Am I a radish?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Quote: "The church is one in essence, because it is founded on one gospel, united to one Lord and indwelt by one Spirit.Its unity is under constant threat because of the tendency to divide that is inherent in fallen humanity, and needs to be constantly maintained and actively expressed in fellowship."
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
rom 12 1-5Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Parallel passages from and .
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Parallel to and
Transform from independence to interdependence. v.1-2
Transform from independence to interdependence. v.1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I am a sinner in need of a Savior.
rom 12 1-2
I am a sinner in need of a Savior.
I am saved to be in service to God and others.
As Christ took on a body to serve us by being born and dying, so we take our bodies and use them for his service to others.
Be transformed.
This is a radical change from the mindset with which we are all born.
The rest of mankind pushes us to look out for ourselves above all else.
"The world wants to control your mind, but God wants to transform your mind." WW
Do not be squeezed into the wold's mold.
Many Christians have been infected with the most virulent virus of modern American life: radical individualism. They concentrate on personal obedience to Christ as if all that matters is “Jesus and me,” but in doing so miss the point. For Christianity is not a solitary belief system. Any genuine resurgence of Christianity, as history demonstrates, depends on a reawakening and renewal of that which is the essence of the faith—the people of God, the new society, the body of Christ, which is made manifest in the world—the church.
Jesus calls us to be a part of his family-where everyone serves one another.
Not independence, and not dependence, but interdependence.
Not independence, and not dependence, but interdependence.
To have interdependence as a Christian you must...
Look at yourselves as God sees you. v.3
Look at yourselves as God sees you. v.3
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
Sober judgement here means to view yourself through God's eyes.
Sober judgement here means to view yourself through God's eyes.
Sober judgement here means to view yourself through God's eyes.
Precious, wanted, special.
But look at yourselves as God wants you to-as a servant of others. To put their needs first.
Live in harmony with one another.
Jesus gave His life for me, so that I would in turn give my life to others,'
Do not devalue your gifts and talents.
Do not over value your gifts and talents.
Small groups help you cultivate your gifts and challenge you to think more highly of others than you do yourselves.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
esv
Here is one such testimony of a christian and his small group:
Here is one such testimony of a christian and his small group:
Recently I experienced, for the first time, a profound sense of biblical community. For the past seven years, my wife and I have participated in a small group, which included five couples. Within that time span we celebrated joys and mourned losses.
Recently I experienced, for the first time, a profound sense of biblical community. For the past seven years, my wife and I have participated in a small group, which included five couples. Within that time span we celebrated joys and mourned losses.
I learned an old truth: much of our spiritual development happens only through suffering. But in this life suffering is not evenly meted out. I had gone twelve years without deep mourning.
My wife and I—and several others from our small group—were at the hospital when Ian was born. We huddled together, sobbing, staring down at our shoes. We attempted to pray. Then we all went to the delivery room to see Ian and his mom.
Now community forced me into relationship with a small circle of people who had become closer than family. I was forced to suffer loss—vicariously but still real.
The week dragged by. After the funeral we collapsed from exhaustion. In grieving with the parents and the other members of my small group, I learned an old truth: much of our spiritual development happens only through suffering. But in this life suffering is not evenly meted out. I had gone twelve years without deep mourning. Now community forced me into relationship with a small circle of people who had become closer than family. I was forced to suffer loss—vicariously but still real.
Community is not just a place for the suffering to find comfort but for the comfortable to find suffering.
Together we join Christ in his suffering, and as a result, as says, “We can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
Community is not just a place for the suffering to find comfort but for the comfortable to find suffering.
Realize we need God and we need each other. vv.4-5
Realize we need God and we need each other. vv. 4-5
Realize we need God and we need each other. vv. 4-5
Realize we need God and we need each other. vv.4-5
Realize we need God and we need each other. vv.4-5
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Josh McDowell quote. After Salvation Jesus isn't enough we need the church.
Jesus is all we need before Salvation. But after Salvation He is not enough we need the church too. -Josh McDowell
Parts are by definition apart of the whole.
Parts are by definition apart of the whole.
Parts are by definition apart of the whole.
You need me and I need you.
The hands and the eyes function separately and are part of the whole body. BUT the eyes enhance the hands by showing them where to go,and the hands enhance the eyes by bringing objects into view. The interdependence is needed to accomplish each parts' full potential.
You and I can never become all God wants to bless us to be without each other.
God has a plan for your life, yes but this plan is accomplished only through His power and the help of others.
His plan is not that we become a “rugged individualist” Christian.
“Just you and me Jesus" is incomplete.
"you and me Jesus" is incomplete.
Rather it is you, Jesus and the church together.
What's up with the ridiculous title of this sermon?
What's up with the ridiculous title of this sermon?
What's up with the ridiculous title of this sermon?
Well, I used this because I hope to help you remember the main point today.
I don't particularly like radishes, not bad, just not my favorite, but put them in a salad and they are fantastic, crunchy, spicy-complements the lettuce, etc.
The church is composed of many different kinds of people with different gifts and different ministries. The manner in which these are combined is not like a melting pot but like a salad bowl. Within the church, there is no loss of individual identity, but rather the complementing of distinct elements to create a new, special, and united body.
I'm not trying to promote the health benefits of salad, of all things! But the analogy does bring the point into sharp and clear focus:
I'm not trying to promote the health benefits of salad, of all things! But the analogy does bring the point into sharp and clear focus:
You are not all you’re supposed to be without the church and, the church is not all it can be without you.
You are not all you’re supposed to be without the church and, the church is not it can be without you.
Some of us have heard part of this teaching before, that the church is incomplete without all its parts.
But here’s the rest of that truth:
You are incomplete without the church.
Only when we are together do we function properly.
Only when we are together do we function properly.
Mutual Benefit-Harmoniously
Small groups give us the opportunity to live out what the essence of the church is, community.
One example was seen this past week when our body suffered the deaths of Diana Patterson and Bobby Jendrusik (Debbie & Tammy’s brother. We felt these losses together.
And we share joys together as well. Dale is finished with chemo e.g.
Take this with you...
Take this with you...
The necessity of church from the realm of science:
Recent studies indicate that men and women of faith live longer than people of no faith. They have fewer strokes, less heart disease, less clinical depression, better immune system function, lower blood pressure, and fewer anxiety attacks. They are also less likely to commit suicide.
Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University Medical Center has calculated that the lack of religious involvement has an effect on mortality that is equivalent to forty years of smoking one pack of cigarettes per day.
Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University Medical Center has calculated that the lack of religious involvement has an effect on mortality that is equivalent to forty years of smoking one pack of cigarettes per day.
Another study by researchers at the University of Texas found that those who regularly attended worship services lived an average of seven years longer than those who never attended.
Another study by researchers at the University of Texas found that those who regularly attended worship services lived an average of seven years longer than those who never attended.
Unity shown at Diana's funeral Monday.