The Judgement Seat of Christ
Podcast
Only 1/2 of this sermon was recorded. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Scriptures used:
1 Corinthians 3:9-15
Romans 14:9-13
2 Corinthians 5:1-11
The Glory of Grace
The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength
“ The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength”
(the 7 P’s of happiness)
Nehemiah 8: 1-10; 9:1-3
Pastor Greg Sumner
1. PRAYER. Intimacy with God
Family church governments leaders community
Q. How often do I pray? Who do I pray for? Is it all about me…….or others?
2. Plan. Without them, we accomplish nothing.
3. PARTNERSHIP. Unity builds trust and togetherness. Together things happen – divided , we fall. Eph. 4:16 “ from Christ the whole body is joined together by every supporting ligament growing and building itself up”
Q. How am I doing in the area of including others in my walk with Jesus?
4. PROTECTION. Caring for one-another.
Q. Am I a loner, or do I allow people to help me along this journey called life?
5. PRIORITIES. J.O.Y ( Jesus, Others, Self)
1. God 2. Family 3. Church 4. Job/Career 5. Community
Q. Do I have balance in my life?
6. PARTICIPATION. Who’s doing the work?
Q. Am I a spectator…or am I involved?
7. PRAISE. Praise and worship is a response of the human heart to the goodness of God. “the joy of the Lord is your strength” Neh. 8:10(b)
Q. When was the last time I praised God? What was it for? Do I need to recalibrate?
Strengthen Our Hands O God
How to Give Satan a Major Headache
How to Give Satan a Major Headache
Nehemiah 2:17-20
Nehemiah is a great study on leadership but it is also a great study on FOLLOWSHIP.
“You see the trouble we are in” -- The trouble he sees has to do with broken down walls but the bigger trouble is how DID IT GET TO THIS.
We can only make changes in our lives when we see the TROUBLE we are in.
A spiritual survey of your life needs to take place to see what condition your life is in.
Spiritual ruin is far more devastating than PHYSICAL ruin.
Spiritual ruin is far more devastating than FINANCIAL ruin.
Spiritual ruin can cause you to waste you life wishing that things would change but they never do.
If it wasn’t for the gracious hand of God upon any of us where would we be? When you understand the DESTRUCTION that sin is causing in your life you can better appreciate God’s restoration and FORGIVENESS.
When true REPENTANCE takes place God immediately starts His restoration project in your life.
What are the Signs of Good Followship?
UNITY -- “Let us start rebuilding”
Anytime there is a great work to be done for God be assured of OPPOSITION.
Opposition and Hardship Examples From Scripture:
Moses was apposed by PHARAOH
DAVID had Saul
JESUS had the Pharisees
The Christian church had ROME
Two Methods of Destruction
Opposition from WITHOUT
Opposition form WITHIN
Opposition from WITHOUT
FEAR is the most paralyzing of all the Devils tactics.
The reason we fear is because we have forgotten who GOD is.
Church is not a spectator sport. It’s a WAR against the Devil. The other problem is we forget who is the enemy and turn on each other.
Opposition from WITHIN
As much as it lies within you be at PEACE with all men, especially those who are of the household of faith.
If you want to give Satan a major headache be UNITED as the body of Christ and get INVOLVED in God’s work.
Faith Begins on Your Knees
Finding the Right Person
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Finding the Right Person
Nehemiah 1:1-11
Historical Setting
Prior to this writing:
Israel was in exile in Babylon.
Cyrus King of Persia overthrew Babylon and allowed 50 thousand Jews to return to Jerusalem in 539 B.C.
Cyrus united the kingdom of the Medes with the Persians and he built a strong empire that looked after Israel.
His successor Darius 1 gave money to have the temple rebuilt in Jerusalem.
The next Persian king was Xerxes. He ruled the nation during the time of Esther.
The successor to Xerxes was Artaxerxes. There were 4 Persian kings that went by that title which means “Mighty King”.
Nehemiah was a cup bearer to this king.
Nehemiah is the last of the historical books of Israel.
4 Things to Learn from the Life of Nehemiah that
Identify Him as the Right Person for the Job
Man of Concern: ______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________
People of concern are people that:
Heart aches for those they love.
Inquire about others.
Care about what God is doing in other areas of the world.
Greave over the trouble and disgrace the church is in.
Man of Prayer: _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
Nehemiah wants God to know that he shares the burden with God for the disgrace of the people that call themselves servants of God.
A- ______________(Adoration)
C- ______________(Confession)
T- ______________(Thanksgiving)
S- ______________(Supplication)
___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________
A Man of Action: ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
People of action step out in faith- Looking for God’s confirmation.
He was a Man of Vision: _______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________
Visionaries don’t ask why as much as they ask why not.
______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
God is Good
Podcast
Job 27:2-6, Romans 8:28-29
I would like you to answer these four questions this morning:
1. What am I grateful for?
2. How do I express gratitude about these things?
3. Do I tend to complain too much?
4. What do I need to do to become a more grateful person?
Have you answered these questions honestly? Gratitude is not a matter of things, or people or position or comfort but it is a matter of the heart. There are people who have all these things and are still not grateful. There are those who have lost all things and yet are grateful.
How Have We Robbed God?
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How Have We Robbed God?
Malachi 3:6-12
Giving is an act of WORSHIP, and worship comes from a heart of love for God.
The word rob in Hebrew means to DEFRAUD.
Israel failed to honor God and show the due reverence and respect that He deserves by:
Offering CORRUPT sacrifices and service in worship
Breaking the covenant of MARRIAGE
Defrauding the HELPLESS
WITHHOLDING their tithes and offerings
Tithe:
The word tithe means a TENTH
The tithe was to be brought to the storehouse where the Levite priests were responsible for it’s distribution to those who served as PRIESTS at the temple and for acts of BENEVOLENCE. The tithe was responsible for keeping all spiritual services functioning.
Tithing in Scripture:
The first mention of tithing in the Bible was by ABRAHAM prior to the writing of the Law when he gave a tithe to Melchizedek. Genesis 14:20
JACOB tithed as well according to Genesis 28:22
Jesus never ABOLISHED the tithe. He endorsed it. Matthew 23:23
No epistle writer condemned tithing either but they encouraged free will offerings in ADDITION to tithing
New Testament Giving
1 Corinthians 16:2 ___________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 8:2 ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 8:7 ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 9:5-8 __________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Heart Issue:
How God Rewarded Faithful Giving of the Israelites
It is all His anyway why not enjoy the pleasure of giving some of it back to Him as an act of WORSHIP.
Broken Faith
Broken Faith
Malachi 2:10-16
The Book of Malachi: 3 Topics
The Privilege of God’s people….. You are loved
The Pollution of God’s people….. Sin issues
Promise for God’s people…… You have a future
3 Areas That You Have Broken Faith In
Infidelity Against One Another
4 Essentials to a Covenant
A relationship between two or more people
Made with a non relative (no blood lines)
It involved obligations and stipulations that had to be kept
It was established by an oath
Covenant with Noah- He would never again destroy the earth by water
Abrahamic Covenant- Forming of a race of pope that would be set apart by God
Mosaic Covenant- Establishing a moral code
Davidic Covenant- A promise of an eternal kingdom which would be established by the Messiah
The church is called the bride of Christ on earth. We are a favored and blessed people because of our God relationship through Jesus Christ.
We are more powerful for God when we are united than when we are divided by personal preference.
Intermarriage with pagans
5 Rhetorical Questions Addressed by Apostle Paul
What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?
What fellowship has light with darkness?
What harmony has Christ with Satan?
What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
What agreement has the Temple of God with idols?
By Breaking Faith in Marriage------- Divorce
God hates divorce because it destroys what His intention for marriage should be.
On all things in Scripture that God hates, it comes down to one thing…. SIN
If you want a godly marriage then follow godly principles and teaching on marriage.
Godly marriage was meant for 3 things:
Faithful Companionship and Love
Spiritual Blessing
And Godly Offspring
Love between a husband and wife was unique form all forms of love. The Bible calls it oneness; oneness of Body, soul and Mind.
1 Peter 3:7 If your marriage is in trouble your prayers will be futile.
Jesus restated every one of the Ten Commandments to deal with the Heart issues of man. “You have heard it said, but I say unto you.”
There were two schools of thought regarding divorce
Adultery
Loss of Affection
Matthew 19:9 __________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Divorce goes far beyond the individuals involved. It affects family and friends and it affects the community of believers.
When divorce took place that promise of protection and love was broken and the garment was removed, which resulted in hatred, fighting and violence between husband and wife.
A Matter of Worship
A Matter of Worship
Malachi 1:6-14
The Book of Malachi was God’s word to His people in 3 areas:
Privilege as God’s People - They are a Loved People
Pollution Because of Sin -Sin had Destroyed their worship
Promise as a Chosen Nation -You have a future
What the Priests Were Doing
“LORD of Hosts” had special meaning
LORD (Capitals) is the English word for Yahweh, which is the personal name of God that Israel used in total reverence for God
Used in relation to God’s Sovereignty over all powers in the universe. That included the armies (angels) of God that protected them from their enemies.
How did they despise His name?
By offering Polluted animal sacrifices to God. God had a standard that He expected His people to keep but they chose their own way of doing things.
Proper worship begins with sin issues being dealt with.
Attitude Issues
Half Hearted Service: Their ministry became burdensome
Arrogance: “they sniffed at their service before the Lord.” This work is too low for us. Let other people do it.
Carelessness: Anything for God is good enough
Accountability: They expected others to serve them
Matthew 20:26-28
Matthew 23:11
Ephesians 4:12
James 3:1
Followers of Christ’s Responsibilities According to Scripture
- -1 Cor 9:7-14
- -1 Tess 5:12-13
- -Heb 13:7
- -Heb 13:7
- -Heb 13:18
- -John 3:11
How Have You Loved Us?
How Have You Loved Us?
Malachi 1:1-5
Historical Background
THis book was written between 465 and 430 B.C. after the exiles had returned from captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem.
The historical books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther were written about this time.
Malachi wrote his oracle (means urgent attention) to the people of Israel.
6 Tests regarding Man’s Relationship with God that Malachi Addresses
1. Awareness of God’s Love 1:1-5
2. Honoring God in our Actions 1:6-2:9
3. Faithfulness in Social Relationships 2:10-16
4. Fear of GOd Expressed in His Justice 2:17-3:15
5. Serving God WIth our Material Resources 3:6-14
6. Reaching the Lost 3:15-18
Sometimes God’s Love is not all Pleasant.
Malachi rebukes them for their actions but he also gives them hope. Discipline without hope is brutality and it never changes people. And hope without discipline is wishful thinking.
Our church needs to renew its hope of Christ’s return.
Light is most effective at the darkest times and when salt has lost its flavor food is bland.
4 Ways that God Showed His love to Israel
1. Love Declared-Love is in the Hebrew perfect tense which means not only did God love you in the past, He loves you now.
a. His love is Unconditional-There is nothing yo can do to earn it.
b. Sovereignly Bestowed-It was God’s idea not mans.
c. His Love is Everlasting- Jeremiah 31:3
d. His Love is a Marital Love- “Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying the daughter of a foreign God
e. His love for His Family-”“A son honors his father.” A father’s love for his son is about protection and provision.
2. A Debated Love
-We often debate God’s love when we don’t get our own way in life.
3. God’s Love is Demonstrated
a. In this text love means choice not affection and hate means rejection rather than animosity.
b. The world hate is clarified in Matt. 10:37 when Jesus said it is a matter of priority in whom you love. You must love them less in order to love Me more.
c. God in His foreknowledge knows what is best for His kingdom and He knows the heart of man.
4. Love Diffused
-Israel’s indifference and apathy caused God’s love to be extended to the gentiles.
A Man After God's Own Heart
A Man After God’s Own Heart
Ephesians 6:1-4
The Biblical definition of family always refers to a MOTHER, a FATHER and CHILDREN.
While roles may vary in families today the Biblical description of WHOLESOME families has not.
The greatest responsibility after loving your wife is raising your CHILDREN.
Direction on Raising up a Godly Home
Fathers do not EXASPERATE your children.
Ways Which We Exasperate our Children
By making huge demands of them that they CANNOT keep.
When you don’t AFFIRM your children, for the people they are.
When you don’t tell them often enough how much you LOVE them.
When you don’t RESPECT them.
When you don’t TUNE into their wave length.
When you don’t allow them to FAIL.
When you LIE to them.
When their ACCOMPLISHMENTS mean more to you than who they are.
When fathers try and live out their childhood DREAMS through their children.
Ways to Affirm your Child so that they will Honor and Obey You
Show them LOVE
Bring them up in the TRAINING and INSTRUCTION of the Lord.
Suggestions in Training up Your Children in the Things of the Lord
Start DEVOTIONS with your children when they are young. Make sure that the teaching is something they understand.
Read the BIBLE to them. Get a Kid friendly Bible or Bible storybook that makes the Bible come alive for them.
Engage in questions and answers that help them to THINK for themselves
Teach your children to discern right from WRONG
Establish a ROUTINE that works for your family.
Do WHATEVER it takes to get God’s word into your children.
The Battle is Not Yours
Men of Honor and Baptism Service
Men of Honor
Ephesians 5:22-33
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is in the Greek PRESENT TENSE and that indicates that this is not a once for all experience. It is a repeated experience in which the Holy Spirit fills us for the purposes of His glory.
Col. 3:15 says “Let the PEACE of Christ rule in your hearts.”
3 Things that are Imperative for Men to
Implement to Become Husbands of Honor
To have this honor of headship in marriage is important that men be honest and truthful. Men of Honor are people of integrity.
Headship was meant for ORDER and PROTECTION of marriage and the family.
Headship was about being PRIEST, PROTECTOR, PROVIDER and LOVER, for the family.
2 Areas of Love that are Compared
to the Love that Christ had for the Church
3. The third imperative for Husbands of Honor is a love that is committed to ONENESS
Word picture is of two pieces of wood glued together that when you try and pry them apart you split the wood not the glue.
In Christian marriage oneness is to be SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL, and PHYSICAL. If one area is lacking the marriage is SUFFERING.
A Home that Honors God
A Home that Honors God
Ephesians 5:22-6:9
Ephesians 4:17-32 – Instruction on how to conduct yourself in the community of believers
Ephesians 5:1-21 – Instruction on how to conduct yourself in the community of unbelievers
Ephesians 5:22-6:9 – Instruction on conduct in the Christian home
God defines the family for us as one-man and one-woman married for life bearing and rearing children to the glory of God.
There are three passages in the N.T. that addresses marriage and the family.
Ephesians 5:22-6:9
Colossians 3:18-4:1
1 Peter 3:1-7
The first instruction is given to women.
Key to a God honouring home is the nurture that a woman gives to hold the family together.
A woman has a special genetic make up that is unique in all women.
The Greek word for submission is HUPTASSO which means to come under a certain order of protection.
Submission is referred to 41 times in Scripture. It involves three different areas:
With God
With Society
With other believers
There are four categories of submission
Scriptural References of Submission:
- 10. Christians submit to governing authorities ( Rom 13:11, 1 Peter 2:13)
- 11. Christians submit to the authority of Scripture (2 Tim 3:16)
God’s order for the family is:
Submission is not:
Why then the problem of submission for women?
Scripture: Gen 3:16
Eve took on responsibility that wasn’t hers, because Adam neglected his responsibility.
Ephesians 5:21-33
Introduction to Greg and Colleen Sumner
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