Scripture for Sept. 30th: Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Title: Acts of Service

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

What if how you think is wrong? Have you ever thought about how you view the world could be wrong? That’s what happened here in this Scripture passage. As the nations are gathered before God, some people thought that life was about power and the accumulation of wealth. They looked upon the poor and weak as beneath them, giving those people little time or attention. However, they were quickly made aware of the fact that their perception of who and what was important was wrong. They learned that God not only cares for the poor, hungry, thirsty and sick, but they are special to Him. What those people valued was really worthless in the view of eternity.

We are reminded by this passage that our acts of service are important because people are important to God. The things we often place great value on – our possessions, our hobbies, our desires and comfort – are things that have no eternal value. If we are “right” in our thinking, we will consider the highest priority of our lives to be serving God and others. Only this will last the test of eternal time.

On Sunday, we will talk more about acts of service, and how they should be performed in light of God’s care for people, especially those in need, and with an eternal perspective, as we continue the sermon series, “Love Languages: Five Ways of Giving and Receiving Love.” Hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sept 23rd: John 16:16-24; 3:17

Sermon: Receiving Gifts

John 16:16-24
“In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.” Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.” Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.


John 3:17
God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

We know, from these Scriptures and the teachings found throughout the Bible, that our God is a generous gift-giver. In fact, He is the greatest gift-giver ever! Dr. Gary Chapman writes the following about God being a gift-giver:

“Throughout human history, God has revealed Himself as one who loves those who will acknowledge Him. He, in turn, expresses His love by giving gifts. Sometimes those gifts are material things that can be touched and tasted, such as food, clothing, and shelter. Other times His gifts are in the realm of the spiritual—eternal life, forgiveness of sins, peace of mind, and purpose of life.

The theme of God as the giver of gifts runs deeply through the channels of Hebrew and Christian history. To individuals for whom gift-giving is the primary love language, the giving aspect of God’s nature is extremely compelling.”

We, too, should learn how to convey our love to others through gift-giving. For some people, this is the primary way they give and receive love, and many of this type of people are gift giving experts! What are some of the most important gifts that we can share with others? Many would say physical gifts (money, treasures, etc.) are the most important gifts, but it is the spiritual gifts that truly bring life to all. These gifts include prayer, joy and the message of the Gospel. We will talk about giving these gifts to others on Sunday as we continue the sermon series, “Love Languages: Five Ways of Giving and Receiving Love.” Hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sept. 16th: Exodus 33:7-14

Sermon: Quality Time

“Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped each at the entrance to their tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

What matters most? Everyone has just a certain amount of time each day and because our time is value and irreplaceable, we are forced to ask, “What matters most? Is what I am spending my time on most important, or is there something else I should use my limited time on?’ The Scripture above demonstrates that Moses thought it was very important to spend his limited time on his relationship with God. Moses was very, very busy, having to lead a people who were stuck in a desert, having to be both their political and spiritual leader and always being mindful of enemies outside and inside the camp wanting to destroy his people. He certainly had his plate full and the demands for his time were great. And yet he designed, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, a place that was called “the tent of meeting” to have quality time with God. Why? Because that’s what mattered most. Although Moses had many responsibilities and many tasks that were important, nothing compared in importance to his quality time with God.

What matters most to you? Certainly, we can all say our jobs or means in which we support ourselves and others. And if we were honest, our time that we spend entertaining ourselves would be high on our list, even if we were unwilling to admit it. But what is most important? Our God and others. That is why we should learn from Moses and build precious time in our daily lives for quality fellowship with God, our family, our loved ones and others in our lives.

This coming Sunday we talk more about how to have quality time as we continue the sermon series, “Love Languages: Five Ways to Give and Receive Love.” Hope to see you then!

Scripture for September 9th: Psalm 100

Sermon Title: Words of Affirmation

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Sometimes the words that we hear can give us the most encouragement that we could ever receive otherwise. And for some people, the best way they convey and receive love is through words of affirmation. Given this, Christians should be experts at blessing others through their words, but sadly, this is not the case. Too many Christians use their words to criticize and talk about others, their by using words to hurt, hinder and even destroy relationships.

Dr. Gary Smalley writes that God uses His Words to affirm His creation. He says:
“All of the words from God affirm the worth of human beings. Modern nihilistic thinking concludes that people are worthless and their lives have no meaning, but that is not the message of the Scriptures. All of the specific commands of God in both the Old and New Testaments affirm our worth, flow from His love, and direct us toward a higher goal. Some people find the commands of God restrictive and rebel against them. But those who know God believe that His prohibitions are designed to keep them from those things that would destroy them. They also believe the admonitions of God are designed to help them experience life’s highest good.

The God of the Bible is characterized as the God who speaks. His words are designed to build a relationship with people. The Scriptures consistently declare God’s words of encouragement:
• “Do not fear, for I am with You; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
• “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
• “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
• “I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”


Christians should follow the example that God has set forth and use words of affirmation to bless others. In using such words, we will affirm our experiences, others experiences and seek to bless, not curse, others in our lives. We will speak more about this on Sunday, as we start a new sermon series entitled, “Love Languages: Fives Ways to Give and Receive Love.” Please bring a friend with you as we celebrate “Friend Day.” I hope to see you then!