LBC Sermons & Messages

John 17:1-5

This week is my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is just what it says. It is a time where we can reflect on the blessings of God, a holiday has not been too commercialized, and a time for family and friends. Today, I simply ask you to reflect on what you are truly thankful.

I am thankful for the gift of knowledge. I can know God himself. In the Old Testament, the phrase, “know that I am God/ the Lord” appears over 80 times. Jer. 24:7 and Psalms 46:10 are two examples of how God gives us a heart to know Him and how we need to listen to know Him. He is crying out to us and God greatly desires to be known by us. John 14:15-26 also gives some insight on knowing God. He has not left us comfortless and He will manifest Himself to us. What does God do to reveal himself to us, and are you listening?

I can also know peace, Is. 9:6, John 14:27, Phil. 4:7. In a day like today, it is hard to not let our hearts be troubled. The fundamental church appears to be in decline. Our country seems to be falling apart around us. The economy gives no security. However, God is my source of strength and my anchor. He is a constant help in time of need. I can run to the source that is higher than I am. When God is in control, there can be peace.

I can also know salvation, I John 5:13, Matt. 9:6. Salvation is
not an empty hope as the word is used today. It is a trust, not emotion, based upon knowledge that we have from scripture. My salvation is not conditioned upon me but in the very person and finished work of Christ.

Lastly, I can know service, Gal. 6:1-10, II Thess. 3:11-13. The biggest question posed to mankind is, “why do I exist?” This is simple, to serve the one and only Most High God. There is nothing higher.

How does God reveal Himself today? This question has many answers so let us spend some time looking at them. First and foremost, God reveals Himself through His Word. God gives us everything we need to know Him in an intimate way. Heb. 4:12 tells us that the Word is quick and powerful. It can divide asunder the soul and spirit and it is the discerner of thoughts and intents. The Word is what makes the difference because it teaches us God’s heart and mind. The Word contains the gospel message of man’s sin and God’s eternal love.

Secondly, creation teaches us about God, Rom. 1:20. Creation teaches us that God is eternal and powerful. It also teaches us that God is a loving and caring God. He had the power to speak all into existence. He also, took special care in creating abilities for comfort and functionality, even down to the minutest details. In creation is also contained the gospel message of sin, death, and forgiveness.

He also reveals himself through Christ, John 1:1-4. Christ is the Word for He is God in the flesh. He also is the Light of the world. This means that the world can now see God the Father. We are blinded by sin and our own desires when we enter the world, but when Christ entered into this world, darkness was done away with. To be in darkness now is a personal choice not to choose God. The work of light was completed, John 19, and now all have the ability to see if they repent and turn to God through the Light.

We could probably spend another month on the way that God is revealing Himself to us. These are just a few to whet your appetite. This week, think and search out the ways in which God is revealing Himself and feel free to share your findings on our website forums.

Acts 1:6-8

Today we are taking a little break from the book of Romans and we are looking at evangelism and our part in reaching the world for Christ. Almost two thousand years ago, Christ used eleven men to turn the known world upside down. Today, we have more tools at our disposal and the world is getting worse. What is the problem?

The problem is Christians who have lost time for God and turned their time and energy to fulfilling personal lusts. We have dropped the ball when it comes to personal and global evangelism. We are concerned about the children of the world and give money sacrificially to support missionaries, but what about your families, co-workers, and neighbors? What about the strangers you and I pass day in and day out?

In Acts 1, we are all given the commission to win souls to Christ. This is not a gift but a command. Some have the special ability to talk to anyone but we all have the command to witness. When it comes to our scope of witnessing, we need to remember two important facts.

First, the light that shines the farthest shines brightest at home. We can do things like Operation Christmas Child and support the Shepherds home, and those are good, but if we are not witnessing to the very people that we rub elbows with, our lights will not shine far. Our churches are dying and we wonder why America and the world is like it is. 1,400 pastors leave the ministry monthly. In the last five years, over 10,000 churches have closed their doors. Less than 5% of churches are growing by conversions. Only 4% of American churches will ever plant a daughter church. These stats must change. They will not change unless we step up to the plate and start doing our jobs personally.

Lastly, God wants your heart, not your money. He is more interested in your heart than your wallet. Now we all know that ministry takes money. If we are going to reach the world with God’s truth, funds will need to come in. However, if our hearts are in the work of God, our money will be also, Matt. 6:21. If we will allow God to get a hold of our hearts, He will supply all the needs and more.

Luke 10:27 tells us that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. Notice a couple of things from this verse. To start off, the heart is mentioned first. It is not just coincidence but important. The heart is the key to the rest. In addition, when the language is taken into account, the list is in sequential order and each item is built on the previous item. If we do not love God with our hearts, we will not love our neighbors and our witness will be nil.

Not only will love for God affect our witness in a very real way, but it will also affect our lifestyle in a very real way, Eph. 6:5, 6. We are told to obey those over us with singleness of heart. This is a heart focused on God and His will. When this takes place, we will have good works that glorify God and draw all men to Him, Matt. 12:35.

Once again, the choice is ours. You and I must make the choice personally and daily. The more we delve into the Word of God and get to know Him more, the more we love him. Only 18% of born again Christians do any kind of devotions. Can you imagine being 18% faithful to a loved one? The relationship would not work would it? We need to be 100% faithful to God and our hearts will be captured and this old world will be turned on it’s end.

Romans 12:4-8

Unity is not just something that happens on Sundays and Wednesdays, rather it is a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle that is built purely on God and God alone. If we are to be unified as a church corporately, we must be striving for godliness personally. It will not happen apart
from each of us living personal, godly lives.

If you compare this list to I Cor. 12, you see most are the same. We need to pray earnestly and ask God to show us where He has gifted us. The first area is prophecy or interpretation. Some people just have the ability to see scripture and put it together. I will say the more you study scripture and become familiar with it; the better you are at understanding it and putting it together. The gift of prophecy also involves applying scripture with the now.

In addition, there is the gift of ministry or miracles. This gift is more towards the physical things of the church, strength physically. Some people have the unmatched ability to do physically hard jobs. Some also have the ability to do the teaching and apostle or missions jobs that may be hard to others.

From here, the lists begin to differ a little. Exhorting deals with encouraging others. Some people just have the God given ability to do this. We should all encourage fellow believers but it is easy for certain ones. There is also the gift of sharing, healing, ruling or administration, and some have the ability to learn and speak languages.

We do not have all these gifts individually but corporately. We need to find the areas that God has strengthened us and use them to bring glory to Him. When we use our strengths together, the body is unified and God is lifted high. So, what are you doing to strengthen the body?

We have discussed the functions that God expects us to accomplish as a body and how He has bestowed those abilities upon us. For now, I have three questions. First, what areas are you weak in? If you are weak in an area then you are most likely not gifted in that way. You can work on those areas; however, studies show that you will be able to bring them up only two levels at best. Now we should work on these areas, but we still would not be doing our part for the body. In addition, we need to keep in mind that God has not gifted us in that area so we need to find our strength.

This brings me to the second question, in which areas are you strong? If you are a six in ministry, you can bring it up to an eight. The body would benefit more and greater things would be accomplished for the cause of Christ. This philosophy has been in practice in many businesses for the last 10-15 years and proves to be very productive. It does not mean that one person is better than another but simply gifted differently. I also think it is biblical.

Two accounts come to mind about people not using their giftedness. One is Saul, I Sam. 15, when he offered the sacrifice instead of Samuel. It was Samuel’s job and God gifted him in that fashion. It cost Saul dearly and those around him. In addition, in II Sam. 6, we see a man named Uzzah who died because he reached out and touched the ark when they were moving it back to Jerusalem. Here he was trying to serve the Lord and he died. However, he was not a Levite and therefore not gifted in the area of ministry.

Therefore, we need to know our weaknesses and strengths to make sure we are utilizing our giftedness fully. The final question is; are you using your gifts to bring glory to God and edify the body?

Romans 12:4-8

Today’s topic should be familiar territory. We are discussing the unity of the body of Christ. If you look at most churches today, you will see a group of people that seem to work together and make services happen without too many hitches. If you look deeper, you see that is about it. There is no real unity and problems and strife just lay in wait.

The picture that Paul gives us here is one that is more than just being unified to make it through a Sunday service or some other big event. This unity is a way of life.

This way of life is built upon a foundation. As any great building, the foundation is the most pivotal point to the structure. What is missing in most churches is this foundation. Paul mentions it repeatedly. There is no other foundation than that of God himself, I Peter 4:11, Phil. 4:13. No other foundation will stand the test of time and anything that Satan can throw at it, Matt. 16. However, to achieve God as the foundation on a corporate level, He must be achieved on the personal level for we are the church.

The opposite of God is self and pride, I Samuel 15, Prov. 16:18. Churches are made up of people that have a sin problem, including pastors, deacons, teachers, etc. When pride gets in the way, we begin to cease to be the building that God wants us to be. We become a weak building without a foundation.

Once we step into the arena and begin to fight this selfish pride personally, we can start to build on the foundation of God corporately. We can then become the body that functions in harmony bringing honor and glory to God. God wants us to be unified, Ps. 133:1, John 17. The choice is ours.

Napoleon had a great strategy to defeat his foes. He would divide his enemy and then conquer. It worked great for him and many others who have tried it. A divided foe will fall. It is after all biblical.

The church is the foe of Satan. He wants to divide and conquer as many churches as he can. Especially since his days are running out.

The title of the message is, “What Part Are You?” Next week we will get into the talents and gifts that God gives to a church but this week I want to leave you with a form of that question. Are you going to be a part of the church that strives for and ushers in unity? Or, are you going to be a part of the church that is influenced by Satan to bring discord and strife? The choice is yours and mine and is one that must continually be fought. Remember, we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord!