Chardon church of Christ

Covering God with Thankfulness

Covering God With Thankfulness
Psalms 100:1-5

Let’s take a look at our text for this morning’s lesson:
Psalms 100:1-5
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Last week we talked about how God showed His love FOR US, by the things He Created, by the Bible He’s given us, and – most importantly – by the gift of His only begotten Son.
This week – we’re going to talk about one of the ways that we can show our love FOR HIM. There are many ways that we can show our love for God, but Psalm 100 is talking about how we can show that love in our worship.
Look again: “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ... Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Psalm 100:1-2 & 4
One of the meanings of “Worship” is “to adore.” The idea is to praise Him, sing to Him, give thanks to Him and to bless His name. Now this is important on a couple level. First --- it is the mark of what God’s people do.
• Psalm 22:23 says “You who fear the LORD, praise him!”
• Psalm 33:1 tells us Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
• And Psalm 135:3 declares “Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!”
• But Psalm 115:17-18 goes one step further: The dead praise not Jehovah,
Neither any that go down into silence;
18 But we will bless Jehovah
From this time forth and for evermore.
Praise ye Jehovah.
God’s people are expected to praise God and give Him thanks... it’s what we do!

How Much Is It Worth?

HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH
Mark 4: 1 – 20

We’re going to be in Mark 4 this morning.
What I want you to keep in mind as we read Mark 4 this morning is that Jesus is teaching a kingdom principle. And the people he’s talking to on the shoreline – a lot of them are farmers. They will understand the parable of the Seed very quickly.
A old time minister made a trip to Israel a couple years ago, and one of the places he visited was Jesus’ childhood hometown - Nazareth. On the outskirts of modern Nazareth they found (and rebuilt) an ancient watch tower. In addition they added a model of a traditional home of the era, plus a workshop and other buildings that would have existed in days of Jesus. But what caught his attention was the remnants of some ancient farmland.
If you were fortunate enough back then to have inherited “bottom land” down in the valley you might become a wealthy man. But this section of Nazareth was built into the hillside and had “terraced” farms. People in this area only had “farms that were little bigger than a good-sized garden.
This land had a mixture of shallow ground where there was rock just about an inch under the soil, as well as some sections where the ground was fertile and would yield a good crop. Seemingly everywhere there were a fair amount of weeds and though you might pull a lot of them... there’d still be a fair amount still growing alongside the crops. In addition, the owner would access his particular plot by a path that ran between his land and his neighbor’s.
Now, with the right tools, you MIGHT be able to make ALL the ground useful. But Nazareth was a poor community with limited resources, so farmers did what they could with what they had. As a result, the “farmers” threw their seed everywhere, hoping some of it would grow. Their land was precious (since there wasn’t much of it), but the seed was comparatively cheap.
So as Jesus told the parable, he described the four types of ground every farmer had to deal with. Only a ¼ of the ground was useful – and it was apparently hard to tell which land would be fertile, and which was not. But the fertile land would give a high yield and was worth the trouble.
And when you think about the parable of the Seed, when Jesus describes what happens to the Seed, he’s describing what happens to it in real life.
Mark 4:Verse (3) Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
“Hearken” and “Behold” – he’s using two Words to communicate that whatever you are doing you need to stop right now and listen to what I’m about to say. Pay attention.
Notice also that the sower “went out”. This was a purposeful decision. What is my point? When it comes to sowing the Word, it’s not something we do haphazardly. We do it on purpose. And when you do something on purpose you make time for it. It’s not a passing fancy. You make time because you are doing it for a reason.
(4) And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

Redeeming The Time

Redeeming the Time
Ephesians 5:15-16

IGood evening. Our sermon this evening is from Ephesians 5:15-16 – “15. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16. redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”.

In the text God is telling us how He wants us to live our lives. First He tells us He wants us to live our lives by walking circumspectly, being circumspect in our walk as a Christian. That is a word many of us know but it is not used in everyday speech very often. The dictionary offers the definition of “watchful and discreet”, “cautious”, “prudent”. In the Greek the word (ἀκριβῶς akribōs, ak-ree-boce') has the attribute of “exactly”, “accurately”, “diligently”.

The implication here is the idea that you are conscious and aware of what is going on around you. You're not just stumbling through the darkness but you're alert and you're paying attention to what's going on around you. You're paying attention to the circumstances of your life and then dealing with the various circumstances as you meet them.

Paul says walk wisely. Not as fools but as wise. Redeeming is another word that is not used everyday but we understand it a little bit better. We sing about it in song, we know that Christ redeemed us by the payment of the price to recover us from the power of sin. In the original language the word here (ἐξαγοράζω exagorázō, ex-ag-or-ad'-zo) is defined by Strong as “To buy up, to buy up for one's self, for one's use. to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own ”

The idea of redeeming the time is seizing the moments of life, living the Christian life, one moment at a time, one situation at a time. This evening I would like to look at how to redeem the time living each day of our life the way the Lord wants us to live it.

The next verse I want to look at with you is Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:” There's a time for everything.
We understand what time is because our earthly existence is within time. Part of being circumspect is realizing where you are and what is required of you at this moment, and then doing what is required of you. It is one thing to recognize what time it is. It is another to do what is required of you at that moment.

The problem is not that we don't recognize what time it is, we just don't do what we're supposed to do when it's time to do it. To redeem the time and to walk circumspectly and walk wisely you have to recognize what time it is and then do what is required of you when that time comes.

Using Our Gifts - Part 3

Using Our Gifts, Part 3

Romans 12:3-8

This morning I would like to continue in our study of this chapter beginning at verse three and continuing through verse 8.

Annie Johnson Flint lived between 1866 and 1932. She suffered from early onset arthritis yet she wrote many beautiful poems. With a pen pushed through bent fingers and held by swollen joints she wrote without any thought that it might be an avenue of ministry, or that it would bring her returns that might help in her support. Her verses provided a solace for her in the long hours of suffering. Then she began making hand-lettered cards and gift books, and decorated some of her own verses. Her life was beset by many problems and suffering. I would recommend you read about her sometime. In considering her life it brings again the question to mind; “Why do good people sometimes suffer?” Of the many poems she wrote I want to mention one titled; The World’s Bible, of which I will read just the first few verses.

Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today;
He has no feet but our feet to lead men in His way;
He has no tongue but our tongues to tell men how He died;
He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible the careless world will read;
We are the sinner's gospel, we are the scoffer's creed;
We are the Lord's last message, given in deed and word;
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?

What if our hands are busy with other work than His?
What if our feet are walking where sin's allurement is?
What if our tongues are speaking of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him and hasten His return?

I would suggest that is a basic truth of the passages that we've been studying in Romans Chapter 12 concerning offering our bodies as spiritual sacrifices to God. God has given us the responsibility to do the work. Not only has He given us responsibility but He has given us the tools and functions as well.  

This morning we're going to talk about the gifts God has given us to do His work. Christ has no hands but our hands. He has no feet but our feet. He instructs us to use what we have, to do what God has given us to do.

Turn to Romans chapter 12 if you are not already there. Let’s read starting in verse three again the passage we've been studying.
Romans 12:3-8 – “3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8. he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

We’ve looked at these passages in past weeks to try to understand what our responsibility is in terms of service. What serving God is all about. We found as we studied earlier that the attitude of service is humility. That we must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to be always willing to put the other person above ourselves.

 

Using Our Gifts - Part 2

Using Our Gifts, Part 2

Romans 12:3-8

Good morning.   Today we are going to continue to look at Romans 12.  This morning I would like to continue in our study of this chapter beginning at verse three and continuing through verse 8.   Please turn there with me now.

Romans 12:3-8 – “3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8. he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

In our last lesson we looked closely at the first part of these verses and talked about Paul’s admonition to humility. We cannot think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. True humility is the environment for serving one another and for serving God. That was the lesson last week, to have a proper attitude for service.

In the continuation of our study I want to look two other aspects of service that are contained in these verses.  First is the proper relationship of serving.  God has placed us in a relationship with Him and with one another. That's the perfect environment in which we can serve Him and each other.   Second we will look at the activity of serving.    Paul gives us a list here that talks about different activities which are to be involved in serving one another and serving God.   These activities flow from the attitude and the relationship that he just discussed.

Using Our Gifts - Part 1

Using Our Gifts, Part 1

Romans 12:3-8

We’ve already talked about presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God.   We talked about not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds.   We saw that there is no middle ground, if we do not become transformed by the renewing of our minds we will be conformed to the world.   This morning I would like to continue in our study of this chapter beginning at verse three and continuing through verse 8.   Please turn there with me now.

Romans 12:3-8 – “3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8. he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

It has been said that even the brightest people use only about 11% of their brains capacity.   When I think about that particular statistic I realize how many use much less than that!   It makes one wonder, what kind of place would this world be if we all used more of our brain?   What if we used 100%?   Certainly it would be a different world.

I wondered, if we get by as well as we do by using only this small portion, what if we could access all there is to access in the human mind and put it to use?   Then I thought about that in terms of God’s word as well.   If we do as well as we do using only small portions of the resources that God has placed before us, (what Paul describes here as gifts), what could we do if we used more of what He has given us?   What would it be like if we would use, to the full extent, the gifts that God has given us as individuals?   I strongly suspect that things would be different.

Contributing to the Needs of the Saints

Contributing to the Needs of the Saints
Romans 12:9-13

The text we have been studying the past few weeks is Romans 12:9-13 and let me just read that to get us started. “9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11. not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12. rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13. distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” [NKJV] The NAS words verse 13 as: contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

We've seen as we have read these passages that they contain several short, very concise admonitions.  These can be viewed individually and we can also consider them in the larger context of Romans Chapter 12.  They should also be considered in the even larger context of the first eleven chapters of Romans that led up to the statements.  I would recommend as we conclude our look that we should resolve, each of us, to do just that. With these admonitions in mind, take the time to study the pervious chapters of Romans.

In addition it might be of benefit to look at what Paul commands here both individually and as they are linked together.  Paul was pleading with them on the basis of the things that he said in the very beginning of the chapter. In verses 1 and 2 he beseeched them by the mercies of God that they be not conformed to the world but they be transformed by the renewing of their mind. In that call for a transformation Paul was being comprehensive.

Hope - Tribulation - Prayer

Hope, Tribulation, Prayer  

Romans 12:10-13

We are continuing in our study in the book of Romans chapter 12. We looked at verse 9 and examined what love is and what hypocrisy is.   We saw that love is biblically described in terms of activities, actions, unlike the common view in the world today as a feeling.   We saw that hypocrisy was in direct opposition to love. I would like us to now read Romans 12:10-13 – “10. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11. not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12. rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13. distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” 

The apostle says; “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.”  Three phrases.  These three phrases are part of a series of admonitions.   These three phrases contain words that often occur in scripture, rejoice, hope, patience, tribulation, steadfastness, and prayer.   There is a lesson in each one of these words; of what rejoicing means, what hope is and what patience is, what tribulation means to us.

In the larger context of Romans chapter 12 these three commands are vital ingredients to a spiritual life.   To develop spirituality, we need to know how we obey these commandments and what they mean to us in our spiritual growth.

Withstanding the Pressure of Being a Christian

Withstanding the Pressure of Being a Christian

Matthew 7:13-14

“13. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14. "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”    In these verses we find Jesus basically divides the world into two categories.  There is a broad way, or path and there is a narrow way and you're on one of these two ways.  Make no mistake about it.   Everybody on the face of the earth falls into one of these two categories.  

There are two ways; there is the broad way and the broad way that leads to destruction.

He states in the reality of the world there will be many that go this way.    The truth of the matter is the vast majority of mankind has always traveled the broad way that leads to destruction.

Then He tells us about another way.   Jesus says it's a narrow way.  It's a difficult way but this narrow, difficult way leads to eternal life.  In describing this narrow, difficult way, He says there are few that find it.

Bless and Curse Not

Bless and Curse Not
Romans 12:14

In our study of Romans 12 so far we have given a lot of attention the various commands and admonitions that are given with a very real sense of imperativeness for the Christian.   These are things that make up spirituality and none of them are optional, there are none of these commands that Paul presents in this chapter that we can simply ignore.

Paul is talking about being transformed, about a renewal, not only outwardly in the use of our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, but also as a renewing of our minds.  A revision in the way we use our mind both in the way we view the world and our understanding of the Creator.   These verses that follow this admonition are not simply disconnected commands.  They provide an overall character description of what the transformed person looks like, what the renewed person looks like, the Christian.

Look with me at Romans 12:14 – “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”    What Paul says here may very well be far more transforming for some of us then anything previous.   By that I mean, it is one of those attitudes and actions that is intensely difficult for us in the world in which we live.