Thursday, May 27, 2010

Labels We Put On Ourselves

Wednesday Night - May 26, 2010

Pastor Shane preached on the labels we put on ourselves instead of looking through the eyes of God to see the value and grace on our lives. Pastor Shane was showing us in Ephesians 2:1-10 with the main focus on verse 10...For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Shane had a mirror, looked at himself and told the youth what he saw. He saw both good and bad qualities in himself. Then he had the youth to look at a mirror to see what they thought of themselves. He told them that looking at the negative side of things makes us feel better about ourselves. It lifts us up. He then focused on verse 3, for the Christian...All of us use to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. Then look what God did...God sent His Son to die on the cross for us! He wiped all our sins away...clean as snow! When we ALL look into a mirror, we ALL should see God's Grace on your life and the value He places on you!

Luke 12: 6-7 tells about the value God puts on sparrows, He doesn't forget none of them! How much more valuable are you to Him? He counts the number of hairs on your head. Don't be afraid, you are way more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows!

3 Things You Need to Look At:
  1. Don't Believe the lie of the world.
  2. Except God's Mercy and Love to give me a new life.
  3. Live as God's Masterpiece.
Psalm 139:13-14 concludes the Sermon by saying..."You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it."

How well do you know yourself...and God? He values YOU!!! Maybe you should too.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Labels: Seeing What's Real in Others

Wednesday Night - May 19, 2010

Pastor Shane was preaching on the labels Christians give to others and what we can do differently to honor God from Luke 10:30-37.

1.5 Billion people had not been reached to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we reach them? For the Christian, the Bible is a Love Letter and a Sword to help us share God's Love to others. Why did Christ save you? For His Glory! Labeling people devalues them. This does not glorify God.

Samaritans were looked down on and they were half breeds. We need to stop labeling people. We are so judgemental looking at a person from the outside. People outside the church were polled and 89% said that the Christian Church is judgemental. We label some people as outcasts. If the Bible in the passage from Luke 10:30-37 happened today, would you try to help him or pass him by? If you saw someone that had been beaten, robbed, knocked out, and laying on the ground naked, what would you do? Would you consider him an outcast? Who do you consider an outcast?

3 Things We Need to Do Differently about Labeling People:
  1. Realize that everyone is created in God's Image. (Genesis 1:27)
  2. Recognize and seek forgiveness for the times You've Labeled People. (Ephesians 4:31)
  3. Be Kind to Everyone regardless of "skin color", "social status" or "value". (Ephesians 4:32)

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Cost of Following Jesus

Wednesday May 12, 2010

Pastor Shane was preaching on how the American Church today is getting too comfortable and how we need to remember what Christianity is all about.

As youth, we go to church on Wednesday night and get to hang out with our friends, play Basketball, listen to Shane give an awesome message, accept Jesus as Lord so you don’t have to go to hell, then do what you want to do and still know that you will go to heaven. Is that what Christianity is all about?

Our Key Verses: Luke 9:57-62… talks about someone telling Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus told them that foxes have dens to live in and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head. He told another person to come and follow him. The man agreed but told Jesus he had to return home and bury his dead father first. Then Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Another person wanted to follow Jesus but wanted to say good-bye to his family first. Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” NLT

In the first part of Luke 9, Jesus sends out his disciples…before that we learned that it was a Come and see who Jesus is…Luke 9 changed all that to Come and spiritually die to make Jesus Lord of your life. We must die spiritually to ourselves and start putting Jesus first. What that means is to ask yourself…if Jesus is real in my life…I will die to my selfish desires and do what He wants me to do. It is God that should be glorified, not us. To follow Christ means to take all of me…holding nothing back. We have gotten to comfortable with the American Church today. We want cool air in the summer, warm heat in the winter, big screens, etc. and have forgotten what Christianity is all about.

1. Recognize that we all are sinners.

2. Repent…turn away from our sins and ask God to forgive us.

3. Die spiritually to ourselves and put God first.

4. Pick-up the cross and follow Jesus.

Who is Lord of your life? Pastors, yourself or Jesus?

Announcements:

• This Saturday, Mission Serve participates need to meet at church @ 12:30pm for a Fundraiser. We will be going to Winn-Dixie on Veterans Parkway, to bag groceries. You will be there from 1-5pm.

• All Graduating Seniors in the SRBC Youth Ministry are invited to come to Sunday School starting @ 9:45am and Worship Service @ 11am, then following the Worship Service we will have a Graduation Luncheon honoring our 2010 Grad’s. Congratulations, Graduates of 2010!