Life Church Message Sunday July 24, 2005 - Harvest Time (Part 3)
Introduction
Bible Reading 7/17 - 7/23: 1Chron 24 - 2Chron 10; Rom 4:1 - 8:21; Psalm 13:1 - 18:36; Prov 19:15-26
Review - Learning Organization - personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, systems thinking
What Audience Are You Playing To?
There are four possible audiences
God and his Kingdom
The World - family, friends, constituency, people in general
Yourself
Satan and his kingdom
Playing For Satan
Knowingly - this label describes those who are in occult bondage
Unknowingly
Playing For Yourself
Thor vs. Loki - For Odin! For Asgard! For myself!
Don't use your relationship with God to enhance your own prestige (i.e. glorify yourself).
Don't gain the world at the expense of your soul - Luke 9:23-25
Are you your own personal god?
Religion of self - Nobody tells me what to do!
Playing For The World
King Saul
Became king as a result of people's request for a "king like the other nations have - 1Sam 8:5
Cared more about how people saw him than about how God saw him
Initially did not want to be in public eye - 1Sam 10:22
Presumptiously offers the sacrifice - 1Sam 13:5-14
Fails to destroy the Amalekites - 1Sam 15:1-34
The Pharisees
Love to be honored - Mat 23:5-12
Woe - Mat 23:13-26
Peter (temporarily) - Mat 16:13-26
Carnal believers
Modern Media (e.g. television, movies, video games)
amplifies our "connection" with "the world"
creates the illusion of genuine relationships
Do not love the world - 1John 2:15-17
Playing For God
Examples
King David
A man after God's own heart - 1Sam 13:14
Became King as a result of God's redemptive response to Saul's failure
Refused to strike the Lord's anointed - 1Sam 24:6; 1Sam 26:11
Cared more about how God saw him than about how people saw him
David dancing in front of the Ark - 2Sam 6:12-23
Michal despised David's worship display
She had no children
Despising divine worship ---> fruitlessness
Saul's house valued appearances over God's glory
No offspring from union between House of Saul and House of David
What do light and darkness have in common - 2Cor 6:14
you can't mix those who perform for God with those who perform from themselves or for men.
What Not To Do
Perform for the church
Self-effort
Don't conform to the pattern of this age - Rom 12:1
What To Do
Saul must die - David must live.
Saul must die - Paul must live.
Call to me . . . - Jer 33:3
If you spend time with the Father you'll want to please him more.
What is my Father trying to accomplish - how can I cooperate with him?
Let God heal the wounds that cause you to look to others instead of to him for validation - he did it for me
Let the Father turn your heart towards your brothers and sisters.
What pleases God?
Find out what pleases the Lord - Eph 5:10
God's ways vs. our ways - Isa 55:6-11
Friendship with the world is hatred towards God - James 4:4
Pleasing men is not compatible with being a servant of Christ - Gal 1:10
Guard your heart
Scriptures - Prov 4:23; Luke 6:45
"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Be transformed - Rom 12:2-21
We have a heavenly audience
God is molding us into a people who love
love one another deeply from the heart - 1Pet 1:22
this is not achieved through self-effort - 1Cor 13
Great cloud of witnesses - Heb 12
What Results Are You Trying To Get?
How do we see the Church?
Playing Church
Safe social environment
Moral instruction for children
Networking
personal business cnotacts
multi-level marketing
How does God see the Church?
I will build my church - Mat 16:13-20
Christ's Body - Eph 1:22-23; Eph 5:23; Col 1:18
God's wisdom manifested through the church - Eph 2:1 - 3:13
The church should glorify God - Eph 3:20-21
The church of the firstborn - Heb 12:18-29
The church is alive and living things grow
Reap the harvest
Jesus in Samaria - John 4:1-43
Jesus sends out the twelve - Mat 9:35 - 10:42
Pentecost Fruit - Acts 2:36-47
How will Life Church reap the harvest?
Biblical Vision - see above
We must plan for the harvest
Walk by faith - calling those things that are not as though they were
Make room for the harvest
Biblical Leadership
Office gifts - Eph 4:7-16
Members
Whom are you leading / influencing?
Situational Leadership - see reading at end of notes
Train life groups to reap and contain the harvest
outreach
missions support
ministry to at-risk populations
little brother/sister
gang member & family
Leadership Development
Leaders birth and grow life groups
Our life groups must produce leaders
Where Are You Going?
Life has a purpose - Canaan is the goal
learn the right lessons on the way
Don't miss Canaan
God wants to do something with you
Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord
The life of God must be revealed in us and it must flow out of us - rivers of living water - John 7:38
We need the supernatural in our worship services and in our daily lives
supernatural direction
supernatural provision
supernatural power (ability)
We were designed to be natural conduits of God's supernatural power and life
I am a conduit
Technical conduits
lead vs. copper pipes
galvanized steel pipes for gas
unshielded untwisted pair
unshielded twisted pair (UTP)
coaxial cable (coax)
waveguides
optical fiber - extremely pure glass
We access God's supernatural power by faith - Gal 3:1-5
Can God have a word with you?
Teach my people to walk and talk with me
Enoch walked with God - Gen 5
Sometimes God leads us to places where we have to depend on him
Israel in the wilderness followed the cloud to some hard places
Faith grows out of our relationship with God
If you don't maintain this relationship you miss God's fresh revelation
Israel failed to recognize their Messiah
Their religious system became more important to them than God
If you maintain your relationship you stay in God's will
Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light - John 3:18-21
Noone can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him - John 6:44
Everyone who listens to the Father comes to Jesus - John 6:45
God rewards those who diligently seek him - Heb 11:6
When God speaks
He provides you with faith to know it's him.
You then have to extend your faith in obedience
We experience God's voice in a range of ways
Audible voice
Sudden revelation - like seeing a powerful play or a movie
Gradual revelation - like reviewing a play or a movie
You must apply your faith to God's message - Heb 4:2
God's Word judges our sinful refusal to respond in faith - Heb 4:12-13
It takes a community
We need one another in order to keep our relationship with God vibrant
Write the God's Word everywhere - Deut 6:4-9, 11:18-21
Talk about the Word - Deut 6:7, 11:19
Encourage one another daily - Heb 3:12-14, 10:24-25
What is God saying to you?
Do you give him a chance to speak?
How's your prayer partnership?
Are you talking about God with your brothers and sisters?
Expand the people's vision
What is the harvest?
Bringing people into God's Kingdom - Mat 3:2; 4:17
Leading people to the new birth - John 2:23 - 3:8; 1Pet 1:23
Water Baptism - Mat 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-41
Making disciples - Mat 28:18-20; 2Tim 2:2
Who reaps the harvest?
People who want it
Looking for a city - Heb 11:8-16
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - Mat 5:6
People who pray
Keep praying - Luke 18:1-8
People who want to look good to God rather than to men
Saul
Israel wanted a king like the other nations had - 1Sam 8:1-8
Saul looked good on the outside - 1Sam 9:2; 1Sam 10:17-24
Saul cared more about how he looked to people than to God
David
David was tending sheep when he was chosen. - 1Sam 16:1-13
He was overlooked by his father but remembered by God.
People who are part of the covenant
Canaan Milestones
Crossing the Jordan River
New Boston Pilot Middle School is our Jordan - not our Jericho
All we had to do was "step in the water" and the flow stopped.
Circumcision at Gilgal
The Israelites hadn't been circumcised since their failure to enter Canaan the first time
Eating the produce of the land
End of the Manna
Conquering Jericho
Circumcision
God's covenant with Abraham - Gen 17
After Ishmael was about 13
God changes Abram's name to Abraham
God promises to make Abraham the father of many nations
Every male in Abraham's household must be circumcised
God changes Sarai's name to Sarah
God confirms that Sarah will bear a son named Isaac
God will bless all of Abraham's descendants
God will establish his covenant with Isaac and Isaac's descendants
Circumcision touches the "fathering" organ
The organ with which Abraham would father nations had to be cut
Anyone who wanted to "roll" with Abraham had to have his organ cut
The Israelites had to be circumcised before they could move on to Jericho
Baptism is the New Testament analog of circumcision - Col 2:6-15
Our "flesh" or "sinful nature" is figuratively a "foreskin"
Baptism is our sign of our covenant with God
We must confirm our covenant before moving forward
Covenant People
What does it really mean to be a Christian?
The believers were first called Christians at Antioch - Acts 11:26
Paul at Mars Hill - Acts 17:15-34
Confess with your mouth / believe in your heart - Rom 10:9-10
Repent and be baptized - Acts 2:38
What does it mean for Jesus to be Lord?
Jesus is boss, CEO, president, etc.
We must do what he says - Luke 6:46-49
Not my will but God's will
We must be "covenant sensitive"
We must share our testimonies with one another
We must ask other people about their experience with Jesus
How did your relationship with Jesus begin?
Who is Jesus to you?
Note "works" type responses:
"I'm trying to get my life together"
"I'm trying to be positive"
"I hope I'll make it to heaven"
Don't "fake the funk" - Acts 4:32 - 5:14
New Material
Vision For Harvest
Summary of Life Church Vision and Mission
Life Church is a growing community of Christians.
We gather together on Sundays for worship and instruction and we meet together in small groups on a weekly basis for fellowship and support.
We take time to love and to get to know God and each other.
We take time to fulfill God’s mission for our lives.
We live rich and balanced lives together.
We develop mature believers and effective leaders who extend God’s Kingdom wherever they go.
This is the vision that God gave me for Life Church
You're here because God has called you to this vision
The harvest portion of the vision
Developing mature believers and effective leaders
Extending God's Kingdom
This doesn't happen by itself - you must be actively involved
Jesus - The Lord Of the Harvest
No foundation but Jesus - 1Cor 3:10-12
Jesus is the Christ - Mat 16:13-19; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21
Christ is the center - 2Cor 5:17; Gal 2:20
God got my attention through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
No other Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible
The gospels are the historical record of Jesus' life on earth
Mat 1:1,18; Mat 28:18-20
Mark 1:1; Mark 16:14-20
Luke 1:1-4; Luke 1:26-33; Luke 24:36-53
John 1:1-18; John 20:26-31; John 21:25
Acts 1:1-11; Acts 28:30-31
Pauline letters begin by referring to "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
Heb 1:1-4
Peter and James refer to Jesus at the beginning of their letters
1John 1:1-4; 2John 1:1-3; 3John does not mention Jesus by name
Rev 1:1; Rev 22:1:6-21
No other historical document supercedes these
Not the Koran
Not the Kebra Nagast or the Holy Piby
Noone supercedes Jesus
I am the way, the truth, and the life - John 14:6 (context vs. 1-14)
Jesus return will be visible to everyone - Mat 24:15-31
In these last days God has spoken by his Son - Heb 1:1-4
Noone
Not Buddha - 500 BC
Not Mohammed - 500 AD
Not Haile Selassie
Our Roots
God's Word
Inspiration - Acts 20:32; 2Tim 3:15-17; 1Thes 2:13; 2Pet 1:20-21
Focus on it - Josh 1:8;
Hear it, Read it, Study it, Memorize it, Meditate on it
One Year Bible
Prayer - Eph 6:18; Phil 4:6-7
The Lord's Prayer - Mat 6:9-13
Prayer Components
Worship - John 4:23-24; Heb 12:28; Heb 13:15
Receiving Guidance - James 1:5
Making Requests - Phil 4:6-7
Maintaining a Defensive Hedge - Ezek 22:23-31; Eph 6:10-18; Col 4:12; James 5:14-18
Ministry of confession as antidote to shame - James 5:14-18
Offensive Warfare - Dan 10:1-14; 2Cor 1:11; Phil 1:19; 1Tim 2:1
You need all of these components
Reinforce prayer partnerships
To be continued
