We are LWF
Risk Takers • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Welcome everyone. This is an incredible day. First, it is another baptism Sunday. Can you believe it? I mean what is going on here? God is moving. I am so incredibly excited. Second we are starting a series this week about risk takers. It is about what we have to do to make this work. What our responsibilities are in the kingdom of God and as Christians in general. This Sunday being the first, I thought that I would talk about us. The message of today is entitled
WE ARE LWF!!!
We actually have a tshirt order form out front. We want to get some shirts made that We Are LWF!! and put our #54nomore. So if you would like to get one of those, we need to know your size and how many you want.
But how many of you know that it was a risk for us to plant the church. I mean we had 15 people including us that said we want to help. We want to be a part. Not to mention that when we were looking for a spot, we didn’t have one. We had no idea where God wanted to plant us. We drove around praying and asking. Sonya and I did. But we knew that it had to be from God. He was the one who had to build it. He was the one who had to give the instructions and the directions. But once we got the place, then the real work would begin for us. Because we would have to get the vision. We would have to communicate the vision. We would have to follow the vision. Why is that important? Because
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.
Most people when they read this verse they stop at the first part. They say this. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
People quote this part of but no one knows the rest and when you don’t understand the context of what he is saying then you will miss the whole point. You realize that neither of these verses are talking about your personal vision for your life. Nor are they talking about the vision for a church. These scriptures when in proverbs says where there is no vision, are referring to the word of God. You have to be looking at Christ. It is by his word that we see him. Your vision is by looking at Christ. Where there is not revelation or where the word is not preached. Look at the whole thing again.
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.
What was the law? So what this is sayins is where teh gospel isn’t preached where people don’t study the word, they will cast off restraint. They will not keep themselves from sinning. All bets are off. Hello Church wake up!!! We have adulterers, thieves, and homosexuals in the pulpit. We have child molesters in priest robes. We have a church that doesn’t preache about holiness and that sin is ok. People are perrishing. Not here. If you want who we are.
We are God Seekers
Here at LWF, you will get the word. It may or may not be a word that you like but it will be the word none the less. We do not as it said in Hosea reject knowledge. We want it all. Not because we just want to be smarter but we want to know more about God. We want to know more about his Spirit. We want to know more about Jesus. Paul said this:
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
Notice the words he used. That I may know him. Not that my mom knows him or that my grandfather knew him. But that I would. That means you have to spend time with him. That means you need to seek him yourself and do it throughout the week. We know that LWF is not satisfied or content with just a Sunday morning breakfast of the word. We crave him. We are desperate for him. You must be. But know that when you step foot in here, you will hear the word. You will hear the gospel. You will have the opportunity to respond. It is not an option. Why? Because that is who we are. God seekers. You may not walk in here that way but if you stay with us long enough, it will wear off on you. It will be someone that you too become. Here is the basis as to why we are that. And you guessed it, it comes from the word of God. 32 times in Scripture it says “Seek the Lord”. 8 times it says “seek God” We are told to seek the kingdom of God. We are told to seek the things above. David says this and it is the best summary I could find.
One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
This one thing I seek, His presence. We will seek Him. Not his gifts, not his mercy, not his grace, not his healing, not his wisdom, not abilities toget me out of trouble. We will seek him. That is what David is saying and that what LWF will do. That is who we are. God seekers. We know full well that in his presence are all of those things and it is ok to ask for them. It is ok to want those things becuase they are promised to you. IT is not ok to seek those things alone. It is on your notes like this.
Seeking the gift giver puts you in reach to receive the gift.
That is not to say that God can’t ever reach you so don’t read any theological thing into what I said other than what I said. If you want the gifts from God you have to know God. And listen to His definition of how you will know Him.
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
This is how you know Christ. By obeying his commandments or his word and that shows you know him and love him. No other way. But waht if i give away lal my money to the poor? What if I help kids make it? What if I find to end human trafficking or abortion? Do you know and obey his commandments. That’s it. If you aren’t doing that, don’t think that you know him or are seeking him. This is why we read the word. This is why we pray to get to know God. But I don’t like it. Its boring. You are looking at it the wrong way. You are reading text. YOu are getting to know God. As we get to know Him, we get some things from it as a consequence. The main one is this context:
We are freedom finders
We help other people because we are free to find freedom. You realize that is the onlly way to lead someone to freedom is being free yourself. You can’t lead someone when you are captive. Look at this fro a moment.
We know the story of Moses. If you don’t I’ll give you a quick rundown for it.
Moses was a hebrew boy born in Egypt during a time in which the Pharoah had decided to kill oall the baby boys. His mom saved his life by sending him down the crodile infested water of the nile. The pharoah’s daughter saw him and brought him out and raised him as her own. He grows up to become the one who would lead Israel out of Egypt.
But notice something about his life. Moses murdered someone in defense of someone else. Another Hebrew. What happened out of that? Moses left Egypt. It was a hard lesson to learn but Moses had to get out of Egypt to show others that it could be done. How he did it wasn’t probably the right way but He found freedom. Then he came back to bring others out. Notice he wasn’t talking to those that were already out on how to get free. He went back and talked with the ones in captivity.
Before Moses could lead others, he had to be led.
We tend to look at Moses’ leaving as oh he was scared. He was running away. I think that was part of it for sure. He was also being drawn and running to. If he doesn’t get out, he never has the burning bush experience. It is ok to be running. Just make sure you are running to not just away.
Jesus addressed this notion of being free to bring freedom. He said in
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
A doctor knows how to get well because they have been there. That is why they can come and help to heal others. The leper isn’t coming to try and heal folks. He needs healing. So we are meeting here in this place every week in hopes that others who are sick will come and find the healing or the freedom we have. We share the gospel outside of this building everyday by our lives, our social media post, the conversations we have in hopes that someone will catch wind that there is a way out of Egypt. There is freedom to be found and a deliverer who brings it and his name is Jesus and there is no other name by which man can be saved. This is why we have to know Him. This is why we have to pray and study and ask and receive and talk with. This is why we have to worship. You don’t get a choice because someone is depending on you to show them a way out.
So you need to be ready. IN being ready you start something with God that allows you to see something for your own life. He opens the door for you to take part in something so much bigger and better than your new car, new house, new job, more money. When you look through scripture and you begin to seek God and you are sharing that with other people. As we begin to do that as a church and collectively start that journey we do something supernatural.
We Discover Purpose
You were created for something. I don’t mean some high in the sky unicorn and rainbows dream. I mean for a purpose. You have heard the scriptures,
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
God had a reason to make you. Are you fulfilling that reason? are you making sure that you know it so that you can do it? Or are you running from it because it scares you, worries you, makes you uncomfortable? Maybe you don’t know that he did that so you never attempted to find out what it was. God is saying to you right now through me that you have one and he knows what it is. Seek him and you shall find it.
Here at LWF we are a people desperately seeking God to find freedom for those that are bound and using our God given talents in that purpose.
Your purpose can take many different avenues. It can be worship team, it can be preaching, it can be kids, in can be outreach, it can be media, it can be sound. There are so many different possiblitles and we want you to find yours. ONe of thew ays we do that is by the next steps classes. If you have not done next steps the classes start today. today is day one and Party with the Pastor. Start today. Don’t wait. Don’t put it off.
Anyone every notice warning labels on things? Have you ever read some of them? You know why they put warning labels on things? Because someone tried to use the thing whatever it was for the wrong purpose or in the wrong way. I mean let’s look at some of these I have found
(Show pictures)
People miss the intended purpose of things all the time. There are some ordinary things in your life that I bet you have missed it’s intended purpose. Like this for example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8TmKGTDM_A
This is a device for communication. It was never designed to be that. You know something else it was never designed to do. Determine your worth.
This is a device for communication. It was never designed to be that. You know something else it was never designed to do. Determine your worth. But people allow it to do so. God is the one who does that. Poeple use knives for screwdrivers. They aren’t mean for that. People use snakes for pets. They aren’t meant for that. In fact, Id on’t knwo that any animal was meant for a pet. i have 3 dogs. I am sure they would rather be out on their own hunting and gathering. Digging and clawing.
(Show picture of dogs)
Probably not.
But we want you to find your purpose and we exist to help you do that.
Finally we exist because we are to
Make a Difference
To make an impact. To leave a legacy. TO cahnge the world. I dont care how you label it, it means the same thing. But we want to make a difference.
How many of you have heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. When I was in school he had 5 levels. DO you know it has grown to 8 and I actually like it. Of course they leave the spriitual part out or relable it but it is the same. Look at this.
The top one according to science or research is transcendence or for us, bigger than yourself. You have a need to accomplish something bigger than yourself. the way to do that is talk to the God who is bigger than you. Who sees more than you. Who knows more than you. Who has lived and will live longer than you. Who for all eternity knew you were coming and planned you.
You ever thought about that. You were born in this place, at this time, for this reason. What is it. To make a difference. However that is for you, you were designed to make a difference. You aren’t worthless. You are powerful. You are not expendable you are invaluable. You aren’t meaningless you are meaningful. But you have to quit trying to find meaning, value, and worth in all the wrong places. Make a difference. How is the church making a difference? Well just listen to this.
Before Living Word Fellowship I…
Was just going with the flow.
Was burned out and stick in "religion".
Was lost and broken.
Was not happy and felt that I wasn’t growing in Christ.
was disconnected
Was not sure how to use my gifts in a spiritual way.
Struggled with doubt
I cussed and was angry ALL the time
Was wavering on where God wanted us to be.
Since Living Word I
Am Excited to be a youth pastor
Am living in obedience and fully submitted to the Holy Spirit.
Feel love the love of the people and god.
Feel connected to people and like going to worship
feel like I'm home
Have learned to love better and allow myself to be loved.
Know I made the right decision
I’m not as angry and I’m not dropping bad words every other word
Have found where He was leading us and am so happy to be able to impact our community.
You can be a part of that. In fact you should be a part of this. You need to be. You must be. Before you get to that though you have to start with you at the beginning.
Do you know God. I mean do you know him personally.