Wesleyan College Chapel Notes

Subject...(A topical message on life's purpose)
Discovering Who God Created You To Be

Springboard Statement: After your salvation has been possessed, it must be expressed as sign to the world that you're no longer the same.

Transition: The scriptures are clear on what our lives, as children of God should reflect...

Scriptural Meditation:
James 2:17 "So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."

John 13:35 "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

Luke 6:44 "A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes."

An Introspective Question: What are you known for? Based on the above verses, I believe that God's children should express the following characteristics...

-A proven faith...stable and strong

-An infectious love...unconditional and unbelievable

-A bright light...guiding and glorifying

-Good deeds/fruit...'the proof is in the pudding'

Sermon Notes...Step It Up! Affection (3 of 4)

Series... Step It Up!

Subject...Step Up Your Affection (3 of 4)

Scriptural Text (New Living Translation)... Deuteronomy 10:12 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul."

Introduction: God's love for you is insanely intense (verse 15 says we're the chosen objects of God's love) and he desperately wants for you to love him back (verse 16 says we shouldn't be stubborn about it), in a pure, passionate and personal way.

Transition: Since God's love for us is unchanged but we've ventured away from him, here's how our affection can Step It Up!

Exposition: God desires your affection to be expressed in at least these three ways...

1) Purely...our love for God shouldn't be contaminated by animalistic instincts, to get what we need without reciprocation. REFERENCE First John 4:19

2) Passionately...love makes no sense; it's indescribable. It will make you do things that no one else really understands. Affection is the root of action in a relationship. REFERENCE First John 5:3

3) Personally...your soul is to valuable to attempt to eternally secure it, through vicarious means. Give God quality time; intentional investment; not what's left of you. REFERENCE John 15:7

Sermon Notes...Step It Up! Attitude (1 of 4)

Series... Step It Up!

Subject...Step Up Your Attitude     (1 of 4)

Scriptural Text (New Living Translation)... Deuteronomy 10:12 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul."

Introduction: In Genesis God made humanity and called mankind good. Of our own will and volition, good went bad, and the only way for man to be good again is if bad yields to God. God is calling us in this series to Step It Up! and return to good, by returning to God.

Transition: Covenant promises aren't received without a commitment to fulfilling our responsibilities as the people of God. That identity alone, bares the incredible weight to Step It Up!

Exposition: God requires for us to get a grip on our attitudes with ourselves, with God and with other people...

1) With Ourselves...At some point in our lives, it becomes urgent for us to accept responsibility for our own attitudes. If not, we become internally toxic, waiting to self-destruct. A high view of God, causes us to have a healthy view of ourselves.

2) With God...We aren't to be terrified of God, but we should reverence/honor God. Without question, God deserves our honor because of his track record. This is reason enough for us all to live for God with humility.

3) With Other People...The respect that we have for God, should be translated into progressive relationships with other people. If we truly love God, we would treat everyone (good or bad) in a respectful way.

Next Sunday, we'll explore how we can Step It Up! with our Actions

Mulberry Street UMC/Macon Outreach Sermon Notes...Lessons From Nature

Scriptural Text...New Living Translation Psalm 1:2-3 "But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do."

Introduction: Our God is incredibly amazing! There's absolutely no God like our God! Creation's forensics boasts his finger prints and his signature 'Made by God' is seen throughout nature.

Transition: The Psalms are personally poetic, powerfully portrayed and passionately penned. Psalm 1 is a lesson in discipleship, taught by nature, on how to maximize our meager existences.

Exposition: Since nature declares the handiwork of God (according to Psalm 19), let's listen to what it has to teach us...

1. Posture (planted)
If the tree was potted, it's development would be limited. Being planted allows for limitless possibilities to progress. The word of God is what makes the tree so stable.

2. Position (riverbank)
There is no excuse for the tree to be dry/malnourished. It should soak up the word for it's growth.
*story of little atheist boy

3. Production (fruit)
The responsibility of the tree isn't to merely pig out on the word, but to use it to give back. We grow to give!

4. Prosperity (never wither)
The word of God is a preservative. In Deuteronomy 29:5, God kept clothes and shoes from deteriorating while they wandered in the wilderness. Your prosperity is found in God alone!
*story of little boy in the general store

Step It Up!!!

Without a doubt, our God is incredibly amazing, wonderful and great. Since we know that to be the truth, and we are aware the we were created in that same God's image, a legitimate question is, why are we (God's own children) so comfortable with mediocrity?

For the next four Sundays in the month of October, we will be challenged by the scriptures to Step It Up! It's important that the church of Jesus Christ returns to dedicated discipleship, by focusing our hearts on loving God and our hands to do the work of God. Nothing just happens! Anyone that is successful, spent quality time and made significant investments in their desired results. Let's make up our minds to passionately follow Jesus, and grow into who God wants us to be.

We'll see you this Sunday in Café Grace at 10:45 a.m. as we get ready to Step It Up!!!

Wesleyan College Sermon Notes...Molded By Moments

Scriptural Text...New Living Translation
Genesis 11:27-32 ²⁷ This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. ²⁸ But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was still living. ²⁹ Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother Haran.) ³⁰ But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children. ³¹ One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. ³² Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.

Genesis 12:1-9 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. ³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” ⁴ So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. ⁵ He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, ⁶ Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.
⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. ⁹ Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.

Introduction: Our life experiences are responsible for shaping our attitudes and actions. Positive experiences shape our optimism and our will to be victorious. Negative experiences shape our faith and our decision to allow life to destroy us or develop us.

Transition: The story of our text is interesting, because everyone is relatively familiar with the end story of Abram, but not with the moments that molded him to be Abraham. Coincidently, most people know your glory but not your story!

Exposition: There are at least four movements of this passage, that allows us to know what moments matter the most in our lives...

1) Connections
Abram's father Terah, was ambitious but without steady focus. His name means wanderer; loiterer.

2) Challenges
After Terah's death, God approaches 75 year old Abram and tells him that he can be lifted if he leaves.

3) Covenants
Beware of relationships where you're chief of the sacrifices. God offers Abram a deal that he couldn't refuse.

4) Consecration
Our response to God's investment in us, should be total devoted diligence.

Sermon Notes...Penitentiary Philosophy

Scriptural Text...Genesis 25:27-34 (New Living Translation) As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. ²⁸ Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹ One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. ³⁰ Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”) ³¹ “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” ³² “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?” ³³ But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.

Introduction: Prison is less of a place, and more of a mentality, a philosophy, a way of life. It has it's own language (void of help and hope) and it's own look (slave to struggling).

Transition: Esau and Jacob are twin brothers, who both in their own way possess a penitentiary philosophy. Esau works hard and doesn't pay attention to details. Jacob is a strategic thinker, who is always looking for an easy come-up.

Exposition: Let's pick your brain, and see if we can liberate your thinking...

1) You have a penitentiary philosophy when you're moment minded
-Age doesn't guarantee that you'll think critically.
-Esau wants to fill a legitimate void, but refuses to wait for a quality solution and makes a debilitating decision.

2) You're dealing with someone who has a penitentiary philosophy when they manipulate moments
-Jacob's character is trickery, but you wouldn't think of him conning his own brother. That was a dysfunctional decision.
-Immaturity will cause you to trample over people, to get what you want at their expense.

Conclusion: How do you get free from the penitentiary? Forgive!!! In Genesis 33, Esau and Jacob meet. Both were doing well apart from each other, but Jacob was blessed while burdened with guilt. Once forgiveness flowed, Jacob was free to build (verses 17/house and 20/altar).

*** Song credit to Erykah Badu: Listen to Erykah Badu sing Penitentiary Philosophy here ***