CORE VALUES: FAITHFULLY FOCUSING . . .

Terry Detwiler

CORE VALUES • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Philippians 3:13–14

Proverbs 29:18

Hebrews 12:1

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Core Values: Faithfully Focusing . . . On Honoring the past; On Pursuing God's plan for the future.

Notes

Transcript

IMPERATIVES: #1 Determine Your Goal;#2 Pick A Point (It’s important to have a one point message. That way you only have one thing to remember.);#3 Create A Map (Me-We-God-You-We);#4 Internalize The Message (Tell a story that takes them on a journey) (Whether it’s a journey to your childhood home or a journey to a life-changing truth, it’s a story that will take you there.) (People make it difficult when they try to communicate points instead of telling a story.) (When you stand up and speak without notes and without having to read your sermon, you’re saying, “This is so important that it’s a part of me — and I think you should make it a part of you, too!”);#5 Engage The Audience;#6 Find Your Voice;#7 Find Some TractionPrayer, Checklist Questions: What do they need to know?Why do they need to know it?What do they need to do?Why do they need to do it?MAP:ME - Explain who you are and what you’re all about. Pastor in his church uses as introduction of idea or topic.WE - It takes me from what I’m thinking or feeling to what WE are thinking and feeling. I have to find an emotional common ground with them around the topic or idea of the message. My goal is to raise a felt need with as many people in the audience as I canGOD - where I take this emotional common ground I’ve established and introduce biblical truth into the discussion. Now I’m providing a solution to the need I just raised. Remember, we are not teaching the Bible to people; we’re teaching people the Bible. First, we connect with the people; then we move to the Bible.YOU - Once I’ve introduced God’s view on the subject as the answer to the need, it makes it easy for me to then ask, ‘What are you going to do about it? This becomes the application segment, and if I’ve followed my map well, instead of having to stir up interest in making the application, the application comes as a relief or it’s always the answer to a question they’re already asking. Communicate the challenge at a personal level because life-change is going to come when people apply the truth to their lives. You just go back, and everywhere you raised a need, now you make an application and make sure you don’t raise a felt need that you aren’t going to cover from God’s Word and answer with an application. The worst thing a communicator can do is overpromise and under-deliver. You’re building trust with your listeners. Not just trust in the information, but trust in the relationship.WE - the place to cast a common vision. A vision of what our lives, our church, and even our world would look like if only we would apply the truth of God’s Word. It’s the inspirational part of the message. My goal at this point is to inspire people to make a change. Sometimes being faced with God’s Word can leave the listener feeling defeated, if all they think about is how far they have to go. But, if I can give them a picture of what life will be like once they apply the truth, then they have a little hope.

GOAL: To help New Life to understand the Core Value of “Faithfully Focusing on Honoring the past, and on Pursuing God’s plan for the future.

POINT: Faithfully Focusing on Honoring the past and Pursuing God’s plan for the future.

POINT: Exerting Effort to give our best in every opportunity.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning everyone! It is so good to have you here this morning! It is always a great joy to me to see each of you here . . . and when you are not here I miss you . . . We miss you! So, thank you for making it a priority to be here this morning in the house of the Lord!

Today I am going to be talking about the last of our Core Values. The 5th and final Core Value is 1) Faithfully Focusing on Honoring the Past, and 2) Faithfully Focusing on Pursuing God’s plan for the future!

Now, whenever we talk about the past and the future . . . there can be a tension that is tied in with this! Think about the many times we have heard discussions about CHANGE! Change is not always something that is easily accepted or received! Music, buildings, colors and styles of things, people, the way we do things, and so forth! Even at the sound of the word “CHANGE” we may feel the tension, even anxiety building within ourselves!

But, when we look at the scriptures we see the people of the Bible honoring the past and pressing toward the future with the very plans and desires of God! So, we are going to take a good look at that today and see how they did it, and what kept them on track and in the center of God’s will for their lives and for the church . . . the Kingdom of God!

(ME)

As for me, I’ve been alive almost 57 years now, and I’ve seen a lot of change! I can remember growing up as a small boy and having to go outside to the outhouse to use the toliet in an outdoors. We didn’t initially have indoor plumbing. I can remember cranking a phone that was really a party line to make a phone call . . . and then moving to a rotary phone, then finally a push button phone, and of course through the series of cellular phones that some of you have never seen before today. I have lived, like some of you through a lot of changes. I’ve seen the rise and fall of vinyl records (and the rise again of them), 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, cd’s, laser disks, DVD’s, and now to where we are at with digital recordings.

NIV84You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’ “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.

I have seen rise and fall of so many things in my lifetime that there is no way that i could cover them all today.

Speaking out of the OT in we see “the offerings that the Levites would render to the Lord . . . ‘the best and holiest part of everything.’ Never is God the happy recipient of shoddy gifts; his demands are of the very best that one has.”God knows that we are human and that our energy, unlike His, will run out! We see this in every aspect of our lives!For example; think about character qualities like patience. As we go through a day, if we have had a good nights rest, our patience can be very good at the beginning of the day dealing with people, situations, and so forth; but as the day goes on, and our energy level depletes, our patience ma

CHANGE Is inevitable in our world! So many changes that have come and gone and come again. I think the Word says it correctly . . . “There is nothing new under the sun!”

(WE)

We have all seen this! There are some of you here today that could tell me things that go beyond my experiences because you have lived more years than me! There are some of you here today that are so much younger than me that you have a hard time believing the things that I may share because you just can’t comprehend things differently than what you know! And believe me . . . I’ve had it really good compared to some of the stories and experiences that I’ve heard from others older than me!

We as a body of people have had a lot of experiences! And we will continue to have them as the world changes!

But, how do we honor the past and pursue the future! Remembering! Being Thankful and Grateful! That’s a beginning!

There are so many of us that are thankful and grateful that we don’t have to go outside in the middle of the night to use the outhouse anymore! We are thankful and grateful that we can stay warm in our houses and sit on a warm, maybe even soft toliet seat instead of an ice cold piece of wood in the middle of the night! Especially in ND!

But, (no pun intended), let’s get to the point at hand! Faithfully Focusing on Honoring the Past!

MESSAGE

(GOD)

NIV84When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.” Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

It is an Organized Effort and it depends on more than just 1! In Nehemiah it speaks of the efforts of Nehemiah and the people with him rebuilding the walls! It speaks of their enemies efforts to derail the plan and how God frustrated the enemies plan . . . and how God gave them wisdom to deal with those things that were putting pressure on them! It speaks of this organized effort to finish the task at hand! Guards by night and workmen by day! It speaks of a plan with a built in warning system of when the enemy might decide to attack that they would have ample warning to deal with the enemy and thwart their attacks! It was truly an organized effort to compete the task at hand!We probably have all experienced something like this in our lives!How many times are you going through the day at home and you get a last minute notification that someone unexpected is stopping over . . . and the house is a mess! We rally the troops (in our case it was our 6 children and the 2 of us) and we give instructions and directions and sure enough by the time the unexpected company arrived we had a clean house! IT WAS AN ORGANIZED EFFORT that did not depend upon 1 person! It took a group of people but the job or task at hand was completed successfully and victoriously!We’ve seen this happen in this very church! I think of the Backpack Giveaway! There is no way on God’s Green Earth that 1 person can pull off an outreach that big and serve over 200 people by themselves! No, it takes a group of people . . . it takes an ORGANIZED EFFORT! SECONDLY, IT TAKES . . .Diligence in [our] Effort

NIV84When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

And when we are organized in our efforts, and we are diligent and focused . . . we need to be . . .Inspired in our EFFORTS!

Faithfully Focusing . . . on Honoring the Past!

NIV84Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God,

Hebrews 12:1–3 NIV84

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

Hebrews 12:1 NIV84

Here in the writer begins by pointing out what Christ has done for us. He points to the Cross as the stimulus that motivates Christ’s people to serious and concentrated endeavor as we face the difficulties involved in living out our faith.

NIV84“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

He links himself with us as a competitor in the race as well and writes as one who is as much caught up in the contest as we are. The word “nephos” for cloud means a mass of clouds in the sky or a throng of people which means that the witnesses are a vast host.

We must consider our efforts! Estimate the cost! See if we have the resources to complete it! God is our strength! Beyond all of these things! It takes our . . .Highest Effort

There is a question whether we should understand “witnesses” as those who have witnessed to the faith or as spectators witnessing the present generation of Christians. Normally the word is used in the former sense (as witnesses), and it is very doubtful whether it ever means simply “a spectator.”

NIV84and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

The writer is picturing athletes in a footrace, running for the finish line and urged on by the crowd. He speaks of the runners as being “surrounded,” which makes it hard to think of them as looking to the “witnesses” and all the more so since they are exhorted to keep their eyes on Jesus. Perhaps we should think of something like a relay race where those who have finished their course and handed in their baton are watching and encouraging their successors.

So, with this great cloud of witnesses about us, it is important for us to run well. So, we are exhorted, “Let us throw off everything that hinders.” Everything that hinders” means any kind of weight. It is sometimes used of excess body weight that the athlete sheds during training; but here it seems to be the race rather than the training that is in view.

Athletes carried nothing with them in a race . . . and sometimes even ran naked. We can gain from that that the Christian should “travel light.” He isn’t referring to sin here because that is covered in the next clause, but, some things that are not wrong in themselves hinder us in putting forward our best effort. So, the writer tells us to get rid of them.

In the next clause he tells Christians to put off every sin. Sin forms a crippling hindrance to good running. Therefore, Christians are to lay aside all that could hinder them in their race and are to “run with perseverance.”

We are not speaking of a short sprint! We are speaking of a distance race that requires endurance and persistence. It is a race of sustained effort with great determination over the long course. This is what the heroes of faith did in their day, and it is that to which we are called.

Hebrews 12:2 NIV84

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This race we run is “with no eyes for any one or anything except Jesus.” It is Jesus whom we run toward! There must be no divided attention.

Hebrews 12:2–3 NIV84

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The expression “for the joy set before him” means that Jesus went to the Cross because of the joy it would bring. He looked right through the Cross to the coming joy, the joy of bringing salvation to those he loves. For this joy, then, Jesus “endured the cross.”

This “enduring of the cross” is important. Why? If one “scorns” a thing one normally has nothing to do with it, but “scorning its shame” means rather that Jesus thought so little of the pain and shame involved that he did not bother to avoid it. He endured it. Then, having completed his work of redemption, he “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The example that Jesus set remains before us! Jesus endured “opposition from sinful men” and therefore was in the same kind of position we find ourselves in. We must not think of our situation as unique. We are not called upon to put up with something our Master had not first endured. So, the phrase “grow weary and lose heart,” are both used of runners who relax and collapse after they have passed the finish line. We are still in the race! He is saying that we must not give up prematurely! We must not allow themselves to faint and collapse through weariness! Once again there is the call to perseverance in the face of hardship.

Application

So, how does this apply to what we are talking about concerning Faithfully Focusing on honoring the past! Those who have gone before us . . . those who have faithfully served in this church, in this community . . . who faithfully served Christ and have run, or may be still running the race (even if it is somewhere else)! We are to honor them by continuing to FOCUS on running the race FAITHFULLY! That we don’t take our eyes of Jesus and put them on anything or anyone else!

There are too many times when people lose FOCUS of what Jesus has called them to do and they get caught up in other things or people that trip them up! What do I mean? I will as specific as I can be! People get caught up in things like “the way it has always been done.” They get caught up in “the way things used to be!” And I can go on and on with examples of what trips people up from being able to reach the current and next generations! Many things change through time! How we do things change through time; and it doesn’t mean that we like it! There are some things that change that we really like . . . and there are other things that we don’t like at all! Those are all preferences . . . and we all have them! What matters the most is that we do what needs to be done to reach the current and next generations for Christ!

When we talk about honoring the past it doesn’t mean that we honor the past by continuing to do things exactly the way they did! It means doing what needs to be done to reach people for Christ in the current context! Those that went before us did the same things . . . with current trends, current music, and so forth! Times change!

HONORING THEM, HONORING THE PAST, IS TO CONTINUE TO RUN WITH THE BATON OF THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS!

THE ONE THING THAT WILL NEVER, AND SHOULD NOT CHANGE IS THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL . . . THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS!

IT IS THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS THAT BRINGS EVERY MAN OR WOMAN TO THEIR KNEES IN REPENTANCE AND ULTIMATELY BACK TO THEIR FEET IN VICTORY TO WALK OUT THE LIFE THAT GOD HAS CALLED THEM TOO!

IT IS THE POWER OF THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS THAT BRINGS THEM INTO A RACE JUST LIKE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WHERE THEY ULTIMATELY ARE RUNNING TO THE FINISH LINE JUST LIKE WE PRESENTLY ARE!

HONORING THEM, HONORING THE PAST, IS TO CONTINUE TO RUN WITH THE BATON OF THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS TO THE CURRENT AND NEXT GENERATION!

IT IS TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE WORD OF GOD, WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE TRUTH OF THE WORD OF GOD TO REACH THE LOST!

Faithfully Focusing . . . on Pursuing God’s plan for the future!

Philippians 3:12–14 NIV84

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12 NIV84

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Philippians 3:13–14 NIV84

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12–13 NIV84

I haven’t obtained it . . . but have I been made perfect . . . but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. . . . Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead . . . I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward!

:12

Here, Paul did not regard himself as having obtained the final knowledge of Christ, nor had he full conformed to him! But, Paul knew one thing, the consuming passion of his life!

Using this same metaphor that we spoke about in , Paul describes his Christian life as involving the continual forgetting of “what was behind,” and the relentless centering of his energies and interests on the course that is ahead of him.

“Fogetting” did not mean obliterating the memory of the past, but a conscious refusal to let the things of the past absorb his attention and impede his progress. He never let his Jewish heritage nor his previous Christian attainments to obstruct his running of the race. No present attainment or success could lull him into thinking he already possessed all Christ desired for him.

Philippians 3:13-14

Philippians 3:14 NIV84

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Continuing with the metaphor, Paul likens his Christian life to pressing onward to the goal so as to win the prize. The goal and the prize are the same here. Paul’s goal was the complete knowledge of Christ, both in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. When the goal was reached, this prize would be fully his. Here, the “goal” rivets his attention on the race that is being run, and the “prize” centers the thought on the glory that follows.

But, there is more! Not only was it to reach the goal of the complete knowledge of Christ in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings . . . it was the “heavenward” or the “upward calling” which speaks of the effective call of God that brings men to salvation.

Paul was passionate about pursuing God’s plan for his life! He was passionate about fulfilling God’s plan for his life! He knew that God wanted him to not only be made into the image of Jesus but to lead others, the current and next generations, into a life-saving experience with God himself!

Not only that, but to disciple and raise them up so that they would continue to do the same things as they ran their race! God does not want us to get so caught up on and about ourselves that we forget and lose sight of our ultimate purpose here on this earth! Becoming like Christ and leading others to do the same is the highest goal! Everything else that comes with that is just a bonus! but losing sight of this primary task is ultimately costly and has eternal ramifications!

So, we need to have a vision of what God’s plan is!

Proverbs 29:18 NIV84

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.

When the truth of gets a hold of us, when the vision and plan of God fills our hearts and lives . . . it is then that we will know and follow God’s plan for our lives! But, the warning is also valid here! When there is not vision, no revelation, we as people cast off restraint and we literally run wild and out of control!

(YOU)

So, what about you? What are you FAITHFULLY FOCUSED ON? Is it on honoring the past? Is it on pursuing God’s plan for the future?

NIV84Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Either one of these require our FOCUS on JESUS!

So, what are you going to be INTENTIONAL about?

CONCLUSION

(WE)

We have a bright future! As we continue to understand the mission, the Core Values, the vision of our church . . . as we continue to understand our Life’s mission, our Core Values, and our Vision . . . we take steps closer to fulfilling God’s will for our lives!

Will you respond today? Will you take out the “response card” and fill it out today and tell me how God is speaking, or has spoken to your heart today! I would love to pray with you, rejoice with you, and help you along your journey to FAITHFULLY FOCUSING today! — LET US PRAY!

NIV84We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

NIV84There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, though

NIV84Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

NIV84For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

NIV84Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already bei

NIV84Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

NIV84His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been clean

“In accordance, respectively, with the measure of their individual capacities . . .

The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary Spiritual GiftsSPIRITUAL GIFTS (Gk. ta pneumatika, the spiritual supply; charismata, “gifts”). A phrase used to denote the endowments bestowed by the Holy Spirit in the primitive church (), and the same as “gifts” (v. 4). A spiritual gift “means any extraordinary faculty, which operated for the furtherance of the welfare of the Christian community, and which was itself wrought by the grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in special individuals, in accordance, respectively, with the measure of their individual capacities, whether it were that the Spirit infused entirely new powers, or stimulated those already existing to higher power and activity (.)” (Meyer, Com., on ). These gifts included word of wisdom; knowledge; faith; healing; effecting of miracles; prophecy; distinguishing of spirits; tongues; and their interpretation (vv. 8–10). See under various heads.

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