1-29-23 Kenwood Church Live Stream

SAVED TO SERVE: Attention to others 1-29-23

SAVED TO SERVE: Attention to others 1-29-23

 

We are saved to serve.

 

We are trusted servants of God.

 

We are to serve in whatever we do.

 

We are called to serve all of our life.

 

We are called to serve others.

 

I.  OUR FOCUS

 

               A.  Not US

 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.””

               Mark 12:30-31 NIV

 

              B.  Others

 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

            Philippians 2:3-4 NIV

 

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you ’love’ your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less."

 

A little girl came running into the house to her mother, exclaiming: “Mamma, I love you!”

The mother replied: “I am so glad you love me. I have had a hard day, and I am so tired. If you love me so much, will you wash the dishes for me?”

 

The little girl replied: “I do love you, mother, but not in that way.”

How many there are today who say that they love God, but when Jesus says, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments,” they say in actions, if not in words, “I love you, Lord, but not in that way.”—                             Unknown

 

               C.  God

 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

               Mark 12:30 NIV

 

The command to love God and love our neighbor is not new to Jesus. It comes right from Torah. The Pharisees had finessed that fundamental law right out of everyday life, but Jesus not only showed us that we can’t live without it, he took it to the limit when he loved us all the way to giving himself on the cross, and continuing to give us His own life in this sacrament of love.

               W. Pat Cunningham

 

II.  J.O.Y.

 

               A.  Jesus

 

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

             Colossians 3:1-4 NIV

 

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.”

               Hebrews 3:1 NIV

 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

              Matthew 6:24 NIV

 

              B.  Others

 

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 

 

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

            Philippians 2:5-11 NIV

 

Loving others involves kindness and sacrifice. In the days when an ice cream cone cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he asked. By now the waitress was growing impatient. “35 cents,” she quickly said. The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

               Davon Huss

 

               C.  You

 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

           Philippians 2:3-4 NIV

 

III.  PRAYER

 

I heard a story of a ship that was sinking in the middle of a storm, and the captain called out to the crew and said, "Does anyone here know how to pray?"

 

One man stepped forward and said, "Yes sir, I know how to pray."

 

The captain said, "Wonderful, you pray while the rest of us put on life jackets--we're one short."

               Author unknown. Taken from pastorlife.com.

 

Too often our praying is characteristic of the little boy’s prayer I read about. He prayed, "Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it.  I’m having a real good time like I am.”

Dale Pilgrim

 

Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, says, "To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ..."

 

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

               1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV

 

A.  Pray for all people

 

Richard Foster in his book "Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home", says that intercession is a way of loving others. Intercessory prayer is selfless prayer, even self-giving prayer.

 

"Intercessory prayer is priestly ministry, and one of the most challenging teachings in the New Testament is the universal priesthood of all Christians. As priests, appointed and anointed by God, we have the honour of going before the Most High on behalf of others. This is not optional; it is a sacred obligation - and a precious privilege - of all who take up the yoke of Christ."

               "Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home." HarperCollins Publishers. 1992 page 191.

 

               B.  Pray for those who impact our lives (“for kings and all those in authority”)

 

The Apostle Paul used the word “urge” (parakaleo) meaning to exhort with urgency. He wrote “first of all” meaning that prayer for those in leadership is of primary importance in the church, a very essential part of public worship.

 

We are to pray for those in leadership positions, Republicans praying for Democrats and Democrats praying for Republicans. The heart of God is not first for Republicans to be praying for more Republicans and Democrats praying for more Democrats. “Many years ago a famous chaplain was asked, ‘Do you pray for the Senators?’ he replied with, ‘No, I look at the Senators, and then pray for our county!”

 

This was really a very good answer for Proverbs 21:1 NIV says,

 

“In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.”

               Proverbs 21:1 NIV

 

God’s Word affirms that the decisions of the king are under the Lord’s control. And God moves the king to do as he pleases. As the farmer channels the water where he wants and regulates its flow, so does the Lord with the king. No human ruler then, is supreme. God determines the results of his reign and how long he reigns as the king or in America’s case, governs as president.

 

This is why a vigilant nation will have men like George Washington who prayed, “Bless O Lord the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ.” Men like Abraham Lincoln who served our nation in its bloodiest war who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go to and my own wisdom… seemed insufficient for the day.”

 

One evening six-year-old Bobby asked his father for a puppy.

 

"Sorry, Bobby," his father said, "not now.

 

But if you will pray real hard for two months, perhaps God will send you a baby brother."

Little Bobby prayed real hard for a month, but nothing happened so he quit praying.

But he was very surprised a month later when a baby boy arrived at their home.

 

As he was looking at the baby beside his mother, his proud daddy pulled back the covers a little to expose another baby. TWINS!

 

His daddy asked, "Aren’t you glad that you prayed for a baby brother?" Little Bobby replied,

"I sure am, but aren’t you glad that I stopped praying when I did?"

 

               C.  Pray for the salvation of others

 

In some churches in China, they welcome new believers by saying, “Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with.”

               Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 229-230.

 

Prayer Opportunity

 

Pray for the service

Pray for the Holy Spirit

Pray for the empty chair

 

CONCLUSION

 

Our focus should not be us.  Our focus should be J.O.Y.  Prayer focuses on others.

 

Someone wrote, "At a horse-pull in Canada, one horse pulled 9,000 pounds, another pulled 8,000 pounds. Together, we might assume that they could pull 17,000 pounds. However, when harnessed together these mighty steeds pulled 30,000 pounds, over three times what either could pull separately!"

 

Similarly, God's power through His church is greater than the sum of His power in our lives individually. It is important to recognize that this prayer is prayed by people just like you and I.

 

“The power of prayer is not in the one praying but in the One who hears our prayers” 

               Max Lucado

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.  

S.U.M. It Up! 1-25-23

1-22-23 Kenwood Church Live Stream

SAVED TO SERVE: All of our life 1-22-23

SAVED TO SERVE: All of our life 1-22-23

 

We are saved to serve.

 

We are trusted servants of God.

 

We are to serve in whatever we do.

 

We are called to serve all of our life.

 

               This includes our golden years.

 

A study was done by Oregon State University on how older people are perceived in our society. It showed that “our society devalues old age in many ways, and this is particularly true in the United States, where individualism, self-reliance, and independence are highly valued… Almost every stereotype we associate with being elderly is something negative, from being [difficult to please or irritable] and unwilling to change” or pleased with the status quo.

 

"Old age is not a disease it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trials and illnesses."

               Maggie Kuhn

 

Where serving God is concerned, age should be of no consequence. Even in our golden years, we can actively serve our Lord.  In Luke 2:36-38, we read of 84-year old Anna who was still fasting, praying and preaching in the temple daily despite her “great age.”

 

At age 85, Caleb’s vigor for the Lord was still as strong as it was when he was 40.

 

“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’ “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.””

               Joshua 14:7-12 NIV

 

Senior citizens (sounds better than old people) can be likened to cheese. In cheese making, aging is what gives cheese its unique flavour, aroma and texture.

 

“As a cheese is allowed to age, the enzymes inside the cheese break down the proteins into amino acids and fatty acids. Most cheese require an aging period of two weeks to two years to fully develop and mature its flavours.

 

Aged cheese has an intensity of flavour and aroma that is hard to find in fresh cheese like ricotta, cream cheese, and cottage cheese. The cheese that are aged are stored in cellars where the temperature and the humidity of the cellar is kept at a constant. These two factors, i.e., temperature and humidity play a very important role in determining the ultimate taste of the cheese.” 

                              Source: https://tastessence.com/aged-cheese

 

Like good cheese, senior citizens have gone through an aging process. They are endowed with wisdom that sets them apart from the young.

 

I.  WISDOM

 

Available to us is the work of Edward Gibbon who, in 1787, after 20 years of labor, completed his book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In it he attributed the fall of the Empire as being:

 

(1) The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.

 

(2) Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.

 

(3) The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.

 

(4) The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people.

 

(5) The decay of religion—faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people.

 

           A.  Wisdom comes from experience.

 

Caleb - work smarter, not harder

 

“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?”

               Job 12:12 NIV

 

“I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’”

               Job 32:7 NIV

 

Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you’re aboard, there’s nothing you can do. You can’t stop the plane, you can’t stop the storm, you can’t stop time. So one might as well accept it calmly, wisely.

                              Golda Meir (1898-1978)

              

           B.  Wisdom comes from those who have experienced life.

 

“Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.”

               Titus 2:2-3 NIV

 

           C.  Wisdom can be taught.

 

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

                     Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NIV

 

George, age 92 and Edith, age 89 are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way, they pass a drugstore. George suggests they go in and he addresses the man behind the counter.

 

"Are you the owner? "

 

The pharmacist answers, "Yes".  

 

"Well, we are about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?"

 

"Of course, we do."

 

"How about support hose for circulation?"

 

"Definitely."

 

"What about medicine for rheumatism, osteoporosis and arthritis?"

 

"All kinds."

 

"How about waterproof furniture pads and Depends?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Hearing aide, denture supplies, sleeping pills, Geritol and Ensure?"

 

"Absolutely."

 

"You sell wheelchairs, walkers and canes?"

 

"All kinds and sizes. Why all the questions?"

 

George smiles and replies to the pharmacist, "You see, we'd like to use your store for our Bridal Registry."

 

II.  FRUITFUL

 

An old saying goes like this, "A sure sign of old age is when you hear snap, crackle, and pop, and it isn't your cereal."

 

               A.  A basic principle

 

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

               Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

 

                              1.  Lie down with dogs and you are gonna catch fleas.

                            2.  Blessed are those whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night.

                              3.  Plants bear fruit when they are properly nourished.

 

               B.  A specific reality

 

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.””

               Psalm 92:12-15 NIV

 

                       1.  Unusually long life

                       2.  Unusually long production

                           3.  Unusual source

 

III.  IMPACTFUL

 

It has been said, “In youth we want to change the world; in old age we want to change youth.”

 

"Profundity of thought belongs to youth, clarity of thought to old age."

                              Friedrich Nietzsche

 

“Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”

               Psalm 71:17-18 NIV

 

Preparation for old age should begin not later than ones teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.

 

A.  Declare His marvelous deeds.

            B.  Declare His power.

            C.  Declare His mighty acts.

 

FOOD BAGS

 

CONCLUSION

 

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas

 

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

We are called to serve all of our life.  We can demonstrate wisdom.  We can be fruitful.  We can make an impact all the days of our lives.

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.