From Here to Eternit2
From Here to Eternity
#2
March 19, 2005 and march 20th, 2005
Be Blessed/Be a Blessing
Introduction
We are looking at the vision of FCFC. We are asking and hopefully answering questions like:
· Who are we?
· What are we up to?
· What is God up to?
· What do we see for the future and for the future of this church?
· What should we do?
Acts 13 NCV
36 /David did God’s will during his lifetime. Then he died and was buried beside his ancestors, [1] /
Acts 13 NIV
36 /“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; [2] /
Isaiah 60 NIV
22 /The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.” [3] /
Review
The title we used last week to help illustrate was “From Here to Eternity”. My thought there was; what will we be doing from now until we are in eternity? We know that eternity will be wonderful. What should we be doing now to make it even better? Those who lead many to righteousness shall shine like the starts forever. What should we do to reach and help more people? The way to make eternity better is to get more and more people to go with us. We can say to those getting baptized and the youth and kids on Wednesday nights….. “We built this place for you!”
C.S. Lewis said; “Humans live in time and therefore attend chiefly to two things: to eternity itself and to the Present. For the present is the point at which time touches eternity.”
What should we be doing to impact eternity from the present?
We looked at it from the three phrases on the wall;
Real People/Real God/Real Answers
That is who we are and are striving to be. Our vision in its simplest form is still “growth.” We are to grow up/grow together/grow out. How do we flesh that out in a different way to help us and motivate us?
This week I want to use Abraham as an example and look at;
Be Blessed/Be a Blessing
Genesis 12
1The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran/.[4] /
Hebrews 11
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 /By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he a considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. [5] /
Genesis 13
14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring a forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord. [6]
Genesis 14
11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.
13 One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother c of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. 17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem d brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator e of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be f God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 The king of Sodom/ said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.” [7]/
-Genesis 15 is a great chapter where God appears again to Abraham and confirms the promise of future seed.
-What was the result of Abraham’s interaction with God?
1. God Gave Abraham a Vision of What Should and Could Be in the Future.
-He told him to look at the sand and the stars. He told Him to think of those starts and grains of sand as the possibilities. Your seed will be that numerous.
-What do we see for the future?
What do I see for the future?
· I see a healthy church in Warrenton of 1000 and beyond. (Isaiah 60: 22 The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.” [8])
· I see a church that is a family church reaching all ages. I see 50% of FCF of Warrenton under 12th grade. I see a church that isn’t departmentalized and competing with itself.
· I see a church living together in community able to solve relationship problems differently from the world.
· I see a church so friendly and walking in love and sacrifice that people can’t stay away from each other.
· I see a church where we are good stewards of our resources and able to do everything God commands us because we are prosperous.
· I see a church that effectively reaches the entire county at least once every five years.
· I see a church reaching its community, East Central Missouri with the gospel.
· I see an apostolic church planting churches in America and other countries. (We have several sister churches now in Europe and I consider Haiti a daughter church. I want to see more of those)
· I want to become more involved in reaching the unreached through AIMS and those reaching the untouched. (possibly in China)
· I see a healthy church that is an expression of the Life and ministry of Jesus in Missouri in the 21st Century. We are born for this time. We have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this.
-We are sending me to the U.K. six times in the next three years to train Christian leaders.
-We are sending me and Becky and I to the unreached about once per year for the next three years.
-We are looking at a second Sunday morning service as soon as 2006.
-We are looking at a church plant in the St. Louis area as soon as 2006.
-Clay and Renee Crosse are coming in October for a Holy Homes meeting.
-The drama is happening in the fall.
-Alpha is happening in the fall.
-We are having the Strength Team about a year from now.
-We are having a 300-500 youth outreach with PHIL CHALMERS
TRUELIES.ORG
TEENKILLERS.COM
in Fall/2006.
-Joe McGee is coming in June/2005.
-We are reaching out.
2. God Gave Abraham the promise of Multiplication
-That is where we are.
-We are going from addition to multiplying our efforts by raising up leaders in America and overseas.
-I can’t do much more of the vision in my heart by myself.
-I have to pass the baton to others.
-We need to be a model church that can be multiplied.
3. Abraham Obeyed and Went
-We need to respond to God’s call.
-That means we have to obey and act on whatever He tells us to do.
-That means another service.
-We must say yes Lord to the sacrifice and the call.
4. Abraham was blessed.
-Abraham had the resources and people to do everything God commanded.
-God blessed him.
Proverbs 10
22 /The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. [9] /
Genesis 13
1So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.
5 Now Lot/, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. [10] /
5. Abraham was a blessing
-The top line is God blessing you.
-The bottom line is you blessing others.
-We all have benefited from Abraham. He is the Father of a multitude.
-The blessing of Abraham has come upon the Gentiles through Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3
14 /He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.[11] /
6. Abraham prayed and interceded for others
-Who can forget that great story about Abraham interceding for Sodom.
-If there are 50 righteous will you destroy it. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?
-He went from 50 all the way down to 10.
-We are called to pray for others.
-We can change the world from our knees.
7. Abraham Tithed
Genesis 14
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem d/ brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator e of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be f God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. [12] /
-Over 400 hundred years before there was an Old Testament Abraham and Jacob tithed.
-People say; “do I have to tithe?”
-You get to tithe. We are under the grace of giving….not just the law.
-The tithe in the annie. You can give as much as your heart wants.
-Why is that important?
-How do you think we pay the bills? It is by the obedience and generosity of the people.
-If you are a carpenter or a plumber imagine going to the person when you are done with a job and saying; “You know I hate to talk about money but if you have it in your heart could you give something so I can pay the bills?”
-Then he says; “All you guys ever talk about is money. Besides I KNEW A CARPENTER ONCE WHO RAN AWAY WITH A WOMAN AND STOLE SOME MONEY.
-Imagine going to Sam’s or Costco and pushing your cart up to those checkers at the door. They want to see if you paid for any of the stuff you are taking home. (We will have ushers at the door with yellow pens today!)
-You can come here for a decade and get visited in the hospital, given food, have a funeral meal for your families’ funeral and never give a dime. We will treat you the same.
-Try that at Wal-Mart or Denny’s tonight.
-That is how you honor God with your money.
-You bring Him your first and best and it pays the bills.
2 Corinthians 9
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12 /This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! [13] /
· Our future is bright
· God is with us
· We are real people serving a real God who is giving us real answers
· We will shine like the stars in heaven for eternity for reaching lost people
· What a thrill to be on the team
· Work hard, be friendly, be nice to visitors, get a ministry, and give money
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[1]The Holy Bible : New Century Version , containing the Old and New Testaments. 1991 (Ac 13:36). Dallas, TX: Word Bibles.
[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ac 13:36). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[3]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Is 60:22). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ge 12:1). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
a Or By faith even Sarah, who was past age, was enabled to bear children because she
[5]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Heb 11:8). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
a Or seed; also in verse 16
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ge 13:14). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
c Or a relative; or an ally
d That is, Jerusalem
e Or Possessor; also in verse 22
f Or And praise be to
[7]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ge 14:22). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[8]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Is 60:22). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[9]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Pr 10:22). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[10]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ge 13:1). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[11]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ga 3:14). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
d That is, Jerusalem
e Or Possessor; also in verse 22
f Or And praise be to
[12]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ge 14:18). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[13]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (2 Co 9:10). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.