HOW TO APPROACH GOD THE RIGHT WAY

Imagine you were invited to go to the home of your favorite U.S. President... How would you prepare for that visit? Would you think about how you approached him? Would you address him properly? Would you show him how grateful you are for the opportunity to meet him? Would you be very aware of what you said and your body language? I am sure that you would. 

What about when you go to the church house? How do you prepare yourself to come before  the King of kings and Lord of lords? Do you come to church focused on coming to Him with all humility and sincerity? Do you approach Him with a "Thy will be done" attitude or a "my will be done" attitude? 

How should you approach God? Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

1. First, we must realize that we can and should approach God's throne. 
2. We must approach His throne with confidence that we are able to come before Him. 
3. We must remember that our confidence is not because of our goodness or accomplishments, but because of the mercy and grace God showed us through His Son, Jesus Christ. 
4. We must also remember that even though we can come to God in our time of need, we must never forget to come to Him in all circumstances, good or bad. 

So when you come to the church house, remember Who is supposed to be the focus... God in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen?

"WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM A SERMON?"

When you listen to a preacher deliver a message from God's Word, what do you do during the message? Do you follow along in the scriptures as the pastor reads the text? Do you take notes or highlight certain phrases in your Bible? 

How can you make the most of the preaching you hear each week? These four answers come from 9Marks...
1. Throughout the week, meditate on the passage that will be preached on Sunday. Pray for your pastor as he prepares his sermon. Take notes on the text. Ask questions of the text. Pray through the text.

2. Prepare for Sunday morning. On Saturday night or Sunday morning, pray for your upcoming opportunity to hear God’s Word preached. Pray that your heart would be soft and humble before it.

3. Talk and pray about the sermon with friends after church. Start conversations at lunch by asking, “How did the Scripture challenge or speak to you today?” Encourage others by sharing what you learned about God and his Word during the sermon. Talk to others about how you can specifically apply what you learned in the week ahead.

4. Meditate and act on the sermon you heard throughout the week. Don’t let the Sunday sermon become a one-time event that fades from memory as soon as it is over (James 1:22-25). Review your sermon notes with friends or family. Choose one or two applications from the Scripture and prayerfully put them into practice over the coming week.

Or how about this from Phil Ryken?
So what is the right way to listen to a sermon?  With a soul that is prepared, a mind that is alert, a Bible that is open, a heart that is receptive, and a life that is ready to spring into action. The first thing is for the soul to be prepared.  Most churchgoers assume that the sermon starts when the pastor opens his mouth on Sunday.  However, listening to a sermon actually starts the week before.  It starts when we pray for the minister, asking God to bless the time he spends studying the Bible as he prepares to preach.  In addition to helping the preacher, our prayers help create in us a sense of expectancy for the ministry of God's Word.

And also from John Piper's Desiring God website...

It is very easy to slip into what Scripture calls “dullness of hearing,” to hear the weekly sermons without faith, and to see little or no moral fruit in our lives as a result... “So take heed how you hear! Hear with spiritual ears, not just the ears on your head. And hear with an honest and good heart, not a deceptive and evil heart”.

DO YOU REALLY WANT YOUR TOES STEPPED ON?

I am amazed how many times I have heard people say, "I like it when a preacher steps on my toes a little during the message." and each time I hear that, I think, "Sure you do." In over twenty years of preaching, one thing that I have noticed is the fact that if the preacher preaches about a sin that you do not struggle with, you say 'Amen', but if the preacher preaches about a sin that you do struggle with, then you get mad and say that the preacher is attacking you from the pulpit. What you need to realize is what a preacher says from the pulpit will be said whether you are there or not, so if it hurts you, ask God why.

Look at these quotes from other pastors about this subject...

"Often, I have finished a sermon and been greeted by a parishioner who said, "You stepped on my toes today, Pastor." Sometimes they're smiling. Sometimes they're not. Most people don't like getting their toes stepped on. Many people don’t come to church to be challenged. They only want to hear pleasant messages. They flock to be one of thousands attending televised megachurches whose pastors preach a feel-good message without any substance. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" But when we go to church, we need to be open to hearing from God, so that we will be challenged--so that we will be changed." Rev. Greg Smith says in his blog.

When the Lord confronts them with the problem through caring family or friends, they get defensive and angry. If they go to a church where the Bible is preached, and the sermons confront their sin, they drop out or find a church that isn’t so threatening. I often hear of people who stop coming here because my preaching stepped on their toes. Well, it steps on my toes, too! But the sad thing is, if you walk away from God’s Word, you won’t get healed. Steven J. Cole

The apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, and many folks are okay with the teaching and the training but when they hear the reproof and correction, they get upset. Please don't run from God's Word. It is life to all who hear it and live by it.

John 6:67-69 (ESV) 67  So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69  and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 

ANOTHER ANSWER TO 'WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR CHURCHES?'

Get the picture... I have been studying all week how God's Word is living and active... how God's Word equips us for every good work which took me back to Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV) 11  And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12   to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (underline added). The offices or spiritual positions of leadership in this passage are to equip the saints (the followers of Jesus Christ) for ministry BUT THEN I SEE THIS PICTURE TODAY...

No, that is not for me or any other pastor. That is not for any Christian because to me, the meaning of that shirt says "Don't worry about it. Let the pastor do it." How is the phrase "equip the saints for the work of ministry" shown in the message of this shirt? It isn't.

Why should the saints of God be equipped to do ministry? For the "building up the body of Christ". Why is it that so many churches are filled with people who come to church only if they get what they want out of it? That's not Christianity, that's consumerism. When you go to Wal-mart or some other store, you go in when you want, look at what you want, buy what you want and leave when you want. But when you gather with your church family, it's not about what you want, it's all about what Jesus wants. And what does Jesus want?

1. For you to worship with all of your heart, all of your mind, all of your soul, all of your strength, all of everything you have and are.

2. For you to lay down your selfishness and self-centeredness and become focused on Him.

3. For you to stop saying "My will be done" and start saying "Thy will be done."

Your pastor cannot do it all nor should he try. Your other church leaders cannot do it all nor should they try. Every follower of Jesus Christ has been gifted and been given a passion to go with that gift... the question is 'Are you using your spiritual gifts to serve Jesus Christ so that the body of Christ will be built up?'

No, don't 'keep calm'! Fire up. Look at Christ and "fan into flame the gift of God" [2 Timothy 1:6 (ESV)]. Don't 'let the pastor handle it', work with your pastor and other church leaders. Get plugged in and join the others. Amen?

AN ANSWER TO 'WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR CHURCHES?'

Read this verse slowly and see if you catch it...


Acts 9:31 (ESV) 31  So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 

Did you see it? Our churches like the part "in the comfort of the Holy Spirit" but we are not doing so well in "walking in the fear of the Lord", are we? I just heard (Romans 10:17 (ESV) 17  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.) John Piper read Acts 9:31 and I had to stop his message and look up that verse. I really believe that is an answer to 'What is wrong with our churches?'. In fact, I don't think I would be too base to say that not walking in the fear of the Lord is one of the major problems in our churches. Think about it. If we don't fear the Lord, then... 
1. We don't repent from all of our sins like we should. 
2. We don't respect God's Word like we should.
3. We don't gather as a church like we should.
4. We don't strive to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling" (Ephesians 4:1).
And the list could go on and on.

Because we are not fearing God like we should, we are not living as we should and we are not being the church that we should be, are we? This is interesting to me because one of my friends at church just talked to me about fearing the Lord Wednesday night. She has been doing a study on what it means to fear the Lord. Then today, Acts 9:31 catches my attention and emphasizes why so many of our churches are going through such spiritual battles. Not only are we not being "strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" [Ephesians 6:10 (ESV)], we are not "walking in the fear of the Lord" either.

Why should we "fear the Lord"? Because "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." [Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)] And what happens if we do not fear the Lord?

Proverbs 1:28-31 (ESV) 28   Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 29  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, 30   would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, 31  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. 

If we do not fear the Lord,
1. God will not answer when we call upon Him. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer
2. God will not be found when we look for Him. they will seek me diligently but will not find me
3. God will make us suffer the consequences of our decisions. they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices

So let us repent of our ways and love the knowledge that comes from God's Word. Then He will answer us when we call upon Him, be found when we look for Him and protect us from ourselves.

GOD IS FAITHFUL

This week, I have been cussed out, lied about and criticized. This week, I preached the funeral service for one of the sweetest ladies I have ever known. I have questioned many things and been challenged in many ways. I have asked God for help and once again, God has shown that God is FAITHFUL.

Last night, I watched a sermon by Crawford Loritts, a pastor from Georgia, that I have appreciated so much for many years. If you watch this message, you will hear him describe a time when everything was falling apart around him, just like David did when one of his sons and one of his closest friends were trying to destroy him. There is a chorus that Crawford sung on this video that soothed me quite a bit and even now, I keep repeating it in my head. It comes from Psalm 3:3 (ESV) 3  But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 

This morning while studying, I came across this passage... 2 Corinthians 4:6-10 (ESV) 6  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7  But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10   always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 

In 27 years of ministry, I have made many mistakes and handled some situations better than others just like any other minister or pastor. We must always remember that we are "jars of clay" which are not pretty at all but do serve a purpose... to display what is inside us and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition to our unqualified and undeserving position, we also are constantly faced with spiritual battles as well. The apostle Paul continued in that passage, "8  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed". Yes, we are troubled but not defeated when our eyes are on Jesus. We may be confused for a season but not lost to despair when we trust Jesus Christ. We may be criticized and attacked, even from those closest to us, but we are not forsaken by Jesus Christ. And we will get knocked down every once and a while but we won't be destroyed.

Read carefully what Paul tells us Ephesians 6:10-13 (ESV) 10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11   Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 

Obviously we must keep our eyes on the Lord in order to stand firm. We must also put on the whole armor of God but there is something else we must do. We must be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints". [Ephesians 6:18 (ESV)] (You can watch this message from our church here.)

So this is why James tells us something that sounds very strange at first until you see why it happens... he says to "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds".

James 1:2-5 (ESV) 2   Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5   If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 

Don't give up. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith!