OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE Psalm 8 :3-9 (New Living Translation)
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers--the moon and the stars you have set in place-- 4 what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?
5 For you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor. 6 You put us in charge of everything you made, giving us authority over all things-- 7 the sheep and the cattle and all the wild animals, 8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE Matt 10:29-32 (RSV)
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
GOD’S MESSAGE FROM A BALL OF STRING
A "Visual" Sermon to Place our Life in Proper Perspective
Hope Christian Church
November 2, 2003
Dr. David L. Haun
INTRODUCTION We use string for most everything. Our clothes are held together with string. We play with string, wrap with string, tie our shoes with string, walk on string, weave string into cloth, twist string into rope. String is one of those things we seldom think about but would have difficulty doing without. Well today I want to look at a string to consider a message God has for us, as we consider God’s eternity and God’s eternal plan.
(At this point, fasten one end of a ball of string to one wall to the right side of the chancel. Then untoll the ball moving across the sanctuary and fasten it on the opposite wall. Note: This sermon uses a ball of string that is stretched across the front of the sanctuary. The string represents eternity. Stress that it keeps going through the walls in each direction for miles and miles. Perhaps mention towns . Imagine the finally shooting out from earth through space for ever and ever. However, today we will allow this string to symbolize eternity. Then, paper cllips are placed on the string during the sermon at the points where they might fit in eternity. A paper clip for Moses. Then, an inch further, a paper clip for Joshua. A couple of inches, a paper clip for Jesus. Then down another couple of inches, a paper clip with a 2" square piece of paper. This paper is our country. Take a black ink pen and put a dot on the paper. This is our church. Wow. Not very big. You might look intently at the dot, saying "I think I can see you and me."
What does this string say to us today as we live our daily lives? There are some things we sometimes say. Let’s look at them.
I. I’m too little to matter.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers -- the moon and the stars you have set in place--what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? Psalm 8 :3-9 (NLT
(I mentioned the insert in the bulletin - printed at the end of the sermon - how humanity has searched for a concept of God that they can worship in understanding. I told them that the insert might be taken home for later study.)
But God does see us. Think of that. In all of the countless years of history, God sees this little dot. (point to the dot on the piece of paper.) In fact, we are promised that God sees every bit of us..
I ndeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows Luke 12:7 (NIV)
II. My sin is too big to forgive.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Rom 7:24 (Niv)
Look at yourself in light of all eternity. God sees you (point to the dot on the paper - compare it to the entire length of string). How eternally seriious is your sin? Can you see that what to you and me is so big, God sees in its true perspective... There’s no sin is too big for God to forgive.
As Paul went on to say in this same verse, there is one who will rescue me. Thank God, it’s Jesus!
III. My hurt is too big to forget.
As David and his party passed Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. ... He threw stones at the king.... David and his men continued on, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing as he went and throwing stones at David and tossing dust into the air. 2 Sam 16:5-6,13 (NLT)
Indicate that people do hurt us.
Point out that none of us have been hurt the the degree of Jesus...
Show how inconsequential even the most serious hurt can be. Can you not forgive an action or word that matters so little in all history?
IV. God’s majesty is too vast to comprehend.
"I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find him. But he knows where I am going. ...He controls my destiny. No wonder I am so terrified in his presence. When I think of it, terror grips me. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. Darkness is all around me; thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere. Job 23:8-10,15-17 (NLT)
How true that statement is. (I mentioned here the printed insert encluded in the Bible on the. Characteristics of God presented in Scripture.
The very vastness of God is why our heavenly father emptied himself, took the form of a man, and came to earth as our savior. (Phil. 2:5-11)
V. The final message is to decide in faith.
...Choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:14-15 (NLT)
CLOSING
Close with an emphasis to see ourselves as we are, to see God s he is, and to accept what God wants to be in our lives.
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The Following two items were printed on inserts and included in the bulletin. I mentioned them in the sermon and encouraged people to take them home and consider them
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD AS PRESENTED IN SCRIPTURE
GOD IS SPIRIT. Jesus taught that "God is Spirit" (John 4:24). God has no body, no physical or measurable form. Thus, God is invisible. He became visible in human form in the person of Jesus Christ, but His essence is invisible.
GOD IS CHANGELESS. Progress and change may characterize some of His works, but God Himself remains unchanged (Heb 1:12). He does not change; otherwise, He would not be perfect. Thus, what we know of God can be known with certainty. He is not different from one time to another.
GOD IS ALL POWERFUL. God’s power is unlimited. He can do anything that is not inconsistent with His nature, character, and purpose (Gen.. 17:1; 18:14). The only limitations on God’s power are imposed by Himself (Gen.. 18:25). "Impossible" is not in God’s vocabulary. God creates and sustains all things; yet He never grows weary (Isa.i 40:27-31).
GOD IS ALL KNOWING. God possesses all knowledge (Job 38:39; Rom 11:33-36). Because God is everywhere at one and the same time, He knows everything simultaneously. That God has the power to know the thoughts and motives of every heart is evident from many Scripture passages, notably Job 37:16; Ps 147:5, and Heb 3:13.
GOD IS EVERYWHERE. God is not confined to any part of the universe but is present in all His power at every point in space and every moment in time (Ps 139:7-12). Thus, God does not belong to any one nation or generation. He is the God of all the earth (Gen. 18:25).
GOD IS ETERNAL. Eternity refers to God’s relation to time. Past, present, and future are known equally to Him (2 Peter 3:8; Rev 1:8). Time is like a parade that man sees only a segment at a time. But God sees time in its entirety
from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers
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MANKIND’S SEARCH FOR A GOD THEY CAN UNDERSTAND
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (c)1996 by Biblesoft)
(1) Animism: The belief in the universal presence of spiritual beings which "are held to affect or control the events of the material world, and man’s life here and hereafter.
(2) Fetishism: The belief that spirits "take up their abode, either temporarily or permanently, in some object, ..... and this object, as endowed with higher power, is then worshipped".
(3) Idolatry: The belief that human craft skill can create an object which will become the home or the image of their chosen god. Paul illustarted Idolatry accurately when he said, "We ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man" (Acts 17:29).
(4) Polytheism: The belief that different individual dieties as pure disembodied spirits, will reside in objects of Nature, such as stars, plants, such as trees, or mountains, which can be symbolized in art forms.
(5) Henotheism: Believes in the existence of many gods, but will insist one god will be superior to all others and only worthy of worship.
(6) Pantheism: The belief that the one true god is supreme and other, lesser gods are forms of his manifestation.
(7) Deism: Believes that the Supreme Being, who is ultimate reality and the power of the universe, may be so remote from the world, that it becomes a practical necessity to interpose between Him and men a number of subordinate and nearer beings as objects of worship. The angels of Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Islam and the saints of Romanism might illustrate this practice
(9) Monotheism; The conception of God as standing in moral relations with man. Whenever man reflects upon conduct as moral, he recognizes that there can be only one moral standard and authority, and when God is identified with that moral authority, He inevitably comes to be recognized as supreme and unique.
