SERMON SEEDS
Q17 – THE WEEK OF APRIL 30, 2018
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PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 – MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
CONSISTENTLY HIS #2
I’ve had some pretty good role models in my life.
- My Dad – Integrity
- My Mom – Faithfulness
- Pastor Headley (My mentor) – Qualities of a good Pastor
- Billy Graham – Zeal for souls
- Dottie (My Wife) – How to love
As we pointed out last week, as Christians, we have a big problem with inconsistency in our walk with Jesus. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:19 - For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
As we also saw last week, God has given the Holy Spirit within our lives so that we are never alone! His Spirit is the one “called alongside to help” us!
Because we are His consistently, God enables us to be “Consistently His”. This week, we want to look at the best role model of consistency that there ever is, was, or will be!
In Philippians 2:5 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
The word "mind" here refers to attitude. We are to have the same attitude that Christ had.
We can sum up our Lord's attitude with the words, "selfless humility".
Our Lord did not live for himself. He first lived to please God, the Father. Psalm 40:7-8
In the next few verses, Paul goes on to describe "The mind of Christ." We see here the attitude that filled His mind heart, and very life. We find here the very attitude that we should if we want to be joyfully consistent.
The characteristics of the mind of Christ can be summed up in these words:
SURRENDER Vss. 6-7a
Vs. 6 - The word "form" here refers to the "inner essential, and abiding nature of a person or thing."
When Paul says that Jesus had the form of God, He is saying that Jesus' inner, essential, and abiding nature are that of God. Paul is attesting to the deity of Jesus Christ!
He is also telling us that before He came to earth, Jesus existed as God. John 1:1-2
Jesus did not consider His equality with God something to be selfishly held on to or grasped.
Jesus could have stayed in Heaven. He could have let man perish in His sins. Instead, He chose to leave behind the glory that was His and come to earth.
Vs. 7 - What did Jesus empty Himself of? What did he surrender?
Did He give up His deity?
No, when He came to earth, He was still God.
He was perfect man and perfect God joined together.
He did give up His heavenly glory.
He did give up His riches.
He did give up the independent use of His Godly authority, and became subservient to and dependent upon God, the Father.
Jesus surrendered all self-interests. Jesus surrendered his rights as God, in order to secure eternal life for us.
Beloved, if you and I are going to have the same attitude which Christ had, we must surrender our rights.
There is so much hassle between Christians in families and churches simply because we do not surrender our rights.
What are some of the rights which we need to surrender?
- We need to surrender our right of personal comfort.
Luke 9:23
- We need to surrender our right to wealth. Matthew 6:24
- We need to surrender our right to do as we please.
Ephesians 5:15-17
- We need to surrender our right to put other things and people ahead of God. 1 John 5:21
- We need to surrender our right to be happy in our own plans to be happy in God's plans. Romans 12:1
- We need to surrender our right to please men. Isaiah 2:22
- We need to surrender our right to have our own way. Philippians 2:2-4
You see, we consider it all right that our Lord surrendered everything He had to win our salvation. But we fall short of showing our appreciation with total surrender to Him. We are so afraid that we will be short-changed in the process, that we'll lose something.
Can't we trust the one who gave His very life for us?
Of course, we can!
Jesus surrendered His rights for you.
Will you, out of gratitude, surrender your rights for Him?
SERVICE Vs. 7
Jesus took on the "inner, essential, and abiding nature..." of a servant!
Jesus was a servant through and through!
He served by coming to earth.
He served by teaching and training men.
He served through the miracles He performed.
He served through His prayers.
He served by the washing of the feet of the disciples.
Here was the very Son of God, stooping to the job of a slave or servant, washing the very feet of sinful men.
He served when He went to the cross. Isaiah 53:5-6
Also, as a servant, Jesus took on the likeness of man.
He took on the human nature, even though He was perfect.
The word translated servant can also be translated “slave”. Matthew 23:11
Let me share something with you which I have learned about Christians. They like to be entertained. But God is not interested in entertainment for entertainment's sake. He is interested in using us!
And the Christian and the church that pleases Him, is the Christian and the church that serves Him and others.
How can I serve?
By doing those things which God prompts me to do, and not ignore His prompting. He will prompt me through His word, through other Christians, and through His Spirit.
He might prompt you to write a letter of encouragement. - DO IT!
He might prompt you to help someone in physical or spiritual need. - DO IT!
He might prompt you to send a gift to, or to support a missionary regularly. DO IT!
He might prompt you to work around the building. DO IT!
He might prompt you to teach!
2 Timothy 4:21 - Do thy diligence to come before winter.
In other words, do it before it’s too late.
SUBMISSION Vs. 8
We like obedience in others.
We like obedience in employees.
We like obedience in children.
But do we like obedience in ourselves?
Many times, we as individuals think we know better than the one who is responsible to lead us.
This has much to do with pride.
To do what someone else tells us to do, we must humble ourselves.
The Son of God, God in the flesh, came to earth.
He was much wiser than any man. He made man.
He was more powerful than any man. He was God.
And yet, He humbled himself to obedience.
He never did anything wrong.
He was sinless.
And in this humility, He was obedient unto death.
Willingly giving up His life at Calvary, that we might have life.
Four of the greatest words the Lord Jesus ever said were in the Garden of Gethsamenee. He said, THY WILL BE DONE.
Let’s be submissive like Jesus was.
SACRIFICE
Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice, giving up His life, that those who trust Him as Savior might have life.
What is your response to what Christ has done for you?
It should be a response that says, "Because He has saved me, I will sacrifice for Him, because I love Him. Sacrifice for someone you truly love is not hard! Philippians 3:8-10
So, here it is. We are to have the mind of Christ.
To have the mind of Christ, we must
SURRENDER, SERVE, SUBMIT, SACRIFICE
And let me tell you the mind of Christ is only possible if you simply let Christ, through His Spirit control your life!
SATISFACTION - Vss. 9-11
Jesus was and will be rewarded for His labor of love for us.
You and I will be rewarded for our work of love for the Savior.
God is no man's debtor. He will reward us properly, although we don’t deserve rewards! 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 5:10
Want to be consistent? Follow Jesus as a role – model, have the mind of Christ.
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JUDGES 2:10-19 – SO, WHO’S STUBBORN?
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...
1 Samuel 15:23a
The children of Israel were being stubborn. What they did leads us to ask three questions about ourselves. If any one of the answers to these questions is yes, perhaps, we are being stubborn too.
AM I ON THE RUN? (Defection) Vss. 10-13
Israel was running away from God and His laws.
Am I?
AM I ON THE ROPES? (Discipline) Vss. 14-15
Israel was being disciplined by God.
Am I?
AM I ON THE "REV."? (Dissension) Vss. 16-19
("Rev." here is short for Reverend, and refers to spiritual leaders in my life.)
Israel would not hearken to their judges.
Instead of accepting spiritual leadership, am I "on" Spiritual leadership with unjust criticism or antagonistic confrontation?
Note: If you don't like my questions, you can just use the three "D" words in parenthesis as your points.
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PSALM 73 – A CLASSIC PROBLEM
Wicked people prosper. Righteous people suffer. “It’s not fair”, we cry, and yet the problem has existed for thousands of years. Asaph tells of his personal struggle with the issue in this Psalm.
A CLOSE CALL – Vss. 1-3
Asaph almost slipped in spite of God’s goodness when he became envious at the prosperity of the wicked.
A CLEAR PROBLEM – Vss. 4-14
Asaph describes the condition of the ungodly “who prosper in the world”.
A CORRECTED UNDERSTANDING – Vss. 15-20
It was not until Asaph consulted with God in His sanctuary that he began to understand the actual plight of the ungodly.
A CONTRITE HEART – Vss. 21-22
He was convicted of his own foolish perspective before he consulted with God.
A CONFIDENT CONCLUSION – Vss. 23-28
Asaph shows how good the righteous actually have it.
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ECCLESIASTES 7:1-10 – BETTER LIVING
#7 OF 11 OUTLINES ON ECCLESIASTES
Although Solomon is giving us a view of life "under the sun" and is
convinced that "all is vanity", we still see glimpses of the wisdom that God
had given Solomon.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT WISDOM - VSS. 11-14
1. Wisdom is more valuable than money. Vss. 11-12
2. Wisdom realizes that God is sovereign. Vs. 13
3. Wisdom stays under control in all situations. Vs. 14
PERCEPTIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT WISDOM Vss. 15-22, 25-26
1. God does not reward the way we think He should. Vs. 15
2. One should not be self-righteous or self-absorbed in wisdom. Vs. 16
3. One should not use his sinful nature as an excuse, but should fear God.
Vss. 17-18
4. Wisdom is more valuable than strength. Vss. 19-20
5. Don't try to hear every word spoken about you. Vss. 21-22
6. A seductive woman should be avoided. Vss. 25-26
PERPLEXING THOUGHTS ABOUT WISDOM - Vss. 23-24, 27-29
1. Not one of us is wise enough. - Vss. 23-24
2. The number of wise people is limited. - Vss. 27-28
3. Man ends up doing his own thing, going his own way. - Vs. 29
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MATTHEW 4:12-25 – MEETING THE MASTER
Jesus is beginning his ministry and introducing Himself to the Jewish people.
THE MASTER'S MOVEMENT - Vss. 12-16
In fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus moved His ministry to Capernaum.
THE MASTER'S MESSAGE - Vs. 17
The message was a reiteration of John's message. It was a call to repentance.
THE MASTER'S MEN - Vss. 18-22
The first disciples were called to be "Fishers of Men".
THE MASTER'S MINISTRY - Vss. 23-25
He taught. He preached. He healed.
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MARK 6:45-52 – IN TROUBLE?
We all face times of trouble. This account of Jesus coming to the disciples in the midst of the storm is a reminder that when we are in trouble:
JESUS COMES Vss. 45-48
JESUS COMFORTS Vss. 49-50
JESUS CONTROLS Vss. 51-52
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JUDGMENT’S GRAND FINALE – REVELATION 15-16
THE BACK OF THE BOOK #14 (REVELATION)
This is a series of complete study notes. If you take a premillennial, pretribulational, position in prophecies, these notes may be helpful. I have shared these previously.
- What are some of the ways that God has judged or will judge the earth and/or mankind?
- Although God is a God of love, mercy, and grace, God is also a righteous God who demands judgment upon sin.
- The Book of Revelation is not exclusively a book of judgment, but much of the book shows God’s judgment of earth and the sinners who dwell there.
- “As told by Christ, the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments will grow in intensity: ‘For then shall be great tribulation, such was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.’ (Matthew 24:21-22). The Tribulation judgments will be cut off by the return of Christ. If this were not so, no life would survive on the earth.” David Levy, Revelation: Hearing the Last Word, (Bellmawr, NJ, Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry Inc., 1999), pp. 171-172
After an interlude of three chapters, John picks up the list of events relating to judgment. The seventh trumpet actually leads into the bowl (vial) judgments that will actually conclude the judgment of earth.
CHAPTER 15 – PREPARATION IN HEAVEN
PLAGUES – Vs. 1
- Other signs in Heaven are found in Revelation 12:1, 3.
- This sign is “great and marvelous” because in these 7 plagues the wrath of God is completed.
- A plague is not limited to a disease. It is a “blow” from a fiercely angry God.
- The good news is that there is an end in sight, and that the blessings to follow for redeemed mankind and the earth itself are phenomenal!
PRAISE – Vss. 2-4
- Vs. 2 - This sea was a “sea of glass” or crystal. It reflects the glory and majesty of God. The fire seen in the sea would represent judgment that God was about to carry out.
- On this sea stood the Tribulation saints, who had been martyred, but in reality had been victorious over the Beast, his image, his mark, and his number. Physical death does not mean defeat for the saved.
- Vss. 3-4 – They sang two songs which were different and yet very similar. Both of them speak of deliverance. The “song of Moses” is found in Exodus 15. The “song of the Lamb” is found here.
- God’s works, ways, holiness and judgments are referred to here.
PROCESSION – Vss. 5-7
- The temple on earth was simply a copy of the temple in Heaven. The “Holy of Holies” contained the ark which had the Ten Commandments (the testimony). Out of the intimate presence of God came seven angels carrying God’s final judgments.
- Notice the purity of their clothes. What they were doing was pure and right because it came from a righteous, holy God.
- The angels were given vials, or shallow bowls, containing the wrath of God.
PREVENTION – Vs. 8
- Smoke, a reflection of God’s glory and power, filled the temple.
- Because of this glory, everyone was prevented from entering until after the judgments were completed.
- This is reminiscent of the dedication of Solomon’s temple. The priests could not minister because of the cloud which was the glory of the Lord. 1 Kings 8:10-11
CHAPTER 16 - JUDGMENTS UPON EARTH
BOWL #1 – TERRIBLE SORES – Vss. 1-2
- Vs. 1 - The angels were commissioned to go and pour out their judgments. These judgments will be poured out upon the earth in rapid succession.
- Vs. 2 – Those who are not saved will receive “loathsome” terrible sores. They seem to be ulcerated sores, from which they will suffer severely.
BOWL #2 – POLLUTED SEAS – Vs. 3
- In Revelation 8:8-9 we see that 1/3 of the sea became blood and 1/3 of the sea creatures were destroyed.
- With this bowl judgment, all the seas will become like dead men’s blood, thick and no doubt foul in smell.
- All life in the sea will be destroyed. What devastation!
BOWL #3 – CONTAMINATED FRESH WATER – Vss. 4-7
- Vs. 4 - When the third angel’s bowl is poured out, the fresh water supply will become blood. You imagine the severe hardship this will cause. Already 1/3 of the fresh water supply had been damaged according to Revelation 8:10-11.
- Vss. 5-7 – God seems to anticipate criticism for what seems to be cruel and unreasonable judgment.
- The “angel of the waters” announced that God is righteous, eternal, and justified in judging those who killed “saints and prophets”.
- Vs. 7 is a great reminder that God’s judgments are always true and righteous.
BOWL #4 – SCORCHING SUN – Vss. 8-9
- The next angel brings intense heat from the sun.
- Not only will men be miserable, but imagine the devastation caused by true “global warming”. Ice caps and snow covered mountains will begin to melt and cause severe flooding.
- The response of mankind will not be to repent, but to blaspheme God’s name.
BOWL #5 – UNBEARABLE DARKNESS – Vss. 10-11
- The kingdom of the beast will be full of darkness. That probably means that the whole world will suffer.
- The people will chew on their tongues in pain.
- They will continue to blaspheme God and refuse to repent.
BOWL #6 – DRIED UP RIVER – Vss. 12-16
- Vs. 12 - the River Euphrates, a huge, wide, long river will dry up. This will facilitate armies marching to their judgment at Armageddon.
- Vs. 13-14 – Three powerful demons, proceeding from the “unholy trinity”, will work miracles and influence the armies of the world to the last great battle of “that great day of God Almighty”.
- Vs. 15 – Here is a word of challenge for the saved. The Lord will come like a “thief”. Those who are saved should be watching and ready, lest they be unprepared and exposed as such.
- Vs. 16 – Armageddon is Mount Megiddo, which is 60 miles north of Jerusalem. Many battles have been fought here down through the years. This will be the last great showdown between Satan and the Lord Jesus. Satan will be quickly defeated.
BOWL #7 – GREAT EARTHQUAKE – Vss. 17-21
- Vs. 17 – There is a great shout of victory from Heaven. “It is done!”
- Vs. 18 – There is probably the worst earthquake the world has ever seen.
- Vs. 19 – The great city is probably Jerusalem. It will not fall like other cities including “great Babylon”.
- Vs. 20 – In preparation for the millennial Kingdom, there appears to be great geographical adjustments. Isaiah 40:4
- Vs. 21 – Huge hail weighing anywhere from 75-135 pounds will fall out of Heaven.
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