Sunday, February 15, 2009

Ministering in Christ Part 6 "Importance of Obedience"

The Great Commission
MINISTERING IN CHRIST
Part 6: The Importance of Obedience
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org


ANNOUNCEMENTS

6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”

February 8th – Lynnette Higgins
February 15th – Grace Steadman
February 22nd – Walker Spriggs
March 1st – Deacon Kurt Ulman
March 8th – Lori Ulman


WHERE WE ARE AT
† Spending Time with the Lord

† Growing in the Lord

† Maturing in Christ



New Series: Ministering in Christ

Previously:
Committing your life to Christ
The Way to True Service
Light of the World ~ How to be an effective Witness
The Leading of the Lord
Waiting on God

TODAY’S SERMON: The Great Commission
MINISTERING IN CHRIST
Part 6: The Importance of Obedience

Scripture Reading

I. THE COMMAND
† James 1:22
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.


† II Corinthians 10:1-6
1By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away! 2I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.


† John 15:6-7, 9-10
6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.



II. THE WARNING
† Galatians 6:1-8
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load.
6Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.
7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.


† John 14:15
15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."


† Luke 18:15-17
15People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."


† I Corinthians 9:24-27
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.



† Proverbs 25:28
28 Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control.


† Luke 16:10
10"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.


† Hebrews 10:38
38But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him."


† Isaiah 1:19-20
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land;
20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword."
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.



III. THE PROMISE
† Exodus 19:5
5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.


† Luke 6:47-49
47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
† Hebrews 12:9-10
9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.


† I John 2:17
17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Ministering in Christ Part 5 "Waiting on God"

The Great Commission
MINISTERING IN CHRIST
Part 5: Waiting on God
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org


ANNOUNCEMENTS

6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”

February 1st – Lori Ulman
February 8th – Lynnette Higgins
February 15th – Grace Steadman
February 22nd – Walker Spriggs
March 1st – Deacon Kurt Ulman



WHERE WE ARE AT
† Spending Time with the Lord

† Growing in the Lord

† Maturing in Christ



New Series: Ministering in Christ

Previously:
Committing your life to Christ
The Way to True Service
Light of the World ~ How to be an effective Witness
The Leading of the Lord


TODAY’S SERMON: The Great Commission
MINISTERING IN CHRIST
Part 5: Waiting on God
Scripture Reading

Psalm 106:13
They soon forgot His works; they waited not for His council.

† We have trouble waiting on the Lord, sometimes because we forget His works, and how He has proven Himself over and over.

Israel forgot again and again all that the Lord had done for them.

Because they forgot, they wondered in the desert.

Because they forgot, when Moses left to be with God on the mountain, they went right back to idol worship.

Because they forgot all the greatness of the Lord, they did not trust in Him, and made poor choices that cost many of them their very lives, all because they did not wait on the Lord.


† Sometimes we get ourselves in trouble because we did not wait on God.

Abram and Sarai was to wait on the Lord, but did not. They hatched a plan to “assist” God in accomplishing what He said He would do, and the world is still paying the price for it today with the Arab nation.

I know many followers of Christ who did not wait on the Lord, and have had to pay the price for their impatience.

One day while praying in the woods, I asked God about my business, and financial situation because it was not doing well, and it was costing me more to stay open then I was making.

God spoke and said that He would provide for my needs through my business…but, before He could finish, I took it and ran.

I did not wait on God to provide…I “helped” Him.
Two months later and a few thousand more dollars in debt, I came to realize through prayer and hearing from God once again while praying “Lord, why is my business still failing after I put all that money and time into it??”

And God said to me, “I never said it was your computer business I would provide through.”

The business He was referring to was the cleaning business with Terri.

Once I realized that, and closed the computer store and started working with Terri, that cleaning business grew from a few hundred dollars per month, to about $5,000 per month.

When God speaks and gives us a word, we have to be careful of a few things.

a) Don’t assume you know the plans of God simply because He gave you an insight.

b) Trust in the Lord…if God says it, He means it.

c) WAIT ON THE LORD.


I. WAIT ON THE LORD

† Psalm 27:13-14
13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait on the Lord;
be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord.




† Isaiah 40:27-31
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.


† Hosea 12:6
But you must return to your God;
maintain love and justice,
and wait for your God always.



II. PATIENCE

We are not just to “wait on the Lord…”, we are instructed to wait “patiently” on God.




† Psalm 37:7-11
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.


CLOSING

Psalm 130:5-6
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.