Values
Notes
Transcript
The original Crash Bandicoot came out on Play Station in ‘96.
I grew up on that game.
You’re a Bandicoot named Crash trying to ruin Dr. Cortex’s plans for world domination.
You go around different obstacles collecting Wumpa fruits and beating bad guys.
During quarantine, I learned they had remastered the game.
Hilary and I got hooked on the remastered Crash Bandicoot.
The graphics got SO much better.
I got so excited about the game I’ve play all my life, because now I could see it clearer than before!
This is why we spend so much on High Definition TV’s
We want to see the graphics more clearly than we could without it!
Core values give us clarity into who we are.
Values help us to see and explain clearly what we’re all about.
If you’re new with us today, you’ve picked a great day.
Big Idea: What does Graceland value?
Big Idea: What does Graceland value?
What is Graceland all about?
Stand on the Word
Walk By the Spirit
Take the Next Step
Share the hope of Jesus
VALUE: Stand on the Word
VALUE: Stand on the Word
We are Bible people
God’s Word is inerrant
Without error
God’s Word is infallible; Trustworthy
God handed His Word to us through the Holy Spirit inspiring human authors
Through the Bible God has revealed His character, nature, His will, His plan of redemption.
Everything we need to know about life and salvation are in God’s Word.
Stand to read
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Leader: This is God’s Word.
Everyone: Thanks be to God.
Explanation
If you grew up with a church background, you might think of the Bible as a set of rules or laws.
There are rules and laws, but there’s so much more than that.
This is what God’s perfect world looks like.
The reason we struggle with this idea is because we aren’t perfect people.
Notice how David speaks about God’s Word.
In three verses he gives us 6 names and activities of God’s Word.
“The law of the Lord is perfect.
He talks with a fondness toward God’s word.
He’s daydreaming about how good God is by giving us His Word.
The sun cannot “revive the soul” (v. 7)
It can give our bodies vitamin D/ sun tan
It can cause photosynthesis
It can energize plants, living beings.
It can give temporal life and energy
But it can’t do that.
It cannot do anything to the soul.
God has manifested Himself in written scripture.
“The testimony of the Lord is sure”
It’s trustworthy.
God’s Word gives us wisdom.
Guidance/understanding with how we are to live.
“The precepts of the Lord are right; enlightening the eyes”
Illuminates and enlightens the eyes.
It helps us see the world clearly as we ought to.
Gives us clear vision into who God is and His plans for our lives.
The Word gives us hope.
“The fear of the Lord is clean; enduring forever”
It’s perfect and flawless.
God’s Word endures forever.
Matthew 24:35 “35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
“The rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether” (v. 9)
God’s Word makes us righteous before Him.
Nothing else in physical creation can do this.
Nothing else can make us clean and righteous to God.
Value of God’s Word:
“It’s more pleasing than you’re most prized possession” (v. 10)
Gold/money—economy of the day.
Your car, hunting equipment, relationships; you’re spouse or children
“It’s more fulfilling than our favorite food” (v. 10)
Where are you picking for your birthday?
I had my first and second favorite meals on a cruise ship.
Second cruise we went on.
The dry aged beef, cooked medium rare
Draped over a bed of mashed potatoes and tucked in with a blanket of gravy with garlic asparagus.
Oh. My. Salivary glands.
I couldn’t let it go.
When the waiter asked how it was, I said, “I’m so sad it’s over. I wish I could eat it all over again.”
I don’t know if I was dealing with and angel or what, but he said, “You want to?”
I don’t know if he was trying to be he won his way into my heart.
God’s Word is more pleasing than our favorite food.
We can take in as much as we possibly can, and there’s always more.
We stand on the Word
It is wind in our lungs
It is the beat in our hearts
It is life to our souls
Nothing can do for us what God’s Word does for us.
This is more than just reading a book
This is being with the eternal God of the universe.
Church
We love God’s Word
We love God’s Word
How do I develop a love for God’s Word?
Pick a time/place—Then show up.
I used to workout with my friend Flo in the morning.
It was early, but I would get up and go because I knew he was going to be there waiting on me to pick him up
I didn’t want to be late. I knew he was looking for me.
He wouldn’t be late, because he knew I was looking for him.
Find a quiet place
Limit your distractions
Pray and read the Bible.
This is your time to be with the Father.
I enjoy my quiet time in the morning before anyone knows I’m awake.
Is there a spiritual breakthrough every day? No.
Can I trust that the Lord’s going to meet me there? Yes.
I’m not asking you to be a biblical scholar.
I’m asking you to be obedient.
Grow in a relationship with the Lord through His Word.
The more time you spend being with God, you’re going to notice a change in your life.
This is not through your own self-discipline/determination
It’s not because you’re trying to be a good person.
It’s because God’s Word reveals to us who we truly are and then points us to the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Gospel presentation
Who we are
Created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)
Given dominion over creation as image bearers
Blessed by God with every blessing.
Yet, we have forfeit the blessing and the privilege of being with God (Romans 5:12)
We have all sinned against God and believed we could do it better.
We wanted to be the god of our lives, so we turned from following God and plunged ourselves into brokenness.
But God sent Jesus
Jesus is the perfect Son of God who came to give Himself up as a perfect offering for our sins.
God leaned in to us with love and promised to fix everything we broke.
Through faith in Jesus, you can be transformed and brought into the family of God.
By believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ, you can be restored to a right relationship with God!
If you’re not a Christian, repent of your sins and be changed today.
Today is a day where you can believe in Jesus for salvation and stand on the Word.
If you have not believed in Jesus, I want to know about it.
“I want to follow Jesus.”
Transit.
This is transformation where the Spirit of God is going to make you more like Jesus.
Jesus told Peter and John, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
This type of change only come through the power of God working through the Holy Spirit.
Value: Walk by the Spirit
Value: Walk by the Spirit
This is something only those who have been saved by Jesus can do.
When you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes and lives within you.
God gives you His Spirit. He is always with you.
The Lord does not come and go or ever leave us.
So what do we mean when we say, “Walk by the Spirit?”
Live in a relationship with God.
Becoming a Christian and getting baptized is only the beginning of the Christian life.
You haven’t arrived with these things.
Following Jesus is a new life for the believer.
We walk in obedience to Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
We have a choice
You can walk by the Spirit or by the flesh.
The flesh is what we were born with
The flesh represents the life of sin that keeps us from God.
When Adam and Eve sinned, that trickled down to all humanity.
The flesh is filled with sin and destruction.
The flesh leaves us guilty before a Holy God.
There are times where Christians choose to live in the flesh contrary to God’s law.
The Holy Spirit teaches us to follow Jesus
The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin
The Holy Spirit gives us a desire for God’s will for our lives.
In God’s kindness, He draws us away from living contrary to God’s law.
How do I know I’m following the Spirit?
If we plant a Graceland garden, and plant a tomato plant, what do we expect to grow?
You’re growing in the fruits of the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
We have to desire the Spirit to work in our lives.
Do you desire the Holy Spirit?
Do you see the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in your life?
How often are you in the Word?
How often are you seeking the Lord?
We have to watch our lives and find what we truly love
Do we love Jesus or do we love looking righteous?
We walk closely to the Spirit
My wife would tell you that I’m a chameleon
She can tell who I’ve been hanging out with or who I’ve been listening to.
Their accent begins to rub off on me
Their clothes styles begin to rub off on me.
The more time you spend with someone, the more you begin to act, talk, think like they do.
The more time we spend in God’s Word and walking by the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is going to make us more like Jesus over time.
How do we know we’re walking in the Spirit?
We grow to be more like Jesus
We grow to be more like Jesus
This is not instant perfection
This is deep work, over time.
You don’t become a Christian then suddenly perfected.
Many people think you have to have your act together when you start coming to church.
Look around the room. None of us have our act together yet.
This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.
Over time, the Holy Spirit teaches us how to walk with the Lord.
When you were a baby, you didn’t learn how to sprint.
When we were teaching Silas how to walk, he didn’t get it right away.
I’d grab his hands and move his feet as I stepped.
He’d pull himself up onto something and kind of bounce.
Then one day, he got up the nerve
Babies have large heads and he started leaning forward.
Two choices: Walk or die.
He took two or three steps and he fell down!
“Idiot. Baby, that’s on you. In my family we walk.” (Not what happened)
Get up! Take another step toward me! Come one! You can do it!
This is exactly what the Father does with us.
He doesn’t shake His head at the fall
He rejoices in the steps.
Take another step toward me. Come on.
Every Christian has a next step to take.
VALUE: Take the next step
VALUE: Take the next step
I have two next steps I want you to take:
Identify what your next step to take is
Learning how to
Read the Bible
Pray
Forgive
Letting go of an addiction, harmful relationship
Believing in Jesus for the first time.
Each of us have a next step to take toward Jesus.
I have two next steps I want you to take:
VALUE: Share the hope of Jesus
Invite someone to follow Jesus with you.
