July 28, 2013
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
“Cruising Sacred
Waters with Jesus”
Sermon 4 of Summer
Series
Ephesians 1:3-14 (Gods
Word Translation)
Acts 2:38-47 (New
Revised Standard Version)
“Live Your Worship Out
Loud!”
Let us pray. . . (Pray for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and insight.
. . )
Have
you ever been so happy about something that you couldn’t hold it in. . . you
found something that you were so happy with that you want to share your joy
with everyone around you? Since we have moved here I have found something that
I never knew existed. . . it’s called “Gonzo”. It takes stains out of anything.
It works on clothing and carpets. I am so excited about having it and how well
it works I have been telling people about it. I want them to have the same ease
in their cleaning adventures. . . It is
something that I never want to be without anymore. Since I have found it. . . it
is indispensable.
In
the same way. . . years ago I found something that I just want to share with
everyone that I encounter. It is why I stand before you today. It is something
that I just can’t hold in. . . something that I want to articulate to those
around me. That one thing that is even more precious to me than the “Gonzo”
cleaner is the love that I have found in Christ Jesus. It is the joy that fills
my heart every time I think of God’s goodness and mercy. It is the peace that I
have knowing that I am deeply loved and forgiven. I don’t. . . OK I can’t. . . keep it in. I want to live my worship of
God in Christ Jesus out Loud for the entire world to see.
We
are getting ready, as a church family, to embark on a cruise this summer. We
will be “Cruising Sacred Waters with
Jesus”. But before we set sail, we are taking some time to learn about our
Captain, our Lord Jesus. We have decided that He is our Risen Lord and King. .
. that Jesus can be trusted to be there helping us in the “stormy season” of
our faith journey. As we have been looking at the “resume” of our Captain, we have
come to realize that we never walk alone. I have even challenged you to look
within your heart and to decide how much Jesus really means to you. . . that Jesus
is worth more than gold itself and that we are a precious pearl to our God. He
sold everything He had. . . put His Son, Jesus on the line. . . for humanity to
have a right relationship with Him. . . We have even talked about the new eye sight we
receive from our Captain that sees all, knows all and tells all to us, His
faithful disciples.
But,
how do we honor our Captain? Do we only enjoy His Company just once a week or
is there more to the life in which we are called? How are we. . . as Jesus’
disciples. . . called to live our lives? What are we to do with the message of
hope. . . the message of forgiveness. . . the message of redemption and joy? Do
we lock it up in a box and put it on a shelf for us to use when we are in times
of trouble or do we share it with those who don’t know about this gift that our
God has lavished upon us? What should we do?
In
the Ephesians Scripture this morning we hear Paul telling the people of Ephesus
all about what God has done through Christ Jesus. Paul gives us an idea of how
he lived his life. . . an idea of what he did with the message that he
received. Can you here the excitement in his voice as he tells the people of
Ephesus about what God has done? Paul even tells them. . . as well as us. . . what
type of life God gives us. . . a praising and glorious life. We are given a
chance for a life as people who are free. . . abundantly free. . . because of
God’s love for us. . . for humanity. It is through and in Christ that we find
out who we are. . . beloved sons and daughters. And not only that. . . even
before we heard and believed in the gospel of grace God had his eye on us. . . God
had a glorious plan for our lives. God focused His love on you and on me. . . wanting
to makes us holy in His sight. . . wanting to adopt us. . . With
all this being said. . . how can we not want to live our worship out loud for
the world to see. . . how can we not want to share it with everyone we come in
contact with?
But.
. . what does that look like. We can say that we want to live out worship out
loud but what does it really look
like? I think we can get a glimpse of what it looks like from the words of
Peter found in Acts 2:38-47 and how people reacted to Peter’s words. Listen to
Peter’s words and see if you can see a glimpse of that wonderful way of living.
. .
Acts 2:38-47 New Revised Standard Version
(NRSV)
38
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for
all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40 And he
testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves
from this corrupt generation.” 41 So those who welcomed his message were
baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. 42 They devoted
themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and the prayers.
Life among the Believers
43 Awe
came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.
44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would
sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had
need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke
bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God
and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to
their number those who were being saved.
Did
you hear how these believers lived? Did you hear what happened after they
believed? They lived their worship and faith out loud for all to see and
because of it. . . their numbers increased. They shared everything they had
with those who were in need. They trusted that God would supply their needs
individually so they were free to share what they had. Peter was bold when he
spoke out against how these people were living. Peter was spirited when he told
them what they had to do to live the life that God promised. Peter held nothing
back and because of that, three thousand people gave their life to Christ. What
a change we can make when we live our
worship out loud for everyone to see.
The
people responded by living their own worship out loud. They took care of each
other. They were glad and lived a generous life with each other. They praised
God not only with their mouths but with their lives. And day by day the Lord
added to their numbers! We need to live
our worship out loud so that others may learn about the joy within us. We need
to live our worship out loud so that others can be free. We need to live our
worship out loud so others can be saved. . .
Beloved
brothers and sisters in Christ, it’s time. It’s time we changed the tide of our
world. It is time we changed the way we live our lives. It is time we renewed
the joy within us. And within that renewing of our minds, we too can affect a
change in the lives of those around us. We can be hope for the hopeless, light
for those who live in darkness, be that city on a hill for all to see. . .
My
question for you is this, are you living your worship of God out loud? Is there
someone who needs to not only hear about but see Christ living and breathing in
you? Are you feeling the joy of your salvation or has it grown cold with time
and through despair? Maybe. . . just maybe. . . if we spend time in worship and
joy. . . if we spend time pondering on the goodness of our God. . . we can
rekindle that fire. Maybe. . . just maybe. . . we will be blessed in the
blessing of others. Perhaps. . . just
perhaps. . . if we begin to live our lives in thanksgiving and worship we
can change the tide in which we live. It is time we decide to be bold in our
faith. It is time that we, like Peter, begin to encourage others to take that
step to a new and happier life. The time is here. . . the time is now. Our God
still increases the numbers of believers each day. But we need to live that
life of worship. . . we need to be in collaboration with the work that God is
doing in the world around us. Then maybe. . . just maybe. . . we can turn the
tide and win the victory for Jesus. Maybe. . . just maybe. . .
Amen.
. .
July
28, 2013
Theme:
“Do We Worship Only on Sunday?”
Ephesians
1:3-14 (Gods Word Translation)
Ephesians
1:3-14 (The Message)
Acts
2:38-47 (New Revised Standard Version)
children’s
message
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “Live Your Worship Out Loud!”
“Shout
It From the Mountaintops”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
Sermon 4 of Summer Series
“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
July 28, 2013
&
Theme:
“Can we see the big picture”
“Big
Picture Followers”
1
Corinthians 13:9-12 (GOD’S WORD translation)
Mark
6:1-6 (The Message)
“Just
a Carpenter”
Mark
6:1-6 (NRSV)
“Jesus
Rejected in Nazareth”
children’s
message
sometimes
our vision is foggy
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “Seeing More Clearly. . . ”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Sermon 3 of Summer Series
“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”
sermon blog
meditation blog
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
July 21, 2013
&
Luke
7:36-47 (The Message)
Mark
5:21-34 (GOD’S WORD Translation)
Matthew
13:44-46
children’s
message
We
are precious to God
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “How much does Jesus really matter?”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Sermon 2 of Summer Series
“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”
sermon blog
meditation blog
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
July 14, 2013
&
Mark
4:35-41 (The Message)
Luke
4:16-21 (Common English Bible)
Matthew
14:22-33
children’s
message
We
are not alone
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “Who Is this Captain”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Sermon 1 of Summer Series
“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”
sermon blog
meditation blog
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
July 7, 2013
All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss,
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,
2013. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage.
See all 24,070+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You
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