Tune In, Take Notes, and Draw Close

Pastor Rocklyn Clarke - Sunday November 9, 2008

© 2008 Life Church Ministries, Inc.

http://www.LifeChurchMinistries.org/

Notes

Introduction

Bible Reading 11/02 - 11/08: Ezek 3:16 - 19:14; Heb 4: - 9:10; Psalm 104:24 - 106:48; Prov 26:27 - 27:10

Review

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

Kingdom People Make A Difference

Homiletical Idea - Kingdom People Make A Difference

Keep it simple.

Use illustrations of truth out of my own experience.

Passage - 2Cor 2:12 - 3:6

Explain the passage's background.

Read the passage.

God's servants have a real impact on the world around them.

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

Yes - I know people who've made a difference.

Yes - I've been able to make a difference in some lives.

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

People need to know that they're supposed to make a difference.

Knowing this will help you to do it.

Focus On Others - 2Cor 2:12-13

Allow God To Use You Wherever You Are - 2Cor 2:14-16

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you.

Be ready for unexpected conversations.

Practice Openness and Integrity - 2Cor 2:17

"Before God" implies face to face communication. God is our friend.

God wants to be your father - Isa 9:6-7.

God wants to be your friend - John 15:13-15.

God wants to be your life - John 7:37-39.

See Other People As Your "Best Work"- 2Cor 3:1-3

Let God Be Your Source - 2Cor 3:4-6

Purpose of the Sermon

Expand your world view.

Analyze your life to determine if you're making a difference.

Make whatever changes are necessary.

Kingdom People Have Hungry Ears

Getting someone's attention

Consider the process of getting the attention of someone important:

Reporters at a press conference.

Competing with others for the attention of a visiting preacher.

Competing with others for Bishop's attention.

What if you had to compete for God's attention?

Does God have to compete for your attention?

Moses Sets Up The Tent Of Meeting - Ex 33:7-11

Outside the camp - away from distractions

God speaks with Moses face to face - like a friend

God's response is framed as a response to Moses' act of devotion.

Consider The Range Of Possible Responses To God

Not everyone is hungry for God.

Some people are indifferent to or only mildly interested in him.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst . . . - Mat 5:6

Jesus rejects the lukewarm - Rev 3:14-16

What's your attitude? How do you compare with Moses?

Moses Is Hungry For More Of God - Ex 33:12-23

He wants to know more about God's plan.

He wants to learn God's ways.

He advocates for God's people.

He wants to see God's glory.

God rewards those who diligently seek him - Ex 34:1-8; Heb 11:6

God proclaims his name in Moses' presence.

Moses receives an auditory experience but not a full visual one.

We have to hear God before we see him.

Noah

Abraham

Moses and the burning bush

Samuel at the tabernacle

God's presence transforms you - Ex 34:28-35

Transformation is one of the rewards for diligently seeking God.

Get Hungry - 2Cor 3:1-18

I've been hungry for God most of my life.

All my saved life God has opened ministry doors for me:

Bishop opened his study to me.

Sister T. invited me to be a part of leadership meetings.

Bishop switched me from Deacons class to Ministers class.

There's more at stake now - better covenant, promises - Heb 8:3-6

When your ears are hungry . . .

You look for real food

Israelites gathering Manna

Do not work for food that spoils - John 6:25-29

Itching ears just want to be scratched - Tit 4:1-4

Hungry ears want to be fed.

Stop rebelling - say "yes" to God.

Kingdom People Know How To Live - 2Cor 3:7-18

Background - 2Cor 2:12 - 3:6

Who is equal to the task of ministering to the world we find ourselves in?

Paul is motivated by sincere devotion to God - not profit.

The Corinthians are the proof of his ministry.

His competence comes from God.

Paul is a minister of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit.

The Letter Kills

We don't keep the law - Rom 5:12-21

We can't keep the law - Rom 7:1-12

The law brings a curse - Gal 3:1-14

The law enslaves us - Gal 3:29 - 4:2

Explain how the Spirit makes a difference.

The ministry of the Spirit brings life, freedom, and transformation.

The Spirit comes to live inside believers.

Sent by Jesus - John 14:15-21

He is God's actual presence within us.

The ministry of the Spirit brings God's life to us.

It brings righteousness (right standing with God) which leads to life.

Share personal experiences.

The ministry of the Spirit sets us free from:

Hiding from God.

Hiding from other people.

Share personal experiences.

The Holy Spirit set me free from pretending to God that I was someplace that I really wasn't. He has freed me to confess to my wife and to other brothers and sisters and to acknowledge their criticisms.

Explain how to live by the Spirit.

Want to - Rom 8:1-4

Listen - Rom 8:5-11

Obey - Rom 8:12-17

The Holy Spirit is transforming me as I listen to him.

What difference does it make? So What?

We can be bold rather than timid.

We can experience genuine lasting change in our lives.

We can be open and honest rather than secretive and deceptive.

We don't lose heart. We're confident about the future.

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

Tune In, Take Notes, and Draw Close - Rom 8:1-17

Introduction

The Drug Years - 1960s

People sought "deep" revelation through drugs.

Many deluded themselves into believing they had achieved a "higher consciousness".

I've had this experience when I was high.

Knocked Up - "Just tell me what to do!"

The Letter Kills

We don't keep the law - Rom 5:12-21

We can't keep the law - Rom 7:1-12

The law brings a curse - Gal 3:1-14

The law enslaves us - Gal 3:29 - 4:2

The Pattern

Learn the rules

Try to obey the rules

Fail

Ask God for help

Try repeatedly to obey the rules.

Fail repeatedly.

Blame God.

Fall away

Phases Of Living By The Spirit

Tune In

Encounter the message about the life of the Spirit.

Jesus' sheep know his voice voice - John 10:1-5; John 10:14-16; John 10:24-30

"This is my son . . . listen to him" - Mat 17:1-5

You can't love God without talking to him.

If you don't listen to God, you can't really call yourself his child.

Listening to God is everything in the Kingdom.

Want to - Rom 8:1-4

Kill the static - let go of old church models.

Try to listen to the Spirit.

Seven day challenge: find your best time for praying.

Twenty-one day challenge: establish the prayer habit.

Forty day challenge: lock it in.

Take Notes

Listen - Rom 8:5-11

Develop the habit of writing down what God tells you.

Philip 1:1-6; 2Tim 1:12

Draw Close

Get used to hearing from God.

Tighten up your relationship with God.

Obey - Rom 8:12-17

What difference does it make? So What?

The universe is waiting for us - Rom 8:18-27

God is for us - Rom 8:28-39

Discussion Questions / Topics (based on the indicated scriptures)

Scripture Reference - Rom 8:1-17; Heb 11:1-6

Has the focus of your Christian life been more on obeying "the rules" or on talking to and listening to God? How can we help you in this area?

How does Romans 8:14 apply to you personally? How do you "tune in" so that God can lead you? Do you expect him to speak to you?

What has God said to you recently? Did you write it down?

Witnessing Activities (pick one or two)

Divide into groups of 2 or 3 and take 5 minutes to pray for each other's needs. Then take another 5 minutes to listen to God and write down what you believe he is saying to you.