God's Message For Today's Church

God's Message For Today's Church

I Corinthians 15:58

- Jerry Clower tells the story of a pastor who went to visit a deacon who was in the hospital. The deacon was asleep so the pastor knelt down beside the bed to pray for him. All of the sudden the deacon woke up and was fighting and struggling but he couldn't speak. He reached out to the table beside his bed and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and quickly began scribbling words down. As soon as he handed the note to the pastor he flat lined and died. 3 days later the preacher was at the grave side preaching the deacons funeral. At that moment he remembered that the deacon had written his last words on the piece of paper and that he had placed it into his coat pocket and never did read it. So he decided he would open it and share the man's last words with the family. The preacher open the letter and it reads "Pastor, back up you are standing on my oxygen hose and I can't breathe!

- Sometimes in life we have a hard time getting our message across! But God never does!! Since the beginning of time God has had a way of getting His message across.

1) In the Garden He spoke personally with Adam. (Genesis 1:28)

2) He used a dove to deliver a message of faithfulness to Noah (Genesis 8:11)

3) He used a donkey to deliver a message of rebuke to Balaam- (Numbers 22:28)

4) He used Ravens to deliver a message of provision to Elijah - (1 Kings 17:6)

5) He used a great fish to deliver a message of chastisement to Jonah - (Jonah1:17)

6) He used a rooster to deliver a message of repentance to Simon Peter - (Luke 22:60-62)

7) He used some worms to deliver a message of judgment to King Herod - (Acts 12:23)

8) He used an Angel to reveal to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:28)

- In the Old Testament God used prophets to communicate His message to His people. In the New Testament John The Baptist came preaching repentance. Jesus then came with that same message of repentance and so much more! When Jesus left, He commissioned the Apostles to go a teach the good news all across the world. And by teachers, preachers and faithful Christians throughout the ages, that message of salvation through Jesus was handed down all the way to you and to me. Then to top it off, we have the Holy Spirit to speak to us as well! God has always had a message for His people and that is still true today. God has a message for each person here:

1) He Has A Message For The Unbeliever - His message to the lost man is one concerning Salvation. That message is simple, He loves you and He sent His Son to die to save you from your sins!

2) He Has a Message For The Believer - His message to the Christian is one concerning surrender. If you are saved, God wants you to know that you should surrender your all to Him! He desires that each of His children grows and matures spiritually and continues on the path to sanctification He wants you to worship Him, praise Him, learn about Him, spend time in prayer and He expects you to serve Him.

- These are universal messages that God delivers to His children. There are also some specific messages that God will deliver to the individual. He will show you exactly where and how He would have you serve Him. He will also deliver a personal warning to you if you need to repent. He will point you to the person that He would have you reach for Him. He also has ways of revealing His love for you. It is a special thing to receive a personal message from God!

- Somewhere between 53 and 55 A.D, God sent a message to His people in the church at Corinth. He used the Apostle Paul to deliver this message to them. And this message that was delivered to the Corinthian believers still applies to us today. The Lord used Paul to cover many subjects in his 1st Epistle to The Corinthians, but I would like to spend some time covering the message that is found in 1 Corinthians 15:58 ¶Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

- I invite you to join me as we walk through this text and consider the thought "God's Message For Today's Church". There are several facets of this message that I would like to examine. We will see that: