Sermon Central
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Is Jesus Christ The Lord Of This Church? Series
Contributed by Douglas Bryan on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: I once saw a package of plastic shark teeth that were labled as "genuine imitation shark teeth." I wonder if we aren’t guilty of being genuine imitation Christians at times. As Paul begins his letter he points out that the Colossians were 3D Christians-
2. Do you have the hope of heaven?
a. Do you know without a doubt that when you die that you will spend eternity with the Lord?
3. Most of my life I was trying to earn my way into heaven
a. I thought that if I could attend enough church services, or prayer for a certain period of time each day, or read enough Scripture that I could earn my way into God’s good graces
b. But as long as we are trying to earn our way, we will never know for sure if we’ve done enough
c. But I know that a lot of us were taught like that–or at least that’s how it came across to us
d. So if someone asked, "Are you saved?" we’re a little uncomfortable
So we say things like, "I hope so" or "I think so."
Because there’s always that nagging question, "Have I done enough good things?"
e. Since you understood the truth about God’s grace the gospel has been bearing fruit in your lives
f. 1 John 5:13 (NIV)
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
IV> CONCLUSION:
A. This church will be what it ought to be when our members become what they should be
ILL> Back in June our family had a very relaxing vacation at Myrtle Beach, SC. We stayed in a place on the beach where we could sit around the pool or we could walk just a few yards down to the ocean.
My brother Jim and Alan and I would get our boogie boards and go out a ways into the water and wait for the waves to come. I have to admit that a lot of time was spent waiting for just the right wave, but when we were in the right place at the right time we would jump on our boards, start paddling as hard as we could and it would nearly take us all the way to the shore. Then we would make our way back out into the deep water to do it all over again.
ILL> Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church
The Church is like a wave.
"If you take a class on surfing, you’ll be taught everything you need to know about surfing: how to choose the right equipment; how to use it properly; how to recognize a "surfable" wave; how to catch a wave and ride it as long as possible; and, most important of all, how to get off a wave without wiping out. But you’ll never find a course that teaches "How to Build a Wave."
Surfing is the art of riding waves that God builds.
A lot of books and conferences on church growth fall into the "How to Build a Wave" category. They try to manufacture the wave of God’s Spirit, using gimmicks, programs, or marketing techniques to create growth. But growth cannot be produced by man! Only God makes the church grow. Only God can breathe new life into a valley of dry bones. Only God can create waves–waves of revival, waves of growth, and waves or spiritual receptivity.
B. So the Church is like a wave
1. In my 20 years of ministry I have found that to be true
a. Sometimes everything is going great, and at other times you find yourself standing between waves
b. But be assured of this–another wave is coming!
C. While on vacation Ashlee had a hard time getting out to where the waves were because there is a spot where the waves crash–sometimes it can be tough to get beyond that point.
