In the last sermon I taught about strength.
This is part 2. Strength to Strengthen. Today is snowed in Massachusetts. Thank you to those that were able to help make things run smooth. For those that couldn't come, here is the sermon. Be strengthened. “Commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” - Deuteronomy 3:28 #1. Pass It On. Moses was an amazing man. But there came a time where he had to pass on the responsibility to Joshua. One of the greatest parts of life is passing something on to someone else. Parents all know the feeling when your kid can do something because you took the time to teach them. All of us can find someone to help mentor. Are you mentoring anyone? If so great! Decide to do an excellent job. If not then maybe you could start. If you need a mentor don't be ashamed to reach out and ask someone. We all need mentors. I have a few. #2. Bring the Good News. We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. - Acts 14:14 People were worshiping the Apostle Paul. Happened then, happens today. Don't let anyone worship you. We do our best as mentors but peoples faith should be in God, not us. Learn the Good News. The stories of the love and strength that comes from Jesus and share that with them on a regular basis. You may be a mentor to someone for a season but their relationship with God is eternal. So nurture that. 3. Remind Those You Strengthen That Jesus Has The Answers. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. - Colossians 1:15-16 There are a lot of self help books and you could read 50 of them and gain a lot of wisdom. But their are thousands of books about the wisdom Jesus has. So start by turning to the four gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the beginning of the New Testament and learn from the master Himself. There are many things that I don't have the right answer for. But Jesus does. Why do you think people build big beautiful buildings all over called churches? One reason is to help people to connect with the One who has the answers. By reminding people in your life that you are trying to strengthen that it is Jesus that has the answers you are helping them again to put their faith in Him, not you. So What to get those in your life for Christmas? Maybe someone needs you your time. You, you can be a gift to someone who needs a friend or a mentor.
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My hope for all of us is that we will end 2013 strong and begin 2014 even stronger. So here are 3 things to think about to help you find true strength. This Sermon was preached on December 8th 2013 at Elevation Chapel.
#1. Weakness = Strength. What? That doesn't make sense. Does it? For most of my life I tried to do everything in my life on my own strength. The older I get, the wiser I get. At least I hope so. The Apostle Paul said, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2nd Corinthians 12:10 How could one of the strongest and most influential humans ever to walk the earth talk about weakness. Paul was no weakling in peoples eyes. Read about his life in the book of acts starting in chapter 9 all the way through chapter 28. He felt strongest when he didn't allow his own way of thinking and feeling to rule his actions. He wanted the love and compassion of God to be His driving force. #2. Trust is an essential element of Strength. Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. -Isaiah 40:30 When someone is in a crisis. Someone who feels overwhelmed. Their blood pressure goes up, they can't sleep. Worry rules their time and thoughts. But when they realize that God knows them and care for them and they put their trust in Him, things change. Physically, mentally and spiritually. #3. We need each other. Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. -1st. Samuel 23:16 Who was stronger, David or Jonathan? If you read the whole story (True story by the way. For all of my Jewish friends, I encourage you to read the stories of David. It will help you to value your Jewish roots even more.) Well the answer to who was stronger is David. He was incredible! But even David, the future king of Israel needed to be strengthened by his friend. So encourage your friends as you feel led. They might be in a tough situation that you don't know about and could really use a call or visit from you. A mother invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn’t know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the mother answered. The little girl bowed her head and with sincerity in her voice said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
This past Sunday I preached a sermon titled Hospitality. The Jesus way of of Hospitality is when you value being present, more than you value being perfect. (Read the story of Mary and Martha in the book of Luke, chapter 10, starting if verse 38) In the early church people had to meet in each others houses out of necessity. They felt safer in homes and their trust for one another was essential for the times and challenges they were facing. The home is known as the first place. Where you work is the second place. When Starbucks was just starting out, their idea was to become peoples third place. A meeting place where people felt comfortable. And it worked. When I ask someone if they want to meet to talk, Starbucks is a natural go to for us. But you can only get so deep and be so trusting in a public space. I think that one of the reasons the early church thrived was that they met in living rooms. Just look at the name - "Living Room." Another meeting place that is popular today is online. Facebook, texting, emails, etc. Now I think all of these things are great tools and use them all. But my hope for all of us is that we spend more time talking to people by looking into their eyes, instead of just looking into a screen and communicating through our computers and smart phones. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:13 People should feel better about themselves, after they leave your living room. Ask them the right questions about their life - and then listen. Show them you care by really listening to them. Everyone wants to be heard and to be loved. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Romans 12:16 This Thanksgiving and beyond I hope you practice a life style of hospitality. You will find that it's easier than you thought and rewarding beyond your dreams. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. Love, Pastor Max |
Pastor Max MarcouxDD and I have been married for 27 years. We have 4 children and have pastored since 1999. We believe with God in the center of our lives, our marriage, our parenting and our church, life is so much better. We hope you discover God the way we have. |