Monthly Archives: July 2015

Audio for Sunday AM message for July 19, 2015

living the good life

  • Did Henry Wadsworth Longfellow capture a biblical description of the Church?
    –There was a little girl, And she had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, She was very, very good, And when she was bad she was horrid.

Knowing the good and the bad …

If you were going to buy a home, wouldn’t you want to have an accurate appraisal of the property, an expert estimate of what you are getting yourself into.

Yes, you love the beautiful pool and the deck that extends from the recently remodeled kitchen. And the family room is fantastic. But wouldn’t you also want to know before buying this house that the entire second floor needs rewiring. And that the septic system has been failing for the last two years.

  • We have a vested interest in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ to make things work, to build one another up. Paul has been laying the foundation on which we are to build.

Today he wants to tell us about the goodness of the house that God is building through us. He wants to tells us about the lush two acre lawn, the fantastic family room, amazing kitchen and beautiful pool.

But he also wants us to know what we are getting into.

So he will tell us that the entire second floor needs rewiring and that sometimes when you flush the toilet, the result is not so great.

MP3: LESSON 40 : Full of Goodness : Romans 15:14-21 : FFC : dave scott : 071915 

WMA: LESSON 40 : Full of Goodness : Romans 15:14-21 : FFC : dave scott : 071915

STUDY SHEETS for Sunday July 19, 2015

goodness runners victory feet tagged dead

Hello All,

“I am convinced of your goodness.”

That’s what the Apostle Paul says, “I am convinced of your goodness.” He was writing to church people, and he said it with a straight face.

In one sense, this week’s message is about freedom. Possibly an area of our freedom where we seldom venture, but freedom nonetheless.

We now have freedom to tell each other how great we are. Without feeling like hypocrites or liars or flatterers. The Apostle Paul does just that in this week’s text.

  • (Romans 15:14 NASB95) And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.

No sugar coating. Definitely not flattery or positive thinking nonsense. But strong, true, biblical words of praise to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Of course this has to be true to say it with sincerity, but it is true much more than we realize.

Our problem is that we forget where we came from. The beginning of our spiritual journey was death. We started at dead. Jesus saved us from dead. This is a problem for some people. They don’t know where a true gospel story begins. So not knowing their beginning they have a much more difficult time understanding why we (as in Christians) are the way we are.

We have a hard time commending a person for his or her goodness when we know that at times they are still downright awful.

Have you heard the expression, “I’m in pretty good shape for the shape I’m in”?

Well, we are in pretty good shape considering that when we started we were dead, and now God is transforming us into his new creation which will be beyond measure in beauty and awesomeness. We are going to be like Christ. God says.

  • (1 John 3:2–3 ESV) Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

So Paul commends them for their goodness, but he doesn’t pretend that everything is wonderful.

  • (Romans 15:15 ESV) But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God.

They may be full of goodness but they are still full of other stuff too. Just like us.

So we must adopt a biblical approach in our relationships. We must acknowledge the goodness and the badness in our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is biblical. This is sound doctrine based on the depravity of humankind and the redemption of God.

  • You’ve heard Longfellow’s poem “There Was A Little Girl”:
    THERE was a little girl, And she had a little curl,
    Right in the middle of her forehead.
    When she was good, She was very, very good,
    And when she was bad she was horrid.

To grow in our ability to build one another up in the faith, we need to know and live these truths. We are very good. And we can be horrid. This is consistent with our biblical identity while “still in process.” Never to be used as an excuse but still true.

This goodness and badness concept is very freeing as we relate to each other. For me personally, God uses it to build perspective and patience.

And, of course, these things only apply to those who are actually believers in Jesus Christ and have received his gift of eternal life. If you are merely a fake, a pretender, then that is a sermon for a different day. In this Scripture Paul speaks to followers of Jesus, and he continues his emphasis on the edification ministry we have in the lives of fellow believers.

Message Title: Full of Goodness!

Message Text: Romans 15:14-21

living the good life

 

MESSAGE AUDIO (MP3 & WMA) for Sunday July 12, 2015

rejoice hope God of hope yellow highlight

  • (Romans 15:13 ESV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Oops! Have we forgotten that our God, the God of the Bible, is a God of hope?

I know that some of us have been lost in the dark tunnel of right-wing gloom and doom for quite some time, and that many seem to have been sucked down the rabbit hole of politico-religious obsession, and that the actual words of God describing who he is and what he is about are but a faint memory.

But God is a God of hope. He truly is. He says so.

But you might be hard pressed to tell that as you listen to us at times. Us as in Christians, people who profess to have been saved by the blood of the Lamb, given eternal life in Jesus Christ. Standing on the promises. But are we standing on the promises?

The Supreme Court of this land rules contrary to our beliefs, and we are shaken, filled with anxiety, anger and fear. Listen to our conversations. From our FB posts to emails to Bible studies to Sunday sermons. It sounds like fear, not faith. We are rattled.

And what an affront to our Sovereign Lord who promises … who promises … joy and peace.

What has happened to … God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. And what has happened to … Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the sea.

Where did that faith go?

Maybe you’ve heard the story about the two churches located a few miles apart on the highway. Drive down the road past the first church and read their sign: “god is dead.” But drive a little farther down the highway to the next church. What does their sign say? “Our God Is Alive, Sorry about Yours!”

Well let me say today … Our God reigns. Sorry about yours.

  • Sorry about your god whose purposes can be frustrated by the Supreme Court of this land. Sorry about your god whose power hangs in the balance on whether a Republican or a Democrat sits in the White House. Sorry about your god who allows the events of this world to rob you his worshiper of joy and peace. And very sorry about your impotent deity whose plan and purpose can be thwarted by mere humans.

But of course I’m not really sorry because that god is no god at all. Certainly not the God of the Bible. Our God, the God of the Bible, is a God of hope. He tells us that. And our God delivers on his promises!

STUDY SHEETS for Sunday July 12, 2015

hope 3d men never disappoint

Hello Everyone,

God is a God of hope. But could you tell that as you listen to us sometimes? Us as in Christians, people who profess to have been saved by Jesus Christ and living new life in him.

  • (Romans 15:13) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

What is God’s desire for us? That we are filled with joy and peace and abound in hope.

Let me ask: Can God not do this? Is he incapable of overcoming the darkness of this world and giving us hope as he promises … no matter what?

I received a booklet–HOPE: Choosing Faith instead of Fear–by Bill Crowder via Our Daily Bread Ministries. I ordered a bundle, and we are passing them out this Sunday to everyone. Here is an excerpt.

  • The “Hope Vacuum”
    During a recent economic downturn, I noticed how communities around the world were affected by dire evaluations of an impending global financial crisis. I listened as analysts forecasted troubled times. I felt the emotional weight of problems no one seemed able to solve.Yet when I was among followers of Christ, I saw that our fears, frustrations, and political polarization mirrored the outlook of the society around us. It was as if our conversations and moods had been scripted by broadcast and Internet financial reports. Our comments and attitudes carried the same fearful, angry tone as those who do not share our faith. Any evidence of hope seemed conspicuously absent.

I have observed this exact thing for years now. We scare one another to death with our stories of gloom and doom. We are angry and bitter when legislation does not go our way. News of the most recent ruling of the Supreme Court has filled many with anxiety and fear. We sin time and again in our dishonor and disrespect toward our president. And we do it in the name of God.

But here is what bothers me most. This is what we EXPECT to hear from each other. And this is SO ACCEPTED. We have sinned in this way for so long that many actually believe this is the godly way to react to these things. In fact, if someone doesn’t join in our misery, we think something is wrong with them, maybe even question their walk with God.

How ironic!

One woman after sitting through a class of impending doom exclaimed, “Well, I’m about scared to death now.”

Many of us draw more hope and joy from a Republican gaining the White House than the truth of God’s promise.

So who are we listening to if we come away from our sermons and Bible studies fearful, angry and overwhelmed by anxiety? Do we really think that is God’s message to us? Please show me those Scriptures. But you won’t because you can’t because they are not there.

What is in Scripture is the following concerning God’s desire for us.

  • (Romans 15:13) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

What is God’s message? Joy, peace and abounding in hope. Faith in God. Believing him over the circumstances of our world and our lives personally.

Message Title: The God of Hope!

Message Text: Romans 15:8-13

***PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE REVISED STUDY SHEET TWO. It is now much more readable. I have received feedback on white text being difficult for some to read. So I made the adjustments. Much easier to read now and follow the progression.