When Church Becomes Too Familiar
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: When worship and being a Christian become so routine they lose meaning, we need a shot in the arm to revitalize our faith.
Think about the pictures on the walls in your home. You probably hardly ever notice them anymore. They are so familiar you do not even pay attention to them. We say the Lord's Prayer and when we are done we may not have thought of the meaning of any of the words. We sing most hymns without paying attention to the words. We come away from the worship experience not having really worshiped at all. The letters to the churches at Sardis (Revelation 3:1-3) and Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-16) hit the nail on the head. Sardis is dead and needs to awaken, and Laodicea is neither hot nor cold. John wishes they were "one or the other."
a. Danger of falling into ruts.
1. We don't even know sometimes that we have lost the vital spirit of our faith. Until someone tells us we may not even think about the fact that we are going through the motions, and the meaning of what we are doing has evaporated.
2. We don't care because ruts are very comfortable. By renewing our faith we may be challenged to sacrifice or serious change. Status quo never disturbs us. We can go on sleeping.
3. We become apathetic. This could be the deadliest sin of the church. Not knowing and not caring leads to a church that is dying and full of dead members.
b. Getting out of ruts.
1. Try new things. This is one good reason to learn new hymns: the words are fresh and we pay attention. Altering the worship order or creating new elements to aid our worship could wake us up.
2. Take control. In the last analysis, it will be up to each individual to do something about it. No matter what changes the preacher may bring to the worship experience or church activities, each member is on his or her own to take control.
Think about the pictures on the walls in your home. You probably hardly ever notice them anymore. They are so familiar you do not even pay attention to them. We say the Lord's Prayer and when we are done we may not have thought of the meaning of any of the words. We sing most hymns without paying attention to the words. We come away from the worship experience not having really worshiped at all. The letters to the churches at Sardis (Revelation 3:1-3) and Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-16) hit the nail on the head. Sardis is dead and needs to awaken, and Laodicea is neither hot nor cold. John wishes they were "one or the other."
a. Danger of falling into ruts.
1. We don't even know sometimes that we have lost the vital spirit of our faith. Until someone tells us we may not even think about the fact that we are going through the motions, and the meaning of what we are doing has evaporated.
2. We don't care because ruts are very comfortable. By renewing our faith we may be challenged to sacrifice or serious change. Status quo never disturbs us. We can go on sleeping.
3. We become apathetic. This could be the deadliest sin of the church. Not knowing and not caring leads to a church that is dying and full of dead members.
b. Getting out of ruts.
1. Try new things. This is one good reason to learn new hymns: the words are fresh and we pay attention. Altering the worship order or creating new elements to aid our worship could wake us up.
2. Take control. In the last analysis, it will be up to each individual to do something about it. No matter what changes the preacher may bring to the worship experience or church activities, each member is on his or her own to take control.
