The Meological Crisis

THANK MINISTRY

Quick shout out to my Dad, Happy birthday!

Different MESSAGE than NOVEMBER ...

FIRE + BONES

This is what God has been doing in my life.

Your FLESH will be UNCOMFORTABLE. But I PRAY this will EDIFY your SPIRIT, GLORIFY GOD, and help you to realize HOW truly GREAT he is.

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(H) What is the 1ST COMMANDMENT? You shall have no other gods before me…(Ex. 20:3).

GOD wants EXCLUSIVITY = no OTHER LOVERS

O.T. issues with BAAL afterwards + GOLD CALF

WORSHIP of OTHER GODS = DESTRUCTION ISRAEL

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THEN, BAAL = LOCAL GOD

TODAY, LOCAL (AMERICAN) GOD = ME, and STUFF

Title of Message: “The Meological Crisis”

BIGGER problem than BAAL.

I can only be LIVING SACRIFICE and DENY myself...

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What is the solution? - A living sacrifice/Denying Myself

(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. Romans 12:1-2 ESV

“The Bible Guide” ---’Our offering of ourselves is not to pay for our sin. Only the death of Jesus can do that. But we can become ‘living sacrifices’—offering our bodies and minds, time, gifts and daily life to God. What a glorious development, from the dead animals in Leviticus to our own total commitment today!’

HOW WE SAY THANK YOU TO GOD

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Need to do this, FLESH vs. SPIRIT

(16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (17) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5:16-17 ESV

(20) I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 ESV

ME = DEAD MAN

FLESH vs. SPIRIT

Battle = Kingdom of God vs. Kingdom of Man.

Kingdom of God- “The SOVEREIGN rule of God”

TREASURE + FIELD!

Mark 1:15 the KINGDOM of God AT HAND...REPENT and BELIEVE the gospel

Kingdom of God has been “at hand” last 2,000 years!!!

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Being a CHRISTIAN doesn’t guarantee FIX

As Christians how often do we focus on our kingdom and ourselves?

Examples:

In relationships, I don’t “feel” like doing something.

In church, don’t like that Bible verse. It’s not RELEVANT for TODAY.

PREFERENCES & OPINIONS taking control in the church

Dave Ramsey, “I’m an expert on my opinion”

Messages: Too long! This was too short! They didn’t share that right! I didn’t like the joke!

Worship: how often do the songs in contemporary revolve around me. Who is the focus?

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Remember, I can MELT the CALF and turn it back into EARRINGS...I cannot get rid of myself.

My ROLE then, is DENYING MYSELF.

Main text: (Matthew 16)

LITERARY CONTEXT! 3 chapters, minimum 1.

Keeps from misinterpreting

Adds depth!!

BACKGROUND: Right after PETER CONFESSES JESUS as CHRIST!

(21) From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (22) And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” (23) But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Matthew 16:21-23 ESV

BATTLE = flesh and spirit!!

(24) Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (25) For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (26) For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (27) For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. (28) Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:21-28 ESV

Greek “deny” used 11 times...means to NOT even ACKNOWLEDGE…

TWO SENSES: denying YOURSELF, or denying JESUS…

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JESUS LAYS his LIFE down, he is our example of laying our lives down so as not to save it!

JOY set BEFORE him Hebrews 12:2

LEGION of ANGELS = RESCUE!.......Hezekiah + One angel wiped out 185k soldiers!!

“Lord of hosts” - Lord of heaven’s armies...

“Jesus modeled the LIVING SACRIFICE by being a LITERAL SACRIFICE”

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Practically, HOW OFTEN do you truly DENY yourself?

“Flesh I’m not going to acknowledge you, I’m going to obey Jesus”

Why don’t I FAST? LOVE FOOD

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Excerpts from To the GOLDEN SHORE. This took place in the life of Adoniram Judson from the years 1845-1846

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“Adoniram had been the subject of thousands of sermons, the theme of hundreds of thousands of prayers. Thousands had named their children for him. The country was full of men and women who had been hearing all their lives about the great missionary Adoniram Judson, the saint of Burma. But although the Judson legend had been growing for thirty-three years, few now living had ever seen the man himself. This was their chance. Scarcely any celebrity, any public figure, any hero, could hope to rival the interest aroused by the visit of Adoniram Judson to the United States” (pp. 445-446).

15 MINUTES shared POST SERMON about the “love of the savior”…

Wife: “People were disappointed, no story”

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“Well, I am sure I gave them a story-the most thrilling one that can be conceived of” - Adoniram

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“But they had heard it before. They wanted something new of a man who had just come from the antipodes” - Emily

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“Then I am glad they have it to say, that a man coming from the antipodes had nothing better to tell than the wondrous story of Jesus’ dying love” - Adoniram.

(All taken from pages 461-462).

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He didn’t share his greatness:

Salvation of Burmese

Prison

Persevering during deaths of countless people, including two wives…

Tiger jungle

We have been ENTRUSTED with the GREATEST MESSAGE of all.

EVERY DAY we get to CHOOSE...which KINGDOM?

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If YOU truly serve God then YOU SERVE:

a king who can part the RED SEA and allow his people to cross while DROWNING the ENEMY.

a king who can use a BOY to DEFEAT a MAN of WAR.

a king who through the PREACHING of 1 MAN can make a WICKED CITY REPENT and turn to him in 1 DAY.

a king who can DRY up the RAIN for 3.5 years at ELIJAH’S word, and then with a word bring rain again. . . BAAL, the Canaanite god of storms and rain COULD NOT BRING RAIN

a king who will subject his OWN PEOPLE to JUDGMENT for their SINS because he LOVES them he is willing to CHASTEN them.

a king who will JOIN his PEOPLE in a FIERY FURNACE!

a king who can make NEBUCHADNEZZAR EAT GRASS for 7 years.

A king who HUMBLED himself...became BABY to DIE for YOU

a king who will make CAESAR BOW his knee. ROME couldn’t STOP HIM----NERO + CANDLES & LIONS

a king who will BUILD his CHURCH, and the GATES of HELL will NOT PREVAIL against it.

a king who is COMING BACK again…….Eventually the KINGDOMS of this WORLD will be the KINGDOMS of our GOD and of his CHRIST

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In light of this, how does MY KINGDOM SOUND? Not that great.

That is what I want to leave you with tonight, God bless you.