Sermon Notes 3-27-2016

What is the Gospel

Easter 2016

  

The first part of the equation (God is the Righteous Creator)!

Genesis 1:26–27 (NLT)

²⁶Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

²⁷So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

·      God created everything

·      And then he created man

·      And placed us in the perfect setting

·      And we couldn’t do it, we just had to go our own was

And in that fall, we created DEATH

·      God in his perfect holy character could nit look past our sin

Exodus 34:6–7 (NLT)

⁶The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

⁷I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty.

Sin- is anything that goes against the will of God

·      And God could not just let sin Go

·      So he made death, the penalty

Was he Just to do that?

·      Yes

·      He is the judge of all things

·      And he is just to sentence us all to death

·      For our sins

And we all fall under that Judgement!

Hebrews 10:30–31 (NLT)

³⁰For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.”

³¹It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

So you see God is the one and only true Judge

·      It might not happen today

·      It might not happen tomorrow but it will happen

·      One day we all will have to stand before a holy God and give account for all our sins!

Romans 14:11 (ESV)

¹¹for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

The second part of the equations (Man the Sinner)!

The bible talks a lot about humans and the state we are in

Romans 3:10–12 (ESV)

¹⁰as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

¹¹no one understands; no one seeks for God.

¹²All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Isaiah 64:6 (NLT)

⁶We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Romans 3:23 (NLT)

²³For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

I know what your going to say:

·      I am a good person

·      I give to charity

·      I work hard

·      I provide for my family

·      I make it to church “most” Sundays

·      I read my bible occasionally

·      I am not like those “other” people

There is a problem with every statement I just made, it the Letter “I”

·      You see you can’t do anything

·      You can’t fix your self

Psalm 51:5 (NLT)

⁵For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

·      You were born in Sin

Ill prove it to you!

Commandment 1: You shall have no other gods before Me.

·      I bet you have a functional God

o   Money

o   Job

o   Kids

o   You put something before God, I guarantee it

Matthew 6:24 (NLT)

²⁴“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Commandment 2: You shall not make idols.

·      Your TV

·      Your house

·      Your Job

·      Your favorite Nascar driver

·      This about it we put all kinds of Idols before God!

There was one person who thought he was perfect in Gods Sight!

The person I relate to most in the Bible is a guy named Paul, he wrote most the new testament.

·      He helped kill the first Christian martyr

·      He was the man in his circle

·      And he did everything he could to stop the Christian movment

·      And then he met Jesus

·      And he wrote this about him self

Philippians 3:4–11 (NLT)

⁴though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

⁵I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.

⁶I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

⁷I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

⁸Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

⁹and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

¹⁰I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,

¹¹so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

·      We are all sinners

·      None of us can do it on our own

·      We are all destine for Hell

·      A horrible death

·      And there is nothing “we” can do to stop it

Depressed yet????

·       

The third part of the equation (in rides the savior)

Romans 6:23 (NLT)

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

·      Be cause God is Just an a price has to be paid for sin

·      And that price is Death

·      But because Gods character to Love

·      He gave you a way out!

·      And Jesus is that way out

So what did Jesus do to pay the debt

·      He lived a perfect sinless life

·      He lived just like us all

·      He was tempted in everyway

·      He died a horrible death (that we should have died) (Slide)

·      And because he was sinless he rose on the third day (Slide)

·      He scarified his live of all

·      And he paid your debit to bring you it right standing with the father

·      On the cross Jesus said

Luke 23:34 (NLT)

³⁴Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Matthew 27:46 (NLT)

⁴⁶At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

John 19:30 (NLT)

³⁰When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.

In a nut shell

Penal: Jesus’s death paid the penalty for the sins of his people. God punished him as if he were guilty of their sins.

Substitutionary: On the cross, Jesus stood in the place of his people. He was a substitute. He suffered so that they wouldn’t. He was punished so that they would be healed and reconciled to God. He was counted guilty so that they would be counted righteous.

Atonement: Jesus poured out his life as an offering for sin. He atoned for our sin, covering it over and making us at one with God. Where there was enmity, now there is peace. In his substitutionary death, Jesus fully satisfied the demands of God’s justice so that all who turn to him in faith are counted righteous in God’s sight, accepted by God, reconciled to God, and given eternal life.

We live in a depraved and desperate world that desperately needs Jesus

So what was God trying to tell us in the suffering and Death of Jesus???? The events surrounding the last 24 hours of Jesus’s life on earth speaks of the brokenness of humanity. Each person taking part in the tragedy of Jesus’s death is a reflection of that brokenness.

·      The disciples fell asleep; they fled in fear as Jesus was arrested.

·      Judas betrayed Him, and Peter denied Him.

·      The Pharisees and religious leaders plotted to kill Him,

·      The crowded wanted violence versus a messiah of Love.

·      The governor tried to satisfy the crowded even when he knew it was wrong

·      And the soldiers took delight in the torture and dehumanizing of an innocent man.

What humanity did when God walked this earth is a look in the soul of all of us.

·      We are meant to find ourselves in this story and to be moved in the tragedy of it all.

·      We are meant to realize that there is something deeply wrong with us all, that we are broken and in desperate need of forgiveness!

·      The suffering and death of Jesus is intended to be a mirror for us all to look into; a reminder of the jealousy, pettiness, self-centeredness, spiritual blindness, and darkness that lurks in us all.  

·      The accounts are meant to move us to repentance.

The Story of Sacrificial love

We are also meant to see the sacrificial love of the one who suffered for us, as well as His determination to save us from ourselves.

·      He hangs on the cross as if to say “do you see the extent the Father has gone to show you His love”.

·      Do you understand that I have come to show a love so deep that it is willing to suffer, even die for you!

Jesus demonstrates a love that refuses to give up or give in, he is willing to love us even when we don’t love Him or even like him. He is determined to bring us back in right relationship with God no matter what the cost!!

Ro 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

·      Sacrificial love transforms Lives!

·      It turns enemies in to friends,

·      Turns guilt into repentance, and melts hearts of stone.

·      The world is changed by demonstrations of true sacrificial love and selfless acts of service.

We are to look at the cross and say I have to strive to live more like Jesus, to be worthy of His sacrifice!  We are meant to be changed by the events of the cross and in turn to practice the same sacrificial love demonstrated by Jesus toward others. As each new follower of Jesus shows that same sacrificial love to the world lives will change and the world will be transformed!!

Sermon Notes 3-20-2016

The Road to Romans 2016!

We are obligated to help out where we can and when we can!

Romans 15:1–4 (ESV)

¹We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

²Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

³For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

⁴For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

WOW!

What does it mean to be strong in faith and what does God expect from the strong in faith? Not what you might think. It means walking with the weak and helping them work through their issues, not judging them, not being harsh with them, but allowing them to grow and stumble and sometimes hurt us. Showing them we don’t give up and neither does God!

Wait a minute! Really? I have to but up with them, I should be in charge!

¹We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

This tells me:

·      If your strong in your faith

·      If you have been tested by the fires

·      Its time to start helping others!

o   Its not just my job

o   Not the just the Lay Pastors

o   Not just the Elders!

o   But everyone who has their faith, needs to be helping others

·      Its our obligation

o   To bear with them

o   In their fallings

o   Their folly

o   Their bad habits

o   Their ugliest sins

·      And we now come second in all we do

o   We don’t look out for #1

o   We don’t put us at the front of the line

o   We aren’t privileged

o   We become servants

o   We become mentors

o   We become Like Jesus!

“We all have our infirmities; but the weak are more subject to them than others-the weak in knowledge or grace, the bruised reed and the smoking flax. We must consider these; not trample upon them, but encourage them, and bear with their infirmities. If through weakness they judge and censure us, and speak evil of us, we must bear with them, pity them, and not have our affections alienated from them. Alas! it is their weakness, they cannot help it^[1]”

So we start with doing Good and building up

²Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

·      So what does please his Neighbor mean?

o   To give them what they want?

o   To allow them to keep sinning?

o   To give in on all points?

o   NO!

·      It means to learn to please and do what is good to build up!

o   Christians should study to be pleasing. As we must not please ourselves in the use of our Christian liberty (which was allowed us, not for our own pleasure, but for the glory of God and the profit and edification of others), so we must please our neighbor. How amiable and comfortable a society would the church of Christ be if Christians would study to please one another, as now we see them commonly industrious to cross, and thwart, and contradict one another!^[2]

o   We need to work on self denial

o   We need to work on putting others first

o   We need to work on learning what is good for others through the life and teachings of Christ

o   Sometimes that means saying no!

o   Sometimes that means speaking truth

o   Some times that means saying nothing

o   And sometimes it means holding them up

o   It means letting the Holy Spirit guide you!

So how do we do this?

³For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

We take Jesus example!

Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

He denied himself

That Christ did not please himself. He did not consult his own worldly credit, ease, safety, nor pleasure; he had no where to lay his head, lived on handouts, would not be made a king, detested no proposal with greater abomination than that, Master,

·      washed his disciples’ feet,

·      endured the contradiction of sinners against himself,

·      troubled himself

John 11:33 (ESV)

³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

·      did not consult his own honour,

·      and, in a word, emptied himself, and made himself of no reputation:

·      and all this for our sakes, to bring in a righteousness for us, and to set us an example.

·      His whole life was a self-denying self-displeasing life^[3]

He bore the ills of others

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)

¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

·      He has walked a mile in our shoes

·      He has been there

·      And he understands where we are

·      So we are to look upon the weaker in Christ the same way Jesus does us

·      We never worried about his reputation

·      We never worried about his place in this world

·      We cheerfully and completely but us first

·      So we are to do the same thing!

Whatever is done to one of us he takes it personal!

Acts 9:4 (ESV)

⁴And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

·      Paul understood this to well

·      That Jesus feels that every time we are persecuted

·      Knocked down

·      Stumble

·      He feels it

·      And sees it as personal

We should to

·      We should feel the same way

·      We should feel like ever time a brother stumbles

·      Every time he fails

·      Every time he falls

·      We should take it personal

·      Feel their pain

·      Weep when they weep

·      Rejoice when they rejoice

If we could just work on this one thing, how much of a difference would it make?

So….

We use the example Jesus lived out

·      Deny ourselves

·      Put others first

·      Not worry about our pleasures

·      Our needs

·      And concentrate on others

If we all just picked two or three folks to work on, to walk with, to mentor, to live life with, how much better, how much stronger would the church be!!!!

So where do we find the strength to do all this?????

⁴For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

We find it in the Bible!

·      Jesus left us in the bible all we need to follow his example

·      He lived it out

·      And recorded it for us

·      So its imperative for us to understand who he was, and what he stood for

We can’t just understand it

·      We have to live it out

·      Become image bearers

·      That is the hard part

·      I know a lot of folks that know the bible better than I do, they just don’t try and live it out

o   They are the hypocrites the world sees

o   They talk a mean game, they just don’t walk it

o   They really don’t get the meaning behind the words

o   They don’t apply it to their own lives

§  They use it as a window, not a mirror

From an article I read on face book:

Ephesians 5 is impossible without God’s grace.

The twin demands of “husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (v. 25) and “wives submit to your husbands” (v. 22) are impossible to keep without God’s enabling grace. Our hearts are simply too selfish to live for another unless God changes them.

·      We can’t live it out if we don’t know it, and we can’t live it out if we don’t allow ourselves to deny ourselves for others

It wont seem like such a helpless, hopeless task if we fully understand and apply the bible to our lives!

·      Through endurance and encouragement

Endurance: Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on negative annoyance/anger; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can have before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

·      Through the bible we understand the hope we can expect form God

·      Through the bible we understand that trials will come

o   That suffering will happen

o   And that God is in control

o   And that endurance and patience are things that will achieve our goal of becoming better image bearers of Christ

o   That we will fond more and more comfort as we grow in our walk

If you are going through a trial right now, ask your self these questions

·      Am I growing in it?

·      Am I causing it by walking away from what God calls me to do?

·      How can God use this to teach me and others?

·      What does the bible say about my situation?

Encouragement: the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope.

·      We find our hope in the word

·      We find our strength in the word

·      The more patience we exercise under troubles the more hopefully we may look through our troubles;

·      There is nothing more destructive to hope than impatience.

·       And the comfort of the scriptures, that comfort which springs from the word of God (that is the surest and sweetest comfort) is likewise a great stay to hope, as it is sincere in the good hoped for. The Spirit, as our comforter, is the promise of our inheritance.^[4]

So its vital that we stay in, continue studying, always searching Gods word.

·      Learning from it

·      Leaning on it

·      Hungry for it

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^[1] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2235). Peabody: Hendrickson.

^[2] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2236). Peabody: Hendrickson.

^[3] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2236). Peabody: Hendrickson.

^[4] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2236). Peabody: Hendrickson.