BY MY APPETITE AND VALUE SYSTEM WE CAN GROW...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I. DO WE UNDERSTAND HOW OUR VALUE/ PRIORITY SYSTEM PLAYS A ROLE
IN OUR EVERYDAY LIFE?
Philip. 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory
is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
LIVING
Philip. 3:19 Their future is eternal loss, for their god is their appetite: they are
proud of what they should be ashamed of; and all they think about is this life
here on earth.
A. When I was little Christmas material came out after THANKSGIVING...
Down through the years Christmas has moved earlier and earlier during the
year... Christmas sales started in October.
B. Now there is a great push... CHRISTMAS IN JULY?
Have we finally realized the beauty of God GIVING HIS ONLY SON AND
WE DESIRE TO EMPHASIZE THE LOVE OF OUR SAVIOR?
C. Has the commercial value of CHRISTMAS SALE BECOME THE DRIVING TOOL
OF MATERIALISM...
II. WHAT IS THE CENTER PIECE OF OUR VALUE SYSTEM?
WHAT DOES MATERIALISM MEAN?
A. To develop the tendency to prefer material possessions and physical comfort
to spiritual values...
Eccles. 6:7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
NIV
Eccles. 6:7 All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.
B. The drive of materialism becomes a theory that nothing exists but matter
and its movements and modifications...
C. We seem to develop excessive appetites...
We become an SOCIETY DRIVEN BY EXCESSIVENESS
III. MANY ISSUES GROW FROM OUR PRIORITIES VALUES?
MATERIAL BREEDS SEVERAL GREAT ISSUES...
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
A. THINGS MAKE YOU HAPPY...
B. PROFIT
C. GREED
D. SELFISHNESS
E. COMMERCIALISM
F. HE WHO HAS THE BEST AND THE MOST TOYS HAS THE GREATEST SUCCESS...
IV. OUR NATION IS IN GREAT TROUBLE...
A. OUR MEDICAL SYSTEMS FACE DANGERS AHEAD...
OUR FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION SEEM TO CRUMBLE....
WE LIVE IN A DAY OF THE "ME"... WHAT IS IN THIS FOR ME?
IN A MATERIALISTIC WORLD GOD HAS MANY NEEDS...
DON'T ASK WHAT GOD CAN DO FOR ME... ASK WHAT CAN I DO FOR GOD...
B. In the USA the is a DECLINE OF CHURCH GROWTH...
Most churches collectively and individual are in a DECLINE or a PLATEAU...
C. WHAT CAN I DO AS AN INDIVIDUAL TO TURN THE TIDE...
D. Are we trapped and is there no hope?
V. WE CAN START INVEST OUR TIME MORE WISELY... BE USEFUL AND NOT
BEGRUDGE OUR GIVING...
WE PRAISE A BEE FOR HIS BUSYNESS...
WE SWAT A MOSQUITO FOR HIS BUSYNESS...
A. We live in a day when everything is demanding our busyness...
our hands, our hearts, and our heads...
B. If I am to BUSY to read my Bible, to pray and to attend church faithfully
THEN I AM JUST TOO BUSY...
C. MARTHA WAS THE WORRIED HOUSEKEEPER... WE NEED SERVANTS...
WE NEED BUSY PEOPLE...
Luke 10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said,
Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
bid her therefore that she help me.
D. MARTHA WAS A MUCH SERVER... We need much servers in the church...
Martha missed it... SHE HAD THE SON OF GOD AS A GUEST...
Martha GREW CUMBERED... WE NEED PERPETUAL COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY...
E. Martha FORGOT WHO HER GUEST WAS...
Martha could ONLY SEE HER SERVICE...
POOR MARTHA LET HER SERVICE OVERRIDE THE COMMUNION ...
F. Martha work BECAME A DUTY --- A DRAIN AND A STRAIN...
WE MUST FIND JOY NOT NELGECT...
VI. COME LET US GO... WE ARE A TEAM... WE NEED EACH OTHER...
WE ARE AS STRONG AS THE WEAKEST LINK...
A. The church needs you to COME TOGETHER...
A GOOD CHURCH IS NOT HERE LET ME?... I WILL GO? I WILL DO IT?
B. TO TURN ANY CHURCH AROUND IT MUST BE US... LET US GO FORTH
Song 7:11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.
[12] Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender
grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.
C. IT IS OUR JOB TO HELP GROW FRUIT...
1. NO FRUIT
2. FRUIT
3. MORE FRUIT
4. MUCH FRUIT...
D. We are KEEPERS OF THE VINE... MARY WAS IN COMMUNION WITH THE
MASTER... NOT NEGLECTING WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING...
E. TEAM --- T-ogther E-ach A-complishes M-ore...
VII. TO GROW THE CHURCH WE MUST COME OUT DEEPER...
WE MUST CLIMB HIGHER...
Luke 5:3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that
he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of
the ship.
A. A friend was climbing a high mountain and he saw a sign:
IT DOES NOT GET ANY EASIER...
He said he climbed about one hour and came to another sign...
BUT YOU GET STRONGER AND MORE CONFIDENT...
B. Recall the story from the Old Testament?
The water came from the ALTAR...
1. It was ANKLE DEEP
2. KNEE DEEP
3. WAIST DEEP
4. SWIMMING DEEP...
C. Often while climbing a mountain we might go through a VALLEY,
a small brook...
D. MATURITY MUST BE A SPIRITUAL GOAL...
E. ONE DAY WE REACH A SUMMIT, THEN WE REACH FOR THE HIGHER
PINNACLE...
VIII. TO GROW THE CHURCH WE NEED TO REMEMBER FROM WHERE WE HAVE
COME... FORGET NOT THE BENEFITS
Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psalm 116:12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?
A. WE TEND TO NEGLECT DEVOTIONS OUR BIBLE STUDY AND OUR PRAYER
CLOSETS... SPIRITUAL DECLINE and OUR LOVE GROWS COLD...
B. Let us remember the goodness of God...
IX. LOVE NEVER FAILS, IF I MAKE A MISTAKE MAY IT TO THE SIDE OF MERCY...
A. TALK IS CHEAP...
1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed
and in truth.
B. WHERE THERE IS GOD THERE IS LOVE...
1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in
us, and his love is perfected in us.
C. HATRED IS A CANCER...
1 John 4: [19] We love him, because he first loved us.
[20] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
[21] And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his
brother also.
THE MEASURING STICK ---
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one
to another.
X. GROW EFFECTUAL AND EFFICIENT
TO GROW THE CHURCH AND TO GROW THE INDIVIIDUAL WE MUST BECOME
WISE STEWARDS OF TIME... WHAT IS THE VALUE OF TIME...
James 5:16 --- The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
A. THERE IS A SPIRITUAL LAW... WHAT YOU LOVE YOU WILL FIND TIME TO DO...!!
B. WE MUST LEARN DELEGATION...
C. We must grow more and more EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE...
D. LEARN TO BE A GOOD COACH...
XII. LIFE THAT GROWS MUST LEARN MINISTRY GROWS FROM PROBLEMS,
TRIALS, CRISIS AND INTERRUPTIONS...
A. EVER WISH THAT YOU PROBLEMS WOULD GET IN LINE,
SINGLE FILE INDIAN STYLE... ONE WAIT THEIR TURN?
B. I have this beautiful "TO DO LIST"...
JESUS' MINISTRY WAS NNEVER A GREAT TO DO LIST...
GO FROM POINT A TO POINT B THEN TO POINT C???
C. Did Jesus plan in detail? No variation? You in my way?
Did Jesus schedule say:
1. 10 lepers?
2. 2 blind men?
3. Lunch... no food?
4. MAKE A HOUSE VISIT? Man through the roff?
5. Oh, a few demonic men?
D. HOW ABOUT THE DISRUPTION: WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR...
E. NICODEMUS... What must I do...
F. Ye must be born again...How can I do that?
G. Jesus you are eating with sinners...
PARABLE OF THE LOST-- SHEEP, COINS, SONS...
H. ZACCHAEUS up a tree?
I. The Samaritan woman at the well and his rest?
J. Jairus daughter?
K. SPIRITUAL WORK IS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE... REAL PEOPLE...
MAKE ROOM
XIII. THE CHURCH CAN NEVER GROW WITHOUT TOUCH...
I HAVE HEARD THERE IS A 7 TOUCH RULE... IF A PERSON IS TOUCHED
7 TIMES IN A VISIT HE MAY RETURN TO WORSHIP...
A. WHO TOUCHED ME?
Mark 5:25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
[26] And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had,
and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
[27] When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
[28] For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29] And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body
that she was healed of that plague.
[30] And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him,
turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
B. THE TOUCH SET A NEW PRECEDENCE...
Matthew 14:36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment:
and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
C. India has the UNTOUCHABLE PEOPLE... ARE YOU TOUCHABLE?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Pass it on?
