Sermon Study # 275 – WHO WE ARE…
Humor: The Reason Men Lie
One day, while a woodcutter was cutting a branch of a tree above a river, his ax fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "Why are you crying?" The woodcutter replied that his ax has fallen into water, and he needed the ax to make his living. The Lord went down into the water and reappeared with a golden ax. "Is this your ax?" the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied, "No." The Lord again went down and came up with a silver ax. "Is this your ax?" the Lord asked. Again, the woodcutter replied, "No." The Lord went down again and came up with an iron ax. "Is this your ax?" the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied, "Yes." The Lord was pleased with the man’s honesty and gave him all three axes to keep, and the woodcutter went home happy. Some time later the woodcutter was walking with his wife along the riverbank, and his wife fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked him, "Why are you crying?" "Oh Lord, my wife has fallen into the water!" The Lord went down into the water and came up with Jennifer Lopez. "Is this your wife?" the Lord asked. "Yes," cried the woodcutter. The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!" The woodcutter replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said ’no’ to Jennifer Lopez, You would have come up with someone as beautiful. Then if I also said ’no’ to her, You would have come up with my wife. Had I then said ’yes’, you would have given all three to me. Lord, I am a poor man, and I am not able to take care of all three wives, so THAT’S why I said ’yes’ to Jennifer Lopez." The moral of this story is for the ladies in the house: whenever a man lies, it’s always for a good and honorable reason, and for the benefit of others.
Review Sermon Study # 274 – WHO YOU ARE…
1. You are the salt
2. You are the light
3. You are the branches
4. You the body of Christ
5. You are chosen, royalty, holy, God’s possession, God’s people
MOVIE CLIP: --- “You Are Special” – briefly explain dots & stars… Eli, the master builder of wooden people
OUR IDENTITY --- WHO WE ARE…
We are God’s workmanship.
(Eph 2:10 NIV) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ill: Workmanship = Greek word (poieôma) – poem, work of art, masterpiece
Paraphrase: We are God’s poem, created with the word of God, to be the expression of His love, which we are destined for.
A basketball in my hands is worth about $19. - A basketball in Michael Jordan’s - hands is worth about $33 million. - It depends whose hands it’s in.
A baseball in my hands is worth about $6. - A baseball in Mark McGwire’s hands is worth $19 million. - It depends whose hands it’s in.
A tennis racket is useless in my hands. - A tennis racket in Venus Williams’ - hands is a Championship Winning. - It depends whose hands it’s in.
A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal. - A rod in Moses’ hands will part the mighty sea. - It depends whose hands it’s in.
A sling shot in my hands is a kid’s toy - A sling shot in David’s hand is a mighty weapon. - It depends whose hands it’s in.
Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my - hands is a couple of fish sandwiches.- Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in - God’s hands will feed thousands. - It depends whose hands it’s in.
Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse - Nails in Jesus Christ’s hands will - produce salvation for the entire world. - It depends whose hands it’s in.
We are God’s workmanship – the result of His hands
We are God’s ambassadors.
(2 Cor 5:20 NIV) We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Ill: An ambassador is an official representative of one country to another. God is making His appeal to save the world through us. What is the message that we are responsible to deliver? We carry this message of reconciliation to a lost world.
We are God’s fellow workers.
(1 Cor. 3:6-9 NIV) I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. [7] So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. [8] The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. [9] For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Ill: We are a team of builders, building the church (God’s field).
Psalm 127:1a “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”
We cannot do it on our own, illustrate – working on the antique table, for weeks, then finally when ready… tried to lift it on my own, and tipped over and scratched the top surface… must start the work all over…
We are God’s children.
(Rom 8:16 NIV) The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Rom 8:17 NIV) Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Ill: Adopted sons- in N.T. times (Roman culture), adopted sons- lost all rights in his old family – and had the equal privilege and inheritance into the new family. We have been given the inheritance of God’s only son – JESUS –which is eternal glory!
