Following are the study notes to a sermon I was privileged to preach a few months ago. Enjoy!
STUDY NOTES, Angel Rodriguez Wednesday, 9/24/08
I. Anecdote about church perspectives:
A. “One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it. The six-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, ‘Good morning, Alex.’ ‘Good morning, Pastor,’ he replied, still focused on the plaque. ‘Pastor, what is this?’ The pastor said, ‘Well son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.’ Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque. Finally, little Alex’s voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked, ‘which service; the 8:00 or the 10:30?’ “
II. Challenge for the future
A. much about change the past few months, new wineskins, new things
B. “We need young people”, “we need new people”, “we need more people”
C. Isaiah 43:16-19, NIV
1. a lot of opportunity to let go of the past around here lately
D. Isaiah 48:6-7, NIV
1. When we continue to lay hold of old habits, old patterns, old formulas and lay them at the Cross, God is so much more able to move us toward our promised land.
III. Joy Community Church’s “promised land”
A. Deuteronomy 6:18, NIV
1. freed of bitterness, gossip
2. given more freedom of worship
3. freed of anger, strife, disappointment and hopelessness
4. given the freedom to learn more, increase financially, bless others with what we’re learning
B. story about someone who had bitterness in his heart, even after he was “saved”.
1. Acts 8:9-24. He wanted to be a part of the ministry but hadn’t quite “let go”.
2. main passage Ephesians 4:29-32
b. Possibility to become reality by applying these Scriptures to our lives.
c. challenge to come together tightly, throw open these doors more vigorously than we ever dreamed of doing before.
d. Can’t hear the music, the teaching, the message through closed doors.
e. time to shake off the dust & pour out of these doors, open for
1. the broken to enter in, the lost to come & receive, the used to come & be refreshed.
f. be like Philemon described in 1:7, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.”
IV. Where are the “young” people?
A. Many people that I have met between 20-40 years old don’t go to church say
1. “the church is filled with hypocrites”
2. “I have no idea how to apply what they’re saying to real life”
3. “I tried but the people are so fake and I feel like I can’t get in their clique”.
{Read highlighted articles} – similar quotes
B. Too much “Christianese” spoken in service so that an unsaved friend sits in our meetings completely confused
C. What’s our response?
1. Don’t get mad or offended but Explain, help, certainly not water down the Gospel.
V. Presentation without confusion
A. Our lives reflect salvation, deliverance & redemption if we choose to allow it.
1. Naomi & Ruth. Read Ruth 1:1-5.
2. Even though Naomi was bitter & discouraged – v. 20— something in her lifestyle v. 1-19 drew Ruth to a God who truly existed and to a life that forever changed history
a. she’s King David’s great-grandmother
VI. I know it all – think again
A. honest about ourselves in our personal lives and here at church
1. leave here & still feel like we don’t really have a handle on current issues?
2. unsure of how to answer someone when asked why we’re voting the way we’re voting this November?
3. Can’t control finances?
4. Feel like running from marital issues or feel like ignoring them?
5. Feel like you’ll be dating forever, unsure if you’ve found the “right one”? 6. Feel like you’ve lost the only love you’ll ever know?
B. given all the tools we need to answer these issues - more than enough answers through messages spoken here even just the past few months!
1. Pick up the study notes, order the recordings.
2. can’t keep attention on the whole sermon all of the time. It’s a struggle
3. new commitment
a. quit acting like I’ve heard it all before
b. take notes and order recordings (not just of teachings here but of other ministries as well
c. Challenge to do the same—not as hard as we make it out to be. Proverbs 24:5
VII. Mentorship
A. How can we be Joy Community Church in our “promised land”
1. Ideas need to come from you too, not just the “young ones”
a. a lot of experience in life, in ministry
b. Ideas aren’t bad even not always implement them right away or even if they don’t turn out to be right for this ministry.
c. gets us all on the same page & thinking with some unity!
2. Ephesians 4:1-7.
a. partnership between us with God’s kind of love with compassion for others.
b. “try to see the other side of the story ALWAYS”.
1. ie: If someone cuts me off at the light while I’m driving, maybe he’s on his way to the hospital.
2. If someone is going slow in the grocery line, maybe she was up all night with a sick baby.
3. If someone is rude to me at church, maybe he is having a hard time with his family.
c. The Bible says to avoid “vain & foolish disputes”. It also talks about tale-bearing or gossip.
VIII. GOSSIP
A. we all do it but Proverbs 16:28
1. don’t say “well, she’s not talking to me here”- check again! We ALL do it.
2. BUT do we catch ourselves, apologize, make amends
3. or give ourselves a “quick out” and do it again?
4. Proverbs 26:20
B. Catch-phrases to watch out for:
1. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this”
2. “did you hear about”
3. “I don’t know if you knew this”
4. “it’s probably gossip but”
5. “I don’t know if I should say this”
C. Another good sign I’m a gossiper
1. after a prayer request or something in the service that we disagree with
a. first inclination when get out of this sanctuary to go tell someone about it?
b. Or looking forward to getting here a little early before service so we can catch so & so
2. Not a woman’s issue either– heard more gossip from guys in ministry than one would think.
D. Avoiding gossip coming at me
1. Think of a sentence you will use when confronted
a. My sister uses “I don’t want to know anything about it.”
2. Or if a leading question is asked, “I don’t know, I’ll talk to her myself.”
E. Types of people/churches not to be like:
1. Romans 1:29
2. 2 Corinthians 12:20
3. 1 Timothy 5:13
F. If gossip is a part of our weekly meetings, or a part of our after-service and over- lunch discussions – why would anyone want to come here?
1. What kind of “truth, way & the life” is being represented?
2. BUT, we have a chance to live above that, to choose to make it right.
G. Example of cleaning day at church when I first got here
1. came to bring lunch and was joking around with some of the folks here. 2. Someone overheard me and misunderstood the intention behind one of my comments.
3. didn’t get riled up about it, she realized that there was “probably another side to the story” and asked me about it next morning.
a. not in an accusing or confronting way but a question to clear up some confusion she had.
4. astonished that my comment had made such a bad impression & was quick to apologize and make it right.
5. Since then, I’ve learned to try to present my thoughts more clearly and she has learned to take me a little less seriously.
VIV. Stop Perpetuating Old Ideas / Formulas
A. commit to be a united body of believers that people WANT to be part
1. can present God’s truths clearly
B. What’s past is past
1. people have moved into other ministries and out of this one.
2. support with prayers but be removed from emotional involvement in issues that our simply not our own.
3. spend our time, our energies on throwing open these doors, Ephesians 4:32-5:2
X. The future is NOW
A. the “future generation” has arrived - already raising up the next generation.
B. need your mentorship to help us become mentors
1. Elijah showed Elisha how to minister (1 Kings 19, 2 Kings 2),
2. Moses showed Joshua how to be a leader (Exodus 17, 24:13)
3. Jesus showed how to put it all together in every day life (the Gospels)
X. The big challenge
A. Live out loud in front of people you meet
1. the cashier, the salesman at the door, the cable repair person, niece, brother, daughter
2. you’ve got issues, yes, but you’ve got an advocate, mediator & counselor who gives you HOPE (John 14:26, Hebrews 9:15)
B. Be the whole package out there & they’ll come in here
1. Vote your beliefs without shame
2. praise & worship the Lord –shouting, quiet rest, song, prostrate, standing, marching, dancing, sitting—WILD praise
3. no formula buy don’t be a distraction.
4. it’s not about ME, it’s about HIM and glorifying ONLY Him. Psalm 69:30.
C. God likes to “change it up”
1. I want to be paying attention
2. I think “oh, that word of knowledge or prophecy today was awesome” but don’t apply it to me - get the recording because it’s applicable to me
3. I think, “oh so-and-so should hear this today” - need to double-check and get out of it what the Lord has for me
D. People will see these changes on us, in us & will follow us in here.
E. Live out loud!! 2 Corinthians 5:20.
1. If I didn’t get anything out of the service today - I didn’t come here planning to get anything out of it.
2. I didn’t put any commitment to gleaning what I could out of it.
a. not necessarily Pastor’s or worship leader’s fault if I didn’t find something to go away with from the service.
XI. Word becoming fruit
A. don’t want my neighbors and family members to see me & wonder what “service” I died in (reference to anecdote given at beginning)
B. want them to know I’m living in the service
1. I’m building
2. hoping
3. believing
4. enjoying the journey & they can too!
C. Commitment request
1. to finally and actually lay down the past, the old formulas
2. to build from our foundation here a new ministry
3. to open the doors to our community
4. to let bitterness, strife, gossip & confusion go
5. to choose hope, peace, joy and knowledge
6. to mentor and be mentored
D. doors are being flung open
1. we can be the change and the “new” already spoken of
2. Read Matthew 7:15-20
a. Time for words that have been spoken here to become fruit.
I was too lazy to "fix" the outline look of it but I hope it wasn't too distracting.
Love,
Angel
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