wk 8 Lesson 4
Cling to the Cross • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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JOKE...
JOKE...
A secular musician got saved—
He wanted to become a worship leader —
The church who hired him was very evangelistic vision not knowing of his lack of knowledge concerning worship music —
was caught up in a terrible storm with threats of tornadic activity within minutes —
The whole church family went to the basement for safety, and one of the church members said, “Please lead us in some songs to give us hope” —
Well, remember that I said the new worship leader had a lack of worship songs in his repertoire? So, what did he do?
So he led them all in the only two songs he really knew — I’ll Fly Away — When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder!!
(L.O.L:-)
We all have a SECULAR past, because we all have a Sinful Nature --
What entanglements do we have in this life?
What entanglements do we have in this life?
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
Being a Follower of Jesus is like entering into a unique rank — an Army of Believers — the Body of Christ.
We have jobs, directives, giftings and talents
We have an enemy
We have spiritual armor and spiritual weapons.
3 STATEMENTS!
ONE!
WHAT WE CLINGING TO IN THIS LIFE is WHAT WE WILL BE CLINGING TO IN THE NEXT LIFE
Faith is what we must CLING to now...
Not just any faith, but Clingstone Faith!
GOD DESIGNED THIS FOR US TO COME INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIMSELF THROUGH JESUS’ BLOOD!
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
WE MUST SHARE THE STORY OF JESUS FOR FAITH TO GROW IN US AND WITH THOSE AROUND US
TWO!
BECAUSE OF THE OLD RUGGED CROSS—JESUS HAS BROUGHT HIS GLORY TO RESIDE IN YOU AND ME
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Glory doesn't reside in chaos, shame, discord, and division!
Look what Jesus did...
13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.
14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.
We have NO hurdles in entering into a relationship with Father.
Jesus didn’t only die for you and me…
Jesus was sacrificed for you and me... to give us access to Father!
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
WE MUST SHARE THE GLORY OF JESUS THAT IS IN US BY TELLING OUR STORY FOR OTHERS TO BE DRAWN TO HIM
THREE!
THE BLOOD OF JESUS HAS SET US FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH BECAUSE THE BLOOD IS DIVINE
16 But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see.
17 Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.
18 We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
16 Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face!
17 They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it!
18 All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
WHERE WE STAND IN FAITH WILL DETERMINE OUR DEGREE IN HOW WE WALK IN FREEDOM
our purification,
our sanctification, or
our sinlessness
how Jesus paved a way for us into freedom!
No matter where we live...
Where do you stand today?
FOUR!
Sherwood Eliot Wirt; was the
founding editor of Decision magazine and
authored 28 books,
After earning a Ph.D. in theology and psychology from Edinburgh University,
he served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force and
a pastor to several churches before joining the Graham evangelistic ministry
The true goal of the Christian life is heaven: nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. ~Sherwood Eliot Wirt
We started this series asking the question, “Do we need Clingstone Faith?
Let’s talk about heaven...
verse 4
To the old rugged Cross,
I will ever be true
Its shame and reproach gladly bear
Then He’ll call me some day
to my home far away
Where His glory forever I’ll share
Refrain
So I’ll cherish the old rugged Cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged Cross
And exchange it some day for a crown.
“I Will Ever Be True”
We often judge faithfulness to the actions we have experienced with a dear friend, mother, father, or spouse.
when this relationship goes south we often transfer those feelings toward our Father in Heaven
we speak ill of God and put up fences in trusting our life to him.
Who else can we trust?
10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.
7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
There is no other than the Lord our God to put our Trust in!
Him alone is worthy to be praised-— when we are swaying left and right and loosing our way...waviering in the faith...it is not God who has moved or quit… it is us!
we must FIX OUR THOUGHTS ON HIM!
we need CLINGSTONE FAITH in that time of despair.
(read all of Psalm 46)
1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
Be Still and Know— NOT— run around here and there, doing this and that, and never really stop to smell the flowers that God Made!
YOU ARE HIS CREATION
YOU ARE HIS PRECIOUS — BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD!
TRUST HIM.
Thus… “I Will Ever Be True”
“He’ll Call Me To My Home Far Away”
Oak Ridge Boys (1971)
Heaven, Heaven, so much talk about Heaven (x3)
One of these days I'm goin', goin' there
In The Sweet By And By by Sanford Fillmore Bennett (1868)
In the sweet by and by, We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by, We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder by James Milton Black (1893)
Vs1
When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.
Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.
WHY DO WE HAVE THESE SONGS OF HEAVEN?
Because God’s Word has put this in the hearts of those who believe.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
8 He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken! 9 In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”
13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.
20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
HEAVEN IS REAL...
it is promised
it’s described in detail
it is our future home
IF HEAVEN IS REAL— I THINK WE HAVE TO CONCEDE THAT HELL IS REAL TOO?
13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.
14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
HOW CAN WE END THIS SERIES ABOUT CLINGSTONE FAITH WITHOUT COLLECTING ON THE EARNEST PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
we are God’s sons and daughters
we are not living here just to go to heaven, yet Father has promised that the day is coming--thus he gave us the Holy Spirit as earnest money to say, “I really am coming back for my love ones who were purchased with the blood of my Son--Jesus.”
we are employed to be the hands and feet of Jesus here.
salvation for the homeless
comfort to the widows
provisions for the orphans
to care for the elderly
compassion to the hurting
MOM said, “we are sometimes so heavenly minded we are not of any earthly good.”
Yes, “He Will Call Me To My Home Far Away” some day, but until that time--I must occupy till he comes
CLINGSTONE FAITH
search for it..........… ask the Holy Spirit to not just take the crumbs that fall from the master’s table, but to discover all that Faith is.
examine it..........… don’t just take Faith at face value, ask the Holy Spirit to show you the depth of your Faith. Find it’s bedrock.
share it..........… don’t keep your Faith locked up in your heart, but release it. Don’t let it stagnate. Keep adding to it daily and don’t get discouraged— it’s not a crystal ball — it’s an exchange between heaven and earth. and....
use it..........… It is Clingstone Faith that get us out of our four walls and gives us Real Religion. Not faith for a new car and a bigger bank roll… CLINGSTONE FAITH is where we use our gifts, talents, weapons for the cause of Christ!!
make your FAITH strong, for there is a day that is coming when our enemy will sneak up to devour us and we want to ready with CLINGSTONE FAITH
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to him forever! Amen.
let’s pray
