking about in a deep relationship? It is a relationship that moves beyond the mundane of life to spiritual issues, life issues – parenting, dating, encouragement, celebration and mourning together.
c. It starts with God.
i. Paul thanked God for Timothy. Do you thank God for your relationships? All of Paul’s life flowed from His relationship with God.
1. He served God with a clear conscience – the way his forefathers did.
a. We’ll start with the back of that statement first: we have models in the faith: older Christians, more mature Christians who pass the good news on to us, and we should do the same – as Paul is to Timothy. Leaders lead and follow. Jesus was a leader of 12 and follower of 1: His father. If you’re in a debacle, call on those older in the faith. Now, about the clear conscience (how hard is that to obtain – I can think at night of things I did years ago without even remembering it in the mean time).
2. Prov. 4:23
3. The springs flow clear or dirty. More on that in a couple of weeks, but for now know that your heart relationship with God defines how you relate to other people. You will be a source of refreshment, or a polluted stream pulling others down.
4. Paul was confident in God, faithful in prayer, and committed to Him.
d. 2nd the leader relates to friends.
i. Paul and Timothy had a deep relationship: Timothy cried as he and Paul went their separate ways.
ii. Most of us will build walls to insulate us from such pain before we build such a close relationship that we cry, long to see each other, and hurt over separation.
1. We insulate ourselves with our work, our family commitments, our own kids can be easy to hide behind, our educational commitments, or just making ourselves so busy that we simply can’t spend time hanging out, fellowshipping, growing together.
iii. Spiritual leaders take time for friends – no matter how close or far. My brother and one of His friends live about 8 hours apart – they meet for breakfast about 6 in the morning every 3-4 months to continue their relationship and encourage each other. They make time, make the effort, and are rewarded well. Paul constantly remembers Timothy, and in His pain drew comfort from God, who he thanked – so that he would be filled with joy.
iv. In our pain, we can have joy if we can see past the hurt to thank God for the friendships, the opportunities, and the lives He has given us.
v. Leverage your friendships for God’s glory. Paul, in v. 6 calls Timothy to obedience for the Kingdom. If we build great relationships, but never share Christ or leverage them for spiritual purposes, we’ve missed the point of being a leader: one who leads another to worship.
e. 3rd go deep with family. Timothy’s mother and grandmother poured into Him, so evidently that Paul knew about it, and knew first hand their faith. Fathers, Parents, pour faith into your kids – it starts with your heart, let clean streams of faith flow into their lives. If you’re the only Christian in your family, don’t forsake them, witness to them. If they won’t hear it, win them by your actions so they will see it. I Corin. 7:14 (read). Your faith will sanctify them – your clear stream of life will clean up a polluted stream. But, listen, they are not justified, they just know by your example the behavior they should live, but the faith is not evident in their lives until they confess it. So live that they may see God in you, be sanctified, and pray that they will come to faith and be justified – that is they will be saved by grace through faith – not by works.
2. Leaders are Courageous (v.7-12, 16-18)
a. Attempting great things for God takes courage. Wed. Debra, Mandy, James and I made a trip to Williamstown, MA, 3 hours away near the NY/VT border. We went to the Haystack monument on the campus of Williams College that commemorates the beginning of the American Foreign Mission movement in 1806. Haystack story: 5 men, ministers, missionaries, 80 years later 20,000 students with 80,000 student supporters; Luther Rice…
b. Those 5 men, led by a freshmen, had courage. Courage comes from confidence in God: read 7, 12
c. Suffering for the Gospel is part of being a leader. No leader is immune from suffering from personal attacks, pessimism, doubt, slander. But a confident leader can suffer for the Gospel – by the power of God, live their holy calling, and rejoice in the destruction of death and the light of life and immortality. Take Courage, believer, God is able and willing to meet you, empower you, and lead you to make His name great. The Haystack monument had 5 names on it, erected by a secular campus. Names of men: but their work, the movement, the power, the outcome is all about God. I don’t even know all their names, but I know the One whom they believed and preached.
d. Courage involves action: Onesiphorus: sought Paul out and ministered to Him – in Ephesus and Rome. He was a leader, a servant leader who was not ashamed of the chains. Courage to travel, go to prison, be identified with a prisoner. A spiritual leader's actions speak for them. Friends of ours who live elsewhere recently spent an evening with an acquaintance that was hurting and suffering. They got to know each other – but he was encouraged all the more by their presence. Sometimes our actions, like Onesiphorus speak so much louder than words: Maria & the Silent children.
3. Leaders hold to the truth. (13-14)
a. Get a firm grasp on the gospel – in your head and in your life. And Guard it by the Holy Spirit. There is one truth, one way, one salvation, one baptism, one Lord, one Savior, one God and Father of all. We live in a world of many that refuses to recognize the One.
i. This is gay pride month. Either homosexuality is a sin, therefore morally wrong and destructive in the end to society, or it is not. God is not making up His mind. He is not on the fence. With Him it is one way or the other. The world promotes many paths, many gods, many ways of life. But in the end, Jesus says, “I am the alpha and omega, beginning and end.” And “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the father but by me.” Hold firmly to Jesus and guard the faith of your life closely.
b. Read 1 Tim. 1:18c-19 rejecting the faith, letting the stream of your life flowing from your heart become muddied, and embracing the ways of the world will shipwreck your faith. Leaders persevere and hold the faith close.
Leaders go deep in relationships, are courageous, and hold the Truth. The power of the Gospel allows this. When Jesus Christ lived, and died on the Cross, he freed everyone who would call to Him and believe from every action that muddies their heart, every belief that ensnares them, and every attitude that enslaves them. When he rose again he defeated death. There is always hope! Pray.
6.08.2006
We will...
We will…
Acts 2:41-47
Last week we examined some values from the life of David in Psalm 145. The values that he laid out:
1. God
2. Worship
3. Evangelism and Missions
4. Discipleship
We saw that these values were centered in God and rooted in one action: Worship.
Worship is the main action of the church and everything we do is an act of worship. We believe that God is so grand and awesome and worthy that nothing else is worth living for and if an action in our lives is not worship to Him it’s not worth doing.
So we’ve walked into the 3rd part of the church covenant: the We will… section. These are the actions and behaviors that we will do.
1. We will worship. Everything we talk about today should only be done as worship. We want to be people who are near to God in heart – in our emotions and thoughts and being – not just our words. So we will act in worship.
After the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost in the Book of Acts, the first believers were empowered and the church experienced phenomenal growth. In Acts Chapter 2 Luke records a summary of the actions of the church – the behaviors that characterized them.
Read Acts 2:41-47
Exuberant Joy characterized the early church. They were full of life and joy because of Christ. Before we delve into what they did, we need to ask ourselves: do I have joy in Christ? Am I living victoriously and joyously in Him?
If you are not – what is holding you back? Is it an attitude, a tough relationship, a time commitment, an imbalanced physical life, a longing of your soul that hasn’t been met? Confess this to God and cry out to Him for joy. He opens his hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing – remember last week.
We will…
Out of our Identity as invaluable, Holy Spirit indwelled, Saints, because of our value of God, Jesus, Scripture, and worship
I. Live with Purpose
a. This purpose is to worship God in all that we do.
b. To live with purpose is the opposite of complacency, confusion, and unsatisfied hunger. Purpose gives action, clarity, and goals in life. Do you wake up each day with a purpose in mind?
i. It’s so easy to just roll with the punches – have you ever been given that advice? Sometimes in life you have to take what comes, but what you do with it declares your purpose.
ii. A friend asked me this week if it’s emotionally hard to be diabetic. I said no – not until we had children and I wonder if they had it. But when I was diagnosed Amy and I settled on a purpose– to live a productive life with the disease under control. To roll with the punches would have meant to let the disease control us.
iii. The early church had purpose, and this purpose was seen in 3 ways in their life:
II. Live with purpose in relationship with God (42, 43).
a. 3 actions characterized their relationship with God.
b. 1st, they grew as disciples.
i. Believing in Jesus Christ is not always clearly defined for us. I’ve talked to tons of people on the streets, in coffee houses, wherever and they all claim to believe in Jesus. What does that mean? James 2:19: you believe that God is one (there is one God). You do well; the demons also believe and shudder.
ii. Believing on Jesus for salvation means a life changing belief: Jesus is your Lord. That means He leads your life, you seek Him out and what He wants. You live by His way, His words, His desires. It is not assenting to say I believe in Jesus but it is showing it in your life. The fruit of a purposeful relationship with God is evident in your life.
iii. The early church grew as disciples. They purposely sought to learn from God and obey Him: that is what it means to be a disciples of Jesus: to learn from Him (through His word) and obey.
1. All the head knowledge in the world won’t get you anywhere: it’s acting on it that counts. That’s called wisdom: applying the knowledge you have and are gaining.
2. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs 1:7
3. When Amy and I moved into the city – we got a lot of questions. Are you crazy? Why? House values aren’t all that great, the schools stink, and you could be killed. Well, those sound like good reasons not to bring the gospel to the students of the city and all the people who live in that environment? Right – no, we’re taking the risk. 2 years ago on our normal walking route a man was shot and killed – over drugs. Living in the city isn’t the issue, it’s wisdom. It is foolish to get involved in some things – drugs being one of them – and the outcome of the involvement will cost you. There are many testimonies to this in our gathering today.
4. The early church determined not to be foolish – they sat at the feet of the apostles and learned.
iv. Learn from your bible, grow your relationship with God by faith and learn the Word.
v. 2nd, they devoted themselves to prayer.
1. In January we talked a lot about prayer. Let’s revisit: prayer is communicating with God. It is personal praise, quite before Him, and powerful for His purpose.
2. Inform your prayer with what you learn from the Bible.
a. We pray with Micah and Mia every night after we read a Bible story. And we try to bring out something from the story to pray about. Well, we ask Micah -= would you like to pray, and he usually says no. We ask who should we pray to: Jesus, but on occasion he’ll say – we need to pray for Mia, or mommy, or daddy. He’s starting to learn, but how often do we just stop there: what we need, or someone who needs something. Let your prayer be vibrant and purposeful.
vi. 3rd the church gathered for Praise.
1. Not a big surprise, because worship is their overall theme.
a. Signs and wonders occurred among them – at the hands of the apostles. These miracles gave testimony to the witness of the Apostles. In Scripture miracles give credence to what God is saying or doing, they are never the main things, God is, and His word is next to Him. Read Acts 4:29-30. The church was facing persecution, Peter had been threatened, and the church prayed for the word to go forward, and the name of Jesus to be honored.
2. The essence of praise was wonder and awe: the valued the Awesome God: he was their primary concern.
III. Have purpose in relationship with each other.
a. They supported each other: they loved each other.
i. They met each other’s needs, they cared for each other, and each responded back.
b. The early church was not a commune. They kept the OT model of caring for the poor and believers sold what they had as needs arose to give to the poor.
i. Grace Harbor keeps a “benevolence” fund – we should call it the need fund, that is in the budget – but you can give to if you want – just put your money in an envelope and mark it or write on the memo line – benevolence. That money is for people who need help.
ii. V. 44 – all things in common. They were a united group, they shared together, yes, but they were united in heart and mind. If you read through Acts this wouldn’t always stay the same, differences would arise – but throughout Acts and throughout History the true church maintains unity of purpose: make God known and worship Him.
c. It can get real easy to sit back and receive in a culture like this. But even those with needs would meet what needs they could. And the message of the New Testament and the developing church is this: “we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s’ food without paying for it. On the contrary we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to nay of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”” 2 Thess. 3:7-10.
i. Work while you can, and do what you can. And worship God with what you have: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Prov. 3:9-10.
ii. We take an offering as worship – worship God with your money and give. He receives the glory. (10%)
IV. 3rd: Have purpose in relationship with your community.
a. V. 41 – we purposefully share the gospel, baptize believers, and make disciples. That is our purpose in community.
b. Part of that purpose is to bless the community. The early church enjoyed, momentarily, the favor of all the people. They were a blessing to the community. We will be a blessing to greater providence. That is the hope of Grace Harbor: when we give out snow cones, provide a backyard Bible club, volunteer at FirstWorks we bless the city – for the purpose of the glory of God and His word going forward.
c. God added daily to the numbers of believers.
d. Share the Gospel, lead others to Christ.
i. We will share the gospel, leading others to Christ, baptize believers and make disciples – all in worship and to the Glory of God.
Acts 2:41-47
Last week we examined some values from the life of David in Psalm 145. The values that he laid out:
1. God
2. Worship
3. Evangelism and Missions
4. Discipleship
We saw that these values were centered in God and rooted in one action: Worship.
Worship is the main action of the church and everything we do is an act of worship. We believe that God is so grand and awesome and worthy that nothing else is worth living for and if an action in our lives is not worship to Him it’s not worth doing.
So we’ve walked into the 3rd part of the church covenant: the We will… section. These are the actions and behaviors that we will do.
1. We will worship. Everything we talk about today should only be done as worship. We want to be people who are near to God in heart – in our emotions and thoughts and being – not just our words. So we will act in worship.
After the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost in the Book of Acts, the first believers were empowered and the church experienced phenomenal growth. In Acts Chapter 2 Luke records a summary of the actions of the church – the behaviors that characterized them.
Read Acts 2:41-47
Exuberant Joy characterized the early church. They were full of life and joy because of Christ. Before we delve into what they did, we need to ask ourselves: do I have joy in Christ? Am I living victoriously and joyously in Him?
If you are not – what is holding you back? Is it an attitude, a tough relationship, a time commitment, an imbalanced physical life, a longing of your soul that hasn’t been met? Confess this to God and cry out to Him for joy. He opens his hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing – remember last week.
We will…
Out of our Identity as invaluable, Holy Spirit indwelled, Saints, because of our value of God, Jesus, Scripture, and worship
I. Live with Purpose
a. This purpose is to worship God in all that we do.
b. To live with purpose is the opposite of complacency, confusion, and unsatisfied hunger. Purpose gives action, clarity, and goals in life. Do you wake up each day with a purpose in mind?
i. It’s so easy to just roll with the punches – have you ever been given that advice? Sometimes in life you have to take what comes, but what you do with it declares your purpose.
ii. A friend asked me this week if it’s emotionally hard to be diabetic. I said no – not until we had children and I wonder if they had it. But when I was diagnosed Amy and I settled on a purpose– to live a productive life with the disease under control. To roll with the punches would have meant to let the disease control us.
iii. The early church had purpose, and this purpose was seen in 3 ways in their life:
II. Live with purpose in relationship with God (42, 43).
a. 3 actions characterized their relationship with God.
b. 1st, they grew as disciples.
i. Believing in Jesus Christ is not always clearly defined for us. I’ve talked to tons of people on the streets, in coffee houses, wherever and they all claim to believe in Jesus. What does that mean? James 2:19: you believe that God is one (there is one God). You do well; the demons also believe and shudder.
ii. Believing on Jesus for salvation means a life changing belief: Jesus is your Lord. That means He leads your life, you seek Him out and what He wants. You live by His way, His words, His desires. It is not assenting to say I believe in Jesus but it is showing it in your life. The fruit of a purposeful relationship with God is evident in your life.
iii. The early church grew as disciples. They purposely sought to learn from God and obey Him: that is what it means to be a disciples of Jesus: to learn from Him (through His word) and obey.
1. All the head knowledge in the world won’t get you anywhere: it’s acting on it that counts. That’s called wisdom: applying the knowledge you have and are gaining.
2. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs 1:7
3. When Amy and I moved into the city – we got a lot of questions. Are you crazy? Why? House values aren’t all that great, the schools stink, and you could be killed. Well, those sound like good reasons not to bring the gospel to the students of the city and all the people who live in that environment? Right – no, we’re taking the risk. 2 years ago on our normal walking route a man was shot and killed – over drugs. Living in the city isn’t the issue, it’s wisdom. It is foolish to get involved in some things – drugs being one of them – and the outcome of the involvement will cost you. There are many testimonies to this in our gathering today.
4. The early church determined not to be foolish – they sat at the feet of the apostles and learned.
iv. Learn from your bible, grow your relationship with God by faith and learn the Word.
v. 2nd, they devoted themselves to prayer.
1. In January we talked a lot about prayer. Let’s revisit: prayer is communicating with God. It is personal praise, quite before Him, and powerful for His purpose.
2. Inform your prayer with what you learn from the Bible.
a. We pray with Micah and Mia every night after we read a Bible story. And we try to bring out something from the story to pray about. Well, we ask Micah -= would you like to pray, and he usually says no. We ask who should we pray to: Jesus, but on occasion he’ll say – we need to pray for Mia, or mommy, or daddy. He’s starting to learn, but how often do we just stop there: what we need, or someone who needs something. Let your prayer be vibrant and purposeful.
vi. 3rd the church gathered for Praise.
1. Not a big surprise, because worship is their overall theme.
a. Signs and wonders occurred among them – at the hands of the apostles. These miracles gave testimony to the witness of the Apostles. In Scripture miracles give credence to what God is saying or doing, they are never the main things, God is, and His word is next to Him. Read Acts 4:29-30. The church was facing persecution, Peter had been threatened, and the church prayed for the word to go forward, and the name of Jesus to be honored.
2. The essence of praise was wonder and awe: the valued the Awesome God: he was their primary concern.
III. Have purpose in relationship with each other.
a. They supported each other: they loved each other.
i. They met each other’s needs, they cared for each other, and each responded back.
b. The early church was not a commune. They kept the OT model of caring for the poor and believers sold what they had as needs arose to give to the poor.
i. Grace Harbor keeps a “benevolence” fund – we should call it the need fund, that is in the budget – but you can give to if you want – just put your money in an envelope and mark it or write on the memo line – benevolence. That money is for people who need help.
ii. V. 44 – all things in common. They were a united group, they shared together, yes, but they were united in heart and mind. If you read through Acts this wouldn’t always stay the same, differences would arise – but throughout Acts and throughout History the true church maintains unity of purpose: make God known and worship Him.
c. It can get real easy to sit back and receive in a culture like this. But even those with needs would meet what needs they could. And the message of the New Testament and the developing church is this: “we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s’ food without paying for it. On the contrary we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to nay of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”” 2 Thess. 3:7-10.
i. Work while you can, and do what you can. And worship God with what you have: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Prov. 3:9-10.
ii. We take an offering as worship – worship God with your money and give. He receives the glory. (10%)
IV. 3rd: Have purpose in relationship with your community.
a. V. 41 – we purposefully share the gospel, baptize believers, and make disciples. That is our purpose in community.
b. Part of that purpose is to bless the community. The early church enjoyed, momentarily, the favor of all the people. They were a blessing to the community. We will be a blessing to greater providence. That is the hope of Grace Harbor: when we give out snow cones, provide a backyard Bible club, volunteer at FirstWorks we bless the city – for the purpose of the glory of God and His word going forward.
c. God added daily to the numbers of believers.
d. Share the Gospel, lead others to Christ.
i. We will share the gospel, leading others to Christ, baptize believers and make disciples – all in worship and to the Glory of God.
6.01.2006
Values (2)
Two weeks ago we talked about the Bible and how we, as Christians, root our lives in it and seek God according to His word. We believe, at Grace Harbor, that the Bible is the inspired infallible Word of God, gives Light for salvation, and direction for life.
It can be trusted. From the Bible we gather our beliefs and values that guide us as a church in the decisions we make, and as individuals who live for Christ in a world full of hurt, disappointment, and disillusionment.
Without the Bible we have no compass, or knowledge of our Anchor as we navigate life. At Grace Harbor we talk about a compass for your life, which is the word of God and an anchor for your soul, who is Jesus Christ. As a church we recognize the importance of the Savior, the Historical and real Jesus, and His word, the Bible.
Today we’re going to be concluding a study of Christian values and moving to the next and final part of the Church covenant – the “We will…” section.
Values determine much of our lives. If your life is out of balance – you feel pushed and stressed and overworked, it’s probably because your values aren’t clearly defined or are off base.
When I was in college I had a pretty big project, along with finals looming. But there was also a ball game I wanted to watch on TV. My values got challenged: Watch TV, study, sleep – choose two. If my highest value had been grades, then obviously study and sleep would have been the right choice. I won’t tell you what I chose to do, but it’s a choice many have made.
That’s a small example: what about when it comes to doing our job, raising kids, being involved in the ministry God created you for, spending time with friends, running errands, taking time for yourself, dealing with extended family, handling the pressures of your job, making ends meet. Our values help us find balance and direction in life.
In Psalm 145 David, the King of Israel and a man after God’s own heart, lifts a song of praise to His King. In the heart of praise, David reveals a pattern of values that give light and direction and balance.
David went through tough times: he was hunted down, jeered by brothers, cast an outlaw; he jeopardized his peace with God by his deliberate choices to sin; yet through the tough times he stayed true and returned to God.
Read Psalm 145.
4 Values that directed David’s life – who saw a lot more trouble than most of us will ever see – and these values should direct our lives.
1. The Awesome (1-3, 8-9, 14-20)
a. David did not have a life of ease. He grew up in the fields, lived an outcast in caves, fled to foreigners for help, once lived like a mad man, and then became king. Even as king he faced war and battles and distrust in his own family. Listening to the radio this week Charles Stanley said, “A life of comfort and ease will not grow you spiritually. God will not grant it if you ask to grow.” If you want to grow as a person, there will be stress, conflict, disappointment, and failures. But David knew the key to living and growing was the Awesome God.
i. God is awesome and powerful. In premarital counseling I feel like the only truth I keep coming back to is that God can do anything. Remember that truth and no matter how sticky life gets, God can answer you powerfully.
b. We love the Lord. Psalm 145 is full of praise to the living Lord who enamored David. Our God is praiseworthy. He is eternal and infinite, and exists, one God, in three persons: God the Father, God the Son who is Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit who lives in every believer and empowers Christ followers to be like Christ.
c. David never lost his understanding of God. Even when he committed heinous sin by adulterating another man’s wife and having that man killed, he returned to the Awesome God and sought Grace and forgiveness. He could write, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made”[8-9] from experience. That understanding leads to the 2nd Value:
2. Worship (7, 10-12, 21)
a. This is a psalm of worship, and worship in 2 ways.
b. 1st Worship is extremely intimate and personal. Read v. 1-3. This is David from his heart to God. Worship starts with a heart warmed toward God, and it overflows the lips into life.
c. Personal worship is past, present, and future.
d. V. 4b – the acts of God through history offer the starting point. Begin your personal worship with recognition of all that God has done. And personally, all he has done in your life.
i. Grace Harbor started in 2002 with no one but the Conti family who moved here from Florida. God opened doors of ministry to students, to the streets, to the neighborhood, and has raised up this body today. And He is still working.
e. In v. 3 David offers up current praise. It is a declaration of God: He is great! God is opening doors today with the Youth Acting in Christ ministry led by DJ and with Debra’s arrival to serve in the month of June. God is doing great things Christian – rejoice! What about in your own life: do you see God’s hand in your own situation?
i. Worship is all of life. Coming to church, going to a Bible study, these are good things. But we are to be worshippers in Spirit and in Truth. There is no stopping the truth – it is always on. In the morning awake to praise, sing His praise High with the sun at noon, and marvel in His splendor and majesty with the moon at night. Walk in worship.
f. And worship is future: v.1-2. David plans on it: as long as I breathe I will praise you, O God. I heard one pastor say that he will retire when they take all the air from His lungs.
i. The sounds of our city never stop. This time of year, we sleep with windows open welcoming the cool nights. Sirens, neighbors coming and going, awaken us Kanye West driving by on somebody’s system. Praise should not stop, ever. Walk in worship.
g. Worship is also public. V.21. Join with a body to worship: that’s what the church is about: worship. It’s what we do. Because we love God, we worship. We encourage people to come and worship – it is the reason you are hear on earth: to worship through faith. Everything else we do flows from our warm hearted and loving worship of God.
3. Evangelism and Missions (4-6) come from our desire to worship.
a. This is the 3rd value: God, Worship, Telling others about God so they can worship: #3.
b. V.4-7. We value the next generation. Grace Harbor is committed to partnering with parents to disciple children. To loving our city and telling the good news to youth – and empowering youth (YAIC) to live their call in life and tell others. And to young adults and students we believe we have a responsibility to commend God’s works to the next generation.
c. v. 6: We tell others about Christ and prepare them to tell even more people. Evangelism is corporate: we as a church minister, serve, and bless our community as we tell the good news. But it is also personal.
d. Get involved in telling His good works to another. As we covenant together we will provide opportunities to be involved in impacting the city, the world, with the Good news, because we love God and we worship.
4. 4th: Worship Discipleship.
a. In the verses we just read something powerful is written: “I will meditate on your wonderful works.” Evangelism that leads people to pray to receive Christ is great, but not the goal. GHCC is about making disciples. But because we love God and worship Him we are about leading others to Worship. In other words, the goal of our lives as Christians is to lead others into life long worship. What does that look like?
i. People who live for God, whose lives are transformed into His life, and who worship.
1. Kingdom living (v.13): believing God’s promises and living by Faith. A transformed life lives for God’s Kingdom, not your own Empire.
2. Read v. 18. Knowing God is worship. Call on Him in truth.
3. Your life may crazy: have you called on God in truth? Not just checking it off your list, but calling on Him?
a. With these long daylights we are blessed with in RI I took some days and got up early to do outside work, and was doing it late as well. Wed. night I was getting tired. I drove some fence posts to build some screening with a very heavy hammer, and my arms were tired. Next I was driving some small tacks through vinyl, with the same hammer – I was racing daylight, and I hit everything: tack, vinyl, and finger mash. I screamed out to God for help.
b. Calling out to God in trouble and pain and necessity is one thing. What about for love’s sake?
c. Read v. 16. God satisfies by faith. Read v.19 – call on the Lord. Love is a tricky word today. It can mean a lot of things. But Loving God, the love Amy and I share for each other; this type of love is fervent, selfless, and committed. Read v. 20. Hear the warning: love God, worship God, read 21.
Pray.
It can be trusted. From the Bible we gather our beliefs and values that guide us as a church in the decisions we make, and as individuals who live for Christ in a world full of hurt, disappointment, and disillusionment.
Without the Bible we have no compass, or knowledge of our Anchor as we navigate life. At Grace Harbor we talk about a compass for your life, which is the word of God and an anchor for your soul, who is Jesus Christ. As a church we recognize the importance of the Savior, the Historical and real Jesus, and His word, the Bible.
Today we’re going to be concluding a study of Christian values and moving to the next and final part of the Church covenant – the “We will…” section.
Values determine much of our lives. If your life is out of balance – you feel pushed and stressed and overworked, it’s probably because your values aren’t clearly defined or are off base.
When I was in college I had a pretty big project, along with finals looming. But there was also a ball game I wanted to watch on TV. My values got challenged: Watch TV, study, sleep – choose two. If my highest value had been grades, then obviously study and sleep would have been the right choice. I won’t tell you what I chose to do, but it’s a choice many have made.
That’s a small example: what about when it comes to doing our job, raising kids, being involved in the ministry God created you for, spending time with friends, running errands, taking time for yourself, dealing with extended family, handling the pressures of your job, making ends meet. Our values help us find balance and direction in life.
In Psalm 145 David, the King of Israel and a man after God’s own heart, lifts a song of praise to His King. In the heart of praise, David reveals a pattern of values that give light and direction and balance.
David went through tough times: he was hunted down, jeered by brothers, cast an outlaw; he jeopardized his peace with God by his deliberate choices to sin; yet through the tough times he stayed true and returned to God.
Read Psalm 145.
4 Values that directed David’s life – who saw a lot more trouble than most of us will ever see – and these values should direct our lives.
1. The Awesome (1-3, 8-9, 14-20)
a. David did not have a life of ease. He grew up in the fields, lived an outcast in caves, fled to foreigners for help, once lived like a mad man, and then became king. Even as king he faced war and battles and distrust in his own family. Listening to the radio this week Charles Stanley said, “A life of comfort and ease will not grow you spiritually. God will not grant it if you ask to grow.” If you want to grow as a person, there will be stress, conflict, disappointment, and failures. But David knew the key to living and growing was the Awesome God.
i. God is awesome and powerful. In premarital counseling I feel like the only truth I keep coming back to is that God can do anything. Remember that truth and no matter how sticky life gets, God can answer you powerfully.
b. We love the Lord. Psalm 145 is full of praise to the living Lord who enamored David. Our God is praiseworthy. He is eternal and infinite, and exists, one God, in three persons: God the Father, God the Son who is Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit who lives in every believer and empowers Christ followers to be like Christ.
c. David never lost his understanding of God. Even when he committed heinous sin by adulterating another man’s wife and having that man killed, he returned to the Awesome God and sought Grace and forgiveness. He could write, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made”[8-9] from experience. That understanding leads to the 2nd Value:
2. Worship (7, 10-12, 21)
a. This is a psalm of worship, and worship in 2 ways.
b. 1st Worship is extremely intimate and personal. Read v. 1-3. This is David from his heart to God. Worship starts with a heart warmed toward God, and it overflows the lips into life.
c. Personal worship is past, present, and future.
d. V. 4b – the acts of God through history offer the starting point. Begin your personal worship with recognition of all that God has done. And personally, all he has done in your life.
i. Grace Harbor started in 2002 with no one but the Conti family who moved here from Florida. God opened doors of ministry to students, to the streets, to the neighborhood, and has raised up this body today. And He is still working.
e. In v. 3 David offers up current praise. It is a declaration of God: He is great! God is opening doors today with the Youth Acting in Christ ministry led by DJ and with Debra’s arrival to serve in the month of June. God is doing great things Christian – rejoice! What about in your own life: do you see God’s hand in your own situation?
i. Worship is all of life. Coming to church, going to a Bible study, these are good things. But we are to be worshippers in Spirit and in Truth. There is no stopping the truth – it is always on. In the morning awake to praise, sing His praise High with the sun at noon, and marvel in His splendor and majesty with the moon at night. Walk in worship.
f. And worship is future: v.1-2. David plans on it: as long as I breathe I will praise you, O God. I heard one pastor say that he will retire when they take all the air from His lungs.
i. The sounds of our city never stop. This time of year, we sleep with windows open welcoming the cool nights. Sirens, neighbors coming and going, awaken us Kanye West driving by on somebody’s system. Praise should not stop, ever. Walk in worship.
g. Worship is also public. V.21. Join with a body to worship: that’s what the church is about: worship. It’s what we do. Because we love God, we worship. We encourage people to come and worship – it is the reason you are hear on earth: to worship through faith. Everything else we do flows from our warm hearted and loving worship of God.
3. Evangelism and Missions (4-6) come from our desire to worship.
a. This is the 3rd value: God, Worship, Telling others about God so they can worship: #3.
b. V.4-7. We value the next generation. Grace Harbor is committed to partnering with parents to disciple children. To loving our city and telling the good news to youth – and empowering youth (YAIC) to live their call in life and tell others. And to young adults and students we believe we have a responsibility to commend God’s works to the next generation.
c. v. 6: We tell others about Christ and prepare them to tell even more people. Evangelism is corporate: we as a church minister, serve, and bless our community as we tell the good news. But it is also personal.
d. Get involved in telling His good works to another. As we covenant together we will provide opportunities to be involved in impacting the city, the world, with the Good news, because we love God and we worship.
4. 4th: Worship Discipleship.
a. In the verses we just read something powerful is written: “I will meditate on your wonderful works.” Evangelism that leads people to pray to receive Christ is great, but not the goal. GHCC is about making disciples. But because we love God and worship Him we are about leading others to Worship. In other words, the goal of our lives as Christians is to lead others into life long worship. What does that look like?
i. People who live for God, whose lives are transformed into His life, and who worship.
1. Kingdom living (v.13): believing God’s promises and living by Faith. A transformed life lives for God’s Kingdom, not your own Empire.
2. Read v. 18. Knowing God is worship. Call on Him in truth.
3. Your life may crazy: have you called on God in truth? Not just checking it off your list, but calling on Him?
a. With these long daylights we are blessed with in RI I took some days and got up early to do outside work, and was doing it late as well. Wed. night I was getting tired. I drove some fence posts to build some screening with a very heavy hammer, and my arms were tired. Next I was driving some small tacks through vinyl, with the same hammer – I was racing daylight, and I hit everything: tack, vinyl, and finger mash. I screamed out to God for help.
b. Calling out to God in trouble and pain and necessity is one thing. What about for love’s sake?
c. Read v. 16. God satisfies by faith. Read v.19 – call on the Lord. Love is a tricky word today. It can mean a lot of things. But Loving God, the love Amy and I share for each other; this type of love is fervent, selfless, and committed. Read v. 20. Hear the warning: love God, worship God, read 21.
Pray.
5.17.2006
Values: beliefs that guide us (1)
Values (1)
The Bible
We’re 3 weeks into our series on the church covenant. We started with our identity – we’re invaluably possessed Saints; last week we examined the identity of the church and there were 5 realities that stood out:
1. A Church must be born again and worship God through Christ, empowered by the Spirit.
2. A church must be based in and bold and clear about the Gospel.
3. A church must have spiritual leaders.
4. A church must have order and growth (not just physical growth but spiritual).
5. A church must live its purpose: worship, nurture (discipleship and fellowship), mission, ministry, evangelism.
This week we will concentrate on the core of what we believe: our values. Our beliefs define us as a church and will open avenues of cooperation with other Christians and clarify our purpose to the world.
Have you ever met a value driven person? Not a bargain shopper but a person who lives by their principles? Most leadership books written today talk about integrity: being a principled driven leader.
Amy and I after what is almost 8 years together in marriage have had to clarify and adjust our values more than once to keep our relationship on the go. Not the main stuff – like our love for each other – but the stuff like: I have the opportunity to be with my family, go preach at this place, or go out with these friends. Which do I do? The doing doesn’t matter – it’s the why I do it that matters.
One verse, 1 Corinthians 10:31, can sum up our core value:
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
The glory of God, Christian, should be our first and final value, the reason we do what we do:
If you spend time with family – do so for the glory of God. If you go to church, go for the Glory of God. If you go to a movie, go for the glory of God (not yourself). If you watch a ball game, watch for the glory of God. If you start a ministry, minister for the glory of God. If you go to work, work for the glory of God. Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.
What is this glory? How do we know about it?
Ultimately, our core value and the values that flow from loving God and His glory, come from the Bible, which is Scripture.
Where did the Bible come from?
The Da Vinci code came out Friday. As a movie it questions all of our values, but it attacks the heart of the Christian faith: the reliability of the Bible. If you want to know more about the problems and lies in the movie and the book, check out Jesusanddavinci.com or get The Da Vinci Code: a quest for answers podcast from itunes.
The Bible is reliable. Let’s say that first off:
1. Historically it has more evidence of authorship than any other book, especially the New Testament.
2. It came about over time, assembled by the Holy Spirit, and in the case of the NT used by the early church. It spans thousands of years, multiple authors, and has one message.
a. Franklin W. Dixon wrote the Hardy Boys, a ghost name used by a variety of authors – but their books aren’t continuous. In one lifetime how could a group collaborate on a book – much less over thousands of years?
b. This sets the bible apart: most other religious books have one author or one editor. Jesus himself did not pen any scripture, though through the Holy Spirit he inspired it all, and is the very word of God.
3. The New Testament was assembled to fight off heresy – kind of the type that Dan Brown proposes in the Da Vinci code, with some differences. There was a movement in the early centuries to deny Jesus’ physical body and resurrection – in other words he was a totally spiritual being. The movement also rejected creation, incarnation, resurrection.
a. The movement – called Gnosticism and another movement called Marcionism, claimed that Jesus could not control the physical, came from the spiritual world as an adult, and was a spirit messenger.
b. The church reacted, especially to Marcion who was single handedly compiling an anti-Semitic new testament that would support his teaching. In response, the church around the world at that time came to agree on the 27 books of the NT. There was no question that the OT would be included – it was seen as entirely Scripture and authoritative, and eyewitness accounts of Jesus Life, the early church, and Paul and other leaders inspired writings. These letters and books were already in use by the church, but compiled as a whole to form the NT. It was understood and proclaimed in the churches at that time that the scripture formed the basis of belief and faith and the church. The church did not form scripture, but the Scripture formed and informed the church. OT Scripture and the 27 books of the NT were understood to be the Word of God.
So what is the Word of God? Let’s look at the Biblical witness:
1. It is exalted & eternal: Psalm 138:2 (NIV)
a. “I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”
b. God connects His name and His word. Ultimately, your name is built on your word. God is faithful, loving, exalted – because of His word, not despite it.
c. God can be fully trusted; His word can be fully trusted. If someone breaks their word, it takes a while to build trust back in that person. God never breaks His word – and conversely His word has never been broken: God never does wrong or is wrong. His word is connected intimately with His character and glory. We know Him by His word: we enter into relationship with Him by the word of the Gospel. We can know God through His word.
d. And He exalted it. God treasures His word. It is a sure sign of the Holy Spirit when you crave the word, to read and treasure it and know it. To memorize it and live it.
i. A couple of us meet periodically to pray and discuss life. Two of the questions we ask: are you memorizing scripture? How is your life witness?
e. Treasure the word of God and let it seep into your soul and nourish you.
f. Eternal: Isaiah 40:8
i. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
ii. There will never be a day that God’s word is irrelevant. It will always stand.
1. All this rain we just had started out good. A soaking rain is the best thing for a plant – it encourages all kinds of chemical reactions in the soil so that the roots can grab the nutrients; let the word soak into your life like that. When I was a kid I took a class at church called Bible drill: I memorized tons of verses, the books of the Bible, certain passages in the Bible. It was tedious, but some of those verses still ring in me today. I remember my teacher – how great that job must have been, she had tons of Scripture in her.
2. That investment will not diminish. It will stand firm, and prove fruitful in your life. The word of God will outlive all life on earth. All the attacks leveled against it will not succeed. All the tricky interpretations offered of it to try to justify lifestyles in light of its plain statements will not diminish it: The Bible prevails.
iii. When you came to Christ – do you remember Scripture speaking to you? What about now? Does it still?
iv. It is living: Heb. 4:12
2. It is inspired and authoritative: (God Breathed) 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21
a. It is from God: it is certain, penetrating, and truthful. It speaks on a whole different level than any other book we read.
b. Jesus’ view of Scripture
i. Centered on Him: Luke 4:14-21
ii. Prophecy fulfilled: Matt. 13:14, 15:7
1. It is true and God is faithful to His promises.
3. It is universal and specific: Col. 4:16
a. Written to a specific church but applied across the lives of many believers. The depths of Scripture are limitless. You may hear one thing in your study, of that same verse someone else will be challenged differently. It speaks to all people everywhere, specifically.
i. The Bible must be a core value because of its universal and individual relevance. It drives and fuels and empowers missions. It energizes and empowers believers to live Godly lives. It calls to people who are searching saying “come and find.” It calls to the hungry: come and eat, to the thirsty: come and drink. Scripture gives purpose to what we do. It calls us to live for the Glory of God.
4. It is Jesus’ and infinite. John 1:1
a. Jesus is the Hope, Center, and Message of the Scripture. He did not write it while he lived on earth. Eyewitnesses did, and this is what they said about him: Read John 1:1, I John 1:1-3.
b. The heresy’s that energized the formation of the NT stated that spiritual and physical are entirely separate. They claimed Jesus was only a spiritual being and not physical at all: his death was a mirage. The Da Vinci Code claims Jesus was physical and not spiritual at all, if you believe the fiction. Yet Jesus was both: fully God (spirit) and man (physical). The word of God became flesh. In our bible, spirit and physical meet. God uses physical words to relate to us. The rising of the sun tells of His power, the stars of His magnificence, the moon of His splendor, the trees of His creativity, but the word reveals Him fully: His heart, His love, His justice, His mercy, His Son.
c. In the Word there is a physical and spiritual collision. That same reality happens in our lives as we let God speak to us through His word. Spiritual power gets lived out in our physical lives. The two are mixed, not separate. Physically you may feel alive, but spiritually you could be dead. Only you know what you think about on your pillow, if you get sleep at all.
Our core values come from our hope: Jesus Christ; His message: The Word of God; and the two cannot be separated.
Pray.
If you are living a Christian life without the Word, you are missing your anchor.
If you have questions about the Word grab someone around you and set up a time to ask them – it will be a profitable discussion.
The Bible
We’re 3 weeks into our series on the church covenant. We started with our identity – we’re invaluably possessed Saints; last week we examined the identity of the church and there were 5 realities that stood out:
1. A Church must be born again and worship God through Christ, empowered by the Spirit.
2. A church must be based in and bold and clear about the Gospel.
3. A church must have spiritual leaders.
4. A church must have order and growth (not just physical growth but spiritual).
5. A church must live its purpose: worship, nurture (discipleship and fellowship), mission, ministry, evangelism.
This week we will concentrate on the core of what we believe: our values. Our beliefs define us as a church and will open avenues of cooperation with other Christians and clarify our purpose to the world.
Have you ever met a value driven person? Not a bargain shopper but a person who lives by their principles? Most leadership books written today talk about integrity: being a principled driven leader.
Amy and I after what is almost 8 years together in marriage have had to clarify and adjust our values more than once to keep our relationship on the go. Not the main stuff – like our love for each other – but the stuff like: I have the opportunity to be with my family, go preach at this place, or go out with these friends. Which do I do? The doing doesn’t matter – it’s the why I do it that matters.
One verse, 1 Corinthians 10:31, can sum up our core value:
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
The glory of God, Christian, should be our first and final value, the reason we do what we do:
If you spend time with family – do so for the glory of God. If you go to church, go for the Glory of God. If you go to a movie, go for the glory of God (not yourself). If you watch a ball game, watch for the glory of God. If you start a ministry, minister for the glory of God. If you go to work, work for the glory of God. Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.
What is this glory? How do we know about it?
Ultimately, our core value and the values that flow from loving God and His glory, come from the Bible, which is Scripture.
Where did the Bible come from?
The Da Vinci code came out Friday. As a movie it questions all of our values, but it attacks the heart of the Christian faith: the reliability of the Bible. If you want to know more about the problems and lies in the movie and the book, check out Jesusanddavinci.com or get The Da Vinci Code: a quest for answers podcast from itunes.
The Bible is reliable. Let’s say that first off:
1. Historically it has more evidence of authorship than any other book, especially the New Testament.
2. It came about over time, assembled by the Holy Spirit, and in the case of the NT used by the early church. It spans thousands of years, multiple authors, and has one message.
a. Franklin W. Dixon wrote the Hardy Boys, a ghost name used by a variety of authors – but their books aren’t continuous. In one lifetime how could a group collaborate on a book – much less over thousands of years?
b. This sets the bible apart: most other religious books have one author or one editor. Jesus himself did not pen any scripture, though through the Holy Spirit he inspired it all, and is the very word of God.
3. The New Testament was assembled to fight off heresy – kind of the type that Dan Brown proposes in the Da Vinci code, with some differences. There was a movement in the early centuries to deny Jesus’ physical body and resurrection – in other words he was a totally spiritual being. The movement also rejected creation, incarnation, resurrection.
a. The movement – called Gnosticism and another movement called Marcionism, claimed that Jesus could not control the physical, came from the spiritual world as an adult, and was a spirit messenger.
b. The church reacted, especially to Marcion who was single handedly compiling an anti-Semitic new testament that would support his teaching. In response, the church around the world at that time came to agree on the 27 books of the NT. There was no question that the OT would be included – it was seen as entirely Scripture and authoritative, and eyewitness accounts of Jesus Life, the early church, and Paul and other leaders inspired writings. These letters and books were already in use by the church, but compiled as a whole to form the NT. It was understood and proclaimed in the churches at that time that the scripture formed the basis of belief and faith and the church. The church did not form scripture, but the Scripture formed and informed the church. OT Scripture and the 27 books of the NT were understood to be the Word of God.
So what is the Word of God? Let’s look at the Biblical witness:
1. It is exalted & eternal: Psalm 138:2 (NIV)
a. “I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”
b. God connects His name and His word. Ultimately, your name is built on your word. God is faithful, loving, exalted – because of His word, not despite it.
c. God can be fully trusted; His word can be fully trusted. If someone breaks their word, it takes a while to build trust back in that person. God never breaks His word – and conversely His word has never been broken: God never does wrong or is wrong. His word is connected intimately with His character and glory. We know Him by His word: we enter into relationship with Him by the word of the Gospel. We can know God through His word.
d. And He exalted it. God treasures His word. It is a sure sign of the Holy Spirit when you crave the word, to read and treasure it and know it. To memorize it and live it.
i. A couple of us meet periodically to pray and discuss life. Two of the questions we ask: are you memorizing scripture? How is your life witness?
e. Treasure the word of God and let it seep into your soul and nourish you.
f. Eternal: Isaiah 40:8
i. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
ii. There will never be a day that God’s word is irrelevant. It will always stand.
1. All this rain we just had started out good. A soaking rain is the best thing for a plant – it encourages all kinds of chemical reactions in the soil so that the roots can grab the nutrients; let the word soak into your life like that. When I was a kid I took a class at church called Bible drill: I memorized tons of verses, the books of the Bible, certain passages in the Bible. It was tedious, but some of those verses still ring in me today. I remember my teacher – how great that job must have been, she had tons of Scripture in her.
2. That investment will not diminish. It will stand firm, and prove fruitful in your life. The word of God will outlive all life on earth. All the attacks leveled against it will not succeed. All the tricky interpretations offered of it to try to justify lifestyles in light of its plain statements will not diminish it: The Bible prevails.
iii. When you came to Christ – do you remember Scripture speaking to you? What about now? Does it still?
iv. It is living: Heb. 4:12
2. It is inspired and authoritative: (God Breathed) 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21
a. It is from God: it is certain, penetrating, and truthful. It speaks on a whole different level than any other book we read.
b. Jesus’ view of Scripture
i. Centered on Him: Luke 4:14-21
ii. Prophecy fulfilled: Matt. 13:14, 15:7
1. It is true and God is faithful to His promises.
3. It is universal and specific: Col. 4:16
a. Written to a specific church but applied across the lives of many believers. The depths of Scripture are limitless. You may hear one thing in your study, of that same verse someone else will be challenged differently. It speaks to all people everywhere, specifically.
i. The Bible must be a core value because of its universal and individual relevance. It drives and fuels and empowers missions. It energizes and empowers believers to live Godly lives. It calls to people who are searching saying “come and find.” It calls to the hungry: come and eat, to the thirsty: come and drink. Scripture gives purpose to what we do. It calls us to live for the Glory of God.
4. It is Jesus’ and infinite. John 1:1
a. Jesus is the Hope, Center, and Message of the Scripture. He did not write it while he lived on earth. Eyewitnesses did, and this is what they said about him: Read John 1:1, I John 1:1-3.
b. The heresy’s that energized the formation of the NT stated that spiritual and physical are entirely separate. They claimed Jesus was only a spiritual being and not physical at all: his death was a mirage. The Da Vinci Code claims Jesus was physical and not spiritual at all, if you believe the fiction. Yet Jesus was both: fully God (spirit) and man (physical). The word of God became flesh. In our bible, spirit and physical meet. God uses physical words to relate to us. The rising of the sun tells of His power, the stars of His magnificence, the moon of His splendor, the trees of His creativity, but the word reveals Him fully: His heart, His love, His justice, His mercy, His Son.
c. In the Word there is a physical and spiritual collision. That same reality happens in our lives as we let God speak to us through His word. Spiritual power gets lived out in our physical lives. The two are mixed, not separate. Physically you may feel alive, but spiritually you could be dead. Only you know what you think about on your pillow, if you get sleep at all.
Our core values come from our hope: Jesus Christ; His message: The Word of God; and the two cannot be separated.
Pray.
If you are living a Christian life without the Word, you are missing your anchor.
If you have questions about the Word grab someone around you and set up a time to ask them – it will be a profitable discussion.
5.16.2006
Identity (2): The Church
Last week we looked at 3 words that give us a good Biblical overview of who we really are:
Invaluable: created in His image/responsibility
Possessed: The Holy Spirit/by God/of a nation
Saints: in the Savior
If you are in Christ, God sees a saint when he looks at you. You may not feel like; you may be able to point to more things wrong in your life than right. But by grace, God sees His son if you are in Him – by faith. Looking at us with God’s eyes should bring encouragement and joy. This is who we are free to be.
What about all of us together? What is this thing called the church? What if there were a gathering every Sunday at Grace Harbor of people who embraced their Sainthood and purpose in life? What would God do with a handful of people who believe all of His word, understand their identity, and commit to His purpose for their lives?
I believe God would alter the face of Providence and the future would never be brighter – for us, for the city, but most importantly for the glory and Name and renown of Christ. I believe this would be a place full of hope and encouragement, praise and gratitude, purpose and excitement, love and worship. That’s what I hope and believe Grace Harbor should be.
If your understanding of church is shaped by experience, it could be wrong. Many of you grew up in churches that seldom talked about the Bible or a saving relationship through Jesus Christ. Or maybe you grew up in a church that talked more about the Church than Jesus, and people became more concerned about their desires than His desires. Or maybe you never went to church, and every time you talked with a Christian they seemed like a barb in your side because they were always telling you what was wrong with you. Our experience can really change the way we see things.
I didn’t grow up in this area, but I am a Red Sox fan. Why? Because when I lived in DE I went to a Baltimore Orioles/NYY game, and sat next to a group of about 200 Yankee fans. They through drinks on other fans, littered the field, and tried to hit the outfielders with various objects. I decided then, because of my experience, I wanted nothing to do with the Yankees – so when I moved here in 1998 it was no problem to see whose fan I would be. Experience can shape our decisions.
But when it comes to the church, it shouldn’t. Jesus only talked about the church twice – once to say, in Matthew 16 that it will be made of people who believe in Him and proclaim He is the Christ; and once in Matthew 18 to say that discipline will occur in it.
If you proclaim Christ you will face persecution. That won’t feel good. If a church has to discipline, and probably most churches do not discipline enough, that won’t feel good. A church, in other words, will not always make you feel good. It is Jesus’ church and based on Him. Jesus and His desires come first. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it is best for us to hear it.
So feelings do not establish or confirm the church. But they are important. Everything should be done in white-hot worship and love: not cold callousness. I heard the story of two famous churches in seminary: 1. Very welcoming, café, made you feel good, weak message. 2. Cold, dark, no one said “hi” no time to meet other people, but one of the best sermons in modern history. Shouldn’t church be both?
We’ll frame our understanding of church Biblically, and also strive to answer the question: What type of church should Grace Harbor be?
Biblically, the church is the local gathering of the called out ones (believers in Jesus), the universal, timeless collection of saints (remember last week), and ultimately the bride of Christ: undefiled and perfect in Him and for Him. These are Biblical truths: we are co-heirs with Christ and also the Bride of Christ. We are believers and called out. We are saved by grace through faith like believers throughout all history. That’s what the church is.
But not all “churches” are. There was a great reformation in Church history – the Protestant reformation – because people felt that “the church” – the Catholic Church at that time, was not truly a biblical church. – and their practices at the time confirm the suspicion.
Just because we assign the word church to somebody or some gathering does not mean that God sees those people as His bride. There can be churches of the world: gatherings of people who do not know Christ. The protestant reformers recognized this and broke away. Here is their definition of a church – this comes from both Martin Luther and John Calvin:
“Wherever the word of God is truly preached, and the ordinances of the church – Baptism and Lord’s Supper – given by Christ are practiced according to Christ, there is a church.”
So, what should you look for in a church, and what type of church should Grace Harbor be:
Read Colossians 1:
1. A Church must be born again and worship God through Christ, empowered by the Spirit. [Col. 1:1-4, 17-23, 29]
a. 1-4: Saints and faithful brethren. The church consists only of believers: those who have proclaimed: Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
i. V.20-22. The members of the church have experienced a true life change. We are no longer aliens toward God but toward the World. We are reconciled to God. We enter into relationship with Him through Christ. This is his working. If you are still unbelieving, alienated from God, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, pray that Christ would save you. The local church has the responsibility of only accepting into membership those who are born again – those who are saints.
ii. They have, as a sign of that believer, become faithful.
b. Faithful, not listless, saints should characterize the church. Our faithfulness is a sign of our love for Christ. Faithfulness is: devotion to Christ – an unwillingness to compromise your belief in Him. Faithfulness is also seen in the depth and regularity of your love for others: do you keep your word, work for the better of others, willingly jump in to help out; or do you expect, demand, and desire? Faithful saints consider Christ first, others second, and selves last. Read 4b – love for all the saints; this is an act of worship empowered by the Spirit – faithfulness is part of His fruit in your life.
c. Christ is head of the church, Savior of the Church, and the way to the Father. A true church makes this clear. He presents you “holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (v. 22). That is why we say we worship God through Christ – though Christ is God. The Trinity is entirely active in the church: the Father receives praise, through the Son, empowered by the Spirit v.29.
2. A church must be based and bold and clear in the Gospel. [Col. 1:23]
a. The church continues in the Gospel. We don’t build from it, we build in it. We continue in it. The Gospel is a starting point, a foundation, but we never leave it. We remain in it. The church must be clear and compelling with the truth: Jesus Christ died for all the sins, all the wrongs, all the hostility, all the evil deeds that anyone would do and you can come to God through faith in Him and belief in His resurrection. The Gospel is clear: Jesus came to give you life: He gave his for yours; because of His power and righteousness death was defeated, He rose from the grave and now sits at the right-hand of the Father. Waiting to return to marry His bride – the church. His life was real, His death was real, His resurrection is real. Believers stake their entire lives on this truth.
b. Must be bold with baptism and observe the Lord’s Supper. (those who receive each are seen to be saved: baptism admits to the church, Lord’s Supper continues fellowship)
c. The bible is honored and preached and authoritative. [Col. 1:25]: Luther: a church is “congregation of saints in which the gospel is rightly taught.”
i. The Bible is the message of God, His voice, His word to us. Honor it, receive it, believe it.
d. John Calvin, the founder of what we know as Calvinistic theology – google it, I won’t explain it here; as always, he goes a step further (Lutherans closer to Catholicism than the churches Calvin founded): the church is “where the Word of God is purely preached and heard”. Not just the preaching, but the receiving is important. Paul was a faithful minister, and the church at Colossae was formed when people received the message.
i. Be faithful to receive the Bible message, Christian. Let God speak to your life through His word, and make changes in you mind, your lifestyle, your attitudes so that you are in agreement with the Lord.
3. A church must have Spiritual leaders [1:25]
a. Paul was a minister with a job. Spiritual leaders also have a purpose.
b. Elders/pastor and deacons
c. Gifting of the Holy Spirit
4. A church must have order and growth [1:28]
a. Order: teaching/admonishing involves corrective behavior. We all need to change something in our lives; the church is place where we can enjoy seeing God work in each other and ourselves as we make those changes. It is also a gathering that desires to please God through Christ. We are orderly: we do not run our own way but His way.
b. Preaching for Godliness and salvation (purity). Spreading the Good News is purposeful to present people complete, perfect, in Christ. That is a main activity of the church and believers: spread the word about Jesus!
c. Spiritual growth [Col. 1:9-12]
i. Evidenced by: your walk (your daily life)
ii. Good work that bears good fruit – are you regular in doing good works?
iii. A desire to please the Lord
iv. Perseverance, patience, gratitude, and praise!
d. Evangelistic growth (sign of spiritual maturity in faithfully sharing the Gospel). [Col. 1:6]
5. A church must live it’s Purpose: [1:28-29]
a. Worship (#1) proclaim Him
b. Nurture: strengthen believers: teach/admonish
i. Empowered/gifted by Holy Spirit – we need to know how He has gifted us.
c. Missions: every man, Matt. 28
d. Evangelism (every man)
e. Ministry: opening the doors to share the good news. Jesus said: Love your neighbor. The church of the Bible is characterized by love and service.
i. All empowered by Him: his power which mightily works within me.
Read Col. 1 NLT: Worship, Encourage, Serve, Evangelize, Go, work – but rest in His power.
Invaluable: created in His image/responsibility
Possessed: The Holy Spirit/by God/of a nation
Saints: in the Savior
If you are in Christ, God sees a saint when he looks at you. You may not feel like; you may be able to point to more things wrong in your life than right. But by grace, God sees His son if you are in Him – by faith. Looking at us with God’s eyes should bring encouragement and joy. This is who we are free to be.
What about all of us together? What is this thing called the church? What if there were a gathering every Sunday at Grace Harbor of people who embraced their Sainthood and purpose in life? What would God do with a handful of people who believe all of His word, understand their identity, and commit to His purpose for their lives?
I believe God would alter the face of Providence and the future would never be brighter – for us, for the city, but most importantly for the glory and Name and renown of Christ. I believe this would be a place full of hope and encouragement, praise and gratitude, purpose and excitement, love and worship. That’s what I hope and believe Grace Harbor should be.
If your understanding of church is shaped by experience, it could be wrong. Many of you grew up in churches that seldom talked about the Bible or a saving relationship through Jesus Christ. Or maybe you grew up in a church that talked more about the Church than Jesus, and people became more concerned about their desires than His desires. Or maybe you never went to church, and every time you talked with a Christian they seemed like a barb in your side because they were always telling you what was wrong with you. Our experience can really change the way we see things.
I didn’t grow up in this area, but I am a Red Sox fan. Why? Because when I lived in DE I went to a Baltimore Orioles/NYY game, and sat next to a group of about 200 Yankee fans. They through drinks on other fans, littered the field, and tried to hit the outfielders with various objects. I decided then, because of my experience, I wanted nothing to do with the Yankees – so when I moved here in 1998 it was no problem to see whose fan I would be. Experience can shape our decisions.
But when it comes to the church, it shouldn’t. Jesus only talked about the church twice – once to say, in Matthew 16 that it will be made of people who believe in Him and proclaim He is the Christ; and once in Matthew 18 to say that discipline will occur in it.
If you proclaim Christ you will face persecution. That won’t feel good. If a church has to discipline, and probably most churches do not discipline enough, that won’t feel good. A church, in other words, will not always make you feel good. It is Jesus’ church and based on Him. Jesus and His desires come first. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it is best for us to hear it.
So feelings do not establish or confirm the church. But they are important. Everything should be done in white-hot worship and love: not cold callousness. I heard the story of two famous churches in seminary: 1. Very welcoming, café, made you feel good, weak message. 2. Cold, dark, no one said “hi” no time to meet other people, but one of the best sermons in modern history. Shouldn’t church be both?
We’ll frame our understanding of church Biblically, and also strive to answer the question: What type of church should Grace Harbor be?
Biblically, the church is the local gathering of the called out ones (believers in Jesus), the universal, timeless collection of saints (remember last week), and ultimately the bride of Christ: undefiled and perfect in Him and for Him. These are Biblical truths: we are co-heirs with Christ and also the Bride of Christ. We are believers and called out. We are saved by grace through faith like believers throughout all history. That’s what the church is.
But not all “churches” are. There was a great reformation in Church history – the Protestant reformation – because people felt that “the church” – the Catholic Church at that time, was not truly a biblical church. – and their practices at the time confirm the suspicion.
Just because we assign the word church to somebody or some gathering does not mean that God sees those people as His bride. There can be churches of the world: gatherings of people who do not know Christ. The protestant reformers recognized this and broke away. Here is their definition of a church – this comes from both Martin Luther and John Calvin:
“Wherever the word of God is truly preached, and the ordinances of the church – Baptism and Lord’s Supper – given by Christ are practiced according to Christ, there is a church.”
So, what should you look for in a church, and what type of church should Grace Harbor be:
Read Colossians 1:
1. A Church must be born again and worship God through Christ, empowered by the Spirit. [Col. 1:1-4, 17-23, 29]
a. 1-4: Saints and faithful brethren. The church consists only of believers: those who have proclaimed: Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
i. V.20-22. The members of the church have experienced a true life change. We are no longer aliens toward God but toward the World. We are reconciled to God. We enter into relationship with Him through Christ. This is his working. If you are still unbelieving, alienated from God, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, pray that Christ would save you. The local church has the responsibility of only accepting into membership those who are born again – those who are saints.
ii. They have, as a sign of that believer, become faithful.
b. Faithful, not listless, saints should characterize the church. Our faithfulness is a sign of our love for Christ. Faithfulness is: devotion to Christ – an unwillingness to compromise your belief in Him. Faithfulness is also seen in the depth and regularity of your love for others: do you keep your word, work for the better of others, willingly jump in to help out; or do you expect, demand, and desire? Faithful saints consider Christ first, others second, and selves last. Read 4b – love for all the saints; this is an act of worship empowered by the Spirit – faithfulness is part of His fruit in your life.
c. Christ is head of the church, Savior of the Church, and the way to the Father. A true church makes this clear. He presents you “holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (v. 22). That is why we say we worship God through Christ – though Christ is God. The Trinity is entirely active in the church: the Father receives praise, through the Son, empowered by the Spirit v.29.
2. A church must be based and bold and clear in the Gospel. [Col. 1:23]
a. The church continues in the Gospel. We don’t build from it, we build in it. We continue in it. The Gospel is a starting point, a foundation, but we never leave it. We remain in it. The church must be clear and compelling with the truth: Jesus Christ died for all the sins, all the wrongs, all the hostility, all the evil deeds that anyone would do and you can come to God through faith in Him and belief in His resurrection. The Gospel is clear: Jesus came to give you life: He gave his for yours; because of His power and righteousness death was defeated, He rose from the grave and now sits at the right-hand of the Father. Waiting to return to marry His bride – the church. His life was real, His death was real, His resurrection is real. Believers stake their entire lives on this truth.
b. Must be bold with baptism and observe the Lord’s Supper. (those who receive each are seen to be saved: baptism admits to the church, Lord’s Supper continues fellowship)
c. The bible is honored and preached and authoritative. [Col. 1:25]: Luther: a church is “congregation of saints in which the gospel is rightly taught.”
i. The Bible is the message of God, His voice, His word to us. Honor it, receive it, believe it.
d. John Calvin, the founder of what we know as Calvinistic theology – google it, I won’t explain it here; as always, he goes a step further (Lutherans closer to Catholicism than the churches Calvin founded): the church is “where the Word of God is purely preached and heard”. Not just the preaching, but the receiving is important. Paul was a faithful minister, and the church at Colossae was formed when people received the message.
i. Be faithful to receive the Bible message, Christian. Let God speak to your life through His word, and make changes in you mind, your lifestyle, your attitudes so that you are in agreement with the Lord.
3. A church must have Spiritual leaders [1:25]
a. Paul was a minister with a job. Spiritual leaders also have a purpose.
b. Elders/pastor and deacons
c. Gifting of the Holy Spirit
4. A church must have order and growth [1:28]
a. Order: teaching/admonishing involves corrective behavior. We all need to change something in our lives; the church is place where we can enjoy seeing God work in each other and ourselves as we make those changes. It is also a gathering that desires to please God through Christ. We are orderly: we do not run our own way but His way.
b. Preaching for Godliness and salvation (purity). Spreading the Good News is purposeful to present people complete, perfect, in Christ. That is a main activity of the church and believers: spread the word about Jesus!
c. Spiritual growth [Col. 1:9-12]
i. Evidenced by: your walk (your daily life)
ii. Good work that bears good fruit – are you regular in doing good works?
iii. A desire to please the Lord
iv. Perseverance, patience, gratitude, and praise!
d. Evangelistic growth (sign of spiritual maturity in faithfully sharing the Gospel). [Col. 1:6]
5. A church must live it’s Purpose: [1:28-29]
a. Worship (#1) proclaim Him
b. Nurture: strengthen believers: teach/admonish
i. Empowered/gifted by Holy Spirit – we need to know how He has gifted us.
c. Missions: every man, Matt. 28
d. Evangelism (every man)
e. Ministry: opening the doors to share the good news. Jesus said: Love your neighbor. The church of the Bible is characterized by love and service.
i. All empowered by Him: his power which mightily works within me.
Read Col. 1 NLT: Worship, Encourage, Serve, Evangelize, Go, work – but rest in His power.
5.08.2006
Identity (1)
Over the next several weeks we will examine core values simultaneously with the Thursday night study that will form our covenant. Thursday nights we will dig deeper than Sunday mornings, and out of the Thursday night study will come the actual covenant.
Let me start out by saying this will necessitate topical preaching. I am not opposed to topical preaching, it has its place, but it isn’t always my preference. I will strive to preach expositional in the topic –meaning that I will try to bring to weight the context and meaning and value of the text we are studying – though it may only be a few verses. If you’ve been worshipping the last year we’ve walked through 2 books – Ephesians and Ruth, word for word, and that type of preaching – expositional – covering the whole of the book and the setting it is written in, is my preference. So, if you hear nothing else this morning, when you open your Bible and read it do so with purpose, read through a book, a chapter, don’t just flip it open looking for verses that mean something – you’ll miss so much in the process.
That said, the Lord will guide our time together during this series, and we are approaching the Bible with purpose and asking questions and seeking answers.
The purpose of this process is that Grace Harbor will have a covenant that will define us. It will be the standard of membership to the church: to agree to hold the church covenant will mean that you are a member of the church. To disregard the covenant will mean that you are a worshipper, but not a covenant member. It will also enable us to say to the city: this is who we are, what we believe, and what we do.
Fittingly, the covenant must start with the question of all time: Who am I? Who are we? There are 3 words that will Biblically describe who we are.
Read Gen. 1:26-27.
From the beginning we were created with identity and purpose. You are God’s handiwork, God’s creation, God’s image, you are, if we could only use one word: invaluable. (This is the 1st of the 3 words to identify who we are).
I. Invaluable
A. Of all the earth, all people everywhere are in God’s image. I took a class in seminary about Beauty and God. At the time I thought, when will I ever use this – it was all about aesthetics and the standards of an absolute God in a world that sees art in the eye of the beholder. I groaned as I lived in KY for a week away from family, contemplating beauty, and thought. This is useless. Until today. God made you beautiful in His eye. Gen. 1:31 – it was very good. Adam and Eve were beautiful, not just physically but entirely as Humans. We hold that same pattern today – we’re created in God’s image. There is no higher value by which to judge beauty than God.
B. From the baby to be born to the elderly – each of us is invaluable. No other created thing is in the image of God. As splendorous as the soon, as shining the moon, as majestic the mountains, as graceful the butterfly and powerful the lion; none are in the image of God as we are.
C. We are the handiwork of God, his craft. We are each unique, we look different, act different, think different, dream different, yet are all in God’s image. Every human is to be respected and understood to be in the image of God. When the Lord gave out the law and said, “do not murder” He was addressing an offence against His image. Were you to kill a person, you would kill the image of God – a direct assault against God. To think evil of someone, harbor hatred against someone is to defame God’s image.
a. Respect the image of God in everyone you see. No one is below our attention or too great for our attention. Everyone is invaluable.
D. As a sign of our great value – God entrusted humans with responsibility. V.26 – rule the earth. We are the crown of creation, to rule over all that is on the earth. Not in a haphazard way but in a way worthy of the image of God.
a. Growing up, my brother and I would spend every Saturday helping my dad work in our 1-acre lot in TN. Being the youngest, I usually got the easiest jobs. But they were boring jobs. Tending the cord was the absolute worst. I saw no value in it. My brother would be riding the lawnmower, and I would be following my dad while he worked with an electric weed eater. I felt undervalued. There’s not greater sign of value than the job entrusted to you. If you show up to work everyday and there is nothing for you to do – start looking elsewhere b/c you’re not valued. But look at what God gives us to do:
i. “Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth…”
ii. Could there be a more valuable job? It is a sign of our spiritual sickness, sin, that the world is a mess. Created in God’s image, we have marred that destiny with our sin and corrupted the world and rejected His mandate. Instead, the earth, the world, rules us. And we fail in understanding how valuable we are before God.
1. So valuable that to cure the sickness He sent His Son.
2. So valuable that there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth that we will rule with Christ.
3. Christian you are invaluable – the very image of God.
E. We are not His substance – only Jesus Christ is truly God, God from God, and flesh of Flesh. We do no share His substance, but His image.
a. A person of integrity is not concerned about image but about doing the right thing. Our world is more concerned with image. The effects of Sin go even here… Integrity and image are one with God, for us, they seem to be polar opposites. Who we are what we do, not how we appear. To have integrity in living out God’s image we need power, we need His substance.
b. When we become Christians, we do share His substance – His Holy Spirit indwells us, lives in us, and empowers us. Leading us to the 2nd word.
II. Possessed
a. Exodus 19:3-6
i. Possessed by God:
ii. Invaluable – his treasured possession
iii. He brought you to where you are today. Look over your life and ask God to show you His hand. You may not even believe in God, but ask for eyes of faith to see His work in your life – He loves you too much to hide himself.
iv. I Corin. 6:20 – You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1. You were redeemed and paid for, and it was costly. What God bought, He wants. His own Son for you. Does he have you?
b. Possessed of a relationship: priests have access to God. You can go to God yourself, the way is opened. You are a priest, one who knows God intimately and can hear his voice. Jesus is the good shepherd and His sheep know his voice. Priests can hear God’s voice and speak to others on His behalf. A relationship with God is possible through faith in Christ and love for His word – for He speaks to us supremely through the Bible.
c. Possessed of a nation: you are a holy nation. No one man forms a nation. Who cares if I declare my independence from the United States, the sovereign nation of Andy will not last long. You are possessed of a holy nation.
i. 2 words: Holy & Nation
1. Holy – you are possessed of mercy. God’s mercy and sacrifice has made you holy. Your value is free to shine. You are living in the grace and mercy of God. We’ll return to this word Holy in a minute, but for now know that you are set apart, bought, paid for, redeemed. You are owned and possessed – by a God of mercy and grace.
2. Nation: you are part of a nation of believers spanning the world and the ages. It cannot be ruled by this world, but rather seeks to rule with Christ. It cannot be overthrown in this world, but lives in victory in Christ. Our nation cannot stop growing, cannot stop living, cannot stop impacting. We are a holy nation. Your community is a nation. The church, a local NT body of believers, is your connection to the Nation. That is why we are moving toward covenanting so that we will say to the world: we are part of the Holy nation. We live in community with each other and for each other. Listen to this passage.
d. I Peter 2:4-12: aliens and strangers to the world, home in the holy nation.
One word is used in the New Testament 67 times to describe believers: saint/saints. They are always living, never dead. We tend to think of saints as canonized dead people, but Biblically, saints are living followers of Christ.
III. 3rd word: Saints (the New Testament)
It comes from the Greek: hagiazo – to set apart, sanctify, make holy. That understanding is inherent in the concept of God in the Old Testament – he is set apart and holy. One must be sanctified to approach him. His holiness was so great that once the temple was erected, and his presence was known in the holy of holies – the innermost spot – the high priest would only enter once per year in great ceremony. Bells were tied to his cloak and a rope around him so that if he died because he was not holy enough, they would know and could pull out his body. Holiness was needed to know God.
The holiness of God was ingrained in Jews throughout the celebration of their religion, and we should remember that Jews steeped in that culture, except for Luke-Acts if we assume that Luke was a Greek believer, wrote the New Testament.
The idea of holiness is carried in the New Testament term saint – which refers to Jewish and non-Jewish believers. It is used most often to describe those who believe in Jesus Christ. Believers, you are saints.
FF Bruce says that consecration and purity are the basic meanings of the term. Believers are saints because they belong to the One who provided their sanctification.
67 times we are called saints, before we were even called Christians – though that term, “little Christ” or “followers of Christ” carries the idea of saint. Believer, you are a saint. Your life should no longer be seen in sin, or ruled by the world, but should be seen in victory over the world.
You may be hurting today, depressed, lonely, maybe excited about what you’ve accomplished and what the future holds; but that is not who you are: you are a SAINT:
Set
Apart
I am
Now in
The Savior.
We are saints in Christ. This is why I never do acrostics, because I stink at it. But here’s the point. You are set apart – possessed, in Christ. You are saved, made holy, redeemed to value, in Christ. A saint is not a perfect person; it is a real person who has experienced the savior. A saint cannot take their eyes off the savior.
Where do you find your value? Are your eyes on Christ? 3 words to describe who we are:
Invaluable
Possessed
Saints
Let me start out by saying this will necessitate topical preaching. I am not opposed to topical preaching, it has its place, but it isn’t always my preference. I will strive to preach expositional in the topic –meaning that I will try to bring to weight the context and meaning and value of the text we are studying – though it may only be a few verses. If you’ve been worshipping the last year we’ve walked through 2 books – Ephesians and Ruth, word for word, and that type of preaching – expositional – covering the whole of the book and the setting it is written in, is my preference. So, if you hear nothing else this morning, when you open your Bible and read it do so with purpose, read through a book, a chapter, don’t just flip it open looking for verses that mean something – you’ll miss so much in the process.
That said, the Lord will guide our time together during this series, and we are approaching the Bible with purpose and asking questions and seeking answers.
The purpose of this process is that Grace Harbor will have a covenant that will define us. It will be the standard of membership to the church: to agree to hold the church covenant will mean that you are a member of the church. To disregard the covenant will mean that you are a worshipper, but not a covenant member. It will also enable us to say to the city: this is who we are, what we believe, and what we do.
Fittingly, the covenant must start with the question of all time: Who am I? Who are we? There are 3 words that will Biblically describe who we are.
Read Gen. 1:26-27.
From the beginning we were created with identity and purpose. You are God’s handiwork, God’s creation, God’s image, you are, if we could only use one word: invaluable. (This is the 1st of the 3 words to identify who we are).
I. Invaluable
A. Of all the earth, all people everywhere are in God’s image. I took a class in seminary about Beauty and God. At the time I thought, when will I ever use this – it was all about aesthetics and the standards of an absolute God in a world that sees art in the eye of the beholder. I groaned as I lived in KY for a week away from family, contemplating beauty, and thought. This is useless. Until today. God made you beautiful in His eye. Gen. 1:31 – it was very good. Adam and Eve were beautiful, not just physically but entirely as Humans. We hold that same pattern today – we’re created in God’s image. There is no higher value by which to judge beauty than God.
B. From the baby to be born to the elderly – each of us is invaluable. No other created thing is in the image of God. As splendorous as the soon, as shining the moon, as majestic the mountains, as graceful the butterfly and powerful the lion; none are in the image of God as we are.
C. We are the handiwork of God, his craft. We are each unique, we look different, act different, think different, dream different, yet are all in God’s image. Every human is to be respected and understood to be in the image of God. When the Lord gave out the law and said, “do not murder” He was addressing an offence against His image. Were you to kill a person, you would kill the image of God – a direct assault against God. To think evil of someone, harbor hatred against someone is to defame God’s image.
a. Respect the image of God in everyone you see. No one is below our attention or too great for our attention. Everyone is invaluable.
D. As a sign of our great value – God entrusted humans with responsibility. V.26 – rule the earth. We are the crown of creation, to rule over all that is on the earth. Not in a haphazard way but in a way worthy of the image of God.
a. Growing up, my brother and I would spend every Saturday helping my dad work in our 1-acre lot in TN. Being the youngest, I usually got the easiest jobs. But they were boring jobs. Tending the cord was the absolute worst. I saw no value in it. My brother would be riding the lawnmower, and I would be following my dad while he worked with an electric weed eater. I felt undervalued. There’s not greater sign of value than the job entrusted to you. If you show up to work everyday and there is nothing for you to do – start looking elsewhere b/c you’re not valued. But look at what God gives us to do:
i. “Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth…”
ii. Could there be a more valuable job? It is a sign of our spiritual sickness, sin, that the world is a mess. Created in God’s image, we have marred that destiny with our sin and corrupted the world and rejected His mandate. Instead, the earth, the world, rules us. And we fail in understanding how valuable we are before God.
1. So valuable that to cure the sickness He sent His Son.
2. So valuable that there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth that we will rule with Christ.
3. Christian you are invaluable – the very image of God.
E. We are not His substance – only Jesus Christ is truly God, God from God, and flesh of Flesh. We do no share His substance, but His image.
a. A person of integrity is not concerned about image but about doing the right thing. Our world is more concerned with image. The effects of Sin go even here… Integrity and image are one with God, for us, they seem to be polar opposites. Who we are what we do, not how we appear. To have integrity in living out God’s image we need power, we need His substance.
b. When we become Christians, we do share His substance – His Holy Spirit indwells us, lives in us, and empowers us. Leading us to the 2nd word.
II. Possessed
a. Exodus 19:3-6
i. Possessed by God:
ii. Invaluable – his treasured possession
iii. He brought you to where you are today. Look over your life and ask God to show you His hand. You may not even believe in God, but ask for eyes of faith to see His work in your life – He loves you too much to hide himself.
iv. I Corin. 6:20 – You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1. You were redeemed and paid for, and it was costly. What God bought, He wants. His own Son for you. Does he have you?
b. Possessed of a relationship: priests have access to God. You can go to God yourself, the way is opened. You are a priest, one who knows God intimately and can hear his voice. Jesus is the good shepherd and His sheep know his voice. Priests can hear God’s voice and speak to others on His behalf. A relationship with God is possible through faith in Christ and love for His word – for He speaks to us supremely through the Bible.
c. Possessed of a nation: you are a holy nation. No one man forms a nation. Who cares if I declare my independence from the United States, the sovereign nation of Andy will not last long. You are possessed of a holy nation.
i. 2 words: Holy & Nation
1. Holy – you are possessed of mercy. God’s mercy and sacrifice has made you holy. Your value is free to shine. You are living in the grace and mercy of God. We’ll return to this word Holy in a minute, but for now know that you are set apart, bought, paid for, redeemed. You are owned and possessed – by a God of mercy and grace.
2. Nation: you are part of a nation of believers spanning the world and the ages. It cannot be ruled by this world, but rather seeks to rule with Christ. It cannot be overthrown in this world, but lives in victory in Christ. Our nation cannot stop growing, cannot stop living, cannot stop impacting. We are a holy nation. Your community is a nation. The church, a local NT body of believers, is your connection to the Nation. That is why we are moving toward covenanting so that we will say to the world: we are part of the Holy nation. We live in community with each other and for each other. Listen to this passage.
d. I Peter 2:4-12: aliens and strangers to the world, home in the holy nation.
One word is used in the New Testament 67 times to describe believers: saint/saints. They are always living, never dead. We tend to think of saints as canonized dead people, but Biblically, saints are living followers of Christ.
III. 3rd word: Saints (the New Testament)
It comes from the Greek: hagiazo – to set apart, sanctify, make holy. That understanding is inherent in the concept of God in the Old Testament – he is set apart and holy. One must be sanctified to approach him. His holiness was so great that once the temple was erected, and his presence was known in the holy of holies – the innermost spot – the high priest would only enter once per year in great ceremony. Bells were tied to his cloak and a rope around him so that if he died because he was not holy enough, they would know and could pull out his body. Holiness was needed to know God.
The holiness of God was ingrained in Jews throughout the celebration of their religion, and we should remember that Jews steeped in that culture, except for Luke-Acts if we assume that Luke was a Greek believer, wrote the New Testament.
The idea of holiness is carried in the New Testament term saint – which refers to Jewish and non-Jewish believers. It is used most often to describe those who believe in Jesus Christ. Believers, you are saints.
FF Bruce says that consecration and purity are the basic meanings of the term. Believers are saints because they belong to the One who provided their sanctification.
67 times we are called saints, before we were even called Christians – though that term, “little Christ” or “followers of Christ” carries the idea of saint. Believer, you are a saint. Your life should no longer be seen in sin, or ruled by the world, but should be seen in victory over the world.
You may be hurting today, depressed, lonely, maybe excited about what you’ve accomplished and what the future holds; but that is not who you are: you are a SAINT:
Set
Apart
I am
Now in
The Savior.
We are saints in Christ. This is why I never do acrostics, because I stink at it. But here’s the point. You are set apart – possessed, in Christ. You are saved, made holy, redeemed to value, in Christ. A saint is not a perfect person; it is a real person who has experienced the savior. A saint cannot take their eyes off the savior.
Where do you find your value? Are your eyes on Christ? 3 words to describe who we are:
Invaluable
Possessed
Saints
5.02.2006
Ruth 4
Last week we walked through Ruth 3, seeing that there is a huge difference between active and passive faith. Though both are Christians, the kingdom advances through Active faith. The path to satisfaction is through active Christianity. Noami laid a plan and Ruth acted on it, and we were left with Boaz needing to act on his – which he promised to do. This week we have to ask this question:
I’ve made a plan, I’m acting on it – now what?
Satisfaction does not lie in me accomplishing what I want, but in God accomplishing what He wants through me.
Read Ruth 4
Satisfaction is found eternally in Christ, and it has been said that there is no better place than to be in the center of God’s will. To be in Christ is to be satisfied in our core. To be in God’s will gives satisfaction despite uncertainty.
In chapter 3 Naomi moves from depression to actively living for the kingdom and planning for other’s good. She joined what God was doing in the world, knowingly or not. A good question for our lives is: Am I living in God’s will for me?
I. Before we can set a plan and act on it and ask for satisfaction, we need to know – Am I living God’s will for me?
A. God wants people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Am I a part of His accomplishing that through being active in my faith and vocally sharing the Gospel and consistently ministering to my friends and neighbor’s needs?
God desires that we abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thess. 4:3). Boaz and Ruth gave us a pattern in chapter 3 for all their emotions and love and midnight behavior that is rooted in righteousness. Amy I honoring God with my sexuality?
If you are in God’s will and have made a plan in your situation: whether it is plans to start a business, work for a company, graduate and get a job or pursue further degrees, and you’re acting on it, what do you do while not much is happening?
Boaz goes to the city gate and waits. The city gate was the gathering place in ancient towns. In the walled cities buildings were and homes were compact and tightly pact, but the gates in the walls to the cities provided a place of interchange and commerce and business, as well as judgment in legal matters. They were kind of like the mall and the statehouse – you can get it all done in those two buildings. So Boaz heads out first thing in the morning, and waits.
For all our talk about active faith, we still cannot separate ourselves from God’s action. We can only assume Boaz knew the man, especially the way the text speaks about this kinsman redeemer – Boaz knew immediately there was someone with rights to Ruth and the property closer than he. Explain Levirite Marriage. Wouldn’t it have been easier to rush things and go straight to the man and deal with the situation? Even to take elders with you, or go and get the man and bring him to the gate. Why Boaz didn’t do this I’ll never know – but it was shrewd. He didn’t communicate overzealousness. He didn’t walk into the car lot and say “I want that new one, how much!?” with a big smile and eager look in his eyes. He wasn’t impatient. Far from it, he trusted in God. If the man would redeem, he would do so at the city gate, the proper place, in front of the proper authorities and God would still be God and in control. And if the man wouldn’t, God would still be God and in control. There is remarkable satisfaction in God.
Patience is not laziness. As soon as the man appeared Boaz was on him. If God is working in your life, as he was in Boaz’s and Ruth’s and Naomi’s: seize the moment. Boaz settled it first thing – he was active about it.
A. Seize the moment. Don’t wait when the opportunity comes. If you have been praying for your neighbor and they come over to talk – seize the moment!
B. Seizing the moment means casting aside hindrances.
1. Boaz did not let the business of his fields occupy him at the gate that day.
2. He did not let the logistical concerns of the grain on the threshing floor occupy him.
3. He did not let his hunger or his slumber derail him – he was seizing the moment. Just as Christ was determined to climb calvary, so Boaz was determined to find the answer about Ruth.
II. The Closer Man (v.3-8)
a. This was certainly a unique day for the closer kinsman redeemer. All of a sudden he had the chance for more property – and he leaped at it. Shrewd businessman – grow your business, increase revenue, etc., etc., etc.
b. But then comes the catch: there was a responsibility, RUTH, who became a burden in his eyes.
i. Christians, we have tremendous responsibility. We are responsible to magnify Christ, accept the load given us in the world as from God, and do everything for Him. We are responsible to be His witnesses 24/7, and to care for those who need help around us.
1. People should not be a burden in our eyes: how long did Jesus bear with Judas? How long is God patient with His people?
ii. Some commentators, namely Leon Morris, note that there is a hint of selfishness in this redeemer man. He has his own concerns first. He could take the field but not the woman. Perhaps it would be too great a financial burden to care for Ruth (even with the new field)? Or maybe the man wasn’t really concerned with preserving Mahlon’s line. Whatever the case, if we take the notion that he wanted to make a name for himself, it is noteworthy that his name is never mentioned. It is almost deliberately concealed.
1. Living in God’s will and making a name for yourself cannot go together. Satisfaction won’t last if you’re all about yourself. Who cares if your dead and gone and a building is named after you?
c. In his world, he couldn’t see caring for Ruth, so he turns down the deal, and Boaz seizes the moment. He pounces, in fact the elders, the witness affirm, bless and pronounce them married and Ruth wasn’t even there!
i. Plans may not be what you think. If you’re dreaming of a big wedding someday, remember Ruth. It’s not the wedding, it’s the marriage that matters. She didn’t even make it to her own wedding, but she had a great 2nd marriage.
ii. It is always an act of faith to say: God, Your way is better.
1. Russian believers story: Forbidden Faith
III. Resurrection (v.5, 10)
a. The real issue of this deal was maintaining the name of someone else. Boaz, man of God, was prepared to give himself to the work. The name of Mahlon and Elimelech would be resurrected.
b. This was all working into God’s perfect plan.
c. God acts relavantly: specificity of geneaology (NT)
d. God acts relationally:
i. Boaz and Ruth
ii. God to person
iii. God to you
iv. Community of Faith
1. Blessing of Elders
2. Blessing of Women
3. Satisfaction in community.
Satisfaction is available. Take it in Christ.
Chapter 1:
In the hard times – look to our Lord
In the poor times, the depressing times: look to the Light of the world!
Chapter 2:
In the good times, give generously like Boaz: take the good from the Lord for His Glory!
Satisfaction in Christ, not money, not fields, not business, not job, but the Ruler, the Savior
Chapter 3:
In the planning times, the times of hope, look to the Hope of the World and trust in Him.
Chapter 4:
In the times of acting out your plans, look to the one who matters: jEsus.
I’ve made a plan, I’m acting on it – now what?
Satisfaction does not lie in me accomplishing what I want, but in God accomplishing what He wants through me.
Read Ruth 4
Satisfaction is found eternally in Christ, and it has been said that there is no better place than to be in the center of God’s will. To be in Christ is to be satisfied in our core. To be in God’s will gives satisfaction despite uncertainty.
In chapter 3 Naomi moves from depression to actively living for the kingdom and planning for other’s good. She joined what God was doing in the world, knowingly or not. A good question for our lives is: Am I living in God’s will for me?
I. Before we can set a plan and act on it and ask for satisfaction, we need to know – Am I living God’s will for me?
A. God wants people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Am I a part of His accomplishing that through being active in my faith and vocally sharing the Gospel and consistently ministering to my friends and neighbor’s needs?
God desires that we abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thess. 4:3). Boaz and Ruth gave us a pattern in chapter 3 for all their emotions and love and midnight behavior that is rooted in righteousness. Amy I honoring God with my sexuality?
If you are in God’s will and have made a plan in your situation: whether it is plans to start a business, work for a company, graduate and get a job or pursue further degrees, and you’re acting on it, what do you do while not much is happening?
Boaz goes to the city gate and waits. The city gate was the gathering place in ancient towns. In the walled cities buildings were and homes were compact and tightly pact, but the gates in the walls to the cities provided a place of interchange and commerce and business, as well as judgment in legal matters. They were kind of like the mall and the statehouse – you can get it all done in those two buildings. So Boaz heads out first thing in the morning, and waits.
For all our talk about active faith, we still cannot separate ourselves from God’s action. We can only assume Boaz knew the man, especially the way the text speaks about this kinsman redeemer – Boaz knew immediately there was someone with rights to Ruth and the property closer than he. Explain Levirite Marriage. Wouldn’t it have been easier to rush things and go straight to the man and deal with the situation? Even to take elders with you, or go and get the man and bring him to the gate. Why Boaz didn’t do this I’ll never know – but it was shrewd. He didn’t communicate overzealousness. He didn’t walk into the car lot and say “I want that new one, how much!?” with a big smile and eager look in his eyes. He wasn’t impatient. Far from it, he trusted in God. If the man would redeem, he would do so at the city gate, the proper place, in front of the proper authorities and God would still be God and in control. And if the man wouldn’t, God would still be God and in control. There is remarkable satisfaction in God.
Patience is not laziness. As soon as the man appeared Boaz was on him. If God is working in your life, as he was in Boaz’s and Ruth’s and Naomi’s: seize the moment. Boaz settled it first thing – he was active about it.
A. Seize the moment. Don’t wait when the opportunity comes. If you have been praying for your neighbor and they come over to talk – seize the moment!
B. Seizing the moment means casting aside hindrances.
1. Boaz did not let the business of his fields occupy him at the gate that day.
2. He did not let the logistical concerns of the grain on the threshing floor occupy him.
3. He did not let his hunger or his slumber derail him – he was seizing the moment. Just as Christ was determined to climb calvary, so Boaz was determined to find the answer about Ruth.
II. The Closer Man (v.3-8)
a. This was certainly a unique day for the closer kinsman redeemer. All of a sudden he had the chance for more property – and he leaped at it. Shrewd businessman – grow your business, increase revenue, etc., etc., etc.
b. But then comes the catch: there was a responsibility, RUTH, who became a burden in his eyes.
i. Christians, we have tremendous responsibility. We are responsible to magnify Christ, accept the load given us in the world as from God, and do everything for Him. We are responsible to be His witnesses 24/7, and to care for those who need help around us.
1. People should not be a burden in our eyes: how long did Jesus bear with Judas? How long is God patient with His people?
ii. Some commentators, namely Leon Morris, note that there is a hint of selfishness in this redeemer man. He has his own concerns first. He could take the field but not the woman. Perhaps it would be too great a financial burden to care for Ruth (even with the new field)? Or maybe the man wasn’t really concerned with preserving Mahlon’s line. Whatever the case, if we take the notion that he wanted to make a name for himself, it is noteworthy that his name is never mentioned. It is almost deliberately concealed.
1. Living in God’s will and making a name for yourself cannot go together. Satisfaction won’t last if you’re all about yourself. Who cares if your dead and gone and a building is named after you?
c. In his world, he couldn’t see caring for Ruth, so he turns down the deal, and Boaz seizes the moment. He pounces, in fact the elders, the witness affirm, bless and pronounce them married and Ruth wasn’t even there!
i. Plans may not be what you think. If you’re dreaming of a big wedding someday, remember Ruth. It’s not the wedding, it’s the marriage that matters. She didn’t even make it to her own wedding, but she had a great 2nd marriage.
ii. It is always an act of faith to say: God, Your way is better.
1. Russian believers story: Forbidden Faith
III. Resurrection (v.5, 10)
a. The real issue of this deal was maintaining the name of someone else. Boaz, man of God, was prepared to give himself to the work. The name of Mahlon and Elimelech would be resurrected.
b. This was all working into God’s perfect plan.
c. God acts relavantly: specificity of geneaology (NT)
d. God acts relationally:
i. Boaz and Ruth
ii. God to person
iii. God to you
iv. Community of Faith
1. Blessing of Elders
2. Blessing of Women
3. Satisfaction in community.
Satisfaction is available. Take it in Christ.
Chapter 1:
In the hard times – look to our Lord
In the poor times, the depressing times: look to the Light of the world!
Chapter 2:
In the good times, give generously like Boaz: take the good from the Lord for His Glory!
Satisfaction in Christ, not money, not fields, not business, not job, but the Ruler, the Savior
Chapter 3:
In the planning times, the times of hope, look to the Hope of the World and trust in Him.
Chapter 4:
In the times of acting out your plans, look to the one who matters: jEsus.
4.24.2006
Ruth 3: planning it out
As a refresher, we can look back over the last two chapters of Ruth pretty quickly and see 2 things regarding satisfaction:
1. In Ch. 1 Naomi lost everything: her home, husband, sons, and one daughter in law. She returned to Bethlehem bitter but still trusting the Lord. It is possible to be satisfied, have inner peace, even in the difficult and bitter days of life. This peace comes through intimacy with God, through Jesus Christ.
2. In Ch. 2 Naomi begins to see hope, and Boaz enters their lives and provides for Naomi and Ruth as a channel of God’s blessing. Boaz is a man who loves God and it is evident in his generosity, concern, and relationships with his workers. (2:4-5) Boaz had a materially abundant life, but his satisfaction wasn’t tied up in it – as seen in his generosity. Satisfaction cannot be had with money. It is an inner reality that is expressed outwardly – just as Boaz was generous.
For Naomi, Boaz became a blessing during bitterness. His attitude was “God, use me” and he gave generously to Ruth and Naomi. The clouds of bitterness began to rain with blessings.
In chapter 2 Naomi experiences a change in her spirit that leads us in to chapter 3.
Read Ruth 3
Naomi has experienced a change – she is no longer down and depressed. How did she get over it? I don’t think there’s a 2 step plan, but what is clear is that she was unwavering in her faith with the Lord. She believed His sovereignty and trusted His word. Psalm 119:28 says “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” Let there be no doubt – Christ satisfies, His word strengthens, and even the darkest of days we can find ourselves in the shadow of His wing: trust, believe, and act.
Naomi went from bitterness to relief to ch. 3 she is starting to plan. Naomi has shown trust (the Lord’s hand caused this bitterness – she still trusted), she’s shown belief (2:20: The Lord bless Him! Boaz – he’s God’s provision today), and in ch. 3 she starts to act.
I. Depression and Paralysis
a. Have you ever made a plan to do something: whether it’s take a trip with your kids, pull off an event, a home project, a class project?
b. What’s the planning like? It’s normally the fun time, the energetic time. It can be stressful, but it’s the time to dream. Depression, which can rob us of satisfaction in Christ if we let it, kills dreams. Dreams turn into “I wish I had…” with no effort or purpose to follow through, and that only feeds the depression.
c. Ruth and Naomi have trusted and settled in the sovereignty of God, and the depression is beginning to be lifted and the satisfaction of their souls is giving them light.
i. Compare: 1:21 – “the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” and 2:19 “Where did you glean today! Where did you work! Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” There is an attitude shift from depression to exaltation.
ii. They’ve trusted God the whole way, and now they can see His provision in real time.
d. We can look back over the past of our lives, believers, and see God’s working: preserving us, challenging us, growing us, encouraging us, lifting us, providing for us. Why is it so hard to trust this same provision for the future? Naomi, a great woman of faith, was no different; at the end of chapter one her world was hopeless for the future despite her satisfaction in God.
e. Clouds come; it takes faith to trust that good rain will fall.
f. When we’re stuck in an attitude of depression, we’re paralyzed. We can start to question God: does His word really promise this or that? We start to doubt our testimony, and we become silent with our witness.
i. Can Satan have a better day than to depress the people of God and silence the witness? Trust on those dark days the sovereignty of God, may it be His wing that is creating the shadow in your life and may you see the purpose he has for you in the difficult time. When I spent 28 days in the hospital, I did not go in anticipating meeting Christ in a life changing way – but praise God I did.
g. To keep trusting, even though you have serious questions, shows you believe in God’s sovereignty: his ability to preserve you, answer you, and his Love for you. Keep trusting. Naomi did and it led her to a day when she could plan (3:1).
II. Active and Passive Faith
a. Naomi no longer is thinking about herself: her concern and her plan is for Ruth. All through this book, Ruth has shown devotion to Naomi: at the end of ch. 2 she even lives in poverty with Naomi rather than staying with Boaz’s servant girls. Now Naomi, having seen light and come up out of bitterness – starts to think of others.
b. All along she has held faith in God, but a trap of depression or bitterness is to keep thinking about ourselves. Instead of blessing God for what we have, we dream of what we don’t have. We think, “If only I had – a husband, or a wife, or a day off – or whatever” when needs abound all around us.
i. Thursday our small group gave up the night to serve our community at Crossroads. IT took our focus and put it outward for a night – it was a challenge, but it certainly grew us.
ii. Naomi puts a plan in motion for Ruth. On the surface this seems crazy for a woman of faith: it’s doing all the things you shouldn’t do – go late at night, uncover a man and offer yourself to him. It’s dangerous and risky. But it’s also rooted in the righteousness that Ruth and Boaz have shown, and the trust that God will watch over the entire interaction.
iii. There will be risk when we live our faith actively. If you are a Christian, there are 2 ways that believers live: actively and passively.
1. Obviously, passive faith is easier: John Piper calls it passive righteousness: it is encompassed in avoiding evil when it appears.
a. This is the Christian who claims Christ, walks the good walk, but isn’t necessarily actively seeking to advance the kingdom and work for God’s renown. They’re passive, indulged – but not active.
2. Active faith makes plans and hopes and dreams. It’s more risky, but in the end it will result in growth of the Kingdom. Mt. 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”
3. When you rest in the sovereignty of God, you are freed to dream and hope and plan and act.
c. Naomi is not sending Ruth into a situation of adultery, though it looks that way. Read v. 9. This phrase occurs one other time in the Bible: Ezekiel 16:8 (the Lord Is speaking) “Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.”
i. In Ez. God is declaring his marriage to His people, the bond would not be broken, just as today Christ is the Groom, and the Church is His bride. So Ruth is offering herself for marriage to Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer.
ii. Why at night? Why after he works, eats, and sleeps – all this presents problems because a tired person is not on guard, and it could be an easy time to fall into temptation. Yet the man who said “May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” to Ruth, who became a channel of blessing for Ruth and Naomi, now realizes he is God’s possible agent to overshadow Ruth.
1. A satisfied man does not fall prey to simple temptation. You get the since that Boaz could use the internet productively and not to feed an addiction. That he could work for money to give it all away. Why? Because He is satisfied in Christ. Naomi is satisfied, Ruth is satisfied, and Boaz is satisfied – so the temptation that could be the downfall wasn’t even acknowledged in the text. How righteous! Read v. 10-13. Boaz let’s her know that he will only redeem her if the closer relative will not. In other words, he will do it the way the Lord wants it done.
a. But Boaz is also active, he will find out first thing in the morning.
Active faith is preferred in the kingdom. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz all show it. Their satisfaction in God secures them despite the risks involved. They are righteous to the end – Ruth leaves before anyone can recognize her (her best clothes, shawl) – avoiding the hint of sexual immorality – Eph. 5.
But active faith does not mean life will always be good. Despite all the provision, the success of their plan, Ruth and Naomi and Boaz must now wait to see if this other guy, the closer kinsman redeemer who, for some unknown reason all of us are now rooting against, will take his lawful place.
There is no reward without risk. Satisfaction comes at a Price: Jesus on the cross and you laying down your life. But the reward is great. If you go a step further with Christ and take an active faith – and many of you are just by being involved in a church plant, the risks grow, but so do the rewards. I pray and hope that Grace Harbor grows active disciples, is a refuge for the lost and hurting like Ruth and Naomi were, and is actively advancing the kingdom. But that starts with each of us and the decisions we make:
1. Are you Satisfied?
2. Are you passive or active?
Pray.
For expansion see John Piper’s sermon on this text:
1. In Ch. 1 Naomi lost everything: her home, husband, sons, and one daughter in law. She returned to Bethlehem bitter but still trusting the Lord. It is possible to be satisfied, have inner peace, even in the difficult and bitter days of life. This peace comes through intimacy with God, through Jesus Christ.
2. In Ch. 2 Naomi begins to see hope, and Boaz enters their lives and provides for Naomi and Ruth as a channel of God’s blessing. Boaz is a man who loves God and it is evident in his generosity, concern, and relationships with his workers. (2:4-5) Boaz had a materially abundant life, but his satisfaction wasn’t tied up in it – as seen in his generosity. Satisfaction cannot be had with money. It is an inner reality that is expressed outwardly – just as Boaz was generous.
For Naomi, Boaz became a blessing during bitterness. His attitude was “God, use me” and he gave generously to Ruth and Naomi. The clouds of bitterness began to rain with blessings.
In chapter 2 Naomi experiences a change in her spirit that leads us in to chapter 3.
Read Ruth 3
Naomi has experienced a change – she is no longer down and depressed. How did she get over it? I don’t think there’s a 2 step plan, but what is clear is that she was unwavering in her faith with the Lord. She believed His sovereignty and trusted His word. Psalm 119:28 says “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” Let there be no doubt – Christ satisfies, His word strengthens, and even the darkest of days we can find ourselves in the shadow of His wing: trust, believe, and act.
Naomi went from bitterness to relief to ch. 3 she is starting to plan. Naomi has shown trust (the Lord’s hand caused this bitterness – she still trusted), she’s shown belief (2:20: The Lord bless Him! Boaz – he’s God’s provision today), and in ch. 3 she starts to act.
I. Depression and Paralysis
a. Have you ever made a plan to do something: whether it’s take a trip with your kids, pull off an event, a home project, a class project?
b. What’s the planning like? It’s normally the fun time, the energetic time. It can be stressful, but it’s the time to dream. Depression, which can rob us of satisfaction in Christ if we let it, kills dreams. Dreams turn into “I wish I had…” with no effort or purpose to follow through, and that only feeds the depression.
c. Ruth and Naomi have trusted and settled in the sovereignty of God, and the depression is beginning to be lifted and the satisfaction of their souls is giving them light.
i. Compare: 1:21 – “the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” and 2:19 “Where did you glean today! Where did you work! Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” There is an attitude shift from depression to exaltation.
ii. They’ve trusted God the whole way, and now they can see His provision in real time.
d. We can look back over the past of our lives, believers, and see God’s working: preserving us, challenging us, growing us, encouraging us, lifting us, providing for us. Why is it so hard to trust this same provision for the future? Naomi, a great woman of faith, was no different; at the end of chapter one her world was hopeless for the future despite her satisfaction in God.
e. Clouds come; it takes faith to trust that good rain will fall.
f. When we’re stuck in an attitude of depression, we’re paralyzed. We can start to question God: does His word really promise this or that? We start to doubt our testimony, and we become silent with our witness.
i. Can Satan have a better day than to depress the people of God and silence the witness? Trust on those dark days the sovereignty of God, may it be His wing that is creating the shadow in your life and may you see the purpose he has for you in the difficult time. When I spent 28 days in the hospital, I did not go in anticipating meeting Christ in a life changing way – but praise God I did.
g. To keep trusting, even though you have serious questions, shows you believe in God’s sovereignty: his ability to preserve you, answer you, and his Love for you. Keep trusting. Naomi did and it led her to a day when she could plan (3:1).
II. Active and Passive Faith
a. Naomi no longer is thinking about herself: her concern and her plan is for Ruth. All through this book, Ruth has shown devotion to Naomi: at the end of ch. 2 she even lives in poverty with Naomi rather than staying with Boaz’s servant girls. Now Naomi, having seen light and come up out of bitterness – starts to think of others.
b. All along she has held faith in God, but a trap of depression or bitterness is to keep thinking about ourselves. Instead of blessing God for what we have, we dream of what we don’t have. We think, “If only I had – a husband, or a wife, or a day off – or whatever” when needs abound all around us.
i. Thursday our small group gave up the night to serve our community at Crossroads. IT took our focus and put it outward for a night – it was a challenge, but it certainly grew us.
ii. Naomi puts a plan in motion for Ruth. On the surface this seems crazy for a woman of faith: it’s doing all the things you shouldn’t do – go late at night, uncover a man and offer yourself to him. It’s dangerous and risky. But it’s also rooted in the righteousness that Ruth and Boaz have shown, and the trust that God will watch over the entire interaction.
iii. There will be risk when we live our faith actively. If you are a Christian, there are 2 ways that believers live: actively and passively.
1. Obviously, passive faith is easier: John Piper calls it passive righteousness: it is encompassed in avoiding evil when it appears.
a. This is the Christian who claims Christ, walks the good walk, but isn’t necessarily actively seeking to advance the kingdom and work for God’s renown. They’re passive, indulged – but not active.
2. Active faith makes plans and hopes and dreams. It’s more risky, but in the end it will result in growth of the Kingdom. Mt. 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”
3. When you rest in the sovereignty of God, you are freed to dream and hope and plan and act.
c. Naomi is not sending Ruth into a situation of adultery, though it looks that way. Read v. 9. This phrase occurs one other time in the Bible: Ezekiel 16:8 (the Lord Is speaking) “Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.”
i. In Ez. God is declaring his marriage to His people, the bond would not be broken, just as today Christ is the Groom, and the Church is His bride. So Ruth is offering herself for marriage to Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer.
ii. Why at night? Why after he works, eats, and sleeps – all this presents problems because a tired person is not on guard, and it could be an easy time to fall into temptation. Yet the man who said “May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” to Ruth, who became a channel of blessing for Ruth and Naomi, now realizes he is God’s possible agent to overshadow Ruth.
1. A satisfied man does not fall prey to simple temptation. You get the since that Boaz could use the internet productively and not to feed an addiction. That he could work for money to give it all away. Why? Because He is satisfied in Christ. Naomi is satisfied, Ruth is satisfied, and Boaz is satisfied – so the temptation that could be the downfall wasn’t even acknowledged in the text. How righteous! Read v. 10-13. Boaz let’s her know that he will only redeem her if the closer relative will not. In other words, he will do it the way the Lord wants it done.
a. But Boaz is also active, he will find out first thing in the morning.
Active faith is preferred in the kingdom. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz all show it. Their satisfaction in God secures them despite the risks involved. They are righteous to the end – Ruth leaves before anyone can recognize her (her best clothes, shawl) – avoiding the hint of sexual immorality – Eph. 5.
But active faith does not mean life will always be good. Despite all the provision, the success of their plan, Ruth and Naomi and Boaz must now wait to see if this other guy, the closer kinsman redeemer who, for some unknown reason all of us are now rooting against, will take his lawful place.
There is no reward without risk. Satisfaction comes at a Price: Jesus on the cross and you laying down your life. But the reward is great. If you go a step further with Christ and take an active faith – and many of you are just by being involved in a church plant, the risks grow, but so do the rewards. I pray and hope that Grace Harbor grows active disciples, is a refuge for the lost and hurting like Ruth and Naomi were, and is actively advancing the kingdom. But that starts with each of us and the decisions we make:
1. Are you Satisfied?
2. Are you passive or active?
Pray.
For expansion see John Piper’s sermon on this text:
4.04.2006
Everyday Life
Everyday Life
Ruth 2:14-23
Do you find much opportunity to rejoice in everyday life? Or to be happy? Sometimes funny things happen to us, or we get into a humorous situation – a friend this week was describing to me how he bought his wife a new car, and promptly backed into with his old truck. He smashed the grille and had to take it in because the hood was damaged. After taking it in, they realized the damage was worse than they thought because some other panels were smashed out of alignment. They got the car fixed, got it home and she took it to work the next day – where it got keyed and the paint job is ruined. He laughed about it – which is a good attitude, and promised to never buy a new car again.
Laughing isn’t always natural. Pessimism is always easier than optimism. Many of you know that Mandy and I work for the BCNE as collegiate ministers, our boss, the state director of collegiate ministries is undergoing a kidney transplant on Tuesday. It’s a pretty fearsome thing, but throughout the entire process – which we’ve been praying about for months – he’s maintained a thankful and optimistic spirit. To the point that his wife wrote an email announcing the retirement of Bob the kidney and hiring of Bill the kidney.
Sometimes we think optimists don’t live in the real world – kidneys don’t retire. But our attitudes and actions directly connect with this desire of our hearts to be satisfied. In our journey through Ruth we’ve seen how our relationship with God, our understanding of the transforming power of loving Jesus Christ, brings satisfaction in even the hard times. Last week we looked at the role that gratitude plays: grateful people are satisfied people. If you can cultivate thankfulness in your heart: thankfulness to God and to people you will cultivate satisfaction.
Last week we also saw the integrity of Boaz, his attitude of graciousness and love for God. He is a satisfied person: not because of fields or money or employees or productivity, but ultimately because of His love for God. Money won’t satisfy. Only a satisfied person can give money away: when we take up an offering we declare to God “You satisfy me” not the GW’s.
Ruth and Naomi are showing satisfaction and trust in God. Boaz shows the same: they are at 2 different points in life, but God has brought them together and neither despises the other. How easy for one class of people to say to another: you’re not like me, you’re not in my situation, therefore you can’t know me, we can’t be friends, we don’t need to relate. James 2:1 “Don’t show favoritism.” Boaz was full of love, and it overflowed.
We meet Boaz and Ruth and Naomi this week when their lives have come together, and it’s a normal day. Nothing extraordinary, nothing unusual, just a chance for people of faith to live out that faith. Everyday we have the opportunity to worship God: in our attitudes and actions: do we take it? Do we honor God?
Read Ruth 2:14-23.
Christian living cannot be from mountaintop to mountaintop. We can go on a mission trip and get a high, or on a retreat or conference or hear a really spirit-empowered speaker. Those times are great – but if it is just an emotional experience it will not last.
Tough times come in life – we’ve seen this illustrated in the journey of Naomi and Ruth: two widows who have left their homeland for a foreign land, and who have forged a commitment to God and each other. Naomi’s all-encompassing relationship with God opened Ruth’s eyes to His power, and now Ruth serves the living God, the God of Israel.
But life did not remain easy for them. This glimpse of a normal day – Ruth setting out to find food shows a lot of their attitude and keys to life. They found satisfaction first in God, and we see in this passage 2 keys to satisfaction.
I. Rest in God’s Provision (14-17, 22).
A. Ruth worked steadily till lunchtime, and Boaz invited her to lunch. She joined Boaz and was accepted into the group. Already 2x Ruth has expressed gratitude to Boaz, and Boaz made clear that he wants her to trust in the Lord, in “whose wings she has come to take refuge” (v. 12).
B. Ruth did not wander away to another field, or ignore Boaz’s generosity. I’m sometimes left bewildered when someone refuses generosity. It can be for good reasons:
1. They don’t know you or trust you. Ruth had to take a step of faith here – she just met Boaz that day. My mom told me never to take candy from a stranger – and here is Ruth eating grain and drinking wine vinegar. To be satisfied we must trust. We trust God to provide for us, and we express that trust by willingly accepting what he has provided. We also thank Him for it.
2. They don’t need what you’re offering. A poor person who turns down a penny doesn’t need a dollar. A rich man who gives a penny is stingy. Meet the need. If your friend needs a ride and you can meet the need, do it.
3. Pride. Pride can keep us from accepting generosity, and God’s provision. Ruth could have walked away saying – I don’t need you; I’ll make my own way. But she trusted this man who talked about the Lord. She was also humble and grateful – we saw here gratitude last week. She is satisfied, and now she eats all that she wants.
C. Resting in God’s provision also means that we realize that what we have is not our own.
There are 2 examples of this in the passage:
1. Boaz: he did not keep all the grain for himself, or save up the best grain for himself, but invited even Ruth to his table. He trusted God and just as God was gracious to Him, so He was gracious to others. In the Hebrew, v. 14 the NIV says he offered her grain. The Hebrew is more like: he heaped grain on her. He didn’t hold back his grace. He gave it to her. Here is a man who rests and trusts in God and is freed from the slavery of ownership to give to others. When we think of things as ours, they’re hard to let go of. People often chide me for letting others drive away in my car. I even let some of you here today drive my Jeep, when God let me have one. If we can separate ourselves and our tentacles from our possessions and believe that God has provided, we can see that we are much more free to give. We can spend money on ourselves extravagantly – don’t do it. Don’t be a slave to your money or your belongings: use them to honor God. That is resting in God’s provision.
2. Nor did Boaz hoard the grain. He told his workers: don’t embarrass her, even pull out some stalks from the already gathered sheaves for her. He is being graciously kind. Extravagance is meant for others, not yourself.
a. One of the tragedies we experienced in Russia was touring the armory museum in Moscow. The Armory holds the treasure of the tsars – rulers of Russia before Communism. The tsars oppressed the people and used people for their own end. We saw Bibles 3 feet tall and 10 inches think encased in gold. Never opened, just a decoration. We saw hand painted china, riches galore, and yet the people of Russia are poor. The rulers used all the wealth for themselves. That is not the kindness of God, who didn’t even spare His own son to show you love.
3. The 2nd example is Ruth. She takes the leftover grain and all she works for to Naomi, and gives to her. She doesn’t forget about Naomi when she’s eating. She’s caring for her. If your friend is hungry, feed them. Do you think about the others you live with when you’re eating without them? Would you order something they like to take the leftovers back to them? Resting in God’s provision is an attitude that says: the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. We saw this in the hard times of Naomi and Ruth’s lives, and now we see it in the good. Enjoy the good from God! Rest in Him.
II. The 2nd key toward satisfaction: Return Kindness (17-23)
A. v.17 – Naomi gave Ruth her blessing to go and gather from the harvest (v. 2). Ruth only asked to harvest.
1. When I was a kid, if it involved work like this and my dad had asked me to do it or if I had even thought of it myself, I would only have done what was asked of me. I would have brought back a lot of grain stalks, unthreshed. I would’ve said – “you only said to gather grain, not thresh it.” It’s like the worker who is digging a ditch and the water main is burst, water is pouring out everywhere, and their standing there watching it. You ask them: are you going to do something about it? And they say “I was only hired to dig the ditch, not fix the main.” A key to satisfaction is returning kindness: going the extra mile for the good of the other person.
B. Ruth returned Kindness to God: as the Lord provided for her she gave to Naomi. She returned kindness to Naomi, who was sheltering her, by bringing home ready to use grain. She took the blessing of God, through Boaz, and passed it on. We are not to be a store house of God’s blessing but a well-spring of God’s blessing: pouring into others what He has poured into us. Satisfaction, found in God, is evident when we return kindness to others.
C. Naomi blesses Boaz (v.19, 20). She again roots this blessing in God. She calls on Yahweh to bless Him. She has nothing to give, but such a relationship with God that she gives him everything she can!
D. Naomi accepts the kindness of Boaz and tells Ruth: stay there with his girls, they will look out for you. So Ruth stays: she in effect says to Boaz: “Thank you, I accept your offer and protection.” Again, Boaz recognized what he could do to be God’s advocate in her life, and he did it. He didn’t leave her in v. 12 with a blessing but acted on it. God was kind to all in this passage, and each showed it as they could.
E. A final note to this key: kindness doesn’t stop: Ruth lived with Naomi. She didn’t leave her for a full time life with Boaz’s girls, but stayed with her. The prospects may have been better in Boaz’s house, but she determined to honor her commitments.
There is a lot of integrity in this one-day glimpse into the lives of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi. Remember the 2 keys: Rest in God’s provision, and return kindness.
Ruth 2:14-23
Do you find much opportunity to rejoice in everyday life? Or to be happy? Sometimes funny things happen to us, or we get into a humorous situation – a friend this week was describing to me how he bought his wife a new car, and promptly backed into with his old truck. He smashed the grille and had to take it in because the hood was damaged. After taking it in, they realized the damage was worse than they thought because some other panels were smashed out of alignment. They got the car fixed, got it home and she took it to work the next day – where it got keyed and the paint job is ruined. He laughed about it – which is a good attitude, and promised to never buy a new car again.
Laughing isn’t always natural. Pessimism is always easier than optimism. Many of you know that Mandy and I work for the BCNE as collegiate ministers, our boss, the state director of collegiate ministries is undergoing a kidney transplant on Tuesday. It’s a pretty fearsome thing, but throughout the entire process – which we’ve been praying about for months – he’s maintained a thankful and optimistic spirit. To the point that his wife wrote an email announcing the retirement of Bob the kidney and hiring of Bill the kidney.
Sometimes we think optimists don’t live in the real world – kidneys don’t retire. But our attitudes and actions directly connect with this desire of our hearts to be satisfied. In our journey through Ruth we’ve seen how our relationship with God, our understanding of the transforming power of loving Jesus Christ, brings satisfaction in even the hard times. Last week we looked at the role that gratitude plays: grateful people are satisfied people. If you can cultivate thankfulness in your heart: thankfulness to God and to people you will cultivate satisfaction.
Last week we also saw the integrity of Boaz, his attitude of graciousness and love for God. He is a satisfied person: not because of fields or money or employees or productivity, but ultimately because of His love for God. Money won’t satisfy. Only a satisfied person can give money away: when we take up an offering we declare to God “You satisfy me” not the GW’s.
Ruth and Naomi are showing satisfaction and trust in God. Boaz shows the same: they are at 2 different points in life, but God has brought them together and neither despises the other. How easy for one class of people to say to another: you’re not like me, you’re not in my situation, therefore you can’t know me, we can’t be friends, we don’t need to relate. James 2:1 “Don’t show favoritism.” Boaz was full of love, and it overflowed.
We meet Boaz and Ruth and Naomi this week when their lives have come together, and it’s a normal day. Nothing extraordinary, nothing unusual, just a chance for people of faith to live out that faith. Everyday we have the opportunity to worship God: in our attitudes and actions: do we take it? Do we honor God?
Read Ruth 2:14-23.
Christian living cannot be from mountaintop to mountaintop. We can go on a mission trip and get a high, or on a retreat or conference or hear a really spirit-empowered speaker. Those times are great – but if it is just an emotional experience it will not last.
Tough times come in life – we’ve seen this illustrated in the journey of Naomi and Ruth: two widows who have left their homeland for a foreign land, and who have forged a commitment to God and each other. Naomi’s all-encompassing relationship with God opened Ruth’s eyes to His power, and now Ruth serves the living God, the God of Israel.
But life did not remain easy for them. This glimpse of a normal day – Ruth setting out to find food shows a lot of their attitude and keys to life. They found satisfaction first in God, and we see in this passage 2 keys to satisfaction.
I. Rest in God’s Provision (14-17, 22).
A. Ruth worked steadily till lunchtime, and Boaz invited her to lunch. She joined Boaz and was accepted into the group. Already 2x Ruth has expressed gratitude to Boaz, and Boaz made clear that he wants her to trust in the Lord, in “whose wings she has come to take refuge” (v. 12).
B. Ruth did not wander away to another field, or ignore Boaz’s generosity. I’m sometimes left bewildered when someone refuses generosity. It can be for good reasons:
1. They don’t know you or trust you. Ruth had to take a step of faith here – she just met Boaz that day. My mom told me never to take candy from a stranger – and here is Ruth eating grain and drinking wine vinegar. To be satisfied we must trust. We trust God to provide for us, and we express that trust by willingly accepting what he has provided. We also thank Him for it.
2. They don’t need what you’re offering. A poor person who turns down a penny doesn’t need a dollar. A rich man who gives a penny is stingy. Meet the need. If your friend needs a ride and you can meet the need, do it.
3. Pride. Pride can keep us from accepting generosity, and God’s provision. Ruth could have walked away saying – I don’t need you; I’ll make my own way. But she trusted this man who talked about the Lord. She was also humble and grateful – we saw here gratitude last week. She is satisfied, and now she eats all that she wants.
C. Resting in God’s provision also means that we realize that what we have is not our own.
There are 2 examples of this in the passage:
1. Boaz: he did not keep all the grain for himself, or save up the best grain for himself, but invited even Ruth to his table. He trusted God and just as God was gracious to Him, so He was gracious to others. In the Hebrew, v. 14 the NIV says he offered her grain. The Hebrew is more like: he heaped grain on her. He didn’t hold back his grace. He gave it to her. Here is a man who rests and trusts in God and is freed from the slavery of ownership to give to others. When we think of things as ours, they’re hard to let go of. People often chide me for letting others drive away in my car. I even let some of you here today drive my Jeep, when God let me have one. If we can separate ourselves and our tentacles from our possessions and believe that God has provided, we can see that we are much more free to give. We can spend money on ourselves extravagantly – don’t do it. Don’t be a slave to your money or your belongings: use them to honor God. That is resting in God’s provision.
2. Nor did Boaz hoard the grain. He told his workers: don’t embarrass her, even pull out some stalks from the already gathered sheaves for her. He is being graciously kind. Extravagance is meant for others, not yourself.
a. One of the tragedies we experienced in Russia was touring the armory museum in Moscow. The Armory holds the treasure of the tsars – rulers of Russia before Communism. The tsars oppressed the people and used people for their own end. We saw Bibles 3 feet tall and 10 inches think encased in gold. Never opened, just a decoration. We saw hand painted china, riches galore, and yet the people of Russia are poor. The rulers used all the wealth for themselves. That is not the kindness of God, who didn’t even spare His own son to show you love.
3. The 2nd example is Ruth. She takes the leftover grain and all she works for to Naomi, and gives to her. She doesn’t forget about Naomi when she’s eating. She’s caring for her. If your friend is hungry, feed them. Do you think about the others you live with when you’re eating without them? Would you order something they like to take the leftovers back to them? Resting in God’s provision is an attitude that says: the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. We saw this in the hard times of Naomi and Ruth’s lives, and now we see it in the good. Enjoy the good from God! Rest in Him.
II. The 2nd key toward satisfaction: Return Kindness (17-23)
A. v.17 – Naomi gave Ruth her blessing to go and gather from the harvest (v. 2). Ruth only asked to harvest.
1. When I was a kid, if it involved work like this and my dad had asked me to do it or if I had even thought of it myself, I would only have done what was asked of me. I would have brought back a lot of grain stalks, unthreshed. I would’ve said – “you only said to gather grain, not thresh it.” It’s like the worker who is digging a ditch and the water main is burst, water is pouring out everywhere, and their standing there watching it. You ask them: are you going to do something about it? And they say “I was only hired to dig the ditch, not fix the main.” A key to satisfaction is returning kindness: going the extra mile for the good of the other person.
B. Ruth returned Kindness to God: as the Lord provided for her she gave to Naomi. She returned kindness to Naomi, who was sheltering her, by bringing home ready to use grain. She took the blessing of God, through Boaz, and passed it on. We are not to be a store house of God’s blessing but a well-spring of God’s blessing: pouring into others what He has poured into us. Satisfaction, found in God, is evident when we return kindness to others.
C. Naomi blesses Boaz (v.19, 20). She again roots this blessing in God. She calls on Yahweh to bless Him. She has nothing to give, but such a relationship with God that she gives him everything she can!
D. Naomi accepts the kindness of Boaz and tells Ruth: stay there with his girls, they will look out for you. So Ruth stays: she in effect says to Boaz: “Thank you, I accept your offer and protection.” Again, Boaz recognized what he could do to be God’s advocate in her life, and he did it. He didn’t leave her in v. 12 with a blessing but acted on it. God was kind to all in this passage, and each showed it as they could.
E. A final note to this key: kindness doesn’t stop: Ruth lived with Naomi. She didn’t leave her for a full time life with Boaz’s girls, but stayed with her. The prospects may have been better in Boaz’s house, but she determined to honor her commitments.
There is a lot of integrity in this one-day glimpse into the lives of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi. Remember the 2 keys: Rest in God’s provision, and return kindness.
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