SERMON SEEDS G13 FOR JUNE 3, 2003
Posted by: jpeters <jpeters@...>
WELCOME TO SERMON SEEDS FOR JUNE 2, 2003
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Ruth 1:1-6
THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME
RETREAT FROM THE LAND OF PROMISE - Vss. 1-2
REAPING OF SORROW - Vss. 3-5
RETURN TO PLACE OF BLESSING - Vs. 6
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Psalm 32
HOW BLESSED ARE THE BLESSED!
Are you born again?
Do you know Jesus as your Savior?
Then God has blessed you! Ephesians 1:3
In Psalm 32 there are five blessings for the born again Christian if he or she will accept them.
THE BLESSINGS OF FORGIVENESS – Vss. 1-2
THE BLESSINGS OF FORTHRIGHTNESS – Vss. 3-5
When we are honest with God, confessing our specific sins, God forgives us.
THE BLESSINGS OF (GOD'S) FAITHFULNESS – Vss. 7-8
God is faithful to protect us.
God is faithful to guide us.
THE BLESSING OF SHUNNING FOOLISHNESS – Vss. 9-10
"Mercy shall compass him about".
THE BLESSING OF (GOD'S) FAVOR – Vs. 11
The upright in heart are to be filled with joy and gladness.
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Isaiah 26:3 ETC. - PAGE 1
SONG FOR ALL SEASONS
(I have used this message for graduates, but it can be used at any time.)
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL
Words – Horatio Spafford
Music – P.P. Bliss
This hymn was written after two major traumas in Spafford's life. The first was the great Chicago Fire of October 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a wealthy businessman). Shortly after, while crossing the Atlantic, all four of Spafford's daughters died in a collision with another ship. Spafford's wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Several weeks later, as Spafford's own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired these words. They speak to the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter what pain and grief befall them on earth.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
All of the above information came from: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/itiswell.htm
This is a great hymn. It is a hymn which, I feel is a hymn for all seasons. As you rely on the Scriptural truths behind this hymn, you will find this to be a hymn that will help you get through each part of your lives. This hymn will also assist each of us in this room, as we make the truths of this hymn real in our own lives.
As we consider this hymn for all seasons, we want to see,
THE PARTS OF LIFE
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When trials lie sea-billows role
The opening words of this song remind us that life is a mixed bag.
There will be various parts of life. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
THE PROBLEM WITH SIN
Thou Satan should buffet, tho trials should come...
You have an enemy!
Your enemy is the Spirit being who rebelled against God, Satan, and his forces of evil. 1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:12, 2 Corinthians 11:14
Satan is, however, not your biggest problem, or your biggest enemy. Neither are the trials that will come to your life.
The biggest problem is the result of Satan's temptations, and the cause of trouble in the world.
The problem is sin. Sin is failure to please God. Sin is going my own way, and doing my own thing, disregarding God. Sin is disobedience against God. We have all sinned! Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10-18, 23
Ezekiel 18:4 says in part - The soul that sinneth it shall die;
Death is separation. Because of sin we are separated from God now.
In the future there is eternal separation which is referred to as "hell"/.
Israel was told in Isaiah 59:2, But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.
THE PROVISION OF CHRIST
Please notice what the hymn writer says in the second stanza:
Thoug Satan should buffet, tho trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my soul
Here we see the love of God at work.
Here we are reminded of the work of the Lord Jesus.
Here we are told of the forgiveness that is available in Christ. 1 John 4:10,
Isaiah 53:2-6
The price for your sin was paid in full on the cross.
What you couldn't do, atone for your own sins, Jesus did for you on the cross.
All that is required of you is faith in Christ!
My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought:
My sin not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, oh my soul.
If you already know the Lord as your Savior, you also know that you continue to sin.
God is not pleased with you sin.
But, it is paid for on the cross.
It is covered by the blood of Christ.
This does not mean that you should take sin lightly.
Any sin against God is a sin against the Savior who gave his all for you.
That indeed is serious!
But there is still forgiveness.
There is forgiveness that means you will be in Heaven in spite of any new sin.
There is forgiveness which restores communication with God.
We must remember that sin grieves God, and hinders the fellowship, peace, and answered prayer that come from him. 1 John 1:8-10, Psalm 32:5
Please keep short accounts with God.
Confess your sins. Remember, the price has been paid. They've been nailed to the cross. Apply the cleansing blood to your account through confession.
THE PEACE OF SOUL
The chorus is what speaks of peace for the soul.
It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul.
The only thing a person needs to do is to turn to Christ in faith and put trust in Him. Romans 5:1
To be justified is to be declared right with God.
When you turn to Christ and place your faith in Him at a specific moment in time, you become "born again" by the Spirit of God.
You become a member of God's family. John 1:12
As a member of God's family, you now have peace with God.
You are no longer God's enemy because of sin, but you are God's child!
So, indeed you can sing "It is well with my soul!"
Is it well with your soul? If not, turn to Christ in faith this morning.
But wait, there's more!
When Horatio Spafford wrote this song, It Is Well With My Soul, he was already a Christian. He already had peace with God.
But through the trials of financial reversals and dead children, Spafford was experiencing the peace of God.
Please turn to Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.
My Christian friend. part of life is sorrow.
My Christian friend, part of life is great distress.
My Christian friend, part of life is going to hurt.
The problems do not go away.
Many facts, like death, incurable illness, family problems, lost wages, and lost jobs, and misunderstandings do not always change.
But God has promised peace for the Christian through the difficulties.
What is the secret to a Christian's peace?
Keep you mind "staid" or focused on the Lord.
Bring the trials to Him!
Trust Him! Matthew 11:28-30, 1 Peter 5:7
THE PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
There is hope beyond this life.
You and I who know Christ are looking forward to a glorious day, when He is coming again!
John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
And if you are looking forward to the Lord's coming, please remember that we are to live a certain way. Titus 2:11-13
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Matthew 5:43-48
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
#15 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT
And all too often we too need attitude adjustments when it comes to the way we feel towards and treat those with whom we are at odds.
As we conclude Matthew 5 in our series on The Sermon on the Mount we find Jesus telling us that we need an attitude adjustment towards them with whom we dislike.
AN HONEST APPRAISAL – Vs. 43
Vs. 43 - Jesus tells His audience what the teaching of the day was. Those listening would have related to what Jesus said, because they had heard it often before.
The Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' day taught that neighbors should be loved and enemies hated.
For starters, the average Jew had two enemies.
His first enemy was the Gentile, or the non-Jew. Even the half-breed Samaritans were hated. Of course this hatred would especially include the Romans who had rule over their land at this time.
The other enemy was anyone who was a publican or tax collector, or who did not adhere to following the law. Those Jews who collected taxes for the Romans were considered traitors. And to make matters worse, the tax collectors were often dishonest.
The Old Testament definitely stated that the Jew was to love his neighbor. Leviticus 19:18
It is interesting that the Jews in Jesus' day left two words out from their saying of "Thou shalt love thy neighbor". They left out the words, "As thyself".
And, as we have just shown, the Jews had a very narrow idea as to who that neighbor was. To them, the only people that they needed to love as their neighbor were those fellow Jews who followed the Law.
Today many people have a similar view concerning who they should love. Many feel that they should love those whom they know and like.
Nobody else needs to be loved to the point that they would go out of their way to help a person.
Let me warn you against having too narrow a view as to who your neighbor is. Consider the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-27
Jesus gives an honest appraisal of the teaching of his day. They were taught to love their neighbors and hate their enemies. But now Jesus gives a:
A HIGHER STANDARD – Vs. 44
Vs. 44 - If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Lord Jesus expects you to live by a higher standard than others. His higher standard is to even love your enemy.
The principle of loving one's enemy, was not new, but was ignored. It is taught in the Old Testament. Exodus 23:4-5
It is good that we express love in words, but more importantly we are to express love by our actions.
When we take care of the physical concerns of our enemies, we are saying by our actions, "I love you". And don't wait for feelings of love towards someone before you take action. Take the action that love would take, and the feelings just might come later.
I see somewhat of a formula in Jesus' words in Vs. 44.
How is it that you need to have an "Attitude Adjustment" towards?
1. Chose to love the person, no matter how you feel.
2. Bless the person. You can bless them verbally by speaking well of them when you can, and
by asking God to bless them. You can bless them physically by showing kindness towards
them.
3. Do good towards the person whenever you can. That may mean helping the person do
something or meeting one of the person's needs.
4. Pray for them. If the person is not saved, pray that he or she will be saved. If the person is
saved, ask God to help him or her grow in the likeness of Christ.
And remember this: that person will answer to God for how he has or hasn't loved you.
But you will answer to God for how much you have or haven't loved your enemy.
A HEAVENLY EXAMPLE – Vss. 45
Vs. 45 - Is Jesus saying that if you love your neighbor you will become children of God?
No, He is not saying that.
Jesus is saying that when you love your neighbor, you are showing who your Heavenly Father is, because you are acting just like Him.
Many of you are gardeners.
When the sun comes up in the morning, whose garden does it shine on?
Does the sun just shine on your garden, or does it shine on everybody's garden?
It doesn't matter whether it is a righteous man or an unrighteous man who owns the garden, God's sun shines on all.
The same is true of the rain. When it rains it rains on everyone's garden, whether the person is righteous or unrighteous.
These are just two of the many blessings that God sends on the righteous and unrighteous alike.
God blesses those who are evil and those who are good.
Do you?
God helps those who are evil and those who are good.
Do you?
God blesses those who curse Him and those who bless Him.
Do you?
It is time for us to follow our Heavenly example and to act as if we are God's children.
A HEART-WRECHING QUESTION – Vss. 46-47
As Christians who know Jesus as Savior and Lord, we should be living by a higher standard. Matthew 5:46-47
The publicans, tax collectors were considered great sinners.
Even those that we consider sinners, love, greet, and take care of their own.
We are doing nothing uncommon or worthy of commendation when we love and greet those who love and greet us!
Christian, you can't earn your way into Heaven.
But, Christian, you show that you are a Christian by the way you behave.
God has promised judgment and reward to each Christian. 2 Corinthians 5:10
Don't expect reward for loving and greeting those who love and greet you.
Expect reward for loving and greeting those who don't love or greet you.
So, here's the heart-wrenching question, "How much better are you than the average non-Christian?"
You are no better than the heathen if you just greet and love those who greet and love you!
A HOPEFUL CHALLENGE – Vs. 48
Vs. 48 - I call this a hopeful challenge because God will not ask me to do anything that is impossible. It may well be impossible for me to do it myself, but with God, nothing is impossible!
We know that we cannot be perfect, that is sinless, as God is sinless. However, as we just saw, as Christians we are to be imitators of our Heavenly Father. Ephesians 5:1, 1 John 2:6
As I abide in the Lord Jesus, that is stay close to Him through the scriptures and prayer, I will walk as He walked.
I will be an imitator of God.
When Jesus tells you and I to be perfect here in Matthew 5:48, He is referring to how we treat our enemies.
It is impossible for us in our own power to truly treat our enemies well, but when we rely on God's power, we can bless our enemies just like God blesses His.
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John 14:1-6
HE'S (SHE'S) DEAD BUT…
A FUNERAL MESSAGE
HE'S DEAD BUT JESUS CAN BE TRUSTED – Vs. 1
The dead Christian has trusted Jesus as Savior
HE'S DEAD BUT JESUS PREPARED FOR HIS ARRIVAL IN HEAVEN – Vss. 2-3
HE'S DEAD BUT JESUS CAME AGAIN FOR HIM – Vs. 3
HE'S DEAD BUT JESUS IS SUFFICIENT – Vss. 4-6
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2 Corinthians 5:8-11a
LOOKING AHEAD
WE ARE CONFIDENT
Vs. 8 - We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
WE ARE CONCERNED
Vs. 9 - Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
WE ARE COGNIZANT (AWARE)
Vs. 10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
We know that we must all appear before the "Judgment Seat of Christ".
WE ARE COMPASSIONATE
Vs. 11a - Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;
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Revelation 22:21
WISHING YOU GOD'S BEST
What is the nicest thing that you can wish for somebody? I believe that it's wishing that they would have God's best in their lives! What is God's best for every person? John sums it up in the last verse found in the Bible, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
It is interesting to note that John ends his great book of prophecy with a benediction. After giving the most complete description of the end times, He wishes his readers "grace" or unmerited favor.
What are some of the blessings of grace that we should wish on others that God has wished on us?
SALVATION BY GRACE
Ephesians 2:8-9
STRENGTH BY GRACE
Philippians 4:13, Acts 1:8, Ephesians 3:16, Peter 5:10
SERENITY BY GRACE
Isaiah 26:3-4, John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7
SUPPLY BY GRACE
Psalm 23:1, Philippians 4:19, Matthew 16:33
May you, my friend, have the grace of salvation, the grace of God's strength, the grace of God's serenity, and the grace of God's supply.
SERMON SEEDS D9
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