How To Receive New Wine In 09 - Step 4 Teamwork Series

How to receive New Wine in 09 – Step 4 - Teamwork

Opening Scripture Text:

Genesis 6:9-14:

9This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14So make yourself an ark…”

Opening Video Illustration: from Blue Fish TV - Noah step 1 (Accepting the task – the call to do a major task for the Lord).

Thesis: When God calls on us to do a certain task for Him He requires that we all work together as a team. Usually the task is something huge which requires a team to complete it. This is God’s way of saying to us that we need each other so in the midst of the task we usually discover trouble. It takes teamwork to overcome the trouble to complete the God given task.

1 Corinthians 3:1-15:

1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Ephesians 4:1-3:

1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Introduction:

This week we finished remodeling our house and started moving into our new house. But last Monday I threw my back out while working on the house. I was frustrated and hurting. But the pain was not as bad as the feeling of not being able to finish my tasks which what I wanted to finish on the house. I was also frustrated because I had to move this week and my back was shouting to me – along with my wife – “You can’t lift anything!”

For those who know me I like to do things myself – I was taught by my dad to rely on no one and to get the job done yourself. So occasionally I battle my ego of “Self-reliance.” So I must admit I am stubborn so I kept trying to work and all I did was just kept hurting my back worse – and worse.

On Saturday I had to finish this sermon in the morning due to some unexpected things which happened last week. So I came in Saturday morning early, by a certain time I knew that people were already moving my house – it bothered me – no it was more like a little macho man hitting me over the head in my office with a hammer shouting at me – “You wimp – forget the sermon go move your house - be the man – show those people you can do anything- even in pain.”