Stop Putting Off What You Can Do Today!

What a beautiful day to be gathering together in the house of our Lord with all of God’s people the Church! Are you genuinely excited that you are able to come together and gather together, freely, without oppression, to worship our Risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! I sure am!

Let us thank God for allowing us the opportunity to come to His Son for the replenishment of our soul as often as we need.

May we all pray the prayer of Psalm 139:23-24 in our hearts throughout this year.

Psalm 139:23–24 ESV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Old Testament Scripture Reading

Stephen Nobles

Ecclesiastes 2:18–26 ESV

18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. 24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 3:9–13 ESV

9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

New Testament Scripture Reading

Wayne Sullivan

James 2:14–26 ESV

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Ephesians 5:15–16 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Wayne Sullivan

Songs of Worship

When I Look Into Your Holiness

Soon and Very Soon (All Three Verses) Hymn 192

He Keeps Me Singing (1, 2, & 5 Verses) Hymn 425

Sermon Series: Replenish: Principles for Cultivating a Healthy Soul!

Series Recap:

We are in week four of our Sermon Series and hopefully each of us growing more committed to replenishing our soul by swinging the pendulum of our spiritual life back toward the care of our soul, back toward spiritual health. In this series of sermons, we are learning about six principles that can help you to practically care for your soul if applied regularly and carefully.

Three weeks ago, we covered the first principle of soul care: The Principle of Priority. From Matthew 6:33, we discussed the importance of seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We learned how to get our souls focused each and every day as we put first things first, as we invite the Lord to be the most important priority of our daily life. In short, this Principle helped us to GET FOCUSED on what really matters in life.

Two weeks ago, we examined the second principle of soul care: The Principle of Transformation. From Romans 12:1-2, we discussed our need to regularly clear out our spiritual inboxes of the junk mail of worldliness. We learned that we should manage our physical and spiritual lives as the daily living sacrifices that they are. Sacrifices that need to remain pure and unblemished.

In order to clean out our spiritual inboxes of the junk mail, we learned that we need to allow our minds to continually be renewed by the Word of God as the Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ. We also learned that we need to stop being conformed to the image of the world. In short, this Principle helped us to GET CLEAN & CURRENT, in dealing with how we process life.

Last week, we discussed the third principle of soul care: The Principle of Clarity. This catalytic grace agent helps to purify our soul and allow us to see and understand our life, our reality in a new and improved way so that we can learn to value the life that God has given us!

Clarity keeps us from fooling ourselves, or as Romans 12:3 put it we should, “not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think.” Clarity allows us to think with a sense of sober judgment as we seek to be doers of God’s word and not hearers only. Clarity helps us to become the person God meant for us to be. In short, this Principle helped us to GET CLEAR, about our purpose in life.

So far, hopefully, we have measured our priorites, we have allowed the transformation of God to work in our heart and lives to get us clean and current spiritually, and we have begun to develop clarity about our purpose in life.

What do we need to do next? WE GET MOVING! We get Going! We get moving toward fulfilling our God-given purpose in life. Today, we are going to focus on three passages of Scripture that will help us to understand our fourth principle of soul care: The Principle of Motion!

Today’s Sermon is titled:

“Stop Putting Off What You Can Do Today! The Principle of Motion!

Let’s start off with a brief Physics lesson.

The First law of thermodynamics also called the law of conservation of energy, states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. Now, hold on to that a moment.

Sir Isaac Newton, born on January 4, 1643, was a scientist, mathematician, and astronomer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. Newton, also happens to be, a brother in Christ! Sir Isaac Newton defined the laws of gravity, introduced an entirely new branch of mathematics (calculus), and developed what we know today as Newton's laws of motion.

Since our principle today, is the principle of motion, let’s look for a moment at Newton’s laws of motion. The first law of motion is often referred to as the law of inertia, which teaches us that every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.

ILLUSTRATION: Throw a ball straight up in the air.

The word inertia came from the Latin word iners, which means idle or lazy and was first used by Johannes Kepler. Inertia is the name for the tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion, or an object at rest to remain at rest unless acted upon by a force.

Now think again about the law of conservation of energy. Energy implies an object’s capability to perform work. It is something that cannot be created or destroyed but can only be transformed or transferred.

Energy is roughly broken down into two categories. Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy. Kinetic energy is a form of energy that results from an object's motion. Potential energy is a form of energy that results from an object's position or arrangement. It is stored energy that can become kinetic energy.

Like in science, philosophy also discusses in a sense kinetic and potential energy.

In ancient philosophy, potential and potentiality refers to the capacity, power, ability, or chance for something to happen or occur. For example, a woman has the potential to accept a marriage proposal or to decline it. The potentiality exists, even when the end result has not happened.

The philosophical terms actual and actuality refer to a potential or potentiality that has been fulfilled, made real, or brought into being. A woman who is engaged is one who has made actual the prior potential of accepting an offer of marriage.

Okay, Pastor, how does this have anything to do with being a good and faithful, Bible believing Christian? I am glad you asked.

Let’s look at our first passage to discover that.

1. We Were Created to Move With A Purpose!

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Motion is all over this passage. God has prepared good works that we are supposed to be created for as individuals. As individuals we are created to walk or move into those good works that God has prepared for us beforehand.

Let’s back up a minute. There is a word I think we have to understand from this verse in order to understand the rest of it. That word is “workmanship.” It is a word that should make all the difference in the world for us.

From the Greek word, poiema, from which we get the word, poem. A poiema is really something crafted or something made. It is like a magnificent work of art. Clearly, here God is the majestic artist and we are the masterpiece that He is crafting.

Now as that master creation, we are endowed with a measure of faith, or a measure of potentiality, or to put it in terms of motion, we are crafted with a measure of potential energy.

That potential energy is stored within us to accomplish the Good Works that God has also crafted for us to m.ooo.v.e. into. Turning our potential energy into kinetic energy. God wants us to take our potentiality and turn it into an actuality, but realize that can only happen by His gracious design.

Here is the problem, even though we are crafted with this potentiality, most of us miss the huge opportunity that God has in store for us and remain in the state of perpetual motion or rest that is stated in the law of inertia.

In order to really move, we have to have a force move us to see the actuality that we were made to have a more meaningful contribution to God’s economy.

God, before He formed us, and some believe before He formed Creation itself, God had prepared in advance specific good works that you and only you can do! No one else. He made you and He made me for a specific, special calling.

Even in our lost state, He demonstrated how he put us in a place of potential that could be fully actualized by the death of His Son on the Cross of Calvary. Jesus literally gave everything so that we could walk in the Good Works that God had prepared beforehand for us.

Martin Buber has said,

“Every person born into this world represents something new, something that never existed before, something original and unique....Every man’s foremost task is the actualization of his unique, unprecedented, and never-recurring potentialities, and not the repetition of something that another, and be it even the greatest, has already achieved.” ~ Martin Buber ~

How would Jesus live if he were you?

You. The you created by God and redeemed by Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit and provided the possibility of unique, special good works that only you can walk into. Will that knowledge be enough force to move you out of a state of inertia, out of a state of potential energy and into a state of kinetic actualized energy? Remember energy can’t be created or destroyed, it has to be transformed or transferred.

Christians, you are God’s workmanship. Get moving, get going! Actualize the potentiality of all that God has created you to be and to do!

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

2. The Principle of Motion Requires Force!

Remember the Law of Inertia, the first law of motion, states that every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.

Would you agree that a lot of things never get done because we never get started doing them. That is the law of inertia working against us.

Listen to the tale of the sluggard.

Proverbs 24:30–34 ESV

30 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 32 Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Bodies at rest will stay at rest unless, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it. Laziness will continue on indefinitely unless we start moving. Let God apply the force needed and move with Him!

Some may say, “Well, Pastor, I am always busy, I am always moving, but I can’t seem to get anywhere.” I would say that maybe you should examine if you are asleep at the wheel. Are you a stuck in the law of inertia, moving in a uniform motion with no direction?

Are you going through the facets of life, but you aren’t allowing God to direct your steps?

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Thorns, nettles, and broken walls are all signs of neglect. The lackadaisical person leaves plenty of evidence in their wake that they are not actively pursuing God and His best for them.

Their motto is, “why do today what I can put off until tomorrow.” The problem is, tomorrow never comes.

As Christians, we must have a sense of purpose that drives us each and every day to do all that we can today for we are not promised tomorrow. If we fail to do what we know to be right for today, it becomes our folly, in fact, it becomes our sin.

James 4:13–17 ESV

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

We were created to move with a purpose.

The principle of motion requires force.

3. We have been given the energy, but we must learn to use it!

Romans 12:1–11 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Extemporaneous Speech

Verse 6 “Let us use them.”

Conclusion:

We were created to move with a purpose.

The principle of motion requires force.

We have been given the energy, but we must learn to use it!

We have good works awaiting us today, this week, this month and this year and every day that follows until the Lord returns. Get moving church! Allow God and His Word to be the force that guides you to grow and become all that He crafted you to be. Walk into, run into, move into that purpose. God has given you the place and the energy, but you must learn to allow it to lead you into service, not away from it.

More than ever, our world needs to see a church that lives what it claims to believe. A church where each unique member lives out their unique calling to use what God has gifted them with as the move into the kinetic possibilities of energetic service being set in motion.

Let us live lives that effectively steward our gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God.

Get moving, Get going each and everyday to advance the Kingdom and glory of God! In doing so, you will find your soul being supplied with new energy as God transfers His grace upon grace. In moving, your soul will find rest in completing the work it was designed to do.

Invitation

Have Thine Own Way, Lord.

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