Create a Smile for Someone

New Living Translation Chapter 10

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

From Time to time I have to be reminded how blessed I am. I have a wonderful Wife and Son, I nice home, a great community of faith that I lead. These are not things that everyone has.

In fact some people do not have any of the things that I have or maybe you have.

YET from time to time I still need someone to remind me of that fact.

I shouldn’t need that reminder and I am sure that as I have shared this some of you might be saying well I would never need that kind of reminder…you may be right but let me ask you a question…

Have you ever had a moment where you felt lost or lonely or unworthy even in the midst of all the blessings that you have?

Maybe a better question is this?

Have you ever felt like you were the only person in the world with a specific problem and that problem was so big that it obscured your view of all the things you have?

I think if we are honest we have all had these moments in our lives.

You see when I say that I need to be reminded of my blessings I do not mean I have forgotten them. I mean that at times MY personal circumstance has blinded me to just how wonderful my life is.

When we remain focused on our negative circumstance it drives us further into feelings sadness, entitlement, self pity , and loneliness.

This is when we most often lose our smile. This is when we fail to see what we truly have.

This is when we begin the process of blame, this is when we even sometimes begin a search for something that we believe will bring us the feeling we are searching for.

This is the time in life that most of us have lost our smile…

Is it possible to recover that smile? I think it is…that is what we have bee talking about for the last several weeks…

We have talked about Fighting for our smile and Taking responsibility for our smile…but there are a couple of more ways people find their smile....

People who find their smile are people who look for ways to bring a smile to others.

When we bring a smile to others that are struggling we not only infuse their lives with Hope we begin to allow Hope to take seed in our own lives.

When we look at this passage we see that the writer is reminding us that we can have a bold confidence in Jesus even in the midst of the struggle.

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

(Priest had to go through a purification right to go into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sin of the nation. This rite was no guarantee that the High Priest would be and acceptable conduit for such a task. So part of the precaution was to tie a rope around the waist of the high priest just in case the Holiness of God killed him because he was not purified. If he died in the holy of holies they would pull him out lest they too be killed.)

Jesus sacrifice made it so all of us could approach the throne of God and petition for our own salvation.

Think about it…you can do now without fear of death what was not possible before…you and i can walk into the presence of God…Because of the Blood of Jesus.

There is the blessing called the forgivness of Sin here that no-one can take aways and that should produce a freedom in us that removes shame and guilt.

21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

No person or circumstance can keep you from going into the presence of God…Because God’s presence is with you and me always.

Jesus wanted to cut out the middle man so to speak so we could actually come to God on our own.

No longer do we need someone to ask for us...Jesus wanted to cut out the middle man so to speak so we could actually come to God on our own.

Jesus sacrifice made it so all of us could approach the throne of God and petition for our own salvation.

No longer do we need someone to ask for us...Jesus wanted to cut out the middle man so to speak so we could actually come to God on our own.

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise

The writer is reminding us that we truly do have it all and we should not take it for granted.

You and I know that it is all too easy it is to take sacred things for granted.

There are times in our lives when even though we have not forgotten this truth we often times do not truly remember it.

We lose sight that Jesus is our High Priest and we are no longer required to atone for our sin with the blood of animals.

We lose sight that Jesus is our High Priest and we are no longer required to atone for our sin with the blood of animals. We are no longer required to do anything but approach God with sincere hearts and rest in His presence.

We are no longer required to do anything but approach God with sincere hearts and rest in His presence.

We lose sight that Jesus is our High Priest and we are no longer required to atone for our sin with the blood of animals. We are no longer required to do anything but approach God with sincere hearts and rest in His presence.

This is why the Gathering of The Church on a weekly basis is so important.

We need to spur each other on by Gathering together to REMEMBER…TO REMIND EACH OTHER BY OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER AND BY SHARING OUR STRUGGLES WITH EACH OTHER AND LIFTING UP JESUS TOGETHER.

In Gathering we give God Glory but we also receive His comfort through the ministry of each other. YES WE MINISTER TO EACH OTHER...

In Gathering we give God Glory but we also receive His comfort through the ministry of each other.

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

We do this by looking for ways in which to motivate people to a better life...not just basking in the goodness of God but by encouraging those in our community or faith to continue to be about the everyday activities of loving people and doing Good work.

We do this by looking for ways in which to motivate people to a better life...not just basking in the goodness of God but by encouraging those in our community or faith to continue to be about the everyday activities of loving people and doing Good work.

Looking for ways in which to motivate people to not only bask in the goodness of God but encourage them to be about the everyday activities of loving people and doing Good work.

Here is the thing…you do not have to do much to encourage one another…sometimes you encourage by simply being physically with one another in worship...

By the same token people can be discouraged by the absence of those that are “part of the community of Faith.”

I am afraid that many people do not have a vibrant Christian life because they have forgotten that point of Gathering on a regular basis.

When we gather together we are not to simply come and consume the presence of God we are to also motivate one another.

In so doing we not only raise the moral of those around us but we strengthen the Joy of our salvation.

When we gather together we are not to simply come and consume the presence of God we are to motivate one another. In so doing we not only raise the moral of those around us but we strengthen the Joy of our salvation.

Make the Worship Gathering an opprotunity…not an option

Make an effort to lift up people…don’t wait for an opprotunity be the opprotunity.

Let People share…Listening is more important than solving a problem

Pray for them…Can we pray right now? Lets go to the Altar together and pray?

Give them a reason to smile…Smile first…It makes people wonder what your up to is what we often thing of…however sometimes all someone needs is to see some one happy they are here.

A smile often creates a smile.

What a glorious thought....a Church Culture that Gathers for Worship on a regular basis with the thought that they may be able to lift up a friend or even a total stranger with their presence?

Imagine a people a Church that understands that the Gathering of God’s people is meant to help each other go into the world with the ability to wait expectedly for the second coming of Jesus.

I can’t help be picture worship Gatherings that overflow with glory, power and excitement.

Imagine a people that understand that Gathering of God’s people is meant to help each other leave the gathering challenged and encouraged to go into the world with the ability to wait expectedly for the second coming of Jesus.

Let us spur one another on so we can Wait expectedly together for the second advent…

We can do this through communion.

COMMUNION

Thank you Jesus for your promise of Coming again…

Benediction

REPEAT AFTER ME

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.