Sermon Notes - 09/23/12 - Part 2

Here are just some notes from the remaining portion of Bro Mike's sermon last week...



1. God wants to reach people's hearts - break through their intellect and pride - and capture their hearts. Maybe they are not intellectual - maybe they dropped out of school after 6th grade. He still wants to reach them - break through their illiteracy and capture their hearts.

2. So the church is in an age when the world thinks we are irrelevant and holds us in contempt.

3. And the church is in an age when even part of the church itself has doubts....

We can't be the church today. The world is not paying attention!

Bro Mike referred to a book he is currently reading about pastoral ministry. The author gives John the Baptist as a example of a pastor's ministry in the world.  He walked into whatever was going on and had a simple,  single-minded message.

Prophetic preaching is telling the truth and helping make sense of people's lives.

To speak God's word with authority and with the intention of  persuasion.

John brought up God - an awareness of Him and His work - in a particular moment in time.
 

 

     I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ    who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:

 

     Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching.

 

     For the time will come when they will not endure  sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears...they will turn away from the truth...but you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry... 2 Tim 4:1-5

 

 

And just about everyone believes we are at that time -- when they will not endure sound doctrine....


4. Probably 90% of what goes on in church during the pastor's message is the work of the Holy Spirit. The text...the topic..and then the Holy Spirit takes it and runs with it. You are paying attention to the preacher, but also to the Holy Spirit.

5. What about a child - a seven-year old - church is divided. Should there be children's church for all young people? Or should they be in the sanctuary with their families.

Something about that moment in time. Bro Mike tells about his experience in church at 7 years old and how his mother pinched him to keep him still and quiet. "Even the 7 year old needs to be there," he said, "to experience that moment."

6. Re-orientation. Our compasses...our GPS...  have to be redirected, re-oriented each week. That goes for pastors, too.

7. The church should not take a survey of the world to find out what they need or want....we should look to God to show us His agenda.

A preacher knows many will walk by and walk off...We are doing things on God's agenda.

8. Closing prayer:


Thank you for the activity you are doing in people's lives. Help us as we try to reach certain people to realize that You love them even more than we do, whether they are smart or challenged. Help us to cooperate with You in reaching them... help us to be the church in a manner You can use...

I pray for mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and sons and daughters...who right now consider Your message irrelevant....
that You will do a work in their lives...to draw them closer to Yourself...and help us to be faithful. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Sermon Notes - 09/23/12 - Part 1

Sermon notes for September 23, 2012 (Part 1)


These are just my notes. This series on discipleship is packed full.
For the complete sermon go to fbc-bc.org, click on sermons.


Bro Mike often describes our Christian life as a journey -- it is not just a bunch of stuff happening each day. It has a definite beginning and a definite destination.

The beginning of our journey is not our physical birth. It is our "re-birth," our "born again experience," our "salvation event."

All words used to describe the starting place of our journey.


Before we begin our journey, we have to deal with Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Everyone is a sinner. We all need a Savior.

Then Romans 10:13: For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone.

It is when we call on the name of the Lord, placing our trust in Him, that we are "converted," "born again," "saved..." 

This is when we begin our journey...our walk with Jesus...our work of discipleship.

We start there and follow Him in discipleship until we are called home.

Bro Mike mentioned 2 funerals this week of women who had at some time in their life begun their journey of discipleship.

He could, with confidence, read Paul's words in 2 Timothy 4:7, and use it to describe them:

       ...the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good
       fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.
      
Discipleship is not automatic. The word means "learner."



Am I on the journey of becoming a disciple?


Paul suffered for being a follower of Jesus, and he linked his suffering for Christ as being for the sake of His body, the church.
(Colossians 1:24)

Our own First Baptist Church in Bay City is a part of that great church. Jesus is the head and the Holy Spirit is at work.

Colossians 1:26: the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.

This should jolt our attention -- what was hidden for centuries has been revealed to us!

Do we really know who we are today?


At no time will I ever say, "I got it! No more praying! No more study!"

 I will be unwrapping the glorious riches of this mystery throughout my life. We must be ferocious in our quest for understanding the glorious riches available to us.



What will you do with the rest of your life after you are saved?

Colossians 1:28: Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect [mature] in Christ Jesus.

"We" is not just the preacher.

Three Words:

 

Him

We

Preach

Today the church is an object of contempt and irrelevance in the world's eyes.

     For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who
     are perishing, but to us who are saved it is the power
     of God.     1 Corinthians 1:18

Our own families -- same gene pool, same background...but...they just don't get it!

We need to pray intelligently: Lord, my brother could care less. When I talk to Him about You and Your work, he scoffs. Lord, please stir up his spirit to feel drawn to you. Please do whatever it takes for him to feel Your touch on his life. This is a daring prayer.

 

 

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

1 Corinthians 1:19

 

 

 

The church today is having a hard time with intelligent people.

Sometimes we must wonder, 'Lord, did You take into account the 20th century in Your plan?  All these intelligent people and all the scientific discoveries they promote?'

 

How do we approach them?

 

He answers, "I love them even more than you do. I want to blot out their pride. I want to get through their intellect and reach their heart." I want this even more than you do...

 

Sermon Notes - Mulling It Over

Bro Mike says he plans  now to do 4 sermons (originally he planned to do 3) on Discipling (Making Disciples) - The Mission of the Church. That suits me just fine, because I am being confronted with a lot of important truths, and would like to spend more time in
Colossians 1.

I am "mulling over" some things I really need to "mull over."

I haven't heard the term, "mulling over," in a long time.
"To mull" comes from an old Middle English word that means "to grind." It is normally used with "over." It means to "cogitate" or "ponder."

Actually I don't hear those terms much anymore, either.  (Maybe we don't do it much anymore?)

Anyway, I made a list of thoughts that I am pondering, cogitating about, or mulling over, from the messages for September 9 and 16:



1. Angels look at our inheritance of God's grace by Christ's atoning sacrifice and marvel - we are so blessed!

They "look over the balcony of heaven" and are amazed at the extent of His love for us. (Are they "mulling it over"?)
 
Even they are astounded at God's unspeakable gift to us, His lowly creatures. And at what a great cost...(In my imagination, I hear a great cosmic "gasp!")


 2. Kingdom mentality. The Old Testament prophets had a kingdom mentality. They served God and suffered for Him, delivering faithfully His message for mankind, knowing they would not be around to witness His greatest Act - they would not be recipients of His greatest Gift. Still they served.

Do we serve that faithfully - even knowing sometimes that others will reap the greater benefit of our service? Do I?


3. How am I different now from (1) the way I used to be, and, (2) others around me? Am I taking "the road less traveled by"? Is there really a difference in my life?


4. Being an expert in the life of Paul would be the most important goal for our Bible study. (I am understanding this better as I keep "pondering" it.)


5 Each decision we make each day requires us to make a choice relating to our journey with Him.


6. Our testimony to others should not be "intense" but carried out, lived out, in freedom and love. (I needed this!)


7. Christ (and the Holy Spirit) are partnering with us in our "extreme make-over." We are not alone in our pursuit of holiness.


8 We are to teach disciples obedience - not just reading and studying  what Christ did, acknowledging His great acts, but to commit ourselves to complete obedience and teach others to do the same.

He said, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey every thing I have commanded you.
......Matthew 28:19-20

Sermon Notes - 09/16/12 - Part 2

Part 2 - 09/16/12



Colossians 1:27

     To them [saints] God has chosen to make known among the   
     Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ
     Christ in you, the hope of glory.

An expert at Antique Roadshow  might ask, "Do you know the story of how this came into your family?"

Jesus Christ left glory and came to Israel - God's chosen people.
Most did not receive Him, but some did.

Jesus took the form of a human being, touched dirt, bled and died. Then He ascended back to His glory in heaven.

Paul knows the gospel beyond a shadow of doubt. He came out of Judaism with its rich, rich heritage as God's people. Jesus went right past them to the Gentiles - people Jews called "dogs."

CHRIST IN YOU - not in Jews only. Your birth certificate is meaningless, he says to his fellow Jews. It will not cut it with God!



Finish the title of this movie: The Invasion of the_____________!
(Body Snatchers)

Remember the movie? Sci-fi-came out in 1956 and remade in 1978. Aliens came to earth  to take over people's lives. A man walks into his home - his wife recognizes him, but after a few minutes she knows it is not really him -- he moves and acts like a robot - no emotion. A doctor discovers the plot and sees truckloads of "pods" coming into town.

Some people think "Christ is you" is like that.

"No, thank you," they say. "I'm not going to be a robot for anyone. Every day die to self? I'm not perfect, but I'm not going to do that!"

Most young preachers reach for more and bigger churches. Later
they begin to learn the truth.

Wherever you are, God has placed you with other people - in whom Christ lives. Don't look over their heads to someone else.

God is in me - He is still working.

You should consider: Christ is in you, loving you, loving your personality. Not your sinful expression of life, but YOU and your
real personality.

After He saves you He transforms the root of sin in you and becomes a partner with you in your "makeover."

He takes us as we are, but He makes us into something new.

Do you recognize Christ in others?

When I first began my journey with Christ I lost a couple of friends. I walked in intensity and alienated them.

Now I am learning to walk in freedom and love.


III. Do you know what it would be worth today?

You will have to decide for yourself.


In 2009, when in Raleigh, North Carolina, a woman brought in a piece of jade her father had given her years before. What was it worth today? 1.07 million dollars. It was the first million dollar appraisal in the show's history.


How do you appraise your salvation? You are a multi-faceted diamond. God is shaping and tuning that diamond.




Discipleship occurs when people are impressed with the attractiveness of Christ and confronted with the deficiency of lesser gods.


When you talk to others who have not begun their journey with Christ, remember they are idolaters. No doubt about it. Help them see how deficient their god(s) is (are.)



We don't make Christ attractive. We don't make Him awesome. We don't make Him better than the world. He already is.




I hope someone today has been attracted to Christ. It's time to begin the journey of following Jesus only, not all religions.

This sermon is not meant to take you from level 1 to level 10. If you get from level 1 to level 2 you will begin to realize there is something more ahead to journey toward.

The Baptist church is full of folks who claim to know Christ. Maybe in their 50's and 60's, who had at one time an encounter with God, but did not continue the journey, and have missed out on the mlti-faceted richness of the glory of the mystery nof Christ in us. 

These are just notes - this was a "rich, rich" message - hear it all at our website - fbc-bc.org.

Sermon Notes - 09/16/12 - Part 1

This is Week 2 in Bro Mike's 3-week series on Discipleship -- the Mission of the Church.


Main Text, Colossians 1:24-29, this week concentrating on verses 26-28:

(26) the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

(27) To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

(28) Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.


Introduction: The Church is responsible for taking a person from where he starts his journey in Christ on to maturity. We want to take every member and help them grow.

Do You Appreciate Your Salvation?

Appreciate --

• to grasp the nature, worth, quality, or significance of;
• to judge with heightened perception or understanding;
• to be fully aware of

Sometimes we need to stop and have our salvation appraised --
Bro Mike's illustration was the popular Antique Roadshow.

You can take items to knowledgeable, expert antique dealers.
An item might even come from your attic, tucked away, without any value or use. An expert will look at it and, describes it in great detail, and then asks, "Do you want to know what it is worth?"

It is usually good news for them, and fun for us to watch.



I. Did you know that the gospel of your salvation was once hidden from even God's choicest servants?

     Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of
     the grace that was come to you, searched intently and with
     the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances
     to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he
     predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would
     follow.... 1 Peter 1:10-11


Your salvation: when you die you will be delivered from death with sin to life with forgiveness. That is salvation.
 

To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into. 1 Peter 1:12
 

Angels, looking over the balcony of heaven, saying, "Hey, that is
a rich, rich gospel down there."   It is not accessible to them.

"Wow, tell us more about that - what we see from a distance!" they
might be saying.

Angels wonder about it and marvel.

Prophets - it was revealed to them, but it was not for them. All the prophets -- Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah -- all of them worked diligently and faithfully for others (like us)  to be blessed.

That means they had a kingdom mentality.

Do you have a kingdom mentality? Can you serve God when
someone asks you to do something that will bless someone else?
Maybe sometimes we have a slight hesitation if we are not to be the recipients of the blessing.

The prophets searched carefully for something they could not put their hands on.


II. Do you know the mystery behind the gospel being hidden? (v. 26-27) Christ in you! 


Perhaps on Antiques Roadshow a person might be told their item was made in Paris in 1814. So how did it end up in my attic? they might wonder. How did it come into their possession?

What had been hidden for centuries, was, as Paul said in verse 26,  now revealed to his saints.

The term saint can be a huge issue for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ in other traditions. We are saints...saints with a little "s".

If I am not a saint the day I die, God will say, "I never knew you!"

The Greek word for saint means  "separated unto God."

Over 100 times in the New Testament the term is used to mean that if you know Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit has come into your life and separated you unto God.

Look at the word now: Bro Mike tells us he highlights words and phrases in his Bible, often in blue, but the word now here should be highlighted in red!

Now....could you tell another human being that at one time you were in one position and now you have moved to another position....or..."once I didn't understand that, but now I do" ....or "once I knew I was lost, but now..."

This week's assignment is to think about that...how are you different now?

It was hidden to Isaiah, but you get to have it!


This was really a powerful message -- I have listened to it  on line, parts of it twice, to help put these notes together. There is much more....

I will finish notes in Part 2. If you want the whole thing right now, go to fbc-bc.org and hear it!

Sermon Notes for Sept 9, 2012 - Part 2

Sermon Notes for Sept 9, 2012 (Con't)
 

Main Text: Colossians 1:24-29

 

     Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

 

     I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness--

 

    -- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints,

 

     To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

 

     We proclaim him, admonishing and telling everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

 

     To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
 

 

Because of the importance of these verses in relation to our topic: The Congregation's Path Toward Becoming a Faithful Church, Bro. Mike says he will spend 3 weeks in this passage.

 

 

MAIN OUTLINE:

 

• Faithfulness in Christ
• The Mystery of the Gospel
• The Work of the Gospel

Faithfulness in Christ

We all want to be part of a faithful church. Paul demonstrated
his faithfulness and it caused him great suffering.

Suffering in Paul's Life Came:

1. With Professing Christ in His Life
2. With Identifying with the Church
3. With Seeing his Ministry as Serving Others

1. Paul gave up Israel, status, protection of the law, special aspects of being one of the top people in Israel. He exchanged all of this
for a life of suffering.

Read his resume in 11 Corinthians 11:23-27. He worked hard, was often imprisoned, flogged, exposed to death many times, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, lost at sea, in danger everywhere he went, experienced cold, hunger, and lack of sleep for the sake of the gospel.

And in Colossians 1:24 he says, "Now I rejoice in my suffering for you and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in His afflictions for His body, which is the church." Bro Mike noted particularly the last four words...which is the church....all Paul's suffering was for the church.

Paul says he was rejoicing in his suffering. He was enjoying them!
Was Paul (1) mentally ill? (2) suffering from low self esteem?

No, he has a high view of Christ. Paul says, "Count me  in as a Christian." Did he ever feel he was perhaps following the wrong path? No! He kept saying "Count me in!"

2. Identifying with the church can get us into trouble these days. People will begin telling us about how the church hurt them, let them down, destroyed their faith. Likely telling the truth. Paul had a deep concern for all the churches. In 11 Corinthians one of the causes of suffering he added to his list was "Besides everything else, I face daily concern for all the churches" (11 Corinthians 11:28

The church is being thrown overboard today in America. 'We don't need the church. We can go somewhere at sunrise and worship alone or with a few friends. The church is irrelevant...out of fashion..out of touch'. We must be prepared to face this opposition.

3. Bro Mike said he was humbled when he considered Paul's ministry. He said after he was ordained (in January of 1978) he feels the first years were all about himself. God must have done a special work in Paul - from the start it was all about others.

[Note: that must have been a Bro Mike I never knew.]

Conclusion:

FOR THE PROFESSING BELIEVER:

Is there any level or degree of difficulty in your life that is expressly due to your association with Christ, His church, and your devotion to others?

FOR THOSE THINKING ABOUT FOLLOWING CHRIST:

You are going to be influenced by someone or something. You are going to be following some path. And when you choose a path, you will have to make a choice about Jesus.

 

The Bible says that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You can begin the journey today.

                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

P.S. I am beginning to see why Bro Mike said that the thing to concentrate on in Bible study is to become an expert in the life of Paul.

For full sermon, go to our church website: fbc-bc.org. I heartily recommend it! He has some great illustrations I didn't include here.

Sermon Notes - Sept 9, 2012

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 --- Robert Frost




A classic ring to this poem. You have to make a choice. Ultimately you take a risk.There might be disappointment.

It's refreshing when your pastor chooses to open his heart
and allow you to look in and share his thoughts.

Sunday Bro Mike gave us a significant look at some of his vision and desire for our church. He shared that some of his ideas have changed through his years of ministry.

Sometimes it is important - and necessary - for leaders to be able to say, "I don't know." It is a dangerous thing to follow someone who never says, "I don't know."

"I believe in revival," he said. "This church needs a revival. America needs a revival. But the real mission of the church is the path toward discipleship."

This was a "big" sermon. Expansive in content. As individuals have to make choices, so does the church. I am having trouble putting all the ideas in a readable format. I think I will divide it into 2 parts.

I was reminded that Bro Mike has a high opinion of his congregation. He feels free to take on "big" issues. That's a compliment to both.


PART 1

A Congregation's Path to Being a Faithful Church -

Discipleship

Jesus' last words to His disciples:

Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the ages.

Is Jesus with us? If we do what He says, He is. He did not ask us just to teach, but also teach people to obey.

The aim of discipleship is not just more knowledge of what He teaches, but obedience to what He teaches.


Jesus did not merely ask us to teach everything He commanded.

He asked us to teach people to obey everything He commanded.

The end result of discipleship is not merely the knowledge of all Jesus commanded...but obedience to all Jesus commanded.



Bro Mike went on to ask: If the Staff asked for people to volunteer to disciple those who have never been discipled...

1. Would you volunteer?

2. Would you consider yourself qualified?


Question 2 is a super private question you need to answer in your heart.  It is between you and God. What would be your answer?

How long have you been in the church? How long does it take to become qualified to disciple another?

[Note: If one of us were to ask him (Bro Mike) what they needed to know most he would reply, "To be an expert on the life of Paul." As he gave his message I could see what he meant.]


Colossians 1:24-29

Bro Mike will be preaching on these verses for 3 weeks because of their significance in the relation to our topic: The Congregation's Path Toward Becoming a Faithful church.


(Notes continued in Part 2)

You can hear full sermon on our website: fbc-bc.org