Memorial SBC

Love Joy Peace

A general thankfulness for physical blessings A general thankfulness for physical blessings The Thankfulness for this time

Main Points: I. Convicts II. Indwells III. Inspires

Main Points: I. Yours is the KINGDOM - Forever II. Yours is the POWER - Forever III. Yours is the GLORY - Forever

Sometimes we wonder, is there some stuff that is just plain unforgivable? Maybe you’ve had that thought, “What they did to me is unforgivable!” How do you forgive the unforgivable? Let’s look at Jesus’ actual words for some clues.

A mixture of thoughts and emotions swept over me when I heard the reports of hurricane Katrina. So many people dead, injured and misplaced. I thought about the panic that swept over the victims. I wonderedhow many were ready to meet the Lord. My heart went out to those folks. Why did so many people die? Not because they were any better or worse than the rest of us. Since all of us sin, none of us has a right to think we are too good to die this way. In our fallen world, death comes to all of us, one way or another, in God's own time.

Let’s go back to chapter 5. The disciples are standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The have just finished a long night of fishing and they’ve got nothing. Ever had a fishing trip like that? And Jesus walks up and says to them, go back out and take the net and cast it into deep water. The disciples are no doubt tired; weary from working all night. Fishing can be fun but not when you aren’t catching anything. It is Simon who speaks up first and he says Lord we have worked hard all night long and we have nothing. But then he says but if you say so we will let down the nets. And they did. The Bible says that they caught such a great number of fish that the nets were literally breaking and when they placed all the fish in the boats… we know there was more than one…they began to sink. Now I’ve never caught that many fish before but I think I would like it.

Corinth was a very active place. It was a major city in the Roman Empire that had two major ports. It was an influential city of commerce. But Corinth is not remembered for its’ great influence. Instead, Christians remember Corinth because of a church that the Apostle Paul planted. The Corinthian church had great potential. It was planted in one of the most successful and sinful places in all the Roman Empire. In fact, the Corinthian society was so renowned for its debauched behavior that the name was used as a byword –a slanderous accusation, synonymous with sin. When someone behaved in a self-serving and sinful manner, they were said to have been ‘Corinthianized.’ Or someone would give another the advice, “Don’t be a Corinthian” as a means of encouraging them to do right.

We live in a scary time. People are worried about Terrorism. People are worried about the weather. They are worried about natural disasters. People are worried about their jobs. People are worried about the government. Folks are worried about escalating prices. There are people who are afraid to go outside their home after dark. Our schools are armed camps. You can’t go to city hall without being checked for weapons. You have to take you shoes off before you fly. People are shooting people on the freeways today. and so on. Certainly, we can say that the powers of the heaven are being shaken today.

Latest episode of Memorial SBC

Are you focusing on the main point? Do you gripe too often about difficulties? Look for happiness in odd places.

These verses are quite challenging. Paul tells us that by accepting God’s selfless acts of love for us, we are to practice that same love in our relationships with others in the same way. How in the world can we accept God’s gift of love to us and then turn around and treat people the way we sometimes do?

Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV) 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

HYPOCRISY. We hear this word or other form of it a lot. Many times when I’m talking about the Church I will hear, “I don’t go to church because it’s filled with a bunch of hypocrites.” I will answer, “isn’t that exactly where they should be?”

Jesus sent out the 12 to cast out demons, heal the sick and spread the gospel message. I wonder if we realize that we still have a mission today? As Christians, we have the ability, but do we have the faith to exercise those abilities. Do we have the desire to help people with their problems and see people come to know Christ?