May 10, 2015
Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church
Sermon
3 in Sermon Series
“Five
Marks of a Christian”
Adapted
from: “Five Marks of a Methodist”
By
Steve Harper
Exodus
15:1-19 (NIV)
Romans
8:33-39 (AMP
I Will Give Thanks!
Prayer for God’s word
to be heard through me or in spite of me. . .
When I was growing up, my
mother taught me to say please and thank you. No matter what the situation was,
whether I wanted a drink or something to eat, whether I wanted to go out and
play with my friends, whether it was a gift that I was given, there had better
had been a please and thank you somewhere in there. Even when I got that sweater that could have been in the ugliest
sweater contest. . . I had to say thank you to the person that gave it to me. .
.
But to me. . . it seems that
the habit of being thankful is a forgotten thing. Humanity seems to have
forgotten that “rule” in life. Many feel entitled to everything they want and
when they get it they are not even thankful because they have received it. This
sense of entitlement is one way we can see how far away humanity is from being
thankful when given something that was not even merited.
The sad part is that even
people who call themselves Christians have forgotten about why and to whom they
should be thankful to. Why is it that we, as humanity. . . as Christ followers.
. . don’t think that a thank you is in order when given a gift? Some have even
forgotten to say thank you for the gift of salvation that we don’t deserve but
God has graced us with any way. This gift that we are given should bring us to
our knees in thankfulness to God but some seem to have forgotten the price of
that gift. . .
We have begun our journey of
looking at the five things. . . five ways. . . that we can see that we are
“being changed by the story” of Easter. I have adapted this Sermon Series from
a book written by Steve Harper that is titled “Five Marks of a Methodist: The Fruit of a Living Faith.” But this
book is not just for “Methodist”, it is for all who follow Christ. It gives
five distinct ways to tell. . . to visually see. . . that you are being
“changed by the story”, not just reading it.
The five ways are as
follows:
A “Christian” not just Methodist:
1.
Loves God
2.
Rejoices in God
3.
Gives Thanks
4.
Prays Constantly
5.
Loves Others
We have talked about the
fact that “we love God” and that it is not just a fleeting love but a love that
encompasses all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will be. It is
what drives us in our relationship with Him. The more we are in love with Him
the more we want to know Him. And the more we know Him the more we want of Him
in our lives.
We have discovered that not
only do we love God but we rejoice in Him. Not just simply rejoice in Him but
rejoice in Him from the bottom of our feet to the tops of our heads. How can we not. . . look at all that He has
given us in our lives. . . look at all that He has done in our lives and the
lives of others. Now that’s reason to truly rejoice.
The next tell tale sign is
that we give thanks. Not just your typical thanks that we may give to someone
who has given us a gift that we wanted but a thank you for the gift that we
didn’t ask for or deserve but are given anyway. . .
The scripture I read this
morning from Exodus is a song of thanks to God. The Israelites have been in
captivity for many years and God has delivered them from their captors. Well
their captors had decided that they had made a mistake in setting them free so
now they had to flee for their lives. When they had lost all hope because of
the sea that stood in front of them and their adversaries hot on their heels,
God opened the sea for them. They walked over on dry land but those who were
chasing them were drowned in the Red Sea. They were so overjoyed and thankful
that they sang this song to God. They sang about God’s goodness and mercy. . . they
sang about their deliverance by God. Is
there something that God has saved you from or saved someone we know and love
from? Are you singing a song of thanksgiving or the dirge of the world around
you?
Our God is a God of wonders.
Our God is a god of salvation. Our God is a God of mercy. Our God is a God of
deliverance. Our God is a God of hope, love and joy. Our God is a God of
redemption and wholeness. . . We have so
much to be thankful for. Not just giving thanks but “thank full”.
Romans 8:33-39 gives us even
more reason to give thanks. Let me read it for you and you tell me whether or
not this would make you thank full. . .
Romans
8:33-39Amplified Bible (AMP)
33 Who shall bring any charge against
God’s elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right
relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom
God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?]
34 Who is there to condemn [us]? Will
Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead,
Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?
35 Who shall ever separate us from
Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and
distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?
36 Even as it is written, For Thy sake we
are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the
slaughter.
37 Yet amid all these things we are more
than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am
sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things
impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have reason to be thankful. . . we have
reason to rejoice. . . we have reason to love God. . .
Gratitude.
. . thankfulness. . . is grounded in the nature of God. It has nothing to do
with what is going on around us and in our lives. It is solely about God and
His goodness. That may be a hard thing
but we must first realize that it is not God’s fault nor did He call our
situation upon us if we are in a bad place. God is love. God doesn’t cause our
distress. We live in a fallen world and because of that we may experience pain.
But God has promised to walk with us through our pain to the other side if we
but only take His hand. . . as long as we hold on to the notion He is mad at us
or is punishing us we will never feel that feeling of gratitude or thankfulness
towards Him. . .
A
Christian gives thanks. . . even when our situation may call for something else. . . We give thanks not for what is happening to us
but because there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. As we take on the mantel of
thankfulness we become content in any situation because we know that God is
there. . . as the saying goes “God
brought us to it He will bring us through it. . . ” We are thankful that we can
cast all our stress. . . all our fears. . . all our anxiety. . . on God because
He is good and loving. We are thankful because we can bring all our prayers to
God. . . day or night. . . and He hears us. It
doesn’t mean it all just disappears. . . what it does mean is that there is
someone there with us as we go through to the other side. . .
Beloved child of God. . . are you
having trouble being thankful in your life? Do you have the concept that God is
angry and distant? Come and see that the Lord is kind, loving and good. Come to
the font of joy and come away thankful. . . thankful that our God is an awesome
God. And it is in and through the blood of our Risen Lord Jesus that we may
come. He says come. . .
Amen!
===
May
14, 2015
Sixth
Sunday of Easter
Exodus
15:1-19 (NIV)
Romans
8:33-39 (AMP)
and sermon,
“Giving
Thanks!”
video:
text:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s Message
-
mystery
box – packet of butter and string cheese
-
“spiritual
food”
video:
text:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
“We
Bring A Sacrifice of Praise”
“Victory
In Jesus”
“You
Are Crowned With Many Crowns”
“Amazed”
Offertory, “Holy and Anointed One”
closing song, “The Lord’s Prayer”
Departing Blessing
song after departing blessing, “You Are Crowned
With Many Crowns”
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
May 10, 2015
&
Fifth
Sunday of Easter
Psalm
73:23-28 (Common English Bible)
Philippians
4:4-9 (The Message)
and sermon,
“I
Will Rejoice for He Is My God!“
video:
text:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s Message
-
mystery
box – Life Saver candy
-
“Grab
the life preserver”
video:
text:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Prayer
of Thanksgiving
by
Roberta Moore
“Our
God is Faithful”
“Happy
Song”
“God
is Good All The Time”
“I
Will Magnify His Name”
“Spirit
of the Living God”
Offertory, “Trust His Heart”
Communion “God of Wonders”
closing song, “Blessed Be The Lord God Almighty”
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
May 3, 2015
&
Fourth
Sunday of Easter
Matthew
22:36-38
1 John
4:16b-21
and sermon,
“Loving
God. . . “
video:
text:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message
-
mystery
box – bracelet of fishing hooks
-
“We
are all called to be fishers of men”
video:
text:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
April 26, 2015
&
Third
Sunday of Easter
Acts
3:12-19
1 John
3:1-7
Acts 3:1-19
Matthew
28:18-20
2 Kings
2:1-11
and sermon,
“Let
the Story Change You”
video:
text:
by
Raymond A. Foss
Children’s Message
-
mystery
box – sunglasses and mint/candy
video:
text:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
April 19, 2015
&
First
Sunday after Easter
Isaiah
52:13-15
Luke
24:13-53
Walk to
Emmaus
Christ
Appearing to Disciples
Ascension
and sermon,
“The
Rest of the Story”
by
Steve Curtis
Children’s Message
-
mystery
box – large candle
-
“Shine the light as copies of Jesus”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
April 12, 2015
&
April 5, 2015
Easter
Sunday!
Matthew
28:1-10 (The Message)
John
20:1
John
20:11-16 (Amplified Bible)
Communion
and sermon “The End Is Just
the Beginning. . . ”
scan:
video:
text:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
April 5, 2015
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