Monthly Archives: September 2010

Sep 21 2010

sermon summation: one another

Our society tends to think we each can stand on our own and that we need no one else, but God tells us otherwise. We all need each other. In fact, it is our bonding and being there for one another that is our one clear communication to the world that Christ’s way is different and that we belong to God. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) So go against the flow! Refuse to be like so much of the rest of this world, separating yourself from others. Instead, deliberately build your life around being closely knit with others who share faith in Christ to the glory of God.

Be devoted to one another – “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Rom. 12:10)

Live in harmony with one another – “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior.” (Rom. 12:16)

Love one another – “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” (Rom. 13:8)

Do not judge one another – “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.” (Rom. 14:13)

Accept on another – “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Rom. 15:7)

Greet one another – “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.” (Rom. 16:16)

Agree with one another – “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Cor. 1:10)

Encourage one another – “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Cor. 13:11)

Serve one another – “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Gal. 5:13)

Bear with one another – “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Eph. 4:2)

Speak to one another – ” … speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord …” (Eph. 5:19)

Submit to one another – “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21)

Have the right attitude toward one another – “In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had …” (Phil. 2:5)

Forgive one another – “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13)

By preachersmith • Posted in Sermons
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Sep 13 2010

church alive: the demonstration

You know the expression: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.” Has there ever been a time when this statement is more true? The world needs to see ordinary Christians living extraordinary lives. Lives filled not merely with what comes naturally, but are clearly animated by what comes only supernaturally. Folks are hungry to see a church not merely believe or intend, but do. And to the doing of that extraordinary good may you and I be about every day, to His glory, not our own.

… glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good … (Rom. 2:10)

… overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:21)

… in all things at all times … abound in every good work. (2 Cor. 9:8)

Let us not become weary in doing good … (Gal. 6:9)

… as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people … (Gal. 6:10)

… we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:10)

… the Lord will reward each one of you for whatever good you do … (Eph. 6:8)

We continually ask God … that you live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work … (Col. 1:9-10)

… always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. (1 Thes. 5:15)

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father … strengthen you in every good deed and word. (2 Thes. 2:16-17)

… brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. (2 Thes. 3:13)

I … want the women to … adorn themselves … with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. (1 Tim. 2:9-10)

… good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever. (1 Tim. 5:25)

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds … (1 Tim. 6:18)

… be instruments for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. (2 Tim. 2:21)

… so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:17)

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. (Titus 2:7)

… our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ … gave himself for us to … to purify for himself a people that are … eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:13-14)

Remind the people to … to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good … (Titus 3:1)

… so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good … (Titus 3:8)

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good … and not live unproductive lives. (Titus 3:14)

… let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds … (Heb. 10:24)

… do not forget to do good … (Heb. 13:16)

… may the God of peace … that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21)

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them? (James 2:14)

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:13)

… if you know the good you ought to do and don’t do it, you sin. (James 4:17)

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Pet. 2:12)

… it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of the foolish. (1 Pet. 2:15)

… suffer for doing good and endure it, for this is commendable before God. (1 Pet. 2:20)

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (1 Pet. 3:11)

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Pet. 3:12)

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? (1 Pet. 3:13)

… keep a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Pet. 3:16)

It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good … (1 Pet. 3:17)

… continue to do good. (1 Pet. 4:19)

… make every effort to add to your faith goodness … (2 Pet. 1:5)

Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. (3 John 11)

By preachersmith • Posted in Sermons
0
Sep 12 2010

Q & A: spiritual disciplines

Q. What are “spiritual disciplines?” A. Think of them as your gym equipment for the exercise of your spirit and soul. They’re your toolbox tools for building faith.

Q. What advantages can practicing these disciplines offer me? A. That does not compute. Life is about Him being praised by you.

Q. I can’t find the phrase “spiritual disciplines” in the Bible. So why study them? A. Because while the phrase isn’t there, the concepts are, big time.

Q. Okay. “Spiritual disciplines?” That sounds like something for monks in a monastery to me. A. Only if you consider people like king David or Jesus monastery monks.

Q. Fine. “Spiritual discipline” sounds like an awful lot of work to me. A. It is real effort, effort in experiencing God, coming to know Him better, and enjoying Him.

Q. Isn’t this “spiritual discipline” thing just some form of legalism? A. Far from being anti-grace, they’re a healthy response to His grace, and counteract “cheap grace.”

Q. Well, if I do these disciplines I know they’ll eat up my already very limited time. A. No, they will actually make you use His time more wisely and efficiently.

Q. Now why exactly should I get into these disciplines? A. To be intentional, not accidental, in preparing the soil of your heart for His work in you.

Q. Come on now, “spiritual disciplines.” Does that honestly sound like something I’d practice? A. Do you pray? Do you study? Do you worship? Then, yes.

Q. Really? Those are disciplines? Name some more. A. Celebration, confession, fasting, meditation, service, simplicity, solitude, and submission.

Q. So where do I start with these disciplines? A. With something you’ve likely heard little of or have misconceptions about: meditation. And you can learn more about that this morning at 9:00 a.m. in our auditorium class or in the classrooms closest to our annex kitchen here at MoSt Church.

Sep 10 2010

starting our study of spiritual disciplines

As a new Bible class quarter gets under way at MoSt Church at 9:00 a.m. this coming Sun., Sept. 12 our auditorium class, the boomer/builder class, the 20/20 class, and the 20′s & 30′s class will begin a study of spiritual disciplines. As a guide to assist you in our study of Scripture on these exercises for our soul, I’m urging you to acquire a copy of, and to make daily, thorough use of, the same resource aid our class teachers are utilizing, namely, Richard Foster’s modern classic entitled Celebration of Discipline. Any quality Christian bookstore will have a copy or you can order one online via Amazon (http://amzn.to/cdmgr2).

Let me tell you straight up that this book, Celebration of Discipline, is not light, bedtime reading. If you try to just sit down and read it in a hurry or expect the author to entertain you to keep your attention, I guarantee you will come away from this work frustrated and disappointed. If you try to read it so, you will likely not make it halfway through the first chapter for this is anything but your average, run-of-the-mill, mass-market, sugar-coated, hold-your-hand Christian book. This book isn’t milk; it’s thick, red meat. It’s a “deep water” read, designed to give you a serious “workout” to challenge your thinking, call you to thoughtful reflection, and see you to come to practice what is taught. We’re deliberately raising the bar with this study. Dig down and find strength equal to the task. Remember: faith is a journey and thinking is required.

Let me put it this way: for those of us who read Francis Chan’s Crazy Love or viewed the Crazy Love video series, and found ourselves convicted in heart, think of Celebration of Discipline as a logical follow-up to that study. Crazy Love brought us to our knees and Celebration of Discipline will help us get up and walk again, this time with a stronger purpose. Consequently, we’ll need to read Foster’s book slowly and thoughtfully to truly absorb and digest what is being said. In fact, ideally it would be best for us to read only a few paragraphs of each chapter each day for we’ll will want to let the contents of each chapter slowly brew in our brains each week so let’s mull over a few paragraphs each day.

If you’re a part of the 20/20 class, let me urge you, if you haven’t already, to read chapters 1 and 2 before tomorrow night since we’ll focus on an introduction to the spiritual exercises, and meditation in particular, this coming Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. But again, don’t try to read chapter one and two in one sitting. If you have a copy, bring your book to class with you along with your Bible.

There are additional aids for your study that I am providing in addition to Foster’s book. My blog post series “What can I do to truly build myself up in Christ?” is the prime example. Part 9 in that series will appear in tomorrow. Also on the Internet, starting later today, you can watch for my daily Facebook (www.facebook.com/preachersmith) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/preachersmith) updates. Watch for my Facebook and Twitter posts that start with the designation “SD” (i.e. – spiritual disciplines). For those of you who may want to dig deeper into the spiritual disciplines, watch for my mention of other resources (primarily books) as we study each discipline each week throughout the course of this quarter.

If you’re discontent or downright unhappy with where you are in your life with the Lord these days, this study is just what the doctor ordered. Take the medicine. If you’re content and growing in the Lord, this work will help keep you on the trajectory. If you’re new to faith and don’t have a clue as to where to begin in working to deepen your faith, this study will start you off and take you down the right road.

Exercise your soul. Work up a spiritual sweat. Feel the burn of spiritual fervor grow. And smile in the Lord who causes you to grow in Him! (2 Peter 3:18)

Sep 9 2010

spiritual disciplines (8)

Jesus said: “I always do what pleases Him who sent me.” (John 8:29) He lived a perfect, sinless life. How did He do this?

And the Spirit Jesus sent us declares: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6) Now though we know we can’t stop sinning completely, just how are we to fulfill this “must” in our life, to “live as Jesus did?”

Answer: by daring to feed on every word, not just some of the words, that comes from the mouth of God. Whether it’s a word that is virtually new to me, strange to me, or nearly unpracticed around me. Whether it’s a word I’ve heard before but never truly considered, is a word I’ve considered but thought was only for others, or is a word I’ve deliberately ignored. Somehow, someway each of us must get to the place where we live by every word that God breathes out to us.

Take for example Psalm 1. Who doesn’t love this brief, wonderful psalm that sets the standard and tone for the one hundred and forty nine that follow? Rehearse the first three verses:

Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers, but who delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on his law day and night.

They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers.

Now what specifically did this ancient/current word from God say makes a person “blessed,” enables them to not live like the world of people around them, and makes their life truly  beautiful and beneficial to others, akin to the way a healthy, productive fruit tree would bless an Israelite farmer of old? Did you catch it?

In a single word: meditation.

Ask yourself: “How different would my life be if I literally, consistently practiced the heart of this so rarely mentioned passage, to ‘delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on his law day and night’? “

If you did so, this would be a spiritual thing, no? And if you did so, it would come about only because you made it your discipline, true? Ah, and so we have a clear, direct word from God for the disciplined shaping of our life to His glory. And the word is meditation.

And so, just how much Christian teaching have you seen come your way, or you have deliberately sought out on your own, on this matter, meditation? That’s what I thought. It’s past time; way past time. And that is why every Christian should seek to know more about, and come to practice spiritual disciplines.