Quote from Forum Archives on June 4, 2002, 1:37 pm

Posted by: jpeters <jpeters@...>

WELCOME TO SERMON SEEDS FOR JUNE 3, 2002

IF SERMON SEEDS IS HELPFUL TO YOU, PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO SOMEONE ELSE!

UPDATE ON PASTOR DOUG WINN - There was some sad news since I last updated you about Doug's condition. There is a hole in Doug's heart caused by the infection. Doug's liver would not tolerate heart surgery, and Doug's heart would not tolerate liver surgery.

It looks like he will be finally getting out of the hospital to go to a "family house" owned by the hospital. From there, after getting stronger and making arrangements for continued medication to fight the bacterial infection, Doug will finally be free to go. Please continue to pray for him.

OUR INTERACTIVE MAILING LIST - PASTOR MAILPastor Mail is a mailing list fellowship for male pastors. The purpose of the list is to share sermons, outlines, illustrations, and prayer requests. We also discuss pastoral issues. If you are a male pastor, retired pastor or pastoral student you may join the list by sending a blank email to pastormail-subscribe@welovegod.org

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INTRODUCING MOUNT UNION ECHOES - Mount Union Echoes is a new mailing list. IF YOU TRIED TO SUBSCRIBE AND HAD DIFFICULTY, I HAD A WRONG EMAIL ADDRESS. IT IS NOW CORRECT. Several of you have already subscribed. Echoes contains full text sermon notes from Pastor Jack Peters. Most often the message of the week will be an expansion of one of the Sermon Seeds outlines. To subscribe send a blank email to mountunionechoes-subscribe@welovegod.org News about Mount Union Bible Church will also be included at the end of the notes.

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Ezra 7:11-28

MISSION FOR THE KING

Ezra was a Godly man who was sent back to Jerusalem by the King of Persia. The King gave Ezra a letter of commission.

EZRA'S RETURN - Vss. 11-14

He was go back to the land of his ancestors to Jerusalem.

He was to inquire concerning spiritual well being of the people in Judah and Jerusalem.

EZRA'S RESOURCES - Vss. 15-24

Ezra was to take back contributions from the king and his counselors, and the contributions of those in Babylon willing to give. Vss. 15-16

Ezra was to buy was necessary to perform worship in Jerusalem. Vss. 17-18

Ezra was to take vessels that were given for the service of the house of God in Jerusalem. Vs. 19

Ezra had access to the king's treasure house for whatever else was needed. Vss. 20-23

Ezra and the religious leaders were to be tax-free. Vs. 24

EZRA'S RESPONSIBILITIES - Vss. 25-26

Ezra was to appoint magistrates and judges.

Those who disobeyed were to be punished.

EZRA'S REJOICING - Vss. 27-28

Ezra rejoiced because he knew that God had spoken to the King's heart and had given Ezra favor in the eyes of the king and his counselors.

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RETURN TO BLESSING

Job 42

REPENTANCE OF JOB Vss. 1-6

REBUKE OF JOB'S FRIENDS Vss. 7-9

RESTORATION OF JOB Vss. 10-17

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Psalm 73:24-26

SURVIVAL

MY FUTURE - Vs. 24 - Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

MY FAITHFULNESS - Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

MY FORTIFICATION - My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

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Matthew 7:7-11

SIMPLE PRAYER

A SIMPLE PROCEDURE - Vs. 7

Ask

Seek

Knock

A SIMPLE PROMISE - Vs. 8

Those who ask receive.

Those who seek find.

Those who knock have doors opened.

A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE - Vss. 9-11

We, being sinners, know how to answer our children's reasonable requests.

How much more does our Heavenly Father know how to answer our requests.

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Luke 18:1-14

BEYOND TODAY

Today something will bother you.

It might be a minor thing.

It might be a major thing.

But something will bother you.

You might be bothered that a friend has said an unkind word.

You might be bothered that your job is leading nowhere.

You might be bothered by your health or the health of another.

You might be bothered by problems at school or on the job.

You might be bothered by the problems of a friend.

You might be bothered by your husband or wife, son or daughter, brother or sister.

You might be bothered about the inconsistencies in your Christian walk with God and in your testimony.

You might be bothered by the inconsistencies of fellow Christians.

You might be bothered that so few people seem to be saved through our church.

You might be bothered at a general lack of interest in Spiritual things by some of those in this church and their sporadic attendance habits.

There is a lot about today that can bother us.

I've only mentioned a few possibilities.

There is a lot about today that can get us down.

Norman J. Clayton wrote a song

If we could see beyond today as God can see,
If all the clouds should roll away, the shadows flee.
O'er present griefs we would not fret,
Each sorrow we would soon forget,
For many joys are waiting yet, for you and me.

If we could know beyond today as God doth know,
Why dearest treasures pass away and tears must flow.
And why the darkness leads to light,
Why dreary days will soon grow bright,
Some day life's wrongs will be made right, faith tells us so.

If we could see, if we could know, we often say,
But God in love a vail doth throw across our way.
We cannot see what lies before, and so we cling to Him the more,
He leads us till this life is o'er, trust and obey.
(Source: Singing Evangelism: Billy Graham Campaign Songs, #81, by Norman J. Clayton, 1943)

In a literal sense we can not see beyond today and its problems.

But today's problems will defeat us unless we learn in a spiritual sense and in a real sense to look beyond today.

In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells a parable. I see this parable as my Lord Jesus showing us how we can see beyond today, not letting today's circumstances defeat us.

WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PRAYER - Vs. 1

Vs. 1 - And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Jesus knew that when times were tough, and especially when Christians were being persecuted, that we would faint, or lose heart and want to give up.

I'm sure that there have been times when you wanted to just quit.

So how do we see beyond today so that we don't faint, lose heart or quit?

Jesus tells us that we are always to pray. This doesn't mean that we have to twist God's arm and plead desperately in order to have our prayers answered. But it does mean that we are to be in continual prayer until the answer comes. It also means that prayer is to be a habit! Whatever happens today in my life, I should be praying about it.

1 John 5:14-15

Notice that our confidence is in God, not in ourselves and not in our "clever" solution to problems.

Notice that when we ask we are to ask according to God's will.

If I know that something is God's will, I can ask for it.

When I am not sure what God's will is, I can ask Him to show me His will.

And I should always be yielded enough to say "nevertheless, thy will be done."

I want to encourage you that as you pray, don't neglect to ask God for Spiritual things.

Ask God to save specific individuals.

Ask God to change you spiritually. And what you know to be God's will in the way of Christian behavior, ask Him to make it real in your life.

And pray for other Christians that God will work in their spiritual lives as well. In Ephesians 1, Ephesians 3, Philippians 1, and Colossians 1, you will find prayers that Paul prayed for other Christians. You can pray them for Christians you know.

Mark 11:22-24 - The disciples had just witnessed Jesus telling a fig tree to "dry up" and it did! Jesus tells the disciples of the importance both of prayer and faith.

WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PERSISTENCE - Vss. 2-5

Vs. 2 - Jesus tells His story.

In a certain city there was a judge, who was supposed to administer justice.

But he had no regard for either God or man.

That would probably mean that he could be easily bribed.

He was not concerned as much with doing right as he was doing what was convenient or profitable.

Vs. 3 - In the same city there was a widow who had a legitimate case. She was asking for justice. Widows in those days had very little rights. They could easily be taken advantage of. It would have been very easy for this woman to give up in despair.

This woman however was very persistent. She kept on asking.

Vs. 4 - For a while, the judge just ignored the woman.

But then, after a while she began to grade on him.

It was becoming obvious that this woman was not going

to quit asking.

This judge begins reasoning within himself. He says, "I don't regard God or man." In other words, he wasn't afraid of what God or man would do or say.

Vs. 5 - The widow was troubling him. I've had some people trouble me when they have been persistent. He concludes "I'll give her justice lest she weary me by her continual coming." The word means to "give a black eye". He wasn't thinking of a literal black eye, but that it would make him look bad. Although the judge didn't regard God or man, he was concerned about his own reputation, and the persistence of this woman was not making him look good.

This woman did not faint.

This woman did not lose heart or quit.

Why was that? She was looking beyond today to see, in her mind, the judge giving her justice. So, she could persist until she won her case.

We are told to persist in prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Philippians 4:6-7, Ephesians 6:18

WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PROMISE - Vss. 6-8

Vs. 6 - Jesus tells us to listen to what the unjust is saying. The unjust judge didn't care about justice and still answered the woman's request.

Vs. 7 - God is not like the unrighteous judge.

God cares about His elect.

Who are God's elect?

God's elect are the people who have come to God, God's way. They have been born again. They are God's children. Romans 6:23, 1 John 1:12

If you are a Christian, you are one of God's elect and you are a child of God. The promise here is that God will act much more graciously towards His children, than an unjust judge.

Even though there are times when we need to wait for God to act, we must realize that God has not forgotten us. He works out His answers in His time according to His will. God's silence is not an indication that He has not heard or that He is ignoring us.

As we persist faithfully in our prayers, God will "avenge" us or bring us justice.

Vs. 8 - When God acts, he will do so speedily and decisively.

There will be no doubts.

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Romans 12:1-2

LIVING IT!

It's one thing to profess that you are a Christian.

It's quite another thing to live like you a Christian.

The true Christian needs to live out his faith. A good place to start living out one's faith is Romans 12:1-2 - " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

REQUEST - "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,"

REQUIREMENT - "...that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

REFORMATION - "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,"

REASON - "... that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Sermon Seeds C29

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1 John 3:1-3

SOMETHING SPECIAL

A SPECIAL PEOPLE - Vs. 1

A SPECIAL PROMISE - Vs. 2

A SPECIAL PURITY - Vs. 3

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ABOUT SERMON SEEDS:

Sermon Seeds is a weekly e-mailing of free brief sermon outlines from Pastor Jack Peters. These outlines are meant to help other pastors and Bible Teachers in their own preparations.

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Pastor Jack Peters
Ezra 7:10
AOL INSTANT MESSENGING SCREEN NAME - JackPeters47
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