Think Different | A Sermon on Romans 12:1-3

Introduction
Long ago God chose you to be holy and different.  Have you ever noticed that all the heroes of the Bible were a little different?  Some might say, they were a little off or weird; they were definitely different.   

Noah built an ark out in the middle of dry land.  Can you imagine what his neighbors thought when he build the biggest boat they'd ever seen and there wasn't anywhere to sail it?  

Abraham took his only son up on top of Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him, because "God told him to."  That's just crazy!  

King David got so excited when he brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, he started dancing so hard and worshiping God his clothes came off.  He embarrassed his wife and she had to scold him for exposing himself and not being dignified like a king should be.  David was different; his heart was different.  He loved God more than his own dignity.  

The prophet Ezekiel ate a biblical scroll and said it tasted as sweet as honey!  That's different! 

Jesus was the most different of all.  He is the divine son of God.  If He was going to be born on earth, he should have been born in the most majestic palace or temple with the most important people in the world gathered around, but he did things different.  He decided to be born in a manger with cows and sheep and shepherds gathered around. 

The Son of God came to change the world and he had the power to do it all by himself, but he instead he chose 12 mortal men to help him do it.  I would have chose the 12 most gifted, smartest, powerful, influential people in the world to help me, but Jesus did something different.  Instead of picking the best and brightest, he pick a bunch of smelly fishermen, a Roman collaborator, and a terrorist determined to kill collaborators!  Peter was a bragger. Thomas was a doubter.  James and John were a manipulators. And Judas was a betrayer!

And instead of conquering His enemies by force, Jesus chose to be different—He let them crucify Him on a cross and He forgave them.  And then He said to His rag tag team of disciples, “Alright boys, you know what to do.  Go change the world.”  And today, Christianity is the largest religion on the face of the earth!  

Apparently God sees things different than we do and He has a thing for people who are different.  God wants you to be different! Don’t you want to be different?  

Romans 12:1-3 (Emphasis added)
¹And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

³ Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

God Chose You to Think Different
Let me first point out a few key insights about this passage that we need to hear.  First, don’t copy the world.  The world has a way of doing things and ideas about right and wrong, but we don't pattern ourselves after the world.  We should be different. 

The Amish people seem to take this verse to heart.  They very literally choose to be different and reject the innovations of modern society.  They dress in old-fashioned clothes, refuse to use TVs or cell phones, and even still ride in horse and buggies.  I admire their dedication to being different, but I don't think that's how God wants us to be different.  The passage says let God change the way you think.

We may dress like everyone else in the world, use modern technology, and do many similar things as everyone else, but God has changed the way we think.  And when you think different, you have a different attitude and you do things for a different reason and you will often act different.

And finally, I want to point out the passage says, "Don’t think you are better than anyone else—evaluate yourself honestly..."  I love the way the Word instructs us on this because it addresses two ends of the same spectrum. 

There are some people who are arrogant and conceited, who think they are "all that and a bag of chips."  To them the Word warns, "Don't think you are better than anyone else."  If you're full of pride or look down on others, you need to change the way you think. 

But there are others who struggle with low self-esteem.  And the Word addresses that too.  It says, "Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us." God made you and God doesn't make junk.  You are special.  God's fingerprints are all over you.  So let God change the way you think.

3 Ways We Need to Think Different:
I want to give you three ways we need to let God change the way we think.  First, stop thinking this world we see is all there is.  This world is an amazing place and it's full of wonders.  We are blessed to be able to enjoy this life, but there is more going on than just what we see.  In fact, this life in this world, is not what it's all about. 

We are tempted to think that because it's all we see right now.  However, the Word teaches us there is more.  There is a spiritual battle going on behind the scenes we can't even see.  Eternity hangs in the balance.  There is Life to come when this life is over.  And the rewards of this life aren't that important when measured in the scales of Eternity.  So, as the old hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of of his glory and grace.”  Stop thinking this world, this life, is all there is.

Second, stop thinking this life is more important than the Life to come.  Since this current life is all we've known and is what's immediately pressing in upon us, we get so wrapped up in its joys and concerns.  Have you ever thought about this when we are praying about those who are sick?  Suppose we pray for someone who has terminal cancer and God miraculously, unexplainably heals them.  (The cancer was there one day and gone the next.)  We would praise God and be so happy! 

But what was really achieved?  That healing—at best—is only temporary.  Even if they live 40 or 50 more years without any other traces of cancer, they will still die.  Everyone in this life dies.  The True Healing comes when they are resurrected in Eternal Life.  And a million years from now, when we are praising God on that Golden Shore, no one will give a second thought to the few measly years we lived in this fallen world or the joys or sorrows we faced here.  All the things we spend so much time fretting over will then seem infinitely inconsequential. Romans 8:18 - “What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

Some would say: “Yeah, but I want glory in this life and in the future one."  Why do you deserve that?  Do you think you are any better than the saints that have gone before you?  Think of those saints who suffered and died for Christ. 

Think of Stephen in the book of Acts who was stoned to death simply because he preached about Jesus' death and resurrection.  What about the Disciple Peter who was crucified upside down or the Apostle Paul who was beheaded in Rome. 

Do you deserve more rewards in this life than those protestant reformers in the 1500s who worked so hard to help the Church return to true faith in Christ and received as their only reward in this world to be hanged, drawn and quartered, burned at the stake, or drowned—simply because they believed what God said in the Bible more than the Pope? 

We need to change the way we think.

And third, we need to stop thinking the rewards and consequences of what we do now are primarily realized in this life.  People ask, "Why do the wicked prosper?  Why do bad things happen to good people?" 

First of all, I would say who is really good?  The Bible says, "No one is good.  Not a single one." (paraphrase of Romans 3:10).  We might think of someone who is especially good, but that's only because we are comparing them to ourselves.  But if we place them next to a holy God, all their imperfections and sins are immediately clear and we see they are far from "good."  

Jesus said, "[God] sends rain on the just and the unjust alike" (Matthew 5:45).  And He also taught that we would have to wait until God's sorts out all the weeds from the wheat at the end of the age.  We have to accept that some things will not be settled in this life.  

Your faithfulness in this life may not be rewarded until you get to Heaven, but God will bring justice according to His perfect wisdom in eternity. 

Are You Ready to Think Different?
God has chosen you to be different.  1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.”

In the Bible, oil was used to set people apart for God’s purposes. So today, I want to invite you to come to the altar and be anointed with oil—not because there is anything magical about the oil, but as an outward sign of an inward commitment:  “Lord, I belong to You. Set me apart. Change the way I think, so I can live the life You have called me to live.”

After you are anointed, I’m going to give you a small vial of oil to take home. Let it remind you this week: I have been chosen. I have been set apart. I am called to think different, live different, and be different for Christ.  You can use this oil to anoint and pray for others.

 

Holy Different | A Sermon on 1 Peter 1:1-2

Introduction
I’m proud of all my kids.  They're all intelligent, independent, and successful.  They’ve never been afraid to be different, to be themselves.  My son Gavin graduated from High school 3^rd in his class.  He went to college and used to ride his bicycle from his dorm to his classes.  But two wheels got boring to him.  So he decided he wanted to learn to ride on one.  So he got a unicycle!  He's older now--28.  He decided to learn Vietnamese.  Why?  Because his girlfriend's family immigrated from Vietnam and he want to be able to speak to her mother.  

My middle child, Grace, is a talented creative.  She started singing solos in church when she was in Kindergarten and then with our praise band when she was 13.  Now that she's a young adult, she has sang with rock bands on stage, and I'm always proud to remember who she cut her teeth on performance in church.  She loves plants and birds and decided to go back to school recently to study horticulture.  

My youngest daughter is Abigail.  She also graduated 3rd in her class from high school.  She's a talented musician on a full ride scholarship to West Georgia College studying music education.  She can talk to anybody and loves everybody.  She is firm in her Christian faith, but has never shied away from making friends with people of all walks of life and loves to talk to people and understand their point of view, while always being firmly planted in her own beliefs.  

I've always been proud of their individualism.  They not afraid to be different.  And people like that have always impressed me.

Colonel Sanders was different.  He started his dream when he was 65 years old! He got a social security check for only $105 and was mad. Instead of complaining, he did something different.  He thought restaurant owners would love his fried chicken recipe, use it, and sales would increase, and he’d get a percentage of it. So, Sanders drove around the country knocking on doors, sleeping in his car, and wearing his white suit.  Can you imagine how strange people must have thought Sanders was?  They did.  His idea was rejected 1,009 times before someone finally said yes.  The rest is history.

1 Peter 1:1-2

¹This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.  I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. ² God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  May God give you more and more grace and peace.

God Chose You!
Do you remember thos pickup games we used to play when we were kids?  Maybe it was kickball or touch-football.  Two captains would pick kids to be on their teams.  They always picked the most athletic kids first.  And you never wanted to be last.

Well, in this life, God chose you to be on His team. 

And He chose you long ago.  Abraham lived about 4,000 years ago when God chose him.  He told Abraham if he would life his homeland and go where God sent him, God would make him a father of many nations.  And Abraham chose to follow God.  

And we who follow Jesus are Abraham's spiritual descendants.  Over 4,000 years ago, God already knew He was going to choose you.  His choice has been in the works for at least 4,000 years.  So if God ever asks you to do something and you feel overwhelmed, like you're not up to the task.  Remember, God already knew He was going to choose you and help you do His will, millennia ago.  You can do it, with God's help.

God's Spirit has made you holy.  Holy means “set apart for the special, sacred purposes of God” – Not to be used for unholy purposes any more.

A communion chalice is just a fancy cup.  But you wouldn't use it to drink you morning coffee with breakfast.  It could, technically, do it.  But coffee is not that chalices intended purpose.  No, the communion chalice is set apart for a different, sacred purpose.  It was made to serve Holy Communion.

Likewise, you were set apart for a different, holy purpose by God.   When you are holy, you are different, not like the rest.

It's interesting to me that so many people have tattoos these days.  When I was a kid, it was unusual to see someone with a tattoo.  They were considered different.  (Now, I want to be clear--I don't have any problem with tattoos and I don't think God does either.)  These days, it seems everyone has a tattoo (it's actually 32 % according to a 2023 survey).  If you want to be different today, maybe it's not getting a tattoo that makes you different, but not getting one!

God doesn't want us to be like everyone else.  God wants us to be different.  Then we stand out as special.  When you are holy, you are special.  Perhaps you've known someone who was special, who was different, because of the way they walked with the Lord.  The loved people and were full of God's grace in ways that were different from most people.  People remember folks like that.  And they have a positive impact on people and the world.

·         When you are holy, you stand out--like a diamond.  Diamonds are so valuable because they sparkle.  And that's how God wants His people to be.  He wants us to sparkle and shine for Jesus.  Stop trying to blend in.  Be yourself--the unique, special, sparkling work of art God made you to be.

But some people might say, “I don’t want to be different…”  An interesting thing happens with most teenagers that causes their parents a lot of anxiety.  Doctors and psychologists tell us that teenagers are biologically engineered to start separating from their parents and create their own identity.  From the time they are babies to about the age of 13, most kids adore their parents and want to be just like them.  

Then they turn into teenagers and start to pull away.  All of a sudden, they stop admiring their parents and start thinking they are boring and old and uncool.  And parents often get frustrated because it feels like their teenagers are going off the deep end, rejecting everything they've worked so hard to teach them.  

This is natural, because teenagers are trying to establish their own identity apart from their parents.  They want to be individuals. It isn’t until teenagers mature a bit more, maybe in their twenties, that they truly find their own identity.  They stop trying to be like everyone else and discover it's ok to just be themselves.

Unfortunately, many people never grow out of the human desire to “fit in”.  Most people want to adhere to “social norms.”  We want to be in fashion; we want to "fit in" our community; we want to be accepted by everyone else.  Many still define themselves in relation to others.  Few ever stop to think what they really want without regards to what other people have.  Even fewer stop to think about what God really wants for them and trust that what He wants is really best.

I've always been a little bit nerdy and curious.  That's the way God made me.  I was at the beach on a family vacation a few years ago staring out at the ocean.  I thought, "I wonder how much salt is in that ocean water and if there's a way I could extract it out?"

So I got a empty gallon jug and filled it up with ocean water and went back to our condo.  I put the water in a pot on the stove and boiled it for over an hour until all the water was gone.  And in the bottom of the pan was about a half a cup of salt!  I was so proud of myself, I used some of it to season my dinner that evening when we got together with our extended family.  My brother-in-law looked at me and said, "Chris, I'm all about this DIY stuff you like to do.  But salt?  Really?  You're a wierdo!"

And I said, “Hallelujah!”  I own it!  I'm proud to be weird--to be different, to be the way God made me!

God wants us to be Different
Anybody can start a fast food restaurant, but Chick -fil-A founder Truitt Cathy said, “We should be about more than just selling chicken. We should be a part of our customers’ lives and the communities in which we serve.”  And that's what they do.  Not only do they make great chicken, they also help schools and churches and community groups.  And they take young employees and teach them skills and values that stay with them long after they go on to work in other companies--values that make the world a better place.  And when all other restaurants are open and working on Sunday, Chick-fil-A make a bold statement "We're different!" and they are closed on Sunday.

God wanted the Israel to be like that.  He gave them all kinds of weird laws about what food to eat and what cloth to wear and how to act.  And they were to rest on the Sabbath.  All the other nations around them would look at them and say, "Those are some weird people!"  And yes!  That's what God wanted!  God wanted Israel to be special, to stand out, so everyone would know they were His people and they would represent Him to the world.

In the New Testament, Jesus told us the most important way we would be different be in the way we love.  He said in John 13:35, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”  He even said His followers are to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them.  Now that's different!  And when Christians truly live this way, people take notice.  And many even want to follow Jesus themselves.

God Chose You, but Do You Choose God?
Long ago, God chose you to be holy.  How long will it be before you humble yourself, bow down, and choose to follow God?  When you choose God through faith in Jesus Christ, Peter says you, “have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.”  Then, you are holy and forgiven and you will have more grace and peace.  People will begin to see you are Holy Different and you will live a Holy and Different life, a better life, and you will have eternal life.  And you will know you are loved.  And you will love people like Jesus loves.  

Are you ready? If you are, turn from your sins and follow Jesus and let Him make you Holy Different today!

 

Building a Soilid Foundation | A Sermon on Deuteronomy 6:4-9 & Luke 7:24-27

Introduction
This week our church was filled with children. They sang songs, played games, made crafts, memorized Scripture, and learned about God.  It was a wonderful week.

VBS was incredible.  But VBS alone won't build a lifetime of faith.  You can't build a house on one good week.  A solid foundation is laid one brick at a time. 

That's exactly what Moses tells Israel in Deuteronomy 6.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
⁴ “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.^{[a] 5} And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The Lord is Our God, the LORD Alone
The very first thing this passage reminds us is The LORD is our God.  Now you will notice the Bible capitalizes the word LORD in this passage.  Whenever the Scripture does that, it is translating the name of God, the name of God He gave when He spoke to Moses out of the burning bush.

God said His name is Yahweh.  That is the Hebrew word for God's name.  It is not really translatable, but it means something like, “I Am Who I Am” or just “I Am”.  Yahweh, God, is the only true God.   He is who He is.  We do not get to change Him into something we would like.  We are made in His image, not the other way around.  We can have our opinions about what we think god is like or what we wish He is like, but that doesn't change anything about who God really is.  He has always been the same and always will be the same.  He is sovereign.  He is the great I AM.

They may be other spiritual beings or demons, but there is only One God–the Creator of everything.  He made everything that we see and nothing exists that He has not made and does not have authority over.  And so, we are to worship God alone.  We are not to have any other gods.   And we are never to put anything else ahead of God in our lives.  “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the Lord alone.”

There are so many things that vie for our attention in this world today.  We are so busy.  We have work and family, and leisure activities, and family obligations.  And if we are parents, then their are so many activities we feel pressured to be involved with for our children and grandchildren.  And sometimes, worshipping God or studying His word or prayer feels like just one more activity we have to fit in an already busy schedule.  But The LORD should be our number one priority.  He should always come first and then we fit the other things around our time devoted to Him (or they don't fit in); but God should always fit in because He is FIRST. 

The Greatest Commandment
Then Deuteronomy spells out what Jesus said is the greatest commandment:  “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

Love Him with all your Heart – Your affections and desires. Love God with what you value most and what your heart longs for. Ask yourself: What do I love the most?

And we are to love Him with all our Soul – Your whole life and being. Love God with your identity, your worship, and your commitment to Him. Ask yourself: Who do I belong to?

And love Him with all your Strength – Your energy, abilities, resources, and actions.  Love God not only with your feelings but with what you do and what you have.  Ask yourself: How do I live out my love for God?

Building a solid foundation starts here–by Loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength.

The Second Greatest Commandment
In the New Testament, when they asked Jesus about the greatest commandment, he said, “A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:39)

And when asked, “Who is my neighbor?”  Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, making it clear that everyone is our neighbor–even those who are different than us, even those who we might despise.  And Jesus went even farther, teaching we must even love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us. 

1 John 4:20 teaches, “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

Building a Solid Foundation with Kids
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands…  Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”

 Our faith in God is so important to us.  We want to pass it on to our children and grandchildren.  That is why we go to the extraordinary effort to provide a great VBS each summer.  This was a focused time of fun and learning for our children (and for the adult volunteers too).  It was hard work, but also a labor of love.  And I bet our volunteers got as much out of it as the kids!

But you can’t build a solid foundation of faith with children with just one week out of the year over summer.  Think about it.  Children go to school 5 days a week, 10 months out of the year, for 12 years (plus one for kindergarten).  It takes that much effort to educate them in the basics of mathematics, English, social studies, etc.  On top of these, there will also be interests in extracurricular activities like sports, music and the arts, etc.

But if we are going to instill in our children a true love of God and a desire to value His commandments and the knowledge for how to know Him and trust Him and pray to Him, it must be done through regular lessons and time spent in worship. 

Kids are constantly inundated with worldly ideas.  We must be sure they hear the Truth from God’s Word even more.  And we as parents or grandparents, we too must be so marinated in God’s Word and filled with God’s love that our children see in us a faith they want for themselves.

So we must must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to God’s commands.  Repeat them again and again to our children. Talk about them when we are at home and when we are on the road, when we are going to bed and when we are getting up.

Built on the Rock/Built on the Shifting Sand
In Luke 7:24-27, Jesus said, “²⁴ Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵ Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶ But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷ When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

I have an unfortunate truth to share with you (in case you don’t already know it).  The fact is, everyone faces storms in their life–times when troubles come that threaten to blow you away like a terrible storm.  It is not a question of if the storms will come, it is only a matter of when.  They come for us all–health problems, divorce, financial problems, the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one…  Many are the storms that can shake our lives to the very foundations.

But when they come, will your life stand because it’s built on the solid rock of faith in Jesus?   Or will you have wasted your time building on the shifting sands of something else?  

We choose what our lives are built on not by words or wishful thinking or good intentions.  We build our lives by our daily practices and disciplines.  Here are some of the spiritual practices that ensure our lives are built on the solid Rock of Christ.

Regular Spiritual Practices that Help Build a Solid Spiritual Foundation

Here are some activities and spiritual disciplines that, when practiced regularly, help you build a solid foundation of faith for your own life and your family.

Be Part of a Church.  Christians need to be part of a church.  There is a lion out there, a great enemy, who wants to devour you--especially when you decide you want to follow Jesus.  And like a young, vulnerable zebra separated from the heard, you can be sure the lion is going to come for you if you are not part of a church.  So, be part of a church.  Attend regular.  Share your life with the church family.  Be committed.

Read Scripture.  If you really want to know God and spend time with Him (and not just what you imagine God to be) read you Bible.  It tells you who He really is and allows you to hear His Word.  

Prayer.  Prayer is the heart of a relationship with God.  He wants you to ask for what you need.  But prayer is not just asking for things.  It is also thanking God, praising God, listening to God, and sometimes just sting with God in silence.  Prayer is so much deeper than we realize, and it is essential to a vibrant relationship with God and a strong spiritual foundation.

Discuss God.  Spend time talking with others about God and about the Bible and your prayer life and what you are learning and experiencing.  We like to talk about people we know or celebrities we admire.  How much more fruitful it is to discuss God with our friends and family.

Express Gratitude.  Be thankful and express it.

Forgive.  Forgiveness can be very hard, but it is at the heart of the Christian faith.  God has forgiven us.  We need to practice forgiving others.

Serve.  Somethings can only be learned by serving.  And serving helps us stop focusing on ourselves and our own problems.  It helps us see others and practice compassion and empathy.

Encourage One Another.  Be an enxourager.

Worship Regularly.  Regular worship is vital to a fir spiritual foundation.  God is worthy of our worship and praise.  And if we love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength, we must honor Him with our songs and prayers and presence and praises and attention.  The routine of regular worship reshapes us into the people God wants us to be and unites us together as the body of Christ on earth.

Repent.  We all make mistakes.  And we are all sinners in need of the saving grace of God.  Repentance opens the door to God's forgiveness in Jesus Christ and starts us along the road to true holiness God wants us to live.

What Are You Building Your Life On?
You know, no one builds a foundation because it's exciting.  No one drives by a construction site and says, "Look at that beautiful concrete slab!"

The foundation isn't the part people admire.  But it's the part that makes everything else possible.  A beautiful house without a foundation won't last.  Neither will a beautiful family.  Neither will a successful career.  Neither will a busy life.

If we neglect the foundation, eventually the storms will reveal it.  Jesus said the wise man builds his house on the rock, because storms will come and test it.

So today I'd simply ask:  What are you building your life on?
Is Christ truly the foundation of your home?
Or has He become just another activity squeezed into an already busy schedule?

This week our children learned songs about Jesus.  They memorized Scripture.  They laughed.  They played.  They made crafts.  But they need more than one week of Vacation Bible School during summer break.  They need parents and grandparents who are building their own lives on Jesus every single day.  They need to see us reading God's Word.  They need to hear us pray.  They need to watch us forgive.  They need to see us worship.  They need to know that when life gets hard, Mom and Dad don't run from God—they run to Him.  Because children usually learn more from what we practice than from what we preach.

Invitation – Maybe today your family needs to begin laying a new foundation.
Maybe you've been trying to build your life on success, or money, or sports, or simply trying to "be a good person."  None of those things can carry the weight of a human soul.  Only Jesus Christ can.

The greatest gift we can give our kids is a faith that will carry them for the rest of their lives.
So I invite you to pray to God and make a commitment…

Fish for People | A Sermon on Matthew 4:19

Matthew 4:19
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus called his first disciples.  Matthew 4:19 – Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Fish for People
This wasn’t just a call for the first disciples.  It’s a call Jesus gives to all of us.  To fish for people means to join Jesus in His mission of drawing others into God’s Kingdom through our witness, love, service, and proclamation of the gospel.

Jesus taught His disciples to fish by doing it.  Let’s look at a few examples of Jesus fishing for people. 

Jesus calling the disciples (Matthew 4:18-22) – Jesus meets fishermen where they are and uses their own experience to invite them into a new kind of fishing.  You have to understand people's lives and the needs and struggles and meet them where they are.  As Jesus called the disciples to be “fishers of people,” He didn’t just walk up randomly and make the invitation. He had watched these fishermen—He knew their daily lives, their routines, and their struggles. He understood what their work meant to them. Then He took something familiar—their skill in fishing—and gave it a greater, kingdom-minded purpose. Jesus said, in effect, “This thing you’ve been doing, I’m inviting you to do it in a whole new way. Not to catch fish, but to reach people. And I will show you how to do it.”  

The Woman at the Well (John 4) – Jesus engaged in personal conversation and drew the Samaritan woman to faith.  Here we see that Jesus isn’t just reaching out to people like Him—Galileans who grew up in the same region, or fellow Jews of the same background. Instead, He crosses cultural and social boundaries to speak with someone considered an outsider, someone others would have avoided. Jesus walks through Samaria, sits by a well, and notices a woman coming to draw water in the heat of the day. Why is she here now, when no one else is? Why not in the cool of the morning? He sees her situation, understands her deeper story, and begins a one-on-one conversation. Through truly seeing her and knowing her, He leads her to faith.

Feeding the Five Thousand (Mark 6:30-44) – Jesus includes the disciples in the act of caring for the crowd, showing them that “fishing” can also mean meeting practical needs that open hearts.  Jesus says, “I want you to take care of these people’s practical needs. They’ve been with us all day, and they’re hungry.” The disciples want to send them away, but Jesus responds, “You give them something to eat.” They’re confused—“How can we possibly feed them?”—and then He shows them how, performing His miraculous work. In doing this, Jesus teaches His disciples, and us, that fishing for people often begins with meeting practical needs. If someone is hungry, homeless, or without clothing, how can they truly hear about eternal life until their immediate needs are met? Care for their physical needs first, and hearts will be open to receive the hope of Christ.

Sending out the Twelve & the 72
Jesus didn’t just show the disciples how to fish for people by doing it all Himself.  He challenged the disciples to get out in the world and do some fishing themselves.  In Matthew 10:1-15, Jesus sends the 12 disciples out to practice preaching, healing, and proclaiming the Kingdom.  In Luke 10:1-20, He sent a broader group of 72 disciples out to share the message, showing that “fishing” is a task for all followers, not just the original twelve.

And the disciples learned well.  By the time we get to Acts 2, we see Peter preaching in Jerusalem and leading 3,000 people to believe in Jesus and be baptized.  But it wasn’t just about big numbers.  Every single person was important to the disciples because every person belongs in God’s Kingdom.  That’s why I love the story of Philip.  The story is found in Act 8:26-40, but let me summarize it.

It’s the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch was a high official, the treasurer to the queen of Ethiopia, riding in his chariot on the road home from Jerusalem. He had gone there to worship, but because he was a eunuch, the Law of Moses said he could not fully participate in the temple. So here he is, hungry to know God, yet feeling excluded. As he rides, he’s reading aloud from the prophet Isaiah about the Suffering Servant—someone who was despised and disfigured—and he’s wondering what it all means.

Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit tells Philip, “Go to that chariot.” Philip runs alongside and hears the eunuch reading Isaiah. He asks, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” The eunuch replies, “How can I, unless someone explains it?” He invites Philip into the chariot, and Philip begins to share the good news: this prophecy is about Jesus, the Messiah, who gave His life so that all may be welcomed into God’s family. No barrier from your past, no wound, no exclusion can keep you out—because through Jesus, you are made whole.

The eunuch hears this, sees some water by the road, and says, “Look, here’s water. What’s to stop me from being baptized?” And in that moment, he is baptized into the family of Christ—fully included, fully loved, fully His.

Whether it was the 3,000 who responded to Peter’s preaching, or the one man Philip led to Christ, the disciples were faithfully doing it. They had learned well what it meant to fish for people.

Other Aspects of Fishing
It occurs to me that there’s a lot more to fishing than just the moment you cast out your nets.  My brother-in-law Joey is one of the best fishermen I know. Anytime we go to the beach on vacation, I get excited because I know Joey will be there—and that means we’re going to catch fish. Now, Joey isn’t necessarily better at casting a line or reeling in a fish than I am. I know how to rig the hooks, cast accurately, and set the hook just right. I’m as good at the mechanics of fishing as he is.

But here’s what makes Joey a great fisherman: he starts fishing long before we ever get to the beach. Months in advance, he’s studying the tides, the kinds of fish in season, the best times of day, and the best spots to fish. He asks around, gathers information, and prepares. By the time we show up, Joey knows exactly what bait to use, where to cast, and what to expect. I just get to do the fun part—cast the line and reel them in—because Joey has already done the hard work.

On top of that, Joey knows what kind of fish we’re catching, whether they’re keepers, how to clean them, and how to cook them. That’s what makes him an excellent fisherman—it’s not just the moment of casting a line, but the preparation, knowledge, and care that go into it.

Now let’s take that idea into our spiritual call to be fishers of people. Too often, when we think about fishing for men and women, we only think about the moment itself: What am I going to say? Will I know what to do? But real fishing begins long before the moment of encounter.

We prepare by spending time with Jesus, reading His Word, and letting Him shape us. That way, when we come alongside someone—like Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch—we’re ready. He just “happened” to be reading Isaiah, and Philip was able to say, “I know what that’s about.” That didn’t happen by accident; it was God at work in both of them. And God can do the same in you.

You may think, I don’t know the Bible well enough. But here’s the truth: you don’t have to know it all. God knows what’s coming. He may nudge you today to read Isaiah 40, and you might not know why. But four weeks later, you’ll find yourself in a dentist’s waiting room, and someone will bring it up—and suddenly you’ll realize God had you preparing for that moment all along.

It’s like maintaining your fishing gear. I’ve been there: I show up at the beach, throw my line out, and the reel locks up because I never cleaned it from last year. Is your spiritual life like that? When someone opens their heart and says, “My wife just told me she wants a divorce, and I don’t know what to do,” do you freeze up? Or are you ready because you’ve been walking with the Lord, keeping your nets clean and your heart prepared?

And fishing doesn’t end with the first catch. When someone says, “I’m coming to church with you Sunday,” don’t just say, “Great, see you there.” Meet them on the front porch. Walk in with them. Sit beside them. Help them find a small group, a class, or a place to serve. If they love to sing, introduce them to the choir. That’s what it means to cast the net and to follow through.

Fishing for people is so much more than one moment. It’s preparing beforehand, being ready in the moment, and walking with people afterward. That’s the full picture of what Jesus calls us to.

Essential: Casting Our Nets
Preparation is important—but at some point, you have to cast the net. You can do everything right beforehand, but if you never cast, you’ll never catch.

Jesus called His disciples to be “fishers of people,” and that same call comes to us today. So, let me ask you—who are you fishing for? Who in your life needs to experience God’s love, hear the good news, or see faith lived out through your example? Every one of us has family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers who need the hope of Christ. Following Jesus means not just being caught by His grace, but also casting our nets wide so that others might be drawn into His Kingdom.

World Communion Sunday
The disciples’ faithfulness in becoming fishers of people led to the rapid expansion of the Christian Church. As more and more people became followers of Christ, they too became fishers of people. Being fishers of people is not optional—it is essential. Any generation that fails in this calling faces decline and eventual death. But faithful disciples across the centuries have carried the gospel, and now followers of Christ are found in every corner of the globe. Today, on World Communion Sunday, we celebrate this witness to the spread of the faith. Though we speak different languages, eat different foods, and live in different nations, we are united as part of Jesus’ fishing crew—bound together by His sacrifice and the power of His resurrection. World Communion reminds us that all Christians are interconnected, breaking down denominational and cultural barriers. It is also a call for us to remember our mission to be fishers of people. What our world, our country, and our community need now more than ever is to live out the principles of forgiveness, grace, love, sacrifice, and service that Christ taught us. This is the only hope for our world.  Will you answer Christ’s invitation:  “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Guest Speaker: Sherry Dickson - Judgement

My prayer this morning is that what I say is pleasing to God and that it will encourage your mind and your heart, and stir you to grow—to love Jesus more deeply and more intimately today.

I did make an outline—a hard copy outline—if you want to hold it and take notes. If you would like one, there are copies available. You can raise your hand and I'm sure Tom would give you one. There are also some in the narthex; Scott can get those for you.

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The Word of God and the Five Judgments

In 1982, my parents gifted me with this Bible. It is the New American Standard Study Bible, and it has been my go-to Bible since that time. It contains the Word of God, and there are also Christian study outlines in it. I wanted to share one of those outlines with you today.

Most people, when they think about God's judgment, might stiffen a little. But I hope that some of what I say today will round that out for you, so that you can see how wonderful God's judgments are.

I think most people—even on the street—understand that one day, they are going to have to give an account to God for their lives. This outline describes five different judgments. I used to think, "Yes, Jesus is coming, and my life is going to be judged, and I’ll give an accounting." But this outline shows that there are actually five different judgments, and they differ in time, place, and purpose. What they have in common is that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Judge. God the Father has given all authority of judgment to Jesus the Son.

Don’t worry—I’m not going to talk about all five today. I’ll talk about three.

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Judgment #1: The Judgment of the Believer's Sin (Justification)

To begin with: God is holy. He is perfect in justice. He is great in mercy. He is all-loving, and His judgments are just as wonderful as He is.

Anything less than holiness is sin. It must be paid for and atoned for by death to be made right. This is God’s standard. He wants us to live by a high standard.

The first judgment is the judgment of the believer’s sin. The verse here is John 5:24. Jesus says:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life."

Notice—it says those who believe have passed out of death into life. That’s spiritual death.

This judgment happened 2,000 years ago on the cross. It also happens afresh every time a person repents and is born again.

You might ask, “How can something that happened 2,000 years ago affect me today?” Well, God is supra-time—He is outside and above time. He encompasses time. He’s not limited by it.

Scripture tells us, “To God, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

So God, who is holy, requires righteousness. Unrighteousness has a cost—death. God cannot be pure and wink at sin, no matter how small we think it is. Grace is costly. Anything less than good must be redeemed.

Purpose: The purpose of this judgment was to redeem all of humanity from the curse of the Fall—for all time.

Adam and Eve had the perfect place, perfect relationship with God, and perfect spouse. But they were tested and failed. Spiritual death came immediately; physical death followed later. Everyone born from Adam has a spirit dead to God—disconnected from Him.

But Jesus is the second Adam. He passed the test. He resisted Satan. He humbled Himself and surrendered His perfect life on the cross. He took our sins, died the death we deserved. The perfect Lamb of God, pierced and crushed for our iniquities.

The cross is the greatest act of love ever known.
The debt of sin is paid—not in part, but the whole: past, present, and future.

Jesus triumphed over evil. The cross is where the greatest love met sin and death—and love won.

Think about the events of the cross:

• The veil was torn

• The sky darkened

• The earth shook

• The tombs opened

All sin was laid on Jesus, and He paid the price. The victory is won.

“He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of light…” (Colossians)

Jesus has redeemed paradise lost. He’s opened the doors of heaven. He’s given believers the everlasting gift of God’s grace.

"There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

This first judgment is summed up in one word: Justification.

It’s "just as if I never sinned." God made Jesus—who knew no sin—to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God. That’s who we are.

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Resurrection Power and New Identity

Jesus’s resurrection is our resurrection. His sacrifice didn’t just clean up our mess—it took care of the root of the mess: our unregenerated, stony heart.

Now, resurrection power lives in us. Our old self was crucified, and now we have the Spirit of the living God inside us to become more like Jesus.

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are."

We are adopted into God’s family. That’s why we can claim righteousness.

We are saints. We are a new creation. A royal priesthood. Born anew. No longer in Adam’s family—we’re in the family of God, the Kingdom of Light.

And God longs for every person to receive this eternal life.

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Judgment #2: The Judgment of the Believer's Self (Sanctification)

1 Corinthians 11:31–32 says:

"But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world."

Place: Our heart
Time: Ongoing
Purpose: Sanctification—fullness of maturity in Christ

If our sins are forgiven, what’s our relationship to sin now?

We know sin still happens. Christians fail. We disobey. But our relationship with sin is now different.

Sin is still sin. It’s evil, deceptive, and destructive. But now we are not condemned.

We are convicted, not condemned. Conviction is being convinced by the Holy Spirit of our sin. Before Christ, sin flowed from a sinful heart. Now, our heart is new. Sin brings dissonance.

Now, our job is to put off the old self, be made new, and be transformed into the image of Christ.

"Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are not our own; we were bought with a price."

Sin is more than disobedience—it hurts the heart of God.

1 John 1:9 is for believers:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

That restores fellowship with God. This is part of the growth process.

Illustration: Parent and Child
A child born or adopted into a family belongs there. They bear the name and receive all benefits—guidance, protection, discipline, provision, and love.

When they disobey, fellowship—not relationship—is broken. That disobedience creates a barrier. But when the child repents, fellowship is restored. Same with God and us.

Sin doesn’t break our relationship with Christ—but it breaks our fellowship. Restoration comes through confession and agreement with the Holy Spirit.

We must examine ourselves, be shaped more into the likeness of Jesus.

Jonathan Edwards said he resolved every night to review where he had failed.
Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley—all emphasized that justification without sanctification is not salvation. They are inseparable.

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Judgment #3: The Judgment of the Believer’s Works (Evaluation and Reward)

This is the judgment of the believer’s deeds. Not sin—but deeds. It’s about reward or loss.

2 Corinthians 5:10:

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

This is not about eternal destiny. It’s about evaluating how we lived as redeemed people.

We’ll give an account of:

• Our time

• Our opportunities

• Our resources

• Our gifts

• Our use of grace

There will be differing rewards.

God won’t compare me to Billy Graham or Jimmy Carter. He’ll evaluate me based on what He gave me.

Metaphor: The Builder

1 Corinthians 3:11–15 says:

"No one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, their work will be shown for what it is… If it survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss—but will be saved, even though only as one escaping through flames."

So are we building with eternal materials or temporary ones?

Good deeds done with compassion, love, wisdom, and integrity—those last.
Deeds done for selfish reasons—those burn away.

Good deeds are the natural outflow of a redeemed heart. They are the proof of true faith.

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Judgments 4 & 5 (Brief Mention)

• Judgment of the Nations – Christ separates sheep and goats.

• Judgment of the Wicked – Great White Throne Judgment; the wicked dead judged.

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Summary

• The debt is paid.

• Your sins are forgiven.

• You have a new life and a firm foundation—Jesus Christ.

• You are called to examine yourself.

• You will receive rewards.

Let us love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Amen.