Sunday, November 30, 2008
Catching up on some backlogged blogging
I have promised to keep the sermon notes on the blog and had gotten behind in doing so. Here is the past sermon series on Preparing for Company. Our congregation has responded favorably to the messages and we are all thinking differently about what it means to show Hospitality to others.
Preparing for Company - Building Others Up
Message from Nov. 16 - Based on the 5th Chapter of First Thessalonians
Part of the Work of a congregation of Christ followers is building others up. This includes both people in the congregation and also those who are not yet follower of Christ.
This Building Others Up includes:
Honoring Spiritual Leaders - we are to pray for, encourage and support those who are in leadership over us in the church.
Nurture - we are to reach out with love and support to all people especially those who are in need.
Good Works - these are a normal part of every day life. We should not restrict the work of God to mission trips or special outings. We can do the good work of God each and every day.
Joyful Living - while life doesn't always make us happy, we can be joyful. Happiness depends on "happenings", joy depends on a life centered in the peace of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Walking in the Spirit - each day we are able to allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. Are we allowing the Spirit's influence in our life?
Part of the Work of a congregation of Christ followers is building others up. This includes both people in the congregation and also those who are not yet follower of Christ.
This Building Others Up includes:
Honoring Spiritual Leaders - we are to pray for, encourage and support those who are in leadership over us in the church.
Nurture - we are to reach out with love and support to all people especially those who are in need.
Good Works - these are a normal part of every day life. We should not restrict the work of God to mission trips or special outings. We can do the good work of God each and every day.
Joyful Living - while life doesn't always make us happy, we can be joyful. Happiness depends on "happenings", joy depends on a life centered in the peace of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Walking in the Spirit - each day we are able to allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. Are we allowing the Spirit's influence in our life?
Preparing for Company - Follow the Leader
Follow the Leader - Matthew 23:1-12
Sermon Notes - from November 2, 2008
Everyone is a leader to someone else.
* In order to be a welcoming congregation, we must lead like Jesus.
Leadership Lessons from Jesus
Looking to Jesus as our example, we follow him as the leader and seek to lead other as he led.
Practice what you preach (23:3)
What you see is what you get (23:4)
What do we do to help others come closer to God?
Let it show, but don't show it off (23:5-7)
Where do we need to “reign in” our faith?
Give honor where honor is due (23:6-10)
We are to follow Godly leadership. We are to be the conscience of the nation. We are to pray for our leaders.
The leader among you is the one who serves. (23:11-12)
How are we serving?: our family, our church; our city; our nation
Sermon Notes - from November 2, 2008
Everyone is a leader to someone else.
* In order to be a welcoming congregation, we must lead like Jesus.
Leadership Lessons from Jesus
Looking to Jesus as our example, we follow him as the leader and seek to lead other as he led.
Practice what you preach (23:3)
What you see is what you get (23:4)
What do we do to help others come closer to God?
Let it show, but don't show it off (23:5-7)
Where do we need to “reign in” our faith?
Give honor where honor is due (23:6-10)
We are to follow Godly leadership. We are to be the conscience of the nation. We are to pray for our leaders.
The leader among you is the one who serves. (23:11-12)
How are we serving?: our family, our church; our city; our nation
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Preparing for Company - Back to Basics
Here are the sermons notes for the sermon on Sunday the 26th.
Audio of the Sermon. Click Here.
Preparing for Company – Back to Basics.
Matthew 22:34-40. October 26, 2008
Pastor Andrew Brown, Hawthorne Lane Church.
The Basics for Living are:
Water, Food, Shelter, Love
The Greatest Commandment is to Love God
Love God with your:
Heart – center of moral, emotional, will
Soul – life ; being
Mind - thought content & intellect
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
We love God by keeping God’s word…
… in our heart PERSONAL .5-6
… in our homes FAMILY .7
… on our hands and foreheads PUBLIC .8
… through our hospitality DOOR / GATES .9
The Second Greatest Commandment is to
Love your neighbor as yourself
Leviticus 19:18
Holiness of life (Leviticus 19:1-2)
We love our neighbor through … (Leviticus 19:9-18)
… helping those in need .9-10
… speaking the truth in love .11-12
… seeking justice .13-16
… forgiving one another .17-18
Hawthorne Lane Church is a welcoming place.
Audio of the Sermon. Click Here.
Preparing for Company – Back to Basics.
Matthew 22:34-40. October 26, 2008
Pastor Andrew Brown, Hawthorne Lane Church.
The Basics for Living are:
Water, Food, Shelter, Love
The Greatest Commandment is to Love God
Love God with your:
Heart – center of moral, emotional, will
Soul – life ; being
Mind - thought content & intellect
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
We love God by keeping God’s word…
… in our heart PERSONAL .5-6
… in our homes FAMILY .7
… on our hands and foreheads PUBLIC .8
… through our hospitality DOOR / GATES .9
The Second Greatest Commandment is to
Love your neighbor as yourself
Leviticus 19:18
Holiness of life (Leviticus 19:1-2)
We love our neighbor through … (Leviticus 19:9-18)
… helping those in need .9-10
… speaking the truth in love .11-12
… seeking justice .13-16
… forgiving one another .17-18
Hawthorne Lane Church is a welcoming place.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Covenant Living
Christ-followers live in the midst of relationship.
We understand from the scriptures of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that the only thing which will last throughout eternity is relationship.
When we die, we can't take our cars, our homes, our bank accounts, etc. All these things will come ultimately to rust and moth droppings.
Covenant Living is the way God has provided for us to be in right relationship with our Creator and others. In the next few posts, I will share some of the overflow from the current sermon series "Covenant Living".I will list scriptures and reflections in case you missed them in person. You can always catch up on the messages if you go to the Hawthorne Lane Church website.
We understand from the scriptures of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that the only thing which will last throughout eternity is relationship.
When we die, we can't take our cars, our homes, our bank accounts, etc. All these things will come ultimately to rust and moth droppings.
Covenant Living is the way God has provided for us to be in right relationship with our Creator and others. In the next few posts, I will share some of the overflow from the current sermon series "Covenant Living".I will list scriptures and reflections in case you missed them in person. You can always catch up on the messages if you go to the Hawthorne Lane Church website.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Jesus, the missing years or the Nazareth homeboy
This came up in our small group recently. What did Jesus do from the time he was a twelve year old at the temple, until he began his earthly ministry?
A close reading of the New Testament will reveal that Jesus was most likely a Nazareth homeboy. True, there are about 18 years which are mentioned little in the New Testament. But, looking at other evidence we come to the most likely conclusion that he spent those 18 years in Nazareth.
When his family, all Jewish, did what was required of their law regarding a newborn they went "to their own town of Nazareth."(Luke 2:39) In order to further fulfill what was required of their ritual law, when Jesus was 12 he went with the family to Jerusalem for Passover (Luke 2:42). On the return trip, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem to talk with the teachers of the Law in the temple. (Luke 2:46) When his parents found him they returned to Nazareth and he was obedient to them (Luke 2:51) Obedience here means a habitual, ongoing obedience implying an ongoing action (that of being with his family in Nazareth).
Another clue we have which leads us to believe he was in Nazareth during the 18 years is the response of the local people when Jesus comes to town teaching in the synagogue. When he shows up at the synagogue in Nazareth - "his hometown" (Matthew 13:54) and begins to say some things which are challenging to the townspeople they reply "Isn't this Joseph's son?" (Luke 4:22) and "isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother Mary?"(Matthew 13:55) It seems very clear they knew him and recognized him. If he had been gone for the 18 years (or a part thereof) he would probably be less recognizable to them.
Additionally, we could consider other factors about the time he lived. Carpenters were not extremely wealthy. They were working class people. Traveling to Asia, India, and other places he allegedly visited would have required a considerable amount of wealth. Also, he would have been traveling among the gentile populations who were very idolatrous. Hebrew people - like Jesus - did not associate with gentiles and were forbidden from idolatry.
Furthermore, Jesus' teachings recorded in the New Testament Gospels show a belief system which is ultimately theistic - meaning belief in a personal all powerful deity. Asian, Indian, and all other Eastern Religions are basically monistic - meaning one impersonal element constitutes reality.
So, basing a conclusion on the evidence we do have, rather than basing our conclusion on evidence we don't have, I'd say Jesus was a Nazareth homeboy until he began his public ministry.
A close reading of the New Testament will reveal that Jesus was most likely a Nazareth homeboy. True, there are about 18 years which are mentioned little in the New Testament. But, looking at other evidence we come to the most likely conclusion that he spent those 18 years in Nazareth.
When his family, all Jewish, did what was required of their law regarding a newborn they went "to their own town of Nazareth."(Luke 2:39) In order to further fulfill what was required of their ritual law, when Jesus was 12 he went with the family to Jerusalem for Passover (Luke 2:42). On the return trip, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem to talk with the teachers of the Law in the temple. (Luke 2:46) When his parents found him they returned to Nazareth and he was obedient to them (Luke 2:51) Obedience here means a habitual, ongoing obedience implying an ongoing action (that of being with his family in Nazareth).
Another clue we have which leads us to believe he was in Nazareth during the 18 years is the response of the local people when Jesus comes to town teaching in the synagogue. When he shows up at the synagogue in Nazareth - "his hometown" (Matthew 13:54) and begins to say some things which are challenging to the townspeople they reply "Isn't this Joseph's son?" (Luke 4:22) and "isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother Mary?"(Matthew 13:55) It seems very clear they knew him and recognized him. If he had been gone for the 18 years (or a part thereof) he would probably be less recognizable to them.
Additionally, we could consider other factors about the time he lived. Carpenters were not extremely wealthy. They were working class people. Traveling to Asia, India, and other places he allegedly visited would have required a considerable amount of wealth. Also, he would have been traveling among the gentile populations who were very idolatrous. Hebrew people - like Jesus - did not associate with gentiles and were forbidden from idolatry.
Furthermore, Jesus' teachings recorded in the New Testament Gospels show a belief system which is ultimately theistic - meaning belief in a personal all powerful deity. Asian, Indian, and all other Eastern Religions are basically monistic - meaning one impersonal element constitutes reality.
So, basing a conclusion on the evidence we do have, rather than basing our conclusion on evidence we don't have, I'd say Jesus was a Nazareth homeboy until he began his public ministry.
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