Sermon Connection

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Sermon-ConnectionsHonor Our Heritage

Back to Basics

Restore us to You, O LORD, that we may be restored; Renew our days as of old, Unless You have utterly rejected us And are exceedingly angry with us. Lamentations 5:21-22 (NASB)

The contemporary Christian vocal quartet “4 Him” was together for 16 years. They produced more than 20 number one singles. One that has really spoken to me through the years is “The Basics of Life”. The lyrics read:

“We’ve turned the page, for a new day has dawned. We’ve re-arranged what is right and what’s wrong. Somehow we’ve drifted so far from the truth, that we can’t get back home. Where are the virtues that once gave us light? Where are the morals that governed our lives? Someday we all will awake and look back Just to find what we’ve lost.

We need to get back to the basics of life. A heart that is pure and a love that is blind. A faith that is fervently grounded in Christ; The hope that endures for all times. These are the basics, we need to get back to the basics of life.

The newest rage is to reason it out. Just meditate and you can overcome every doubt. After all man is a God, they say God is no longer alive. But I still believe in the old rugged cross and I still believe there is hope for the lost. And I know the rock of all ages will stand through changes of time.

We’ve let the darkness invade us too long We’ve got to turn the tide Oh and we need the passion that burned long ago To come and open our eyes There’s no room for compromise We need to get back To the basics of life A heart that is pure And a love that is blind.”

When our forefathers settled this land, they knew the importance of knowing God. I do not mean knowing about Him. Many, if not most, knew Him intimately. It is reflected all through their writings. Some of the people you will remember reading about said:

“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” – John Quincy Adams

“I have always said and always will say that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make us better citizens.” – Thomas Jefferson

“Whosoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.” – Benjamin Franklin

“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.” – Samuel Adams

Isn’t it time we get back to the basics? What a difference it would make if the people who call themselves Christian would follow God with their whole heart.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for this marvelous opportunity to live life! Help me to live it as You intended. Give me the courage to stand for the right and the strength to flee from the wrong. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Sermon-ConnectionsHonor Our Heritage

Higher Learning

Restore us to You, O LORD, that we may be restored; Renew our days as of old, Unless You have utterly rejected us And are exceedingly angry with us. Lamentations 5:21-22 (NASB)

I have had the privilege of continuing my education after completing high school in many different ways. I had the privilege of an apprentice school in the shipyard. Later as a member of our armed forces, I learned electronics. I am tremendously grateful for these opportunities. However, the one I cherish the most is my college experience at Campbell University. When God called me into the Gospel Ministry, I was encouraged to prepare and college was the way to accomplish it. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to continue learning.

Learning is part of our heritage. It comes in different shapes and sizes tailor made for each of us. It is part of our common experience as people created in the image of God. With the education experience in mind, what do Harvard, Yale, and Princeton all have in common? Yes, they are “Ivy League” schools, but that is not it. They were all established at the same time. No. Harvard is the oldest established in 1636; Yale was established in 1701 and Princeton in 1746. All of these schools are very expensive. Yes, but that is not it either.

These schools were each birthed in an era when our founding fathers believed the Bible when the Psalmist said “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). Harvard’s founding purpose was “every student’s main aim is to know God and Jesus Christ, and to recognize that Christ is the foundation of all learning.” Yale said “God is the source of all wisdom” and they required all their students to attend daily public prayer services both morning and evening. Princeton boldly proclaimed “Cursed is all learning contrary to the cause of Christ.” Sadly, all of these schools have drifted far from their beginnings.

When Thomas Jefferson was president, he served as the head of the school board in Washington, DC. It is interesting that in the beginning of his first term he wrote the letter to the Danbury Baptist Association where he used the phrase for the very first time, “a wall of separation between church and state”. Yet Jefferson insisted that two books be used in the schools: the Bible and Watts Hymnal because it was rich in Bible teaching. This is a completely different understanding than what the courts are using today.

The United States of America was birthed out of a deeply held conviction for God’s Holy Bible. It is evident that our fore fathers believed that all learning and most certainly any formal education must begin with an understanding of the Bible. On what deeply held conviction do we educate our children today? When we look for a school of higher education, what are the qualities for which we look? The Bible says in Proverbs 1:7 (NASB) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Sadly, most of us look for the wisdom of men rather than the wisdom of God.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

The country I love so much is playing the fool. We are playing the Fool! We have banned Your instruction in the schools and are no longer allowed to publically ask for Your guidance in the public arena. Forgive us! I pray that we repent before it is too late. Give me the bold courage to live Your teachings unashamedly so that others will come to know You as Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Sermon-ConnectionsHonor Our Heritage

What’s Your Motto?

Restore us to You, O LORD, that we may be restored; Renew our days as of old Lamentations 5:21 (NASB)

In the business world today, we are taught to clarify our purpose. In order to do this, we must write a statement that is clear, concise, and memorable. These statement are born out of purpose. Many organizations go about it differently, but most would agree that a well-run organization is one who understands their purpose. Let me suggest five specific organizations whose mottos and core values are the best in the world!

Our armed forces have as their core values or mottos the following:

  • US Army
    • This We’ll Defend
  • US Air Force
    • Integrity First
    • Service Before Self
    • Excellence in All We Do
  • US Coast Guard
    • “Semper Paratus” (Always Ready)
  • US Marine Corp
    • “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful)
  • US Navy
    • “Honor, Courage, Commitment”

The men and women that serve in our military are held to standards that exemplify the best our country has to offer. As they live up to these mottos and core values, they indeed are the best. They put their life on the line in countries all over the globe defending freedom so that we who remain behind can live, work, play, and worship… FREE. Thank you for your service to our country!

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been given freedom. We would all do well if we stopped to take time to reflect on our purpose in Christ and then live like we mean it!

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the men and women that serve so faithfully in protection our country. The disciplines under which they train help them to be ready at a moment’s notice. Help us as soldiers of the Cross to be ready to defend the faith. However, help us to do more than that. Help us to LIVE the faith each and every day! In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Sermon-ConnectionsWhat’s a Christian To Do?

Pursued by the Atoning Love

With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:6-8 (NASB)

I have run from God many times. My intention was never to do that, but I was focused on what I wanted. I could wrap it up in great motives. For example, I am doing this for my family, or something like, If am successful, it will allow me to help others in the future. I could go on but you get the point.

Most of us start out on a path that makes perfect sense, at least in the beginning. At some point, if we are not careful, what we start out doing with such great motives becomes all about us. That’s when we run away from God and straight into danger. As James Hewitt says “… many people run from God’s provision of atonement on the cross, fearing what He might do to them. But His plans are for good not evil–to rescue us from the hidden sins that endanger our lives.”

James shares a story entitled “Pursued by the Atoning Love” that got my attention:

“One evening a woman was driving home when she noticed a huge truck behind her that was driving uncomfortably close. She stepped on the gas to gain some distance from the truck, but when she sped up the truck did too. The faster she drove, the faster the truck followed.

Now scared, she exited the freeway, but the truck stayed with her. The woman then turned up a main street, hoping to lose her pursuer in traffic. The truck ran a red light and continued the chase.

Reaching the point of panic, the woman whipped her car into a service station and bolted out of her auto screaming for help. The truck driver sprang from his truck and ran toward her car. Yanking the back door open, the driver pulled out a man hidden in the backseat.

The woman was running from the wrong person. From his high vantage point, the truck driver had spotted a would-be rapist in the woman’s car. The chase was not his effort to harm her but to save her even at the cost of his own safety.”

There are times in my life when I resemble the woman in this story. I run from the very person trying to help me. Micah helps me to stop and ask the question “What does God require?” Ironically it is to be the kind of person I want to be and with whom I would want to be associated. He requires I do justice and I want to be around someone who is just. He requires me to love kindness and I like being with kind people. He requires me to walk humbly and I want to be humble. These things are never for my harm, always for my good. It is what He requires for each of us.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

My sins are great! I know that they always separate me from You. Please help me to surrender my ways to Your will. Thank You for loving me and providing for me an opportunity to experience You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Sermon-ConnectionsMarvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace

The Cost of Grace

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. Colossians 1:11-12 (HCSB)

Mary Lewis shares this true story. Two guys in a church, Paul and William decided that they really wanted to become godly men. So they started meeting with one another to pray and encourage one another; they even set goals for themselves and their behavior, and then were accountable to the other one.

Paul decided he wanted to break his habit of using profanity. He decided he was going to put five dollars in the offering for every time he swore during the week. In order to stay accountable, he would tell William how many times he’d failed.

The first week cost Paul $100.

Now, Paul must’ve been doing ok financially, because that didn’t stop his swearing. In fact, while he improved somewhat over the next couple weeks, he really wasn’t having the success he wanted and was losing a lot of hard-earned cash. After the fourth week, William told Paul he had decided that the deal needed to be changed for the coming week, but he wasn’t going to tell Paul how it would change. He just said, “Trust me. It will cost you both less and more.”

When they met the following Sunday before worship, Paul admitted he’d failed again. William put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Paul, I told you this was going to cost you both less and more. It’s called grace.” William took out his checkbook, and made out a check to the church, leaving the amount blank. He gave the check to Paul and said, “Your sin still costs, but for you it’s free. Just fill in the numbers. And next week there will be more grace.”

William’s grace cost him $55 the first week; the second only cost him $20. There was no third week. Paul couldn’t bear to see what his sin was costing his friend, so he quit sinning.

Grace is never cheap. The cost is priceless and the result of grace can best be expressed in the words of the old slave trader John Newton:

I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be.

I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be.

And by the grace of God, I am what I am.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the tremendous price You paid for me! I cherish the forgiveness of my sin through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

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Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace

It Must Be Experienced!

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. Colossians 1:9-14 (MSG)

Grace is an indispensable part of the Christian Life. However, like so many things in life, knowing the definition is simply not enough. Grace, this unmerited favor of God, must be experienced. This story adapted from Steve Lucas helps illustrate this point.

“I want you to imagine a couple sitting in a coffee shop. And you are one table over… You know, those coffee shops are small enough; you can hear almost every conversation in the room… and there is a couple there. And they are in love. And they are absolutely head over heels for each other. They are staring, looking into each other’s eyes. And there is that longing and the sigh. And you can just feel the passion emanating. And finally she looks at him, and she says, “I want to know you.” There is a little grin on her face, a little giggle.

And you are thinking, “Yeah, I know what she means.” And he looks back at her, and he says, “Fine. I will send you a book I wrote about myself so you can read it. And you can know me.” And she says, “No, you know, I want to be close.” And he says, “I know. That is why I am sending you to this seminar that is all about my life, so that you can feel closer to me in a two-day experience.” And she reaches over. She grabs his hand. And she says, “I want to be with you.” He says, “Well, that is nice. There is a course at church that you can take where you can be with me.”

See, I am not talking about increasing your knowledge. Knowledge puffs up. Knowledge has the power to make you arrogant, and that is just about it. That is all knowledge can do for you if it is divorced from what the real intent of knowledge is. It is to cause you to grow in love, grow in faith.”

The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:13 (NASB), “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Experience the grace that God gives you for the journey of life. Our hope, our help is found in Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Your grace is a gift that helps me to find the purpose and meaning in this life. Help me to live boldly, without fear, because Your grace is sufficient for me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace!

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him. Colossians 1:11-14 (HCSB)

Have you ever met someone who demands more of others than they are capable or willing to do? It is so easy to see the faults in others while being completely blind to your own. Charles Shultz humorously portrays this in his comic strip, “Peanuts”. “Lucy is seen saying that if she was in charge of the world, she’d change everything. Charlie says, “That wouldn’t be easy. Where would you start?” Lucy looks directly at him, and without hesitation, points her finger at him and says, “I’d start with you!”

When people act like this, it tends to evoke a lot of emotions like frustration, aggravation, and infuriation. Once I get past these, I find that what I am left with is sadness. I think sadness is accurate because I realize what they are forfeiting. They settle for living their lives pointing out the faults of others while ignoring their own. Then I am filled with gratitude because I have the greatest gift ever given: Grace!

Paul, in writing to the church at Colossae, tells us that “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness”. One of the greatest aspects of the domain of darkness is the inability to see. It is only by the power of God through Christ Jesus that we are able to begin to see who we really are in light of who He really is. Paul tells the church in Ephesus “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) Grace is unmerited favor!

As I begin to understand the grace that has been given so undeservingly to me, I am overwhelmed. I am filled with a tremendous feeling of gratitude. And then I realize, and here is where it gets difficult, that I am even compelled to share it with the one who is unwilling to give it to me! Jerry Bridges has a quote that is worth remembering: “Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

This marvelous, infinite, matchless grace is what we all need to get and we must, when received, give it to others!

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

I am amazed that You would love me such that You would be gracious to me. I know that I do not deserve it. There have been times when I have been unwilling to be gracious to others. Please forgive me. Thank You for loving me. Help me to love others. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Sermon-ConnectionsRELENTLESS LOVE

His Love Never Runs Out

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. Deuteronomy 30:15-16 (NASB)

The song “One Thing Remains” by Jesus Culture has a line that is incredibly important to remember as they sing about God, “Your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me”. What can love do in a person’s life? Melvin Newland tells the following story:

When Robert Browning came into her life, Elizabeth Barrett was a 39-year-old invalid. Daughter of a jealous & dominating father, her first 4 books of poetry had been published when she was just 12 years old. At 15 she injured her spine, & the resulting confinement in London affected her lungs, & she came to be regarded as a permanent invalid, doomed to spend her life in bed. But still she kept writing.

As time passed, the grief caused by the drowning of a brother, & her father’s refusal to allow any of his children to marry made her a recluse. Nearing 40, she seemed destined for a life of helplessness & gloom.

But the publication of one of her books brought about a correspondence with another poet, a man by the name of Robert Browning. He visited her, & then they wrote often to each other, with him encouraging her to try to get out of bed & make every effort to resume a normal life. But this met with strong resistance from her parents. And they resented Robert for even suggesting it.

They refused to allow him to visit her again, but the correspondence continued, & soon they were in love. Finally, more than a year later, she escaped the possessive vigilance of her father & they were secretly married. They immediately moved to Italy, & in that sunny climate it wasn’t long until she was strong & active once again.

Her parents disowned her, but she wrote almost every week, telling them that she loved them & longed for a reconciliation. After 10 years of writing to them, she received a huge box in the mail that contained all the letters she had ever sent. Not a one of them had been opened!

Although these “love letters” have now become a precious part of English literature, it’s sad to know that they were never read by her parents. Had they looked at just one, the broken relationship with their daughter might have been healed.

But no, they wouldn’t & they didn’t. We hear a story like that & we think, “Oh, what a pitiful story. What a pitiful thing for her parents to be like that.” You’re right. But let me ask you, “Is it possible that as far as God is concerned, that some of us are acting exactly the same way that her parents did?” How often has God made His love known to us?”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

There have been many times when I was blinded by my determination to get “things” accomplished! Please help me to know Your love and give me the courage to love others. You always want my best, but give me the freedom to choose less. Thank You for the reminder of how constant Your love is. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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RENTLESS LOVE

Unconditional?

“The LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. “And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. “Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul. Deuteronomy 30:7-10 (NASB)

Love is seen in our world today as acceptance. Acceptance of anything one chooses to do regardless of the morals used or lack thereof. The standard for right and wrong is no longer blurred; it has all but been erased! We now live in a world where what used to be right is wrong and what used to be wrong is becoming totally accepted. Moreover, if someone chooses not to accept today’s version of “right”, they are seen as haters.

When we consult the Bible, we get a much clearer picture of what love is, but hang on, it is not the typical understanding of today. We are told in I John 4:8 (NASB) that, “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” He continues in verse 16 with “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” It is extremely easy to walk away with the idea that the love of God for us is unconditional and that we must unconditionally love everyone else, even what they do. However, you would be wrong!

God tells Israel in Deuteronomy 30:8-9 “And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. “Then the LORD your God will prosper you …” Moreover, Jesus in comforting His disciples in John 14:15 says, “”If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” While the love is God is unconditional meaning He always wants the best for us, but He demands something from us. If we choose to disobey Him… If we choose to do it our way… there are consequences. God’s love, or at least His blessings on us is conditional.

It seems so simple when you think about it. Every design in life has a purpose. We build our houses to a certain standard because we expect them to be safe, secure, and last a lifetime. We were created to last an eternity. Instead of trying to change the standards by which we live, let us live by the standard by which we were created!

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

I thank You for loving me. I can never stray so far as to escape your love. I also understand that every choice I make has consequences. Help me to live my life so that my consequences will always be your blessing! In Jesus Name, Amen.

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RELENTLESS LOVE

Prone to Wander

“So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. “If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. “The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. Deuteronomy 30:1-5 (NASB)

It has been in our nature since the “Fall of Man” to wander away from God. It is clearly seen in the life of Israel, God’s chosen people. In times of adversity, they would cry out to God for salvation. In times of prosperity, they would have a false sense of security in material possessions instead of trusting the God from whom their blessings came. It is so obvious to see it happening in the Israelites as we read the Bible. It is even fairly easy to see it when it happens to my neighbor. However, it is incredibly hard to see it happening in me. Yet I know that it is my nature just as it was in Adam to trust in the creation rather than the Creator!

Kenneth W. Osbeck in 101 Hymn Stories tells the story behind a favorite hymn that deals with wandering away from God:

“Robert Robinson had been saved out of a tempestuous life of sin through George Whitfield’s ministry in England. Shortly after that, at the age of twenty-three, Robinson wrote the hymn Come, Thou Fount.

Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing, Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.

Sadly, Robinson wandered far from those streams and, like the Prodigal Son, journeyed into the distant country of carnality. Until one day—he was traveling by stagecoach and sitting beside a young woman engrossed in her book. She ran across a verse she thought was beautiful and asked him what he thought of it.

Prone to wander— Lord, I feel it— Prone to leave the God I love.

Bursting into tears, Robinson said, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.” Although greatly surprised, she reassured him that the “streams of mercy” mentioned in his song still flowed. Mr. Robinson was deeply touched. Turning his “wandering heart” to the Lord, he was restored to full fellowship.”

Moses reminds the Israelites when “these things have come upon you” to return to the Lord. God is relentless in His love towards us. He is faithful to do what He promised.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Forgive me for my sin, my pride of self-sufficiency. I know Your Word is true and You have created all that I am or have. I know that You will restore me or anyone who turns from sin and comes to you. Help me to live my life honoring You with every choice I make. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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