Sermon Summary
Humans were made in God's image to represent his generously good rule over the earth. When humanity sinned and was corrupted, the earth was also cursed. The result is that the creation is no longer cooperative with humanity. Moreover, humans are in rebellion against God and so relate wrongly to work. Some work as if the all depends on their efforts. Some are lazy and think the world should serve them. Both are acting as if they are God and not creatures. When we turn to Christ and are saved, we cease fighting with God. Regarding work, this means that we accept our creation design by laboring in the world as his representatives while also accepting rest as a gift from God. As we labor, we come to have the resources to help those in need. As those who represent Jesus, we work not merely to have more, but to give more. If you would like to take a step toward helping those in need, two excellent opportunities out of many are the Immigration Coalition and Samaritan's Purse. Samaritan's Purse has a fund dedicated to helping those suffering in Afghanistan while the Immigration Coalition is providing water and shelter to asylum seekers and impoverished communities in Mexico and the United States near the border. The Lord has blessed us with great abundance in our nation. Prayerfully consider how he would have you give to meet the needs of others. it. Sermon Summary
Be angry? At times, yes! However, we must not sin in our anger and are called to deal with it in a timely manner. Anger is like pain in that it alerts us that something is wrong and motivates us to act. However, anger is also dangerous and often wrongly directed and out of proportion. When you are angry ask: What object of my love is being harmed? Does this anger align with God's love? Is this anger proportionate to the harm being done? If your anger is a selfish anger, then repent! If it is a godly anger, then respond with restraint and choose to resolve the issue with love and wisdom. Anger is a great short term motivator, but love must govern all we do. Forgive quickly in order to avoid bitterness or rage and be willing to reconcile should a person genuinely repent. At times it is right to be angry! Even when anger is right, however, we must beware of our precarious situation and respond wisely and quickly. Hebrews 12:1
I Peter 2:11, 21 What Would Jesus Do - How can we model our lives after Jesus 1. Integrity 2. Showing Compassion 3. Encourage one another 4. Respond Correctly Sermon SummaryEphesians 4:25 commands each and every Christian to put off falsehood and to speak the truth. This corresponds to putting off the old, spiritually dead self and putting on the new, spiritually alive self. Christians are to be diligently committed to truth in all things as those who worship the one who is truth. From social media to speaking about the Bible, we must be far more diligent than the world to speak what is true as we refuse to join a post-truth society which uses "truth" as a means to an end. Where is this most challenging in your life? Prayerfully consider a step you can take to put off falsehood and to speak truth in this area.
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