A Deep Yearning

October 20, 2013
"A Deep Yearning"
Habakkuk 3:1-4
Scott Howard

"A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on shigionoth (musical term).  Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Oh Lord.  Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.  God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.  His glory covered the heavens, and his praise filled the earth.  His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden."  Habakkuk 3:1-4

There is a huge difference between being captivated BY someone and being captivated by what someone can DO.

As believers in Christ, the call is to do both: To be captivated by what our God can DO, but also to be captivated by WHO our God is.

Horizontal Theology - what God does: the blessings given to us, the people and relationships around us.

Vertical Theology - who God is: the very nature of God and why He chooses to bless us.

• Yearning is birthed out of two places:

1. The things God has spoken
2. Getting caught up in the Goodness of God

The Church today is good at acknowledging the things God does, but not as good at marveling at Who He is.

Two bothersome things:

1. Biblical illiteracy  (if we don't know His Word, how will we know His character?)
2. This type of yearning for Jesus is just such a rare thing.  (When we see someone with this all-consuming yearning for Jesus, we almost label them "weird".)

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."  Proverbs 14:12

Why this lack of longing? Why this lack of desire? Why this lack of zeal?
Two primary reasons:

1.  Gospel-assaulting lies

• We believe we're not good enough and can't come to Him.  But the truth is, we aren't good enough, but we can come to Him!
• We believe we don't need Jesus.   The truth is, whether we have not yet come to Him, or we have, everyone needs Jesus.

2.  We don't understand the Cross fully

• we just don't know what we're missing

Even if we've grown up in church and know the talk and know the game and can go through the motions, we may know about God and not know who He is. 

Do we really desire to have a deeper understanding of the all powerful, loving and merciful God who saved us?  Most of the time we know more about celebrities, movies, hunting, sports, crafts, etc. than we do about God.  It takes time to learn about things that interest us.  Truthfully, if we don't know much about God, it is because we just don't want to take the time to learn.  God wants us to want a relationship with Him.  May we start yearning, longing, desiring to learn more about God and to grow deeper in our relationship with Him.

Be Motivated to a Future Hope of Glory

October 13, 2013
"Be Motivated to a Future Hope of Glory"
Romans 8:31-39
Scott Howard

What motivates God's people?

Five truths for God's people on their journey to Glory:

1.  Because God is our Sovereign Protector all of our enemies will fail!  Romans 8:28-30

We have three great enemies:

• the world
• our flesh
• Satan and all of his demonic forces

So how do you determine if God is For you (on your side)?

• Do you love God?
• Is your life in alignment with the purposes of God, or is your life in rebellion to His purposes?

2.  Because God is our Supreme Provider, all of our needs will be met! Romans 8:32

As Christ followers, we are always compelled to look to the Cross.  God gave up His own Son for us all.  If we can trust Him for our salvation, then we can trust Him to bring into our lives only that which is good for us.

3.  Because of God's Ultimate Ruling, we will never be found guilty!  Romans 8:33

When we accept His gift of salvation through Christ's sacrifice, God removes our rebellion and imparts Christ's righteousness on us.

4.  Because of God's Saving Work in Christ for us, we will never be condemned!  Romans 8:34

The passage asks who is to condemn us.  The answer given in the passage is simply that Jesus Christ has completely saved His people.  Romans 8:1

5.  Because of God's Love in Christ for us, our hope of Glory is certain!  Romans 8:37-39

You see, it is not that we won't ever face hardships or bad times in our journey, but that we have God's protection, provision, saving grace and love through it all!  So we will have victory in the midst of our trials, along with the confidence of our future hope of Glory.

What great news we can (and ought to) share with others!

The Purpose of the Cross in You / (Part #2)

October 6, 2013
The Purpose of the Cross in You / (Part #2)
1 Corinthians 9
Scott Howard

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the daily routine of living that we actually miss the ultimate reason for life.

If you are a follower of Jesus you have been saved for a Purpose: for the enjoyment of God and the spread of the Gospel from where you live to the ends of the earth.

Three Exhortations for Followers of Jesus Christ:

1.  Let's Relinquish our rights for the sake of the Gospel. 
(This was from Part #1 of this message, please see the previous sermon posting for details regarding this particular exhortation).

2.  Let's Rearrange our lives for the spread of the Gospel

• Jesus saving you frees you to be a slave
• We are freed by Jesus to be slaves of God
• We are obligated to obey

In our text, Paul changes from language about rights to language about freedom starting in verse 19.  And he defines what he means by letting us know that all kinds of people around us need to be saved, so we should make adjustments to our lives in order to be a slave to that purpose of sharing the Good News to others.

• Follower of Jesus, because you are owned by Christ, you owe Christ to the world.  (He purchased our debt on the Cross).
• "God's gracious conversion of us creates a Gospel compulsion in us."  --David Platt
• Salvation leads to mission
• We are free to be slaves of others (v.22)
• We willingly commit our lives, our families, and our church to this mission. (v.23)
• We lay aside all of our comforts for the spread of the Gospel.  We should not seclude ourselves in a "Christian Cocoon", that would be hoarding Christ all to ourselves and would be directly opposite His mission.
• We can't disconnect the two: being saved, and sharing salvation with others.

3.  Let's run this race together for the Glory of our God

Paul uses runners in a race as an example of our purpose.  Runners run for a purpose, for a prize.

The Requirements in this race:

• Sacrificial Self-Denial -- a runner does not indulge himself in anything that would hinder his progress or his training. (v.25)
• Stringent Self-Discipline -- a runner keeps control over his body (v.27)
• Single-Minded Devotion --there is one goal, one prize (v.23)

The Rewards of this race:

• Others will experience the eternal Joy of Salvation
• We will fulfill the earthly purpose of salvation

It will then be we, together with as many as we can bring with us, sharing in the riches of God and Glorifying God for all eternity.

If you allow the things in your life to distract you from spreading the Gospel, you lose out and others lose out too.  Let's not lose the race because of distractions.

Be saved today for a purpose: for the enjoyment of God and the spread of the Gospel from where you live to the ends of the earth!

The Purpose of the Cross in You (Part #1)

September 29, 2013
"The Purpose of the Cross in You" (Part #1)
1 Corinthians 9
Scott Howard

We can get so caught up in the daily routine of living that we actually miss the ultimate reason for life.  We don't want to miss the whole point.

• Are you a follower of Jesus?  Do you recognize yourself as a sinner before a Holy God who is merciful and gracious enough to send an atonement for your sins through the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior?
• If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been saved for a purpose:  To enjoy and worship God and to spread the Gospel from where you live to the ends of the Earth.

Three Exhortations for Followers of Jesus Christ:  (we'll look at one today and more next week)

1.  Let's Relinquish our rights for the sake of the Gospel.

We must think of what is best for the sake of the Gospel.  If it comes to us having to forego a certain right to which we believe we have in order to bring others to know Christ, we should let go of that right.  Within reason and the bounds of what is right according to God's will.  For example, we have the right to spend our time the way we want, but if it means an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone while taking time to sit and talk with that person, we should give up that right to go spend that time a different way.

You have rights in Hickory, NC, in the USA, and in the World around you

• Right to Life, Friends, Marriage, Family, Safety, Security, Health, and Happiness.
• Right to Eat, Drink, Watch, Wear, Read, Study, Listen to, and say whatever you want.
• Right to Organize your schedule, Spend your time, Choose your career, Earn your money, Use your money, Take your vacation, and Plan your retirement.
• Right to do what you want to do, go where you want to go, and live how you want to live.

The Cross compels you to surrender your rights for the sake of the Gospel in Hickory, and in the World around you.  Challenge:  Live radically different in your community. 

Examples: 

1. Sacrifice your time and money to foster or adopt a child
2. Sacrifice some savings and retirement planning to give to the church or missions for the sake of extending the Gospel
3. Sacrifice your time to volunteer or help others
4. Sacrifice your safety and security to go into the mission field to spread the Gospel
5. Sacrifice some time to take a friend or family member to dinner and love them with the love of
   Christ and share the Gospel with them.

1 Corinthians 9:12 "But we did not use this right.  On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ."

Colossians 1:15-16 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and FOR Him."
  
We are not our own, we are His, and our purpose is to live for His Glory.

Colossians 3:1-4  "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 gory."

If our purpose is to please God, what would please God the most?  Leading others to follow Christ and to have the salvation we ourselves are so grateful for.  Sometimes it's not easy, and it takes initiative on our part.

Luke 14:23  "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full."