Form-able Habits
Eph 4:15, Heb 6:1, 1 Pet 2:2, Rom 12:12, James 1:25, 1 Cor 16:2, Deu 14:23, Heb 10:25,
I. Today’s sermon is nothing fancy, and it is all about some things that you have heard me say before.
A. But, it is something that I can’t say too many times. The question that I have is, did you pay any attention the last time I said it, and has it changed anything in your life?
B. There’s a story about a little boy who fell out of bed. When his Mom asked him what happened, he answered, "I don t know. I guess I stayed too close to where I got in.
C. It is easy to do the same with our relationship with God
1. It s tempting just to stay where we got in and never move further and look deeper.
2. Pick a time not too long ago. A year or two ago. Or a month or two ago. Now ask yourself a few questions.
3. How does your prayer life today compare with then?
4. How about your giving? Have both the amount and the joy increased?
5. What about your church loyalty? Can you tell you ve grown?
6. And Bible study, are you learning to learn? Do you know more about the bible than you did a year ago. Are you making progress?
(Eph 4:15 NIV) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
(Heb 6:1 NIV) Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
(1 Pet 2:2 NIV) Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
(2 Pet 3:18 NIV) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
D. The goal of the Christian life is GROWTH.
1. In life the goal is maturity isn’t it?.
2. If a child stops developing, their parents would be concerned, right?
3. Doctors would be called. Tests would be run. When a child stops growing, something is wrong.
4. When a Christian doesn’t grow and mature in their relationship with God something is wrong too.
E. When a Christian doesn’t grow, help is needed
1. If we are the same Christian we were a few months ago, We might need to get a checkup.
2. Not on our body, but on our heart. Not a physical, but a spiritual.
F. Let me make a suggestion?
1. Why don t you check your habits?
2. Our habits are a measure of who we are.
3. There are a lot of bad habits, but there are a lot of good ones too.
4. There are four good ones in the Bible that I want to talk about today.
5. Try making these four habits regular activities in your life and see what happens.
II. First is the habit of PRAYER: (Rom 12:12 NIV) Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
A. We need to base our happiness on our hope in Jesus.
B. Do you want to know how to improve your prayer life? Pray.
C. Don t plan to pray, don’t say your are going to pray when you’re in the right place. Just pray.
1. Don t just read about prayer. Just pray.
2. Don t attend a lecture on prayer or talk about prayer. Talk to God. Just pray. "Just Do It" is phrase made popular by Nike, and it applies to prayer more than Shoes.
3. Your posture, your tone, or the place are personal matters. Just pick the way that works for you, and "Just Do It".
4. But don t think about it too much. Don t be so concerned about wrapping the gift that you never give it.
5. It’s better to pray awkwardly than not at all.
6. And if you feel you should only pray when inspired, that s okay. Just make sure you are inspired every day.
7. Because Communication with God is essential to a relationship with God.
D. Second, is the habit of STUDY: (James 1:25 NIV) But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.
1. Let’s imagine that instead to going to eat Pizza after church we went to a cafeteria.
2. You’re picking out your food. You pick your salad, you choose your entre, but when you get to the vegetables, you see a pan of something that turns your stomach.
3. "Yuck! What s that?" you ask, pointing."Oh, you don t want to know," replies a slightly embarrassed server.
4. "Yes, I do "Well, if you must. It s a pan of pre-chewed food
5. "What?" "Pre-chewed food" the server says. Some people would rather swallow what others have chewed.
6. That’s sickening you say? You bet it is. But it’s the choice more people make than you might think.
7. Not with cafeteria food, but with God s Word.
8. Christians who are like that mean well. They listen well. But they don’t learn a lot.
9. They’re content to swallow whatever they’re told. No wonder they ve stopped growing huh?
E. Third, is the habit of giving: "(1 Cor 16:2 NIV) On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
1. We have been sold a wrong idea. We don t give for God s sake. We give for our sake.
(Deu 14:23 NIV) Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.
2. Or as the Living Bible says it The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives" (Deut. 14:23 TLB).
F. How does tithing teach us? Well let’s look at that
1. What about when we write a check for the offering.
2. First we enter the date. Already we are reminded that we are a time-bound creature and every possession we have will rust or burn. Best to give it while we can.
3. Then we enter the name of the one we’re giving the money to. If the bank would cash it, we d write God. But they won t, so we write the name of the church that has earned our trust.
4. Next comes the amount. Ahhh, the moment of truth. You re more than a person with a checkbook. You re David placing a stone in the sling. You re Peter, one foot on the boat, one foot on the lake. You re a little boy in a big crowd. A picnic lunch is all the Teacher needs, but it s all you have.
5. What will we do? Sling the stone? Take the step? Give the meal?
6. Careful now, you don t want to move too quickly. You aren t just entering an amount.., you are making a confession. A confession that God owns it all anyway, and you aren’t giving Him what’s your’s you are giving back to Him what is His.
7. And then the line in the lower left-hand corner where you write what the check is for. It’s hard to know what to put there. It s for light bills and literature. A little outreach. A little bit of salary.
8. Maybe in its own way, it s partial payment for what the church has done to help us raise us our family.., keep our own priorities sorted out.., tune us into his ever-nearness.
9. Or maybe, better yet, it s for us. Even though the gift is to God, the benefit is for us.
10. It s a moment for us to clip yet another strand from the rope of the world so that when He comes back we won t be tied up with other things.
G. And last of all, the habit of FELLOWSHIP: (Heb 10:25 NIV) Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as we see the Day approaching.
H. Let me use a story I borrowed from someone else to try to show the importance of what it means.
1. I came here to speak at a conference he says. After I did my part last night, I did something very spiritual:
2. I went to a Boston Celtics basketball game. I couldn’t resist. Boston Gardens is a stadium I d wanted to see since I was a kid.
3. Besides, Boston was playing my favorite team, the San Antonio Spurs.
4. As I took my seat, it occurred to me that I might be the only Spurs fan in the crowd. I d be wise to be quiet.
5. But that was hard to do. I contained myself for a few moments, but that s all. By the end of the first quarter I was letting out solo war whoops every time the Spurs would score.
6. People were beginning to turn and look. Risky stuff, this voice-in-the-wilderness routine.
7. That s when I noticed I had a friend across the aisle. He, too, applauded the Spurs. When I clapped, he clapped.
8. I had a partner. We connected with each other. I felt better. At the end of the quarter I gave him the thumbs-up.
9. He gave it back. He was a teenager and I was an adult. No matter. We were united by the higher bond of fellowship.
I. Do you realize that is one reason we have church services.
1. All week we cheer for the visiting team. We applaud the success of the one the world opposes. We stand when everyone sits and sit when everyone stands.
2. At some point we need support. We need to be with folks who cheer when we do.
3. We need what the Bible calls fellowship. And we need it every week.
4. After all, we can only go so long before we think about joining the crowd.
J. Four habits worth having. Isn t it good to know that some habits are good for us?
1. Make them a part of your day, everyday and grow.
2. Don t make the mistake of the little boy. Don t stay too close to where you got in. It s risky sitting on the edge.
(Eph 4:15 NIV) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ
K. The Christian life, and life period is about maturity. It’s about growing up in our faith, but unlike the maturing of our bodies it doesn’t just happen.
1. It takes effort, and I hope that you will take a long look at the effort that you are putting into it.
2. As Christians we all need to grow up, and we are going to be talking about that some more, so this morning I want you to make a commitment to grow in your faith, and become a more spiritually mature Christian.
3. Come tell God that you are going to devote the time and energy that it takes to grow in your faith, and lets see what He will do, in the next few weeks.
