LBC Sermons & Messages

Text: Romans 14:7-13

We have entered into a passage of scripture that sheds some light on the biblical command for judging. The first key is truth. When we base our judging on the Word, it is not us but the Word who does the judging.

In the next few verses, 7-13, we see the second key and that is to remember that we all will stand before God and give an account. In verses 7 and 8, we are given a picture of what true Christianity looks like. Those who have given their name to the Lord are not allowed to be self-seekers. The Spirit moves us to please God.

Then in verses 9-13 we see the fact that we all will stand on our own before our great King and give an account. I Cor. 3:1-15 shows us that we all have the opportunity to lay a godly foundation and live to God or lay a selfish foundation and serve self. Then all foundations will be tried by fire and self will be consumed.

In the parable of the servants and the talents, all three had to give an account for what they were given. The two who used their talents and invested them were pleasing to the master. The one who squandered his talent was very displeasing to his master. We will all one day stand before the King and give an account.

Lastly, God will settle the score. Our job is to be obedient and serve the great king. Ps. 75 tells us that God is judge and he raises up and puts down whom He desires. Rom. 12 tells us that God is the judge and He will sort things out. II Tim. 4:1 also reminds us that God is able to judge the quick and the dead. So, let us serve the King, judge each other with the Word and remember that we will give a personal account to the King.

Verse 7 also reminds us that the lives which we live are not ours and they do not affect just us. This is evident all throughout scripture. Generations reap the decisions of one person whether good or bad.

The first one that comes to mind is Adam. In Genesis, God gives Adam and Eve a clear command, to keep the garden but only do not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were tempted by Satan and fell to his lies and now, generations later we are still reaping his decision. Mankind is now plagued with sin and must face destruction apart from Christ.

Joshua 22:20 gives us insight on the man named Achan, Josh 7. Achan sinned by taking a few little articles from Jericho when they defeated it. He hid them under his tent and when the armies went to take Ai, a much smaller town and less fortified, thousand of soldiers perished. In the end, Achan, his wife, children and all his possessions were stoned and destroyed. His one decision affected everyone around him.

II Chor. 27:1, shows us the other side of the spectrum. The mercy of God was touched because of the life of David. Many generations had passed, but because David was a man after God’s own heart, God had mercy upon the descendants of David.

Lastly, Christ is again the ultimate example. Mankind was doomed to a life in Hell. Christ was obedient to the Father and through the life he lived, gave, and now lives again, man can have freedom. Christ gave himself and has affected all of mankind.

So, the life which you and I live is not our own and the way in which we choose to live it affects everyone. It could possibly affect generations to come. Will we choose to live to Christ or will we bring God’s judgment on those around us because of our own selfishness?

Text: Romans 14:1-8

Paul starts off this chapter by talking about the weaker brethren and how we are to receive them but not to doubtful disputations, or meaningless babble. This means we are not to receive them based on nothing more than truth. Ps. 1:1, 2 tells us much about the Christian and truth.

Blessed is the man who stands on truth, blessed by God Himself not mere man. There is no greater foundation than that of truth. When one stands on truth, his footing is always sure and steady for truth changes not. So, what are you standing on? Those who live to Christ will stand on truth.

Then Paul gets into judging others. Let me ask you, according to scripture, who is supposed to judge. I have had many Christians tell me that we are not supposed to judge for we are sinners just like those we are judging. Well, scripture is clear about the issue. God is the judge, Heb. 10:30, 12:23. God is the great judge and He knows all and is wholly just and gracious. However, Matt. 7:1-5 and John 7:24 make it clear that we are to judge as well. The difference is that God is truth and we must use the truth. Remember, that one who judges must be standing on truth and it is the truth that judges not our opinions.

Back in Ps. 1 we see what happens to the one who stands on truth. They are consistent and unshakable. Christ is unchangeable and if we are to be like Him, we must be too. The only way to accomplish this is a life lived in the relentless pursuit and enactment of truth. When we stand on and live out truth, we will be like the tree planted by the river and we will be able to stand in our faith no matter what is going on around us. Choose truth and use truth.

Text: Matthew 25:14-30

Today we will finish up our series on stewardship. We have discussed three stewardship principles and applied them to time, money, relationships and now talents. Remember that God owns everything including talents that all come from Him, Matt. 25:14, 15. God is in control of our talents, Matt. 25:19-23. He gives certain ones to certain individuals and some more than others. Also, we must use these talents to bring honor to God not self, Matt. 26, 27.

In Eph. 4:4-11, we see that there is one body, meaning the local church. We all are part of each other and all have a different role to play and functions to perform. The Lord himself grants to its members the talents he deems worthy according to the measure of faith. So, our boasting must be in the Lord not self.

I Cor. 12: 24-f.f. tells us that the Lord puts together the church with the talents and it is no accident. Now, what happens when one does not perform his or her function? If you have ever broken a leg you know that the body unconsciously uses the other leg to compensate and sometimes hurts the good leg. The same thing is true in the body of Christ. So, for the health of the body, we must perform the tasks for which we are blessed.

Lastly, Eph. 4:12-16, shows us how to use our talents and bring honor to God. When we help each other, we honor God. When we serve each other, we serve God. When we strengthen each other, the body is stronger as a whole and able to reach out to the world more. So, will you use the God given talents which you posses or will you squander them and use them for self as the one talent servant? Remember, talent is not yours but rather your Maker’s.

Text: Mal. 3:6-10

There are two things that I find hard to preach on. One is the greatness of God and that is because I feel so inept. The other is money. Even though I have been at this church for two years and never have preached on money, some will inevitably say I am only concerned about funds. Let me be clear, God will take care of His church and even in a time of financial disaster in our country, God has blessed and He will continue, so I do not worry about it. However, we do need to be good stewards of God’s money.

So, the principles are the same: all money is God’s, God is in control of all money, and we need to use money to bring honor to Him. So, when you think about getting upset about the message, remember it is all His anyways.

Now, let us apply these principles. First, a tithe is a tenth, Gen. 28:20-22, Lev. 27:30-34. The word tithe literally means a tenth. Also, the tithe comes off the top, Gen. 14:17-20. Not what we net but tithe comes off the gross. When we give God tithe off the net, we are robbing God of what is rightfully His, Mal. 3. Third, the tithe was given on the first day of the week to honor God, I Cor. 16:1, 2.

Continuing on, the tithe is only part of giving to God, Mal. 3, Mark 12:44-f.f. The tithe is that base, starting point for God’s children. And His children gave offerings on top of tithe to meet each others needs.

Lastly, giving is a matter of the heart, Acts 5, Ii Cor. 9:5-8. God is always more concerned about the heart. The heart of man is the only thing that God has to contend for. And when our hearts are focused on honoring him, He always blesses, Mal. 3, Luke 6:38.

If God is concerned about the heart and He loves a cheerful giver, is it better not to give if my heart is against it? You have probably thought this before. Is God honored if my giving is only out of duty? I would have to say yes because we are still being obedient but when our heart is not in it, we muzzle the hose of blessing.

This also brings up Faith Promise Mission which is sacrificial giving at its core. The Bible is clear that all Christians are to start by giving a tithe or tenth back to God, but there are many accounts of His children giving above and beyond, sacrificially, to supply for others and the church. We know it brings honor to God and gets His attention, Mark 12:42-f.f. It is not only about the amount of money we give but the sacrificial giving is what cries out to God.

Why do you think that sacrificial giving catches His attention so much? For one, it shows our total dependence on God. When you give sacrificially, you are not worrying about earthly things but you are investing in heavenly things and relying on God to supply.

Also, it shows your submission to God. He demands our obedience and when we give back what God tells us to, we are being submissive to Him. It shows the Lordship of Christ. He is King and deserves to be treated as such.

It also shows humility. Proverbs tells us many times that God will remember and bless the humble but reject and judge the proud. When we hoard money and do not give away what God wants us to, it is a proud act. We are telling God that we know what is best instead of trusting Him. I Peter goes on to tell us that God will lift up the humble. I say all of this to encourage you to seek God’s guidance on giving and ask if there is a role in Faith Promise and then follow in obedience.

Text: Gen 1:1-5; II Peter 3:1-11

Today we will look at stewardship concerning time. Again, we must remember three of the principles behind being a good steward: everything is God’s including time, God is in control, and everything
should be used to honor God.

Genesis 1 shows who created time therefore it shows who owns time. Before God created, there was simply God. God is not bound by time but He did create it with the rest of the world. Therefore time is God’s and we should remember that each second that we live is a gift from the King Himself.

Next, time is God’s and He controls it, II Pet. 3:1-10. Many are skeptical because Christ has not come back yet. They say Paul said the Kingdom was close and that was almost 2000 years ago. If Christ was for real, He would have come back by now. Remember, God controls time not visa-versa. Joshua 10 gives us a little more insight about God’s control of time.

Lastly, time must be used to bring honor to God, II Peter 3:11, Eph. 5:15, 16. Scripture tells us to redeem or make good the time. How is this accomplished? We redeem the time by making each moment count and living holiness.

So, how does this all apply to us? First, we must use time wisely and see each moment as an investment. We must prioritize time: do the things we must, then the things we need to do, and then the things we like to do. Lastly, we must decide to use each moment to honor God, Col. 3:16, 17.

When I think of stewardship of time, there is one more really convicting article: if God created time, He owns time and is not bound to it; therefore He is always on time. This is so convicting to me because I am impatient. If I see something that needs to be done, I will most likely jump in and do it instead of waiting for God to move, Is. 40:31. This of course is a recipe for disaster. When we do not wait on the Lord we steel the blessings and they are greatly diminished.

It’s just like my kids. They need help and cannot do something so I watch them struggle for a moment. Then I try to help but oh no. They can do it themselves. If you have children I am sure you have been there. Now, I do know there is a point of doing things on their own to learn and grow, but the concept is the same with God. We are totally reliant on Him for absolutely everything. He wants to help but we refuse and tell Him we can do it on our own usually messing it up and making it take longer than if we would have waited on God in the first place.

The other convicting aspect of this is that God’s provisions, strength, etc. are always on time and perfect time at that. I doubt Abraham, Gen 12, thought it was the right time. He was seventy years old and was set as far as wealth and possessions go. Yet God told him to move and once he moves, God would show him where to go. Abraham understood that fact that God’s time is always the best time.

There are many examples of God’s timing but one last one jumps out. Paul was prisoner on a ship that left port only to get caught in a storm. The ship crashed and they were stranded on a cannibal island. If you think timing could not get any worse, Paul is then bitten by a viper. Yet Paul was able to see spiritually and honor God for His timing. What will you do with the time God gives you this week?

Today is a special day and one of the most traveled days of the year, Happy Mother’s Day. I trust you know how important and appreciated you are. One thing that sets mothers apart is their ability to have relationships. It is a gift from God and the Bible has a lot to say about relationships. So, let us look at a few examples and apply the principles of stewardship.

First, remember that everything is God’s, He’s in control, and all must be used to bring honor to God. Relationships are a gift from God and need to be seen as such. Relationships do not just happen but are part of His divine purpose, He places people together for a reason, and we need to promote godliness in each other. Let me challenge you to search out scripture and see if you can find an instance where a relationship was built to win someone to Christ. Post your findings on our web site forum.

Four quick examples are David and Jonathan, I Sam. 18:1-4; 19:1-7; 23:14-18. This shows us the true purpose of a relationship is to strengthen each other in the Lord. Secondly, we see the passion found in a relationship when the focus is on Christ, II Sam. 12:1-13. Next, we see the power of relationships found in Christ, Dan. 2:12-19. Lastly, we see there is protection and security in relationships, Acts 19:31, 24:23, 27:3. God has created us for each other so let us remember that we are to be stewards of our God given relationships.

Since relationships are a gift from God that need to be stewarded, there are several characteristics of good friendships that we can work on. These principles were found in the Old Testament and reiterated in the New Testament just showing that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

First, no matter what day it is, no matter what the circumstances are, friends love at all times, Prov. 17:17, I Cor. 13:4-8. Also, nothing can tear friends apart for they are closer than a brother, Prov. 18:24, Eph. 4:1-3. A true friend also shows compassion in times of suffering, Ps. 35:13, Rom. 12:15. A friend never takes advantage of another when times are tough and emotions are high.

A friend also offers wise counsel even when it may be tough and painful, Prov. 27:9, Col. 3:16. A friend does not tear down at any time, Ps. 15:3, Eph. 4:29. Also, a friend does not seek its own but rather pushes the other to faithfulness regardless of self -interests, Job. 6:14, Col. 3:12-14.

In closing remember two more characteristics. One, a friend always intercedes for the other in prayer, Job 42:10, Eph. 6:18. Who are you praying for today? Lastly, a friend can always be trusted for they are seeking the well being of the other, not self, Prov. 27:6, Gal. 6:1, 2. Once again, a true friend is one in Christ and through Christ for He makes it all possible and relationships are a gift from God. Let‘s be good stewards of God’s gifts.