Moved By What?

 

Introduction:

     A.   What was Christ motivated by?  What should we be motivated

by?

 

     B.   This morning I think this second scripture gives us

          some insight into the compelling force upon which our

          Savior acted.

 

     Trans.

          As we look at this, I would like for us all to examine           ourselves as to whether or not we share this

          compelling force with our Savior!

 

                            Prayer

                         Matt. 9:36-38

 

I.   Many messages have been preached from this passage.

 

     A.   This passage has been used to make people realize the

          urgency and need for laborers in the kingdom of God

          To do something! Which is a good message!

 

     B.   This passage has been used as an appeal to pray for

          laborers; perhaps we aren't praying enough!

 

     C.   This passage has been used to make us realize that the           harvest is there; it is ready, and we the church can

          grow!  This too is a good message!

 

     D.   But this morning, I would like to look at what was

           said about Jesus here that caused the Savior to feel

          this deep need and examine what the motivations or

          compelling forces are and aren't that would have

          caused Jesus to say this.

 

II.  What was said about Christ?

 

     "he was moved with compassion on them, because they

      fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no

     shepherd."

A.      Moved with Compassion!

B.       

          1.   Because they grew tired, because some gave up the                road was so hard, because Christ saw people who

              needed direction, people that needed to know how

              to grow!  They needed to know what to do!

 

              a.   Life is hard sometimes!

 

              b.   People need someone who cares and is willing

                   to help  

    

          2.   If someone didn't go to them, some might fall or

              turn away or they might not ever even know the

              way to God!

 

     B.   Love!

 

          1.   Love is always the bottom line for the Lord!

 

          2.   That is why Christ was touched and moved with

              compassion.

 

          3.   That is why Christ came for us!  Christ loved us

              and was moved with compassion!

 

          4.   Because Christ saw where we were headed, our need

              of direction, and our need for salvation.

 

     C.   This should be what moves us to see the need for

          service and compels us to serve!  Because we are

          "moved with compassion," because we see people who do

          not know the love of God and are without direction,

          because we see people who have no purpose, and we want

          to serve to meet their need and help them find the

          love of God!

 

III. Oh, but too many times today this isn't what can be said

     about our service!  What sometimes can be said about our

     service? These were and are "not" the compelling forces of

     Jesus!

 

     A.   They are just serving for the money!

 

1.      This is sometimes said of preachers who are

always asking for money (on T.V. & etc.).

 

2.      This is sometimes said of preachers when they

leave a congregation in hopes of getting one that pays more!

 

 

          3.   The sad thing is that this is sometimes true and

              this is the compelling force.

 

     B.   Another, they are just serving for the power!

 

1.      This is sometimes said of preachers who try to

run the show and who want people to look to them as the supreme authority. What they say goes!

 

          2.   This is sometimes said of other leaders in the

              church who have the same attitude!

 

          3.   The sad thing is that sometimes this is the

              compelling force, and when that feeling of power

              is threatened, they become angry, bitter, and

              uncooperative.  Sometimes, they just want to

              leave if they can't run things!

 

     C.   Another, they are just serving for recognition!

 

1.      When the going gets tough and the recognition

runs low or the credit goes to someone else, these are weeded out.

 

          2.   Is it so important that we get the credit or that                the job gets done?

 

     D.   Lastly, they are just serving out of obligation!

 

          1.   Some do this so that it will get done.

 

          2.   But this isn’t a real pure reason for service!

 

          3.   Might be better than no service.

 

     E.   But let's be sure that these things can't be

          Truthfully said about us.

 

Conclusion:

 

     A.   We need more who are like our precious Lord who will

          serve with sacrifice, moved with compassion, because             of the job that they see that needs to be done,

          because of the lives who need to be touched, because

          of Love.

 

          1.   When we do, we won't worry if the money is best!

 

 

2.      We won't be bothered if we don't have all the    

power as long as ministry is being done!  We will see ourselves as part of a team striving together to get the job done! Matter of fact, we will be glad to let others be involved!

 

          3.   We won't have to have worldly recognition to

              continue doing our best for the Lord!

 

C.      Are we like this?  Do we share this compelling force

with our Savior?  Compassion?  Love?  How long has it been since we have been moved to do something because of compassion?

 

     C.   Why do we serve?

 

D.      As we encounter Christ at the table this morning, do

we need to ask the Lord into our lives for the first time? Do we need to ask Christ to fill us with His Spirit of service this morning?

 

     E.   Someone has said,   "[People are] never nearer the

                             Divine than in [their]

                             Compassionate moments." 

                                      Joseph H. Hertz

 

Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion

United in the Trinity!

 

                                                 Trinity Sunday

 

                            Prayer

            Matt. 28:16-20 and Philippians 3:17 - 4:1

 

1st Movement:

     People can disappoint us and do things that are really hurtful for the Church.  When I was a teenager, our church got to bulging at the seems.  Our Pastor decided what he thought we needed to do (what God had told him that we needed to do!) and began to preach that every Sunday in one form or another.  He had decided that we needed to step out on faith and buy new property and build across town, selling our present facility for whatever we could get for it.  Those who did not agree with him and jump on the wagon were just not right!  They did not have enough faith!  Those who had spent their lives working to acquire the facility that we had were hanging on to material things if they were not just ready to take their losses and move on!  Those who were counting the cost were not trusting the Lord enough!  Well, he was successful at convincing a little less than half of the congregation that he was right but not enough to do it and keep us together, so he took those who agreed with him and they split off to start a new church. It matters so much for all of us the stand we take and how we take it.  Do we have all the answers?  Is there room for discussion?  As a preacher, I realize the damage I can do if I make all the decisions for people like nobody else can think for themselves or hear from God.  I realize how divisive it can be if I preach everything that I believe or everything I think is sin like there was no other way of looking at it and everybody that didn't agree with me was dead wrong!  There are so many positive things to preach about!  God can change us!  The Holy Spirit can lead us to be better than we've ever been before!  God can help us to be united in God's Spirit!  I just need to keep pointing to the one who offers change and a new life!  Here is the Trinity: God, Holy Spirit, and the one who offers change and a new life, Jesus!  I just need to keep holding up the vision of what God can do with us and through us and let the Lord do the rest!  We just need to keep going into the world with the gospel and baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

 

2nd Movement:

     In our Philippians scripture, Paul had a problem here.  He had people among those who he had preached the word to who were trying to undermine what he had to say. Division isn’t new! Some were saying that he wasn't really an apostle so his message wasn't really credible.  Others were saying that gentile believers needed to be circumcised!  He is calling them here, "enemies of the cross."  They were trying to undo the good that he had done and he was heartbroken about it.  If we aren't careful, any of us can be enemies of the cross.  When we get the idea that we are right on something and we don't want to let the other disagree, we need to ask ourselves why.  Is it out of love and we don't want them to be hurt, or do we just not want to be wrong?  Is it really one of the essentials that we are talking about? The Church has always had problems with disagreements.  In our scripture from Philippians, Paul lifts up Christ as that that binds us together.  As the Early Church worked to establish their theology around Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit, they developed the theology of the Trinity which says they are all God, but are different ways that we experience God. Jesus tells us in Matthew to baptize in the name of the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit.  Here Jesus gives us a basis for the theology around the Trinity.

 

3rd movement:

     As we think about this, I like the United Methodist Church because we are not told exactly what to believe; we are free to study the Bible and come to our own conclusions as long as we believe the essentials. The theology around God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are some of those essential Christian beliefs. Beyond that, as United Methodists, we are given much more freedom within Christians circles to search out our own salvation with fear and trembling.  Some are told exactly what mode of baptism they must use.  Some pastors would have their credentials removed if they had an “unauthorized” person help them with communion.  Some would be thrown out if they didn't believe certain things about the end times.  Some are bound to certain beliefs about tongues.  Some are bound to some extent to taking and offering communion a certain way. Some are told what they can and can’t watch on TV.  Some are told how to vote!  We are free to search out in the Bible and the Churches tradition to see what beliefs we feel the Lord would have us to have on these things.  We can be united and not all believe the same things on everything! 

 

     Communion is a good example of the uniting of the Church through the Trinity, so let’s look at communion for a moment.  We believe that the important things are that we offer Christ's table to everyone and that we encounter Christ at the table and are changed as a result of that encounter.  The debates around communion involve: should we use leavened bread or unleavened bread?  Should we use wine, grape juice or something else?  Should we use one cup or separate cups?  Do we actually encounter Christ in Spirit, does the juice and bread actually become the body and blood of Christ once ingested, or is it just a symbolic act?  Some would even argue that communion isn’t for everyone but just for Christians or even for some, just church members!

 

     Some want to say that one method is more biblical than the others.  I am glad as United Methodist that we don't have to get into that argument and that we are free to use whatever method best helps us to capture that first Lord's Supper and encounter the Lord in the reinactment of it.  We do believe in the Spiritual encounter with Christ at the table.  According to the scriptures and tradition, on that first Lord's Supper, they used one cup of wine (he took "the" cup) and unleavened bread, passing it around the table.  Some traditions still use real wine with all sipping from the same cup and unleavened bread.  That is probably the closest to the biblical way.  Although, it is not real clear as to whether they all sipped or dipped.  John speaks of dipping the bread at that meal, but he really doesn't recap the communion event.  During the Prohabition, some traditions decided, ours included, that using real wine was an unnecessary temptation for those who were or were prone to alcoholism, so they decided to start using grape juice.  Since grape juice does not kill germs, this opened up all kinds of issues.  Thus, many traditions started using seperate cups.  Some use one cup, which keeps the symbolism of the one cup which Christ used, and dipped the bread in the cup (intinction).  Christ used unleavened bread because that was the common bread at the table, so today many traditions hold to the "biblical" mode of using unleavened bread.  Others say that the common bread today is leavened bread and use leavened bread.  Getting caught up in the debate about which method is more "biblical" is really getting away from the real purpose of communion. United Methodists use most of these methods; the method is not the important issue. It is hard for me to understand why anyone would get caught up in that argument besides those who believe you should use one cup of wine and unleavened bread, but they do!

 

     In the service of communion, we can see the Trinity. We can see the different actions of the 3 parts of the Trinity: God, Son, and Holy Spirit.  God is seen in the prayer, Mercyful God …. God is seen in the Pardon, that proves God’s love toward us!  God is the one who loved us and made a way through Jesus Christ, and there is Christ the son!  In the Invitation, Christ invites to His table. In the prayer, we are freed and forgiven through Christ our Lord. It is Christ who showed us the love of God.  It is Christ who showed us how to live, and it is Christ who went to the Cross to make a way for us!  We see the Spirit in the consecration prayer: pour out your Spirit on us gathered here and by your Spirit make us one with Christ!  It is the Spirit who dwells with us and guides us in our everyday lives. As United Methodist, we are united in the Trinity at the table.  Our methods we offer communion can differ, but the main thing is that we encounter Christ at the table, and Christ changes us!

 

As we come to the table, we believe that we encounter the real presence of Christ at the table.  The elements do not become Christ, but as we take of them, spiritually, we can be taking of Christ into our lives spiritually.  The one cup (whether it is actually one cup or several cups with the same thing in them) points to the unity that we can have in Christ as we all encounter Christ at the table and let Christ change us.  As we encounter God, Christ, and the Spirit, our differences become less important and our focus on Christ becomes that that binds us as a Church. As Christ binds us and our relationship with Christ becomes the main thing, our divisions and disagreements around the non-essentials don’t seem so important!  Because we believe this is an encounter with Christ, we offer communion as our invitation to come to Christ! Thanks be to God!

 

Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion

Walking in the Spirit!

                                               Pentecost Sunday!

Intro.

A.   Today is Pentecost Sunday, so I want to talk to you about “Walking in the Spirit!”

 

B.   As we look at that, I want to ask you a couple questions. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? If we aren't saved by our works, does that mean we will continue in our sin, that it doesn't matter?

 

C.   If not, then what is our part in keeping from sinning?

     Is Christianity a religion of dos and on'ts?

 

Trans.

These are some tough questions.  Let's look into the scripture and see if we can find the answer to at least some of these!

 

                            Prayer

                          Gal. 5:16-25

 

I.      There will always be a struggle in our inner being.

                                         (vs. 17)

 

A.   We cannot always do what we have an appetite

for!

 

B.   We can't always do what we feel like we want to do!

 

C.   We can't always go by our conscience;  we may not have

trained it well!

 

D.   But there is something that we can go by:  The Holy Spirit!

 

II.  Paul instructs us to, "Live by the Spirit . . . and do not gratify the desires of the flesh." (vs. 16 NRSV)

 

A.   This is our answer to a changed life!

 

B.   This is how we overcome the temptation to live as we once lived!

 

C.   Live by the Spirit!

 

III. But how can we do this?

 

A.   As Christians, each of us has the Spirit living in us!

 

B.   But we have to decide right away, "Will I say yes to the Spirit or yes to my own will?"

 

1.      Satan wastes no time in tempting us with this

one!

 

2.      We make this decision everyday and all through

the day!

 

C.   Paul tells us in I Thess. 5:19 (KJV), "Quench not the Spirit!"

 

1.   this is exactly what Paul is talking about!

 

2.   Don't say no to the Spirit!

 

3.   Don't put out the fire within us!

 

4.   Don't throw water on the fire by saying no!

 

D.   But how do we know if it is the Spirit's leading?

 

1.   That's why we study the Bible!

 

a.   This passage, Gal. 5:16-25, is a prime

example of how studying the Bible can help

us find the answer to this question! 

 

b.   It gives us some clues as to how to

     recognize the Spirit's leading:

 

1)   If the Spirit within us is quick-

tempered, it isn't the Holy Spirit because God's Spirit is long-suffering!

 

2)   If the feeling within us is to jump

     down someone's throat because they

     deserve it, it probably isn't God's

     Spirit because the Holy Spirit is

     Characterized by gentleness, kindness,

     and self-control.

 

                   3)   Are our actions guided by love? Are we

showing the love of God by our actions?

Is all that we do motivated by love? Do

we love all people as God loved in

Christ? After all, the first fruit of

the Spirit is Love!

 

                   4)   Are we patient with others and give

                        them time to grow in Christ, or are we

judgmental and try to make them conform

to our way of thinking?

 

5)   And so on.

 

6)   In this way, we can try the Spirits.

     This is the key! Be led by the Spirit,

     and God will take care of the rest!

 

2.   This is why Paul tells us to "Pray without

ceasing."  (I Thess. 5:17)

 

a.      We must be in constant communication with

God in order to be receptive to the Spirit's

leading!

 

b.   If we ask the Lord what to do, God will lead us through the Holy Spirit!

 

3.   After we have studied the Bible and are living a life of prayer, we need to do a lot of thinking and discerning.

 

a.   Think of how our actions will affect God and  the Kingdom.  Will they glorify God?

 

b.   Think of how our actions will affect others; is this the effect that God would have us to  have on others? Is it motivated by love?

 

c.   How will it affect our own self?  Our own

Spiritual growth?  Our physical life?

 

d.   God would have us to weigh out each of these

                   in making decisions.

 

3.      After we have done these things, we will know

what the Spirit would have us to do!

 

5.   The first two steps take advance preparation for them to help us in seeking the Lord's will!

 

a.   studying

 

b.   developing a life of prayer

 

6.   The latter is a process we can go through at the time in making a decision, based on our studies and prayers. How does it affect God, the Kingdom, others, and self?

 

a.   We may go through this process pretty fast  and get our answer.

 

b.   Or we may be going through this process for days, weeks, months, or even years before we  can feel satisfied we have found God's will in a decision!

 

Conclusion:

 

A.   So what is our part in keeping from sinning?

Is Christianity a religion of dos and don'ts?

 

B.   (vs. 18) "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law." So no it is not just a

     religion of dos and don’ts!

 

C.   (vs. 16)  "Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not

gratify the desires of the flesh."

 

D.   Key!  Live by the Spirit!!

 

E.   As we encounter the Spirit of Christ at the table this morning, yield to that Spirit so that you can live a life pleasing to God!  Amen!

 

Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion