Fifth Sunday Of Easter
Preaching
THE WESLEYAN PREACHING ANNUAL 2001--2002
WORSHIP HELPS
CALL TO WORSHIP
God is ready to swoop down and rescue us from the burdens we carry and to lift the heart aches! Our God has known us since birth through old age and gray hair and He will sustain us today!
OFFERING THOUGHT
The secret of money is enjoying the opportunity of giving it away for the glory of God.
BENEDICTION
May the God who transforms disappointments to joy do that for you this week. Amen.
SERMON BRIEFS
Holiness, The Trademark Of A Holy Person
Acts 7:55--60
Many years ago a Philadelphia printer made his trademark a circle with the words inside, "We Never Disappoint."
Stephen preached to his audience that the Jewish law was a stage upon which the gospel would perform and that the temple in Jerusalem would pass away and a heavenly Temple would replace it - One not made with hands. His message enraged his hearers so that they rioted; they took this lay preacher outside the city gates and stoned him to death.
The trademark imprint at the end of his life revealed holiness. He was full of God's Spirit to the very end. Our desire must be to have the same trademark - stamped with unsmearable ink upon our lives.
I. A holy life, the trademark of a glorious spirit. (v. 55)
The glory of God radiates out of a person filled with His Spirit. The definition of "radiate" means to send out rays of light, heat, etc. Stephen radiated the spirit of his Lord and the message of God's love to anyone who would listen. His life reflected that message as a member of the original church board in Acts 6. He served tables. He possessed a servant's heart and he even enjoyed it! Stephen's holy life had been forged on the anvil of the fire of the Holy Spirit. He was filled to overflowing with the Spirit.
I heard about a layman who prayed, "O Lord, you know I am just like a sponge; and whatever I'm filled with, when I get squeezed, that's just what comes out. O Lord, so fill me with the Spirit of Jesus today that when I get squeezed this week, Jesus will come out."
Each person should pray for the same radiant Holy Spirit as Stephen owned!
II. A holy life, the trademark of a sharing spirit. (v. 56)
Being set free from the dominion of Satan and sin brings a breath of fresh spiritual air that we cannot help but share. The world's pollution has been washed away by the blood of Christ for those who accept his offer of salvation. As Christians, concern for the lost becomes a priority ... our focus.
Carol Vance pointedly writes, "The church can easily become too focused on rituals or tradition, be committee--driven rather than ministry--driven, be too concerned with its own growth rather than taking a city for Jesus. When the church is people--driven and not on fire for Jesus, it becomes an impotent institution."1
It's the formerly lost person speaking to another lost person about Jesus, being found in Jesus. A church will effectively minister if the love of Christ is reflected in its membership.
III. A holy life, the trademark of a spirit of trust.
Someone penned, "Keep me, my God! My boat is small, I am so weak, so helpless, so forgetful of thy loving kindness. Tossed to and fro at the mercy of the world, except thou dost help me, I perish. Keep me, my God, for 'thy ocean is so wide' - the journey so long - the days and years so many. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust."2
Our trust is in the God who created the world and all that is within it. Where better - who better - to trust. The psalmist wrote, "When I am afraid I will trust you. I praise God for his word. I trust God, so I am not afraid. What can human beings do to me?" (Psalm 56:3--4 NCB).
Satan is powerless against our trust in Christ!
IV. A holy life, the trademark of a spirit of forgiveness.
Someone defined forgiveness as a scent that flowers give off when they are crushed under foot. Being filled with God's Spirit helps us to smell the trampled flowers.
A rebellion exploded in a kingdom many years ago. As the uprising settled, the rebellious rebels were marched in front of the king. As they begged for mercy one of the king's men said to him, "Did you not say that every rebel should die?" "Yes," replied the monarch, "but I see no rebels here."
We who are rebels against the great King of life know His forgiveness as it comes from a cross lifted up twenty centuries ago on a hill in Israel. Accept His forgiveness and pass it on to others!
Derl G. Keefer
____________
1. Carol Vance, After the Leap (Cook Communications: Colorado Springs, 2000), p. 154.
2. Files of author.
Total Commitment
Psalm 31:1--5, 14--15
Introduction
Marva Dawn asks the questions: "To which kind of friend will you turn in a crisis? Which one will you trust?" Will it be the person who was there for you in a difficult situation or the one who once failed you?
Of course, we are most likely to turn to the one we know we can trust, the one in whom we have the most confidence.
Dawn continues with this statement: "Your trusting does not depend upon how good you are at trusting, but upon your knowledge that the one on whom you lean is stable and will certainly support you."1
David's prayer for deliverance is set in the context of being faced with a conspiracy against him. Words had been said and accusations made which left him without friends or supporters. He had been abandoned by even those he thought he could trust.
Like Paul, he was "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8--9).
David had learned how to deal with feelings of abandonment, betrayal, and rejection. Let's notice how he deals with such predicaments.
I. David turns to the Lord.
A. The Lord is his refuge, his safety and security.
The Lord is like a safe harbor for a ship which is being tossed by a storm. The Lord is like a sanctuary where a person can enter and no one can come and harm him.
In the days of Moses and Joshua, six cities of refuge were established to provide asylum for those who accidentally committed manslaughter. He was safe from the avenger and able to have a fair trial.
B. The Lord is his rock, his stability and his strength.
For months David escaped the hand of King Saul by hiding in the Judean hillsides among the rocks and caves. The rocks were his defense. Even as a teenage boy, David placed his confidence in a God who could use a rock to defeat a giant.
C. The Lord is his steadfast, covenant--keeping God.
Never did God break a promise or fail to provide for David in a loving, compassionate way.
Total commitment begins with knowing whom we can trust. David knew he could trust God.
II. David commits himself to the Lord wholeheartedly.
A. David says, "Into your hands I commit my spirit."
Literally, it could be said, "Into your hands I deposit my life." This was not merely a spiritual exercise, this was a practical experience of trusting God. His life was on the line.
Illustration: You have perhaps heard the story of the chicken and the pig who were walking by a church where a charity event was taking place. Caught up in the excitement, the pig suggested that they each make a contribution. The chicken suggested offering ham and eggs. "Not so fast," said the pig. "For you, that's a contribution. For me, it's total commitment."
Chuck Swindoll tells about Soviet soldiers who were converted to Christ. They said, "We have learned by experience, however, that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted."2
B. It is significant that the words of the psalmist were on Jesus' lips as He was dying on the cross. Abandoned, betrayed, and rejected, Jesus committed His life to the Lord with a total surrender. Jesus can be fully trusted with our lives because He was willing to die for us.
C. The Lord is the "God of truth" or the faithful God who is totally dependable and trustworthy.
III. David entrusts his times to the Lord.
A. His allegiance is settled - "You are my God" (v. 14).
It is an emphatic declaration of loyalty and love for the trustworthy God.
B. His future is secure - "My times are in your hands" (v. 15).
Illustration: Bernhard Anderson relates what a friend of Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed of Bonhoeffer in his last days. He writes, "He was one of the very few men that I have ever met to whom his God was real and close to him."3 The psalms of lament had become, not his whinings, but his prayers of faith in an Almighty God. They were indicative of his total commitment and trust in the Lord.
Conclusion
Years ago, the "unknown bundle" was the expression used to describe the giving of our entire selves to God, including all of the unknowns of the future. David's commitment was total, including the unknowns. "Into your hands I deposit my life." "My times are in your hands." The Lord can be fully trusted with our all.
Gary Reiss
____________
1. Marva Dawn, I'm Lonely, LORD - How Long? (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Revised Edition, 1998), p. 9.
2. Charles R. Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1987), p. 58.
3. Bernhard W. Anderson, Out of the Depths (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1977), p. 76.
CALL TO WORSHIP
God is ready to swoop down and rescue us from the burdens we carry and to lift the heart aches! Our God has known us since birth through old age and gray hair and He will sustain us today!
OFFERING THOUGHT
The secret of money is enjoying the opportunity of giving it away for the glory of God.
BENEDICTION
May the God who transforms disappointments to joy do that for you this week. Amen.
SERMON BRIEFS
Holiness, The Trademark Of A Holy Person
Acts 7:55--60
Many years ago a Philadelphia printer made his trademark a circle with the words inside, "We Never Disappoint."
Stephen preached to his audience that the Jewish law was a stage upon which the gospel would perform and that the temple in Jerusalem would pass away and a heavenly Temple would replace it - One not made with hands. His message enraged his hearers so that they rioted; they took this lay preacher outside the city gates and stoned him to death.
The trademark imprint at the end of his life revealed holiness. He was full of God's Spirit to the very end. Our desire must be to have the same trademark - stamped with unsmearable ink upon our lives.
I. A holy life, the trademark of a glorious spirit. (v. 55)
The glory of God radiates out of a person filled with His Spirit. The definition of "radiate" means to send out rays of light, heat, etc. Stephen radiated the spirit of his Lord and the message of God's love to anyone who would listen. His life reflected that message as a member of the original church board in Acts 6. He served tables. He possessed a servant's heart and he even enjoyed it! Stephen's holy life had been forged on the anvil of the fire of the Holy Spirit. He was filled to overflowing with the Spirit.
I heard about a layman who prayed, "O Lord, you know I am just like a sponge; and whatever I'm filled with, when I get squeezed, that's just what comes out. O Lord, so fill me with the Spirit of Jesus today that when I get squeezed this week, Jesus will come out."
Each person should pray for the same radiant Holy Spirit as Stephen owned!
II. A holy life, the trademark of a sharing spirit. (v. 56)
Being set free from the dominion of Satan and sin brings a breath of fresh spiritual air that we cannot help but share. The world's pollution has been washed away by the blood of Christ for those who accept his offer of salvation. As Christians, concern for the lost becomes a priority ... our focus.
Carol Vance pointedly writes, "The church can easily become too focused on rituals or tradition, be committee--driven rather than ministry--driven, be too concerned with its own growth rather than taking a city for Jesus. When the church is people--driven and not on fire for Jesus, it becomes an impotent institution."1
It's the formerly lost person speaking to another lost person about Jesus, being found in Jesus. A church will effectively minister if the love of Christ is reflected in its membership.
III. A holy life, the trademark of a spirit of trust.
Someone penned, "Keep me, my God! My boat is small, I am so weak, so helpless, so forgetful of thy loving kindness. Tossed to and fro at the mercy of the world, except thou dost help me, I perish. Keep me, my God, for 'thy ocean is so wide' - the journey so long - the days and years so many. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust."2
Our trust is in the God who created the world and all that is within it. Where better - who better - to trust. The psalmist wrote, "When I am afraid I will trust you. I praise God for his word. I trust God, so I am not afraid. What can human beings do to me?" (Psalm 56:3--4 NCB).
Satan is powerless against our trust in Christ!
IV. A holy life, the trademark of a spirit of forgiveness.
Someone defined forgiveness as a scent that flowers give off when they are crushed under foot. Being filled with God's Spirit helps us to smell the trampled flowers.
A rebellion exploded in a kingdom many years ago. As the uprising settled, the rebellious rebels were marched in front of the king. As they begged for mercy one of the king's men said to him, "Did you not say that every rebel should die?" "Yes," replied the monarch, "but I see no rebels here."
We who are rebels against the great King of life know His forgiveness as it comes from a cross lifted up twenty centuries ago on a hill in Israel. Accept His forgiveness and pass it on to others!
Derl G. Keefer
____________
1. Carol Vance, After the Leap (Cook Communications: Colorado Springs, 2000), p. 154.
2. Files of author.
Total Commitment
Psalm 31:1--5, 14--15
Introduction
Marva Dawn asks the questions: "To which kind of friend will you turn in a crisis? Which one will you trust?" Will it be the person who was there for you in a difficult situation or the one who once failed you?
Of course, we are most likely to turn to the one we know we can trust, the one in whom we have the most confidence.
Dawn continues with this statement: "Your trusting does not depend upon how good you are at trusting, but upon your knowledge that the one on whom you lean is stable and will certainly support you."1
David's prayer for deliverance is set in the context of being faced with a conspiracy against him. Words had been said and accusations made which left him without friends or supporters. He had been abandoned by even those he thought he could trust.
Like Paul, he was "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8--9).
David had learned how to deal with feelings of abandonment, betrayal, and rejection. Let's notice how he deals with such predicaments.
I. David turns to the Lord.
A. The Lord is his refuge, his safety and security.
The Lord is like a safe harbor for a ship which is being tossed by a storm. The Lord is like a sanctuary where a person can enter and no one can come and harm him.
In the days of Moses and Joshua, six cities of refuge were established to provide asylum for those who accidentally committed manslaughter. He was safe from the avenger and able to have a fair trial.
B. The Lord is his rock, his stability and his strength.
For months David escaped the hand of King Saul by hiding in the Judean hillsides among the rocks and caves. The rocks were his defense. Even as a teenage boy, David placed his confidence in a God who could use a rock to defeat a giant.
C. The Lord is his steadfast, covenant--keeping God.
Never did God break a promise or fail to provide for David in a loving, compassionate way.
Total commitment begins with knowing whom we can trust. David knew he could trust God.
II. David commits himself to the Lord wholeheartedly.
A. David says, "Into your hands I commit my spirit."
Literally, it could be said, "Into your hands I deposit my life." This was not merely a spiritual exercise, this was a practical experience of trusting God. His life was on the line.
Illustration: You have perhaps heard the story of the chicken and the pig who were walking by a church where a charity event was taking place. Caught up in the excitement, the pig suggested that they each make a contribution. The chicken suggested offering ham and eggs. "Not so fast," said the pig. "For you, that's a contribution. For me, it's total commitment."
Chuck Swindoll tells about Soviet soldiers who were converted to Christ. They said, "We have learned by experience, however, that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted."2
B. It is significant that the words of the psalmist were on Jesus' lips as He was dying on the cross. Abandoned, betrayed, and rejected, Jesus committed His life to the Lord with a total surrender. Jesus can be fully trusted with our lives because He was willing to die for us.
C. The Lord is the "God of truth" or the faithful God who is totally dependable and trustworthy.
III. David entrusts his times to the Lord.
A. His allegiance is settled - "You are my God" (v. 14).
It is an emphatic declaration of loyalty and love for the trustworthy God.
B. His future is secure - "My times are in your hands" (v. 15).
Illustration: Bernhard Anderson relates what a friend of Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed of Bonhoeffer in his last days. He writes, "He was one of the very few men that I have ever met to whom his God was real and close to him."3 The psalms of lament had become, not his whinings, but his prayers of faith in an Almighty God. They were indicative of his total commitment and trust in the Lord.
Conclusion
Years ago, the "unknown bundle" was the expression used to describe the giving of our entire selves to God, including all of the unknowns of the future. David's commitment was total, including the unknowns. "Into your hands I deposit my life." "My times are in your hands." The Lord can be fully trusted with our all.
Gary Reiss
____________
1. Marva Dawn, I'm Lonely, LORD - How Long? (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Revised Edition, 1998), p. 9.
2. Charles R. Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1987), p. 58.
3. Bernhard W. Anderson, Out of the Depths (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1977), p. 76.
