sermon from Oct 31

Hope for Money

I Timothy 6:6-10, 17, 18

Series on “Our Mission” (part 8)*

For a number of weeks, we are taking time to talk about our mission and its impact on a number of very practical areas. Today the subject is “Hope for Money.” Some might say, “What do you mean ‘Hope for Money’. What do you need to know except how to acquire it? But the passage says that money is actually a trap. The economic meltdown since 2008 certainly underscores how it can be a trap. So how can we find God’s mind and strength to manage money in a way that honors Him and blesses others?

“THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF KINDS OF EVIL.”

• He is not saying that money itself is evil. There are rich people in the Bible who were “rich in good deeds.” God also gives good things for our enjoyment.
• He doesn’t say that rich should necessarily stop being rich (although some have chosen great simplicity of living) but that they should be “rich in good deeds.”

HOW MONEY CAN BE A TRAP

• It blinds us. See the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus talks about “laying up treasures not on earth but in heaven” and having “good and bad eyes.” No one confesses that they struggle with greed.
• It blinds us to our attempt to become God. We think that if we have enough money we can control our destiny.
• It blinds us to our attempt to create our own righteousness. We think that if we have enough status and things that we will be “justified” to ourselves and others. The Bible says we will only find deep justification through Jesus and his finished work on the cross.
• When people realize that money can be a trap they often “numb out” (just keep going) or bottom out, i.e. ask hard questions about what will settle the question of our worth.

THE PATH OUT OF BEING TRAPPED BY MONEY

• Grace. Realizing that our worth is established by the fact that “we are purchased at a price—not with silver and gold—but with the precious blood of Christ.”
• Contentment (see Philippians 4:11-13). When you receive grace money can be just money because you have the true wealth. You can also live more simply, being content with food, clothing and basic necessities.
• Simplicity and generosity. Christians should seek to live at the lower end of their income bracket and seek to give increasing proportions of their money to the building of God’s kingdom and to the poor. Here is a test: Your giving should be so sacrificial that there are things you cannot do.
• See the story of Zachaeus.

* Some material is drawn from Tim Keller’s “Counterfeit Idols.”

sermon from Oct 24

Hope In the Midst of Discouragement

Ephesians 3:1-13

Series on “Our Mission” (part 7)

There are many things that can discourage God’s people. Perhaps you are going through a time of discouragement. Paul is in prison and writes to a young church that he had established. He realizes that it may be discouraging to them to know that he is in prison. He says, he “does not want them to lose heart over what I am suffering for you which is your glory.” This is a case study on how to deal with discouragement:

BACKGROUND TO PAUL’S IMPRISONMENT

• “I Paul the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the sake of you gentiles.” Note: Not Nero’s prisoner, but Jesus’ prisoner!
• He had gone to prison because of the fanatical Jewish opposition to his mission to the Gentiles and his proclamation that the good news of Jesus wasn’t just for the Jews but for everyone. See Acts 21, 22.
• Sometimes bad things happen to Christians not only as they follow Jesus but because they follow Jesus. Also see 2 Corinthians 11 and 12.
• The irritating nature and goodness of God’s promises.

HOW HE DOES NOT DEAL WITH DISCOURAGEMENT

• He doesn’t take the stoical approach (“It’s a difficult world, just stop whining”).
• He doesn’t take the false Christian approach that denies the realities of the trials. He doesn’t say, “Don’t worry, be happy” or just “Praise the Lord.”
• He doesn’t give in to self-pity

HOW HE DEALS WITH DISCOURAGEMENT

• He starts by thinking and thinking and applying big truth in everyday places.
• He thinks about God’s plan for history (how in the Old Testament God had revealed He would make one people, i.e. the church, of Jews and Gentiles).
• He thinks about his place in God’s plan. He says “Grace has been given to him so that he has been called to preach the gospel.” He is amazed at this.
• He reflects on his privileges, vs. 12 – “Through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
• Elizabeth Eliot: “He (Jesus) suffered not that we might not suffer, but that when we suffer we might become like Him.” We have two choices: (1) Love, trust and follow Christ; (2) Be destroyed by self-pity. Is God an “end” to you or is God a “means” to something else. You will never be a joyful Christian until God is the “end”, “the goal” of your life and not the means of getting something else.

Note: Some material has been drawn from Tim Keller, Elizabeth Eliot and Joni Erickson.

sermon from Oct 17

Hope for the World

Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27; 22:6

Series on “Our Mission” (part 6)

When Christians say that Jesus is the only way for salvation for the world it is partly because Christianity alone has the hope for the salvation of this physical earth as well as our bodies. Other systems of belief usually offer escape from the world and the body as the goal. John sees heaven coming to the earth, the city of God descending with Jesus as king of this earth. It tells us a lot about death, and just as much about life itself.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE VIEWS ABOUT DEATH?

• Secular material view, “this world is all there is, so grab the fun now.”
• Befriend death. Death is not an enemy, but something natural. We live on in the memories of other people (“Tuesdays with Morie”).
• Eastern religious view. The goal is reincarnation, eventual nirvana, and escape from this world and personhood itself.
• Taiwanese view. A combination of traditional religions and a belief in a heaven where the dead continue to be served.
• Innacurate “Christian view”. The goal is a private relationship with Jesus and escape to “heaven” (almost totally spiritual in nature).

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT DEATH

• Death is an enemy defeated by Jesus on the cross and the empty tomb.
• When we die our body goes to the grave and our souls go into an afterlife where we are either “with Christ” or separated from Christ.
• Someday Jesus will come back and there is a bodily resurrection for all.
• Jesus brings heaven to a new recreated earth. The goal is not so much a personal relationship with Jesus where we worship him privately, but a relationship with Christ where we long for and work toward “new heavens and earth.”

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD LIVE

• Hope daily for his second coming (I John 3:1, 2)
• Approach money, sex and power differently: (1) Money—simplicity and generosity; (2) Sex—chastity and faithfulness; (3) Power—using power for the good of others.
• Finding your calling: (1) Where do you have passions and gifts that God has blessed that serve others? (2) Where can you participate in Christ’s suffering?

Listen to the sermon online

sermon from Oct 10

Hope for the Poor

Selected passages from Proverbs

Series on “Our Mission” (part 5)

Micah 6:8 says, “And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God?” James says that real Christianity is marked by care for “widows and orphans.” The book of Proverbs has numerous encouragements to care for the poor because God has a special place in his heart for the poor, but do we? One of the reasons that the gospel doesn’t advance as quickly as it should is because we frequently do not combine “word and deed ministry.” Let us pray for and encourage one another together to grow in our love for the poor. Here are some things Proverbs tells us to consider:

OPEN YOUR EYES, Proverbs 28:27 – “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.”

• How much do we turn our gaze from the poor?
• What are ways that we could help each other’s eyes to be more upon the poor?] See how Jesus “saw” the poor when many times his disciples did not.
• Liberals often insult the poor by treating them as social projects; conservatives often insult them by ignoring them.

EXTEND YOUR ARMS, Proverbs 31:20 – “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”

• Some ideas: (1) Some have changed careers to better serve the poor; (2) Consider downsizing so you can give more generously to the poor; (3) Go on a missions trip; (4) Volunteer and partner with organizations in the city that seek to relieve the needs of the poor; (5) If you are in a small group once a month instead of studying the Bible go and serve together.

REMEMBER YOUR SPIRITUAL POVERTY AND YOUR SAVIOR, Proverbs 30:1 – “I am weary O God. I’m more like a dumb animal than a human being; I don’t even have human understanding. I haven’t learned wisdom. I don’t have the knowledge of the Holy One.”

• Remember that Jesus became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich.
• To become a Christian is to recognize that you are a spiritual beggar and your only hope is the free grace of God so all you can do is extend your hands (hearts ) to receive the gift of his forgiveness and love.

TABLE TALK: Get together with someone and discuss how you might apply this in your life.

Listen to the sermon online

sermon from Oct 3

Hope for a Good Marriage (part 2)

Galatians 5:13

Series on “Our Mission” (part 4)

Galatians 5:13 says “You my brothers were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love.” This verse with many others is the foundation for a good marriage. So many have lost hope that it is possible to have a good marriage, but God’s Word tells us otherwise!

DEFINITIONS OF MARRIAGE THAT FALL SHORT

• Traditional marriage (preserve the honor and status of family)
• Evolutionary, biological view (love, romance is a rush of neuro-chemicals)
• Fraternity boys view (hormonally driven, consumer, hedonistic approach)
• Romantic view (“love is all”)
• “Just live together” (commitment is too frightening)
• “Eat, Pray, Love”, Ophrah, New Age (ultimate meaning is in yourself; be in relationship as long as it meets your needs).
• Feminist view (there are no prince charmings, protect your back, have sexual friendships)

CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE BASED UPON THE BIBLE

• Love is real because God is love (Father, Son and Holy Spirit even before time)
• Christian marriage is to model the Trinity by being a relationship where two people become one and seek to serve one another more than self with Christ at the center.

WHAT A GOOD MARRIAGE LOOKS LIKE

• A place to respect each other (most marriages fail at this point)
• A place where selfishness is exposed and repented of
• A place where we learn to persevere
• A place where we develop Christian character
• A place that fosters good prayer
• A place where we learn to forgive and develop a servant’s heart
• A place to give and receive grace and good humor

Note: See Gary Thomas’ “Sacred Marriage” for a fuller treatment of these issues

TABLE TALK: Get together with someone and discuss how you might apply this in your life.

Listen to the sermon online