Sermon thoughts – Page 4

Sermon Seeds: Pursue the Things that Make for Peace

Did you have a role in your family?

I was the peacemaker.

I’ve never outgrown it.

In an effort to “keep the peace” I have downplayed, ignored, and avoided. I believed the mantra, “Peace at any price.”

The problem is, that’s not peace.

And it’s way to high a price.

Sometimes it takes “wrestling” with the issue to find the blessing. Jacob learned that lesson (you’ll find the story in Genesis 32:22-32).

I don’t know about you, but I’m not finding much peace or unity these days.

I see a lot of taking sides.

There seems to be a greater desire to be right than to be related

Perhaps we would do well to make this our prayer:

Sermon Seeds: Get A Grip

This week we add self-control.

When I think of self-control I hear my dad’s voice telling me to get a grip. I keep this broken handle to remind me I really do have a grip.

Self-control follows knowledge in our list of things we must add to our faith. So it would seem, self-control involves putting into practice what is learned of God.

A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out. Proverbs 25:28, The Message.

When we lack self-control or are lazy about engaging it, we set ourselves up as easy prey for the enemy.

The self-control spoken of in the Bible is a gift from God through the Spirit. The Spirit “teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:12)

So I we need a grip on the Spirit to get a grip in life.

Sermon Seeds: Adding Knowledge Without Being A Know-it-all

Last week we considered what it means to add goodness to our faith. This week’s “add” is knowledge.

One of the things I’ve learned in my study of the Word, is order is not an accident. Peter doesn’t instruct his readers to add knowledge before they add goodness.

The Apostle Paul warns the Corinthians: We know that we all possess knowledge…but knowledge puffs up. (1 Corinthians 8:1)

Knowledge is desirable, but alone: it’s dangerous!!

Without goodness knowledge is often wielded to humiliate, intimidate, or alienate others, not for what God intended it to be: a tool to build and bless and serve others.

Goodness renders knowledge beneficial rather than impressive.

Peter also is clear that we are are to add knowledge, not opinion. We have to know the truth, and be sure truth is what we’re standing on and for.

As I was thinking about how knowledge can puff up and the importance of truth over opinion, I began thinking about my marriage. After 36 years my husband and I know the pain that comes from acting like we “know it all.” We have learned the value of a heartfelt apology and staying open to learning.

I love when I can learn something new about my husband. It keeps our relationship fresh and growing.

God wants us to have that same attitude in our relationship with him. We can never learn it all, but we can commit our entire lives to trying.

What are you doing to add knowledge to your faith?

(Thanks to Mark Buchannon and his book “Hidden in Plain Sight” for these concepts about knowledge.)

Sermon Seeds: Faith and Foundation

I’ve been meditating all week on Bible verses about faith. Here are a few:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Heb. 11:1

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb. 11:6

So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. Ro. 10:17

And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Lk 17:5

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Tim. 4:7

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. James 2:17 NLT

What I’m about to tell you is true. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, it is enough. Matthew 17:20

So, how is your faith today? Growing? Fading? Active? Passive?

Today as I was reflecting and preparing for Sunday’s message, I realized I’ve been pretty comfortable with where my faith has been. You can translate that as stagnant. I don’t feel good about either of those words. I went to front of our sanctuary and knelt in prayer. And wept.

I talk about the great things God wants to do in this church, in the lives of this body of believers, in this community…in me. But am I willing to step into that growth, willing to take on the changes for me? That’s scarey…and it’s all good. God’s promise and plan shouldn’t be a fearful thing.

So this revelation is going to cost me. Bonhoeffer wrote that there is no cheap grace…the same is true of faith.

This thing we call faith is the foundation for everything we build your spiritual life upon. We need to make sure it’s rock steady.

Sermon Seeds: Everything We Need

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

This afternoon my grandson stopped by the office for a few minutes. There was about a twenty minute lag between when his mom needed to drop him off and his grandpa (my hub) got off work. We played a few points of air hockey and then went to my office where I was working on the sermon.

He asked what I was doing and when I told him his eyes lit up and he begged to help. Since I have taken this interim position, he has developed a new outlook on church. On Sunday he told his Sunday School teacher his favorite part of church was the preaching. (Go ahead, picture me grinning quite hugely.)

This afternoon, I told him I would love his help. I showed him the text (see above) and asked him to look at it and tell me what he thought the most important parts were. Let’s see if they match up with what you think stands out.

First he pointed out how cool it is that God has given us everything we need to follow him. Next he liked the part that God chose us. And finally, he felt it was pretty amazing that we get to share in the God’s nature…and we need to be sharing that.

Seems to me that preaches pretty well. Not bad for a nine year old.

Sermon Seeds: It’s All About The Fruit

⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

It seems so obvious. We wouldn’t argue the point if we were discussing grapes, or squash, or pumpkins. The only way to produce fruit is for the branch to be connected to the vine.

In this section of the gospel (John 15), Jesus identifies himself as the true vine–the genuine item, the real deal. He would only make that point if there were false, fake, or dead vines people were trying to attach themselves to.

The way to know who or what we’re attached to is to examine the fruit. Good fruit comes from abiding in the true vine.

So, how’s your fruit?

If we are going to produce fruit for the Kingdom, fruit that brings glory to God, then we need to be a people of the vine.

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