The Kingdom Makes a Difference

Pastor Rocklyn Clarke - Sunday October 5, 2008

© 2008 Life Church Ministries, Inc.

http://www.LifeChurchMinistries.org/

Notes

Introduction

Bible Reading 9/28 - 10/4: Isa 54:1 - Jer 4:18; Eph 6:1 - Col 1:20; Psalm 70:1 - 76:12; Prov 24:8-22

Review

New Material

Preparation

Expository Preaching

Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the preacher, applies to the hearers.

Select the Passage

Study the Passage

NIV

Hebrew Study Bible

KJV

The Message

NASB

RSV

Discover the Exegetical Idea

Subject

Tools: How, Who, What, When, Where, Why

Complement

Analyze the Exegetical Idea

Explain It: What does this mean?

Prove It: Is it True? Do I believe it?

Apply It: What difference does it make? So What?

Formulate the Homiletical Idea

Determine the Purpose of the Sermon

Make it plain

Use accessible language and modern parables.

Make sure people do something with God's message.

Keep it simple.

Use illustrations of truth out of my own experience.

Decide How to Accomplish This Purpose

Outline the Sermon

The Kingdom Makes a Difference

Preparation

Select The Passage:

Discover the Exegetical Idea

Analyze the Exegetical Idea

Explain It: What does this mean?

Prove It: Is it True? Do I believe it?

Apply It: What difference does it make? So What?

Formulate the Homiletical Idea

Determine the Purpose of the Sermon

Make it plain

Use accessible language and modern parables

Make sure people do something with God's message.

Decide How to Accomplish This Purpose

Outline the Sermon

The Statue and the Stone - Dan 2:24-49

Four Kingdoms

Babylon

Medo-Persia

Greece

Rome

God's Kingdom was established during the Roman Empire

The Kingdom will prevail over everything else

The Kingdom makes a difference

How Will The Kingdom Make a Difference?

The Church must begin to assess its effectiveness.

The Church must adopt new effective biblical strategies.

Reengineering - IBM Credit Corp.

Reengineering - Streamlining Purchasing

The Kingdom is bigger than politics

Politics - the way people cope with competition for limited resources

Example - office supplies vs. office budgets

The Kingdom of God is within you - Luke 17:21

Training the Saints - Eph 4:1-16

It's a head thing - the head-switching funeral story

Worship services and "prophetic pronouncements" are not enough.

Count the cost = Luke 14:25-35

Spiritual leaders are coaches - Eph 4:1-13

God wants to change the way you think.

God wants to change the way you act.

You must restructure your life in ways that will help you put God's Word into practice.

We do this for non-kingdom things:

Going back to school to gain skills for a better job

Dieting to fit into a wedding dress or swimwear

Changing your routine into order to "run into" a special someone

Growing Up Into Christ - Eph 4:14-16

Discussion Questions / Topics (based on the indicated scriptures)

Scripture References: Training the Saints - Eph 4:1-16

Describe some of the ways in which you've allowed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers to coach and train you to do works of service.

What have you done this week to build up the church, Christ's body? What will you do this coming week to build up the church?

In what ways have you allowed God to change the way you think?

Witnessing Activities (pick one or two)

Make a list of the non-Christians in your life that you spend time with on a regular basis.

Help each other develop strategies for introducing some of the people from your lists to someone from your life group. Arrange to implement at least one of these strategies.

Discuss some ways that you might expand the circle of non-Christians that you know.