Wednesday, August 28, 2013

I Will Speak Up Part II

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 17: 45 David Said…

Point 1: Pass the Test vss. 22 - 2422 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.
       

 1 Corinthians 10: 13 No temptation [test] has overtaken you that is not common to man. [everybody is tested] God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted [tested] beyond your ability, but with the temptation [test] he will also provide the way of escape [a way to get a passing grade], that you may be to endure it [make it to the end of the test].
        What is your test? Fill in the blank________________

Point 2: Get Paid for the Test vss. 25 - 2725 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father’s family from taxes in Israel.” 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
        
 Prov. 18: 21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. Prov. 12: 14 Wise words bring benefit…13: 2 Wise words will win you a good meal…

Point 3: Pass the Rest vss. 28 - 30When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” 29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.


Point 4: Put on Your Best vss. 33, 38Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.

Point 5: Take the Head off the Mess vss. 49 - 5149 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.


Celebration: Pass the Test Get Paid for the Test Pass the Rest Put on Your Best Take the Head off the Mess…

Monday, August 26, 2013

You Can’t Kill Goliath with Your Mouth Shut (Speak Up)

Sermon Text:  1 Sam 17:45a David said to the Philistine…

Point 1:  Your Enemy is a Champ not a Chump…Vs. 4 - 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.

Vs.  5-7  5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
.  He will always send his champion. 
·       Champion implies this isn’t his first battle…he is experienced and can rock your world. 
·       Champion implies he has a string of victories…and intends on adding you to his list.
·       Champion implies he is extremely knowledgeable…knows the tricks of the trade.
·       Champion implies he knows your vulnerabilities…he knows what to say, what to do and how to act.
Today you face a champion…
Point 2:  Change Comes in Forty  The second thing I see in the text is this has been going on for 40 days.  Vs. 16 - 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
For 40 days Goliath was talking smack.  What was he saying?  Vs. 8-10 - 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”  
 Forty is a significant number in the bible. 
·       It rained for 40 days and 40 nights
·       Israel in the wilderness for 40 years
·       Moses took 40 days to get the 10 Commandments
·       David reign 40 years
·       Forty years is a generation.
·       Jesus was in the wilderness fasting and praying 40 days
Point 3:  Don’t let Discouraging Words Discourage You.   The third lesson I see in the text is you can’t let discouraging words discourage you.  Vs. 11 -11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.   Let’s face it – there are words that can strike fear in your heart and cause you to worry.  
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        Goliath said something – vs. 42-44 - 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. [God’s word came in all sizes] 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. [these are fighting words] 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”
Point 4:  Speak Up…Notice what David did.  Vs. 45-46  - 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  
vs. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Change Your Words Change Your Life: Just Say the Word!

Sermon Text: Matt 7: 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  

Sermon Title: Change Your Words Change Your Life: Just Say the Word!

Point 1: The first words out of the soldiers mouth was my servant lies at home paralyzed and is terribly sick. Vs. 6 The right word at the right time can make all the difference.

Point 2: Jesus had a response vs. 7 I will go and heal him.

Point 3: Right words alone is not what make them life-changing vs. 8,9 The centurion replied. Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, go, and he goes; and that one, Come, and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this, ‘ and he does it."[I give them orders]
Matt 5: 36 do not to swear. You are incapable of making anything happen. God is the only one that can make things happen with his word. That’s why he says in Hebrews 6: 13 He swore on himself because He is the only one capable to make words turn into action/results.
Point 4: What does faith have to do with a life-changing word? Vs. 10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.


Conclusion: Today I simply want to ask how many you need a word of salvation…healing…connection…encouragement…spoken over your life? Come to the altar

Sunday, August 11, 2013

You Got Me Going in Circles

Pericope: Jeremiah 18: 1 - 12 
Sermon Text: Jeremiah 18: 3, 4 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel (4) But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Sermon Title: You Got Me Going in Circles Pt. 2
BP: Move the hearers to trust God
Introduction:  This morning I want to ask the question what or who is making you dizzy? Bills? Family? Decisions? Future? Past? Job? Finances? Hurt? Unresolved issues? You will admit the list can go on and on. Truth be told there is always something that is making you dizzy or have the potential of making you dizzy. There is a way to get off life's Merry-Go-Round.
Context: In this famous text Jeremiah is again telling the nation of Israel to submit to the will of God and trust the process of God making them into the nation he originally intended them to be. Jeremiah is reminding Israel they are on the Merry-Go-Round of ignoring God and it is going to cost them dearly. So God has Jeremiah to use the analogy of a potter's wheel in hopes of getting them to understand and accept what God is up to. There are several valuable lessons we can get from what Jeremiah is telling Israel. They are: (1) You have to be in the Right Place. (2) You have to be in the Right Hands. (3) You to have the Right Response.
Point 1: The Right Place...vs. 2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."
        I am captivated by what God tells Jeremiah to do in order to hear from him. He tells Jeremiah before he will give him a word he must go to a specific place. Before he will tell Jeremiah what to say he has to get Jeremiah to a certain place. Not just any place. Now if God is everywhere at the same time with equal amount of power why would he need Jeremiah to go to a specific place before he could get insight and instructions for Israel? If they were hurting that bad you would think God would just tell Jeremiah as he walked along the way. Well any old place won't do for God. Clearly it matters what place you are in to get the right word for your life.
        The place God wants Jeremiah to go is south of the Temple near a valley. It is where the Israelites find their clay so they can make pots. Potters are popular because they make things that everybody needs and uses. From Kings to peasants use the services of the potters. The potters set up shop at this place because everything they needed was there. God wanted Jeremiah to go to this place before God would say a word. God is always trying to get you and I to a place where everything you need is there. God is always trying to get you and I to a place where He can speak without interference. God is always trying to get us to a certain place; spiritually, physically and emotionally.  
        For Adam and Eve it was the Garden of Eden. That was the place where God placed them in paradise.
(a) For Moses it was the burning bush. That was the place where God got his attention!
(b) For the Children of Israel, after Egypt, it was the Red Sea. Then it was Mt Sinai where they received the word.
(c) For Abraham it was the place that God was going to show him. That was the place of promise
(d) For Joshua it was the Jordan river. That was the place of the fulfillment of God's promises!
(e) For Peter it was walking on water. That was the place of miracles!
(f) For Nicodemus it was the dark of night and Zacheus it was in a sycamore tree. That was the place of salvation!
        At some point in your life you must ask yourself the question are you in the right place for God to speak to you? Many times we are not in the right place because we simply do not obey God. Notice Jeremiah didn't question God when God told him to go to the Potters House THEN he would speak to him. Jeremiah simply followed instructions. So should we. When we do we will get to the place God wants us.
Transition: It's at that place you will be molded.
Point 2: The Molding...vs. 3b and I saw him working at the wheel.
        When Jeremiah gets to that place he sees the potter's wheel. And the potter is doing what a potter does. He is making pots... vs. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. The word marred means to make again. It is the process by which the potter takes clay that seems to have no more use or value and starts over. That's so exciting to see that's what God wants Jeremiah to see. Why? He wants Jeremiah to see even though Israel has messed up, like the potter does not throw away clay, God will not throw Israel away. He will simply start over. This shows the grace of God because God wants to work with Israel.
        God does not throw Israel a way even though they deserve it. God does not throw us a way even though we deserve it. He keeps us and keeps working with us. Just like God was telling Israel in vss.7 - 10. READ them. Notice four times the word 'if' is used. Does that sound like someone who wants to destroy Israel or work with Israel even though Israel is messing up? Israel and you and I have input to our destiny. Notice the 'If then' statements! When you read the text it sounds like a parent who knows their child has earned a spanking but does not want to give them what they so rightly deserve. So it is with God and us! God wants to work with you but you have to repent. DEMONSTRATE 3 broken glasses/clay
        The way the potter molds the clay again he places it on the wheel. I like to call it the "wheel of grace." The wheel is all the circumstances, situations, mistakes, and sins we make continually but God just keeps on spinning. Then he puts water on the clay and finally shapes it with his hand. DEMONSTRATE dried clay          
        Just like the potter puts clay on a wheel and spin it to make a pot God was spinning Israel. Not only is God spinning Israel He is spinning you and I to make us into the person he wants us to be. Hold on. Don't get discouraged because things seem like they are spinning out of control. That’s by design. The only way God can create something new is spin you. The more he spins you or permits you to be spun, the greater anointing he will create in your life. The more he spins you the stronger you will be. The more he spins you the greater the vessel he will make from you. The more he spins you the more he forgives you… CAN YOU SHOUT LET THE SPIN CYCLE SPIN.
Transition: In God's potters house, in God's hands, on God's wheel means there must be some godly results.
Point 3: The Right Response... vs. 12 It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his [own] evil heart.
        Now the results of the potter spinning is not that good for Israel. They continued their disobedient ways. Despite God's warnings. Despite God talking to them for 40 years they refused to change their behavior.
        Have you ever felt like ITS NO USE You might as well continue doing what you are doing. You tried it God’s way for a little while and you didn’t get the results you were hoping for. Paul said be not weary in well doing you will reap if you faint not. Have you ever felt like it's no use no matter what things aren’t going to change. Have you ever felt like I’m too far gone? There is no turning back. Have you ever felt like what’s the use my sins haven’t really cost me? Have you ever felt like even though I know it’s wrong I’m addicted to what I’m doing? That's how Israel felt. At first you read their response to God and you say they can turn back to God it’s not too late. You can see it and I’m sure they could too but they didn’t stop what they were doing. The hand writing is on the wall what will happen if they don’t. The same is true for you. ITS NOT TOO LATE. YOU CAN STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
        Your results DO NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE ISRAEL. Your results can be peace of mind. Your results can be a happy home. Your results can be a new job, new relationships and blessings that run you down and over take you. But you cannot do it your way. You must submit your life to God so he can use all your failures and problems to get the result only he can get.
Conclusion: A king who wished to express his affection for a private soldier of his army gave him a richly jeweled cup, his own cup. The soldier, stepping forth to receive the gift, exclaimed shamefacedly, "This is too great a gift for me to receive." "It is not too great for me to give," the king replied. As God gave Israel something they didn’t deserve He is giving you and I something we don’t deserve Jesus Christ. All we have to do is get in The Right Place accept his Wheel of grace and have the Right Response.


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Sunday, August 4, 2013

You Got Me Going in Circles

Sermon Text: Jeremiah 18: 3, 4 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel (4) But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Sermon Title: You Got Me Going in Circles
Context: In this famous text Jeremiah is again telling the nation of Israel to submit to the will of God and trust the process of God making them into the nation he originally intended for them to be. Jeremiah has been trying to tell them going into captivity will be a good thing. Israel isn't buying it. So God has Jeremiah to use the analogy of a potter's wheel in hopes of getting them to understand what God is up to.
Point 1: The Place of spinning...vs. 2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."
        I am captivated by what God tells Jeremiah to do in order to hear from him. (a) Is His manifested presence evident…can you see healing, deliverance, salvation, for yourself and others
(b) Is He celebrated in that place…is Jesus the central focus or is it a man
(c) Is there fruit in that place...is it producing fruit are lives being transformed
Point 2: The wheel of spinning...vs. 3b and I saw him working at the wheel.
        In the text God tells Jeremiah when he gets to the place of spinning look at the potter's wheel. The earth spins on its axis 1,040 miles per hour while it spins around the sun at 67,062 miles per hour and you never once got sick or wobble while you walk because you were dizzy. Point 3: The hand of spinning... vs. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
        Then Jeremiah tells us about the hand of spinning. When you first look at the text one cannot help but notice the clay is marred in the potters hand. Marred is not the way I want to see my life and I am sure it is not the way you want to see your life, but there is something good about being marred in the text. Paul put it this way in Ephesians 2: 10, 22 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (22) And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
wheel means there must be some godly results.
Point 4: The results of spinning... vs. 12 It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his [own] evil heart.

        Now the results of the potter spinning is not that good for Israel. Your results DO NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE ISRAEL. 
Conclusion: What has you going in circles? What has you seemingly spinning out of control.

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