Number One Priority

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This message is based on several passages of Scripture and emphasizes the primary mission of the church and all Christian believers - to glorify God. The sermon strives to show that giving praise, adoration, honor and glory to God should be highest priority before we attempt to do anything else for God. This is the first sermon in a short series of messages that examine the three main purposes or priorities of the Church.

Written Excerpts:

Romans 15:5-6 ^(NKJV) Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, ⁶ that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction:

I don’t know how many others in the service this morning have had a similar experience as I have, but there have been times when I was either assembling something or else disassembling something for repairs, and before long I find myself struggling to get things to cooperate. When that happens, I may stop to consult the directions (but, sad to say, not always)! Lo and behold, when I consulted the directions, I discovered there were some very key first steps that I omitted, which if I had completed those first, I never would have run into the struggles that I experienced.

The message I felt led to bring today can be compared to this illustration. Being a Christian, living for God, and accomplishing His will in our lives can be very frustrating at times. It sometimes seems like we’re not getting anything accomplished and we’re just “spinning our wheels.” When that happens, or when we get that impression, I think it’s God’s way of letting us know that we may have left out some very important first steps and we have just launched into the middle of a project or assignment, trying to accomplish things for the kingdom of God.

Quite a few years ago I preached a short series of messages about the mission or purpose of the church. I recall that I stressed three main purposes that God has given the church and every Christian:

·     The upward purpose – to glorify God

·     The inward purpose – to love, support and nurture fellow Christians

·     The outward purpose – to impact (evangelize) the world around us

I have recently been reading a small book that I received from Rev. Howard Russell, and it highlights the three-pronged purpose of the church that I just mentioned. The book is written by Ray Ortlund (Haven of Rest radio broadcast). 

Even though I stressed the importance of the church fulfilling all three purposes that God designed for it, it seems that I approached it more from the standpoint that we just need to make sure that we’re engaged in all three. Dr. Ortlund, however, has suggested a perspective that grabbed my attention. His perspective is this:

Rather than just attempting to do all three (upward, inward, and outward) simultaneously, the church needs to make sure that the first purpose is really the top priority of the church. In other words, if we haven’t taken adequate time and given adequate effort to fulfill the first purpose/priority, then all our efforts in the 2^nd and 3^rd priorities will miserably fail.

So today I want to start by drawing our attention back to this #1 priority – the upward purpose of the church. I want to remind us of what we must focus on first and foremost as a church and as individual Christians endeavoring to live according to God’s divine purposes.

The verses that we read together earlier in the responsive scripture reading all had a similar message emphasizing believer’s responsibility to glorify and exalt our heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I.    Our first priority in life is to praise and glorify God.

Ps. 9:1-2 I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 

Rom. 15:5-6 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Col. 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 

Ray Ortlund – “Some churches are merely evangelistic centers. All that’s done during the week and even on Sunday mornings is leading up to the altar call…. Some churches are first of all mission centers. There’s the thermometer up in front and the map on the wall, and people talk a lot about fifty-fifty budgets, and they hear a lot of missionary reports from the pulpit…. Some churches are first of all information centers. Their main purpose is to pour out biblical material, and the buzz words are teach and teacher. The people come to fill their notebooks and their heads…. Some churches are primarily program centers. They are platforms – stages, really – which seek to have one extravaganza after another. They say, “Man, if you thought this Sunday was good, just wait till next week!”…. 

“The Lord ordained the church for himself. The church’s chief function, as also the individual believer’s function, is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” (Three Priorities for a Strong Local Church)

Psalm 148:1-14 (NKJV)
¹  Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
²  Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!
³  Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!
⁴  Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!
⁵  Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.
⁶  He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.
⁷  Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;
⁸  Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
⁹  Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;
¹⁰  Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl;
¹¹  Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;
¹²  Both young men and maidens; Old men and children.
¹³  Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.
¹⁴  And He has exalted the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints-- Of the children of Israel, A people near to Him. Praise the LORD!

Revelation 4:11 (KJV)

¹¹  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)
³¹  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

II.  When the upward purpose is truly our first priority, then the other priorities will be more clear.

Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV)
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

 (Ortlund) To the extent that Priority Three becomes Priority One – or Priority Two becomes first – we will be out of kilter, out of God’s plan, and we’ll become fussing, uptight, confused and tired.

When Christ is worshiped and exalted first and foremost, then He provides clearer vision and insight regarding how best to fulfill the other priorities or purposes He has for us.

There is a story about a pilot who announced over the intercom that he had good news because of a strong tailwind they were making really good time. There was some bad news however, because the compass was broken and they had absolutely no idea where they were going!

Taking time to give honor and praise to the Lord can help orient us and direct us in all the other functions we need to perform as the body of Christ.

I read 1 Cor. 10:31 just a little while ago, which tells us “whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.”

How can we adequately do everything for the glory of God if we don’t begin everything with glory, honor and praise to Him?

III. We need to recommit ourselves individually and collectively to truly honor, exalt and worship God.

A. Our worship services must include adequate time honoring and exalting God.

B. Our individual prayer time must be a number one priority in which we intentionally spend time worshiping, praising and adoring God.

For many Christians, their prayer time consists of a brief time asking God for His blessings and His protection and for Him to solve all the problems they will be confronting that day.

But, God created us to glorify and honor Him. 

Look at the example of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail. They had cast out a spirit of divination from a slave girl and her masters were angry. They dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates, who order them to be stripped and beaten then cast into jail with their feet in stocks.

Acts 16:25 ^(NKJV) But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

What would have been our prayers? 

Have you ever been around people who are suffering greatly, but when you talk to them or ask them how things are doing, they only reply with praise to the Lord for all His goodness and blessings?

Whatever we do, Bible study, board meetings, etc. etc. should begin with appropriate time giving praise to the Lord.

Conclusion:

In John 17, Jesus’ prayer for His disciples, He devotes the first portion praying for the Father’s glory and the Son’s glory.

The prayer also includes the other priorities that God assigned to the church, but Jesus begins with an emphasis on glorifying the Father.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find myself feeling pressured by the urgency of things that need to be done. Just like you, I’m tempted at times to skip or cheat the time for prayer to get started doing something. But I intend to refocus and recommit myself to making the upward purpose of worship and praise the true number one priority in my life and I hope you will as well.

Let’s close the service today by singing a prayer for God’s Spirit to empower the church and make us what He wants us to be. God of Grace and God of Glory

The Offense of the Cross

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This is a sermon that was given in a worship service that included the sacrament of communion. It is based on a phrase found in Galatians 5:11 in which the Apostle Paul writes about the offense of the cross. The message attempts to explain what the offense of the cross involves and makes application for our contemporary life of faith.

Written Excerpts:

Galatians 5:11 ^(NKJV) And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.

Introduction:

I’m sure that most of us are aware of the current trends in our society for people to be offended at nearly anything and everything. 

Dolly Parton once said, “I’m not offended by dumb blond jokes because I know I’m not dumb, and I also know I’m not blonde.”

I came across this quote that pretty well describes the current situation in our nation:

“Right now we live in an age of extreme Political Correctness. It has gone way too far. I hope it's just a phase. Political Correctness is now just a fancy word for censorship. It's no longer about protecting the weak. It has become an excuse to persecute others, because persecuting people is fun. Don't you dare say or think the wrong thing, or a [social media] mob of angry villagers will come after you with digital torches and metaphorical pitchforks.” ― Oliver Markus Malloy (www.goodreads.com/quotes)

Our message today is about offenses, but it includes a completely different concept than what we're used to hearing about in the news. The Apostle Paul is addressing a church congregation that had apparently accepted and believed the gospel, but had slipped back into a legalistic flavor of “theology.”

Here in chapter five, Paul is concerned that they are nullifying the message of grace and gospel by insisting on circumcision according to the requirements of the OT Covenant. He argues: “If I am presently preaching the necessity of circumcision, then why am I suffering persecution from the hands of those who insist on it?” In other words, the very fact that he suffers persecution from the Jews everywhere he preaches is proof that he does not insist on circumcision.

He continues his argument by stating: “[If I am presently preaching the necessity of circumcision, then] there is no longer any offense of the cross.” So the argument he is advocating seems to be this: when the gospel message of the cross is emphasized, then the merits of conformity to the law is nullified. When the merits of conformity to the law is emphasized, then the gospel of the cross is nullified.

In this defense Paul makes for the gospel, he mentions something he refers to as the “offense of the cross.”

Let’s take a few minutes to consider what Paul means by the offense of the cross.

I.      The meaning of the word translated “offense.”

The Greek word for “offense” is σκάνδαλον (skandalon), which sounds a lot like our English word, “scandal.”

(Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) – In the Greek Old Testament, skandalon means a ‘trap’ or ‘snare’…. In the New Testament, the word is frequently used of a temptation to sin, that which causes a person to fall. But the typical New Testament use is when it means, as here, ‘that which causes revulsion, arouses opposition’ (BAGD). 

Paul is acknowledging the fact that the message of the gospel, which includes the message of the cross, is an offense to most Jews, especially those in Galatia who were agitating believers to follow requirements of the old covenant.

II.    The ways in which the cross is an offense.

In my study of this Scripture I became aware of at least three different ways the cross would be an offense to the people that Paul was speaking about.

A. A crucified Messiah

Many authors point out that the OT clearly states, “… cursed is anyone hanging on a tree.”

It would have been preposterous for a Jew to think of the Messiah being crucified under a curse from God. Additionally, this did not fit with the usual concept of conqueror and savior.

1 Corinthians 1:23 ^(NKJV) but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

“stumbling block” is the same Greek word that is translated “offense” in Galatians. 

This is a problem not only for Jews. If we’re not careful, we can begin to attach expectations on God and on Christ that the Bible never intended for us to attach. We can be guilty of assuming God will or will not do or allow certain things. The Jews had developed a belief that consigned God to this “box” that they could understand.

B. No “credit” for law-keeping.

Paul and the other Apostles have been emphatic: “There is no merit or value in keeping the law in order to obtain forgiveness of sins.” The only way one can be forgiven is by the cross of Jesus. That is, through the grace of a merciful God who laid all our guilt upon His own Son and credited His death for us.

(Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) – Paul is not thinking of the fact of the Messiah dying a death under God’s curse; rather, he is stressing that this way of salvation through the cross leaves no room for ‘merit’ to be acquired by outward observances such as circumcision or the law….

Paul once again uses here katērgētai, [has ceased or] has been removed, better translated ‘made ineffective’ as in verse 4. 

Galatians 5:4 ^(KJV) Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

“become of no effect” is same Greek word that is translated “ceased” at the end of verse 11.

(NKJV) reads, “estranged from”

The point is, if Paul preaches the necessity and merit of circumcision as some of them wanted, then the message of the cross ceases to matter and the blood of Christ ceases to be effective. But, the gospel of the cross means there is no merit for salvation in anything else except the blood of Christ.

“What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

C. Equal access to God’s grace (Jew & Gentile).

(Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) – Further, if salvation is to be altogether of grace, with nothing of merit, it is inevitable that both Gentile and Jew may find salvation in the same way….

Apparently for these legalistic Jewish believers in Galatia, they were still hanging on to the belief that circumcision gave them a little better standing than the Gentile believers, and if the Gentiles wanted to “get in on” the real blessings of grace, they too needed to be circumcised. But Paul is preaching a New Covenant, not the Old one. The new covenant is available to everyone whether Jew or Gentile. And, for some Jews, this was unsettling.

This reference in Col. 2:13-15 specifically states that the cross has removed the “requirements that was against us.” This is stated in the specific context of the subject of circumcision.

Colossians 2:13-15 ^(NKJV) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Conclusion:

For many people, the cross is still an offensive message, not just for the Jews. But, for the believer who truly understands the gospel, the message of the cross is our hope and very precious.

Before we share the Sacrament of Communion, let us sing the hymn, Near the Cross.

God Has Visited His People

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This sermon is based on words found in the prophecy of Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, and recorded in Luke 1:68, 78. The message explores the meaning and significance of God visiting the human race through the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Written Excerpts:

Luke 1:68, 78 ^(NKJV) Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, ⁷⁸ Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 

Introduction:

I remembered reading or hearing a story that I felt would be appropriate to begin with today, so I did a search on the internet (You can find anything on the internet!), and came across this version of the story posted on the website of a church that is located near the eastern coast of England. 

Once upon a time, a prince wanted to find a young lady suitable to be his queen. One day, he had to pass through the poor section in a nearby village, and as he glanced out of the carriage, he saw a young beautiful peasant girl. From then on, he made a point of driving through the village as often as he could and soon he fell in love with the young lady. But he had a problem. How could he get to know her and ask her to marry him?

He could order her to marry him. But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never be certain that the young lady loved him or was simply overwhelmed with all of the splendor.

No, the prince had to come up with another solution. He would give up his kingly robe. He moved into the village, entering not with a crown but in the lowly clothes of a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. In time the peasant girl grew to love him for who he was and because he had first loved her.

[The English Pastor continues by saying this:] That simple story was written by … Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish theologian. It was written to tell us what Christmas is really all about. It is a courtship – God courting us – telling us in the clearest possible way that he loves us – and loves us enough to come and live amongst us. Our response to that love matters to him.

It is easy to be cynical. I wonder, in our story, what the young girl thought of the Prince before he entered her village. Perhaps she thought he was distant, maybe arrogant, way beyond her reach. People have different ideas about what God is like – often shaped by their own life experiences. When things go wrong it is easy to question how a loving God could allow such a thing. Christmas tells us that there is Someone out there who loves us enough to come to where we are, live among us and die for us so that we could know his love in the midst of our struggles and pain. (John Sparkes, December 2017) [http://www.halesworthcommunitychurch.org/pastors-notebook---the-prince-and-the-peasant-girl.html]

In our Scripture text I have chosen for the message today we read this phrase, “He has visited and redeemed His people.” This phrase comes from the passage that was read earlier and is taken from the story about the birth of John the Baptist. The story describes how that Zacharias was unable to speak because he had doubted the words of the angel he saw in the temple announcing that Elizabeth would give birth to a son. When the baby was born and Zacharias confirmed that his name was to be “John,” then his ability to speak returned and he began praising God.

For the next few minutes I want to explore the choice of words used by Zacharias and consider them in the context of the Incarnation of Jesus, the Messiah.

“Has visited” – In the original Greek is it one word instead of two and it literally carries the idea “to look upon,” “to inspect or examine,” with the additional meaning “in order to help, benefit, or care for or provide for.” (Thayer) It is translated 10 times as “visit” and 1 time as “look out.” It gives the idea of God “looking upon, inspecting or examining the plight of His people and then coming to their aid with all His supernatural ability. It also was used at times in the OT in passages that speak of God “visiting His people in judgment or punishment.”

The Bible tells us that Zacharias was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and prophesied by proclaiming the important ministry role that John would have in direct relation to the One whom God was sending to bring salvation to His people.

Zacharias, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, proclaimed that God had “looked upon, examined and acted in behalf of His people.” He visited them.

What is the significance of God “visiting” His people?

1. It means salvation/redemption has come.

Lk. 1:68 “…has visited and redeemed His people.”

v. 69 “raised up a horn of salvation”

v. 71 “that we should be saved from our enemies.”

This message carried both political and spiritual components. The mistake so many made at the time was only thinking of political redemption and completely missing the spiritual aspect of it.

2. It means the New Covenant has been instituted.

Luke 1:72-75 ^(NKJV) To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, ⁷³ The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: ⁷⁴ To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, ⁷⁵ In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. 

The new covenant prophesied by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel in the OT emphasized a covenant that included a new heart. It would be a covenant that was written on the “tablets” of the heart rather than “tablets of stone.”

When God visits His people, they are transformed from rebels to loyal, loving servants living out His holiness and righteousness on earth. When God visits His people, there is a renewal of their commitment to faithfully abide by the terms of the covenant – that is, to love God only, and to serve Him in holiness and righteousness.

3. It means the kingdom of darkness and death is conquered.

In the earthly ministry of Jesus, He demonstrated over and over His power over the devil and the powers of evil.

One such occasion was the interruption of a funeral procession:

Luke 7:14-17 ^(NKJV) Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." ¹⁵ So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. ¹⁶ Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people." ¹⁷ And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

When these mourners witnessed the resurrection of this young man, they immediately realized that the God of heaven had visited His people in the life of this Jesus of Nazareth. They knew this because they had just witnessed the power of death completely defeated and overruled.

Jesus said, “If I have cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Every time God overpowers and overrules the forces of evil and darkness, are times that God has once again visited His people.

4. It means His people will imitate His ministry of “visitation.”

This word that Zacharias used to describe God “looking upon, examining the plight of His people and coming to their aid” is also used to describe God’s people doing the same for other people in any kind of distress.

James 1:27 ^(NKJV) Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Matthew 25:36 ^(NKJV) I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

In these references the word “visit(ed)” is the same word Zacharias used in his prophecy.

Conclusion:

We have been celebrating the coming of our Lord into the world as God in the flesh. God truly visited His people when Christ came into our world so many years ago in the town of Bethlehem.

God has repeatedly visited us with revivals and miraculous works of the Holy Spirit. He has repeatedly conquered and overruled the powers of darkness and set people free from their sins and the bondage of sin.

As we stand on the threshold of another new year, I’d like for us to take these thoughts with us today.

1. Just as God visited this world by coming as a baby in Bethlehem, and He has also visited segments of this world with periods of revival and manifestations of His presence, so we ought to pray and expect God to visit us with spiritual revival in the coming year.

2. God sends us out to “visit” the lost and hurting world with a message and a ministry of help to those who need Him.

Go “visit” the grieving with a message of comfort.

“Visit” the sick with a message of healing.

“Visit” the poor with a message of help and aid.

“Visit” the prisoner with a message of true freedom.

“Visit” the rebel with the offer of forgiveness.

“Visit” the addicted with a message of deliverance.

To close the service this morning I would like for us to sing the challenging missionary hymn:

So Send I You – by Grace Made Strong