Monday, August 24, 2009

How to handle Revelation

Sunday Sermon
August 23rd 2009
Rhema Community Church

Sermonic Skeleton

Sermonic Pericope: ESV Galatians 2:1-10 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in- who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery- 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)- those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Sermonic Theme: Saved & Set Free (The Doctrine of Saving Grace/ Justification through Faith alone)

Sermonic Subject: Special Revelation (Allow no one the opportunity to devalue what God is doing in your life.)

Sermonic Tension: Christian ministry is not designed to do alone. (Although you are justified by God however, you still need people.)

Sermonic Sentence: Revelation that cannot be tested is revelation that ought not to be trusted.

Sermonic Question: The gospel you preach did it derive from human aspiration or holy revelation.

Sermonic Help: SPECIAL REVELATION: God’s divine self-revelation evidenced specifically in salvation history and culminating in the incarnation as understood through Scripture. Although the Bible seemingly affirms both general and special revelation, only special revelation can disclose completely our sinful predicament, as well as God’s promise of salvation and its fulfillment in Christ.

Sermonic Title: "HOW TO HANDLE REVELATION"

Sermonic Structure:

I. RUN IT BY SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE (…I was not running or had not run in vain. V 1-2)

II. RECRUIT A TRAINABLE PROTÉGÉ (…Titus V. 3-9)

III. REMEMBER THE POOR (…the very thing I was eager to do. V. 10)

Monday, August 17, 2009

Change

Sunday Sermon
August 16th 2009
Rhema Community Church

Sermonic Skeleton

Sermonic Pericope: ESV Galatians 1:13-24 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24 And they glorified God because of me.

Sermonic Theme: Saved & Set Free (The Doctrine of Saving Grace)

Sermonic Subject: Justified by Faith not by works

Sermonic Tension: People always try to take credit or try to discredit what God has done.

Sermonic Question: Do you want to change?

Sermonic Sentence: Christ Jesus has the power to change you.

Sermonic Help: JUSTIFICATION from the Hebrew sadeq, the Greek dikaioo and the Latin justificare, “to justify,” “to pronounce, accept and treat as just.” In theology, God’s pardoning sinners and restoring them to a state of righteousness. Paul develops the doctrine of justification by faith in Romans and Galatians.

Sermonic Title: "CHANGE"

Sermonic Sub-Title: Yes, HE can

Sermonic Structure:

I. CHRIST JESUS CHANGED PAUL (V. 13-14)
a. He changed Paul’s profession (my former life in Judaism…v13)
b. He changed Paul’s purpose (I was advancing in Judaism…v14)
c. He changed Paul’s passion (so extremely zealous was I…v14)

II. CHRIST JESUS CALLED PAUL (V. 15-20)
a. Consider the Genesis of the call (set me apart before I was born…v15)
b. Consider the Grace of the call (who called me by his grace…v15)
c. Consider the Goal of the call (that I might preach him…v16)

III. CHRIST JESUS COMMISSIONED PAUL (V. 21-24)
a. Paul shows us where he was preaching (Syria, Cilicia & Judea…v21-22)
b. Paul shows us to whom he was preaching (persons that are in Christ…v22)
c. Paul shows us what he was preaching (preaching the faith…v23)
d. Paul shows us how they responded to his preaching (they glorified God…v24)

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Who are you trying to please?

Sunday Sermon
August 9th 2009
Rhema Community Church

Sermonic Skeleton

Sermonic Scripture: ESV Galatians 1:10-12 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Sermonic Theme: Saved and Set Free (The Doctrine of Saving Grace)

Sermonic Subject: Motivation for Christian Service (What’s yours?)

Sermonic Tension: You cannot please God and man at the same time.

Sermonic Sentence: Free yourself from the opinion of men so that you may freely serve God.(This lesson teaches us how we are set free from all anxiety.)

Sermonic Question: Who are you trying to please God, man or self? (The question every Christian must answer.)

Sermonic Help: REVELATION Refers both to the process by which God discloses the divine nature and the mystery of the divine will and purpose to human beings, and to the corpus of truth disclosed. Some theologians maintain that revelation consists of both God’s activity in salvation history through word and deed, culminating in Jesus (who mediates and fulfills God’s self-revelation) and the ongoing activity of God to move people to yield to, accept and personally appropriate that reality. General revelation maintains that God’s existence and particular attributes can be ascertained through an innate sense of God’s reality and conscience as well as through observation of the universe and history. Special revelation refers to the more specific divine self-disclosure to and through certain persons that brings about human salvation.

GENERAL REVELATION: A term used to declare that God reveals something about the divine nature through the created order. This self-revealing of God through creation is called general because it only gives “general” or “indirect” information about God, including the fact of God’s existence and that God is powerful. This is in contrast to special revelation, which is more “specific” and “direct,” and includes the appearance of the living Word (Jesus Christ himself) and the written Word of God (the Scriptures), revealing a holy, loving and just God who graciously provides forgiveness of sin. General revelation is likewise “general” in that it is available to all humankind, in contrast to the divine self-disclosure that God revealed to certain persons.

SPECIAL REVELATION: God’s divine self-revelation evidenced specifically in salvation history and culminating in the incarnation as understood through Scripture. Although the Bible seemingly affirms both general and special revelation, only special revelation can disclose completely our sinful predicament, as well as God’s promise of salvation and its fulfillment in Christ.

Sermonic Title: “Who are you trying to please?”

Sermonic Structure:

I. PLEASE GOD WITH YOUR MINISTRY (V.10) … a servant of Christ.

II. PLEASE GOD WITH YOUR MESSAGE (V.11) … not man’s gospel.

III. PLEASE GOD WITH YOUR MEMORY (V.12) … received through a revelation

a. The fact that Christ was revealed to Paul says Jesus is real.
b. The fact that Christ was revealed to Paul says Jesus has risen.
c. The fact that Christ was revealed to Paul says Jesus reigns.
d. The fact that Christ was revealed to Paul says Jesus is soon to return.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Christian Immaturity

Sunday Sermon
August 2nd 2009
Rhema Community Church

Sermonic Skeleton

Sermonic Scripture: ESV Galatians 1:6-9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Sermonic Theme: Saved & Set Free (The Doctrine of Grace/ the Gospel)

Sermonic Tension: Spiritual Chastisement (Apostolic Authority/Christian Leadership)

Sermonic Question: Do you know Gospel Preaching when you hear it? (Biblical illiteracy robs the Christian church of its authentic power.)

Sermonic Sentence: Christian immature people are hard to Pastor. (The business of the Pastor is to preach salvation to humanity.)

Sermonic Help: Gospel gos´pel (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, tó euaggélion): The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word which meant “the story concerning God.” In the New Testament the Greek word euaggelion, means “good news.” It proclaims tidings of deliverance. The word sometimes stands for the record of the life of our Lord (Mk 1:1), embracing all His teachings, as in Acts 20:24. But the word “gospel” now has a peculiar use, and describes primarily the message which Christianity announces. “Good news” is its significance. It means a gift from God. It is the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins and sonship with God restored through Christ. It means remission of sins and reconciliation with God. The gospel is not only a message of salvation, but also the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works (Rom 1:16).

The gospel differs from the law in being known entirely from revelation. It is proclaimed in all its fullness in the revelation given in the New Testament. It is also found, although obscurely, in the Old Testament. It begins with the prophecy concerning the ‘seed of the woman’ (Gen 3:15), and the promise concerning Abraham, in whom all the nations should be blessed (Gen 12:3; 15:5) and is also indicated in Acts 10:43 and in the argument in Rom 4.

In the New Testament the gospel never means simply a book, but rather the message which Christ and His apostles announced. In some places it is called “the gospel of God,” as, for example, Rom 1:1; 1 Thess 2:2, 9; 1 Tim 1:11. In others it is called “the gospel of Christ” (Mk 1:1; Rom 1:16; 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12, 18; Gal 1:7). In another it is called “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24); in another “the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15); in another “the gospel of your salvation” (Eph 1:13); and in yet another “the glorious gospel” (2 Cor 4:4 the King James Version). The gospel is Christ: He is the subject of it, the object of it, and the life of it. It was preached by Him (Mt 4:23; 11:5; Mk 1:14; Lk 4:18), by the apostles (Acts 16:10; Rom 1:15; 2:16; 1 Cor 9:16) and by the evangelists (Acts 8:25).

We must note the clear antithesis between the law and the gospel. The distinction between the two is important because, as Luther indicates, it contains the substance of all Christian doctrine. “By the law,” says he, “nothing else is meant than God’s word and command, directing what to do and what to leave undone, and requiring of us obedience of works. But the gospel is such doctrine of the word of God that neither requires our works nor commands us to do anything, but announces the offered grace of the forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. Here we do nothing, but only receive what is offered through the word.” The gospel, then, is the message of God, the teaching of Christianity, the redemption in and by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, offered to all mankind. And as the gospel is bound up in the life of Christ, His biography and the record of His works, and the proclamation of what He has to offer, are all gathered into this single word, of which no better definition can be given than that of Melanchthon: “The gospel is the gratuitous promise of the remission of sins for Christ’s sake.” To hold tenaciously that in this gospel we have a supernatural revelation is in perfect consistency with the spirit of scientific inquiry. The gospel, as the whole message and doctrine of salvation, and as chiefly efficacious for contrition, faith, justification, renewal and sanctification, deals with facts of revelation and experience.

Sermonic Title: “Christian Immaturity” (Notice Paul isn’t shocked that another gospel is preached, proclaimed, promulgated or published however he is shocked that they so quickly deserted God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.)

Sermonic Structure:

I. Their Departure Points to Christian Immaturity (V. 6)
a. The Apostle Paul is astonished that they listen to it!
b. The Apostle Paul is astonished that they left God for it!
c. The Apostle Paul is astonished that they were so willing to live with it!

II. Their Doctrine Points to Christian Immaturity (V. 7)
a. They had a doctrine without God
b. They had a doctrine without Grace
c. They had a doctrine without the Gospel

III. Their Disobedience Points to Christian Immaturity (V. 8-9)
a. Transforming immature Christians is hard work
b. Teaching immature Christians is hard work
c. Task setting for immature Christians is hard work