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[1340.00 --> 1346.84] we could have done the work now so that our future selves are mature in Christ. So please think of that |
[1346.84 --> 1352.08] person. And many of you already have it. Who can you go out for coffee with? Who can you have a breakfast |
[1352.08 --> 1358.48] meeting with? Who can you talk vulnerably about your faith and your struggles with? Reach out to |
[1358.48 --> 1363.58] that person and start there. Would you be willing to do that? Because that's one of the invitations of |
[1363.58 --> 1371.06] this passage. Consider how we can encourage one another. They need you. You need them. Not only are |
[1371.06 --> 1375.98] we called to receive the encouragement, but for many of us, maybe who've been seasoned and grown in Christ |
[1375.98 --> 1381.42] for quite a few years, it's time to start pouring yourself into a younger generation. It's time to |
[1381.42 --> 1385.92] use some of the gift you have with time and bless those who are in a younger generation to nurture |
[1385.92 --> 1393.12] and encourage their faith as well. This is what it means to be church. After the 9 a.m. service, I got |
[1393.12 --> 1397.90] permission to share that someone came up to me, and they shared that for the last year they've been sick, |
[1398.70 --> 1404.80] and they were not able to be in the church. They were not able to worship, and she shared that she felt |
[1404.80 --> 1409.96] not only the pain of loneliness and the pain of sickness, but the pain of spiritual attack. |
[1411.16 --> 1414.74] And it's not my story to tell, although I can share it vaguely, but that sense of feeling like |
[1414.74 --> 1419.30] Satan is going after her when she's by herself, and now she's able to be back in worship. She just |
[1419.30 --> 1425.22] celebrates the gift of Christian community. Take seriously not only the invitation to be in community, |
[1425.70 --> 1433.94] but our vulnerability when we are alone. Our passage closes with a bit of an ominous statement. |
[1434.80 --> 1442.42] It says, encourage one another all the more as we see the day approaching, and that's the day of |
[1442.42 --> 1447.20] Jesus' return, the day of Christ making all things new and judging sin and death forever. |
[1448.10 --> 1452.90] And I want you to know that there's a sense of urgency in this passage, knowing that things are |
[1452.90 --> 1456.18] very tough for the church, that people are leaving the church, that there's pressure against the church, |
[1456.36 --> 1461.00] and in result of that it's saying it's all the more important that you meet together. It's all the |
[1461.00 --> 1466.14] more important that you encourage one another because it's not easy following Jesus in a world |
[1466.14 --> 1470.84] that does not know Him, a world that does not find goodness in Him, and so we need each other all the |
[1470.84 --> 1475.72] more. There will be a day where near becomes here, and we will wish, as one writer put it, that we spent |
[1475.72 --> 1480.86] more time encouraging and building one another up in preparation for Jesus' glorious return. |
[1480.86 --> 1492.44] So in summary, we are invited to take hold of Christ by faith and enter into the presence of God with |
[1492.44 --> 1498.32] confidence because we as the body of Christ have been cleansed by His work, we've been set free by the |
[1498.32 --> 1506.72] cross, and we belong in God's presence. Secondly, we're invited to hope that there will come a day when |
[1506.72 --> 1514.24] Jesus will come again, and all will be made right that is wrong with the world. But thirdly, we are |
[1514.24 --> 1520.88] invited to journey together, to commit to one another, to meet together for the sake of maturity, |
[1521.40 --> 1527.20] growth, battling sin, and all the rest. And as we do that, we will not only experience the joy of Christ |
[1527.20 --> 1536.50] in our midst, but we will shine brightly in a culture that is increasingly isolated and lonely. Amen? |
[1537.44 --> 1538.54] Let me lead us in prayer. |
[1545.20 --> 1551.48] Father, I praise You that we get to be Your church. I praise You for all the miraculous stories, |
[1551.60 --> 1557.50] even in this gathering, of how You have drawn us out of isolation and forged us into Your family. |
[1558.24 --> 1565.36] I praise You by the unity of faith we have. And I ask even now, Lord, where there is loneliness, |
[1565.36 --> 1572.28] You would build us into deep community. Where there is isolation, we would reach out to those |
[1572.28 --> 1579.54] and invite them into community. I pray that You would enable us to see how critical it is for us, |
[1580.22 --> 1587.76] for our families, and for our future as a church. Spirit, would You give us those people who can walk |
[1587.76 --> 1595.12] with us. Would You give us the capacity to encourage those around us, to challenge and to comfort those |
[1595.12 --> 1602.26] who are struggling. Would You allow us, Lord, to experience the gift of being the body of Christ. |
[1602.26 --> 1606.12] We pray this in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen. |
• Introduction to the pastor Dave Gruden |
• Overview of the sermon series "Contrast Community" |
• Discussion on community values in contrast to societal norms (service, dependent prayer, rest) |
• Focus on community values: gratitude and generosity vs. greed and entitlement |
• Reading from Matthew 6 on money, treasures, and possessions |
• Jesus' teaching on the impermanence of material wealth and its failure as a master or idol |
• Reflections on living in a consumer society and the challenge to follow Jesus' teachings |
• The importance of simplicity and generosity in following Jesus |
• Jesus' carefree and trust-in-God vision for economic life |
• The impermanence of earthly possessions and the fleeting nature of wealth |
• The futility of placing hope and meaning in material things |
• The contrast between Jesus' teachings on materialism and the focus on wealth among religious leaders |
• The speaker discusses the nature of money and material possessions, stating that while they can be evil when used to enslave us, they are not inherently evil |
• God is a generous God who gives good gifts, but we often become enslaved by our desire for more |
• The speaker reflects on how greed is an issue for everyone, especially in consumer societies where people are constantly chasing more stuff and money |
• Jesus invites believers into a different way of being, teaching that storing up treasures on earth is not as valuable as storing up treasures in heaven |
• Different interpretations of the phrase "treasures in heaven" are discussed, including living with character and investing in eternal things |
• The church is seen as a community that catches glimpses of the future kingdom of God, where all needs will be met and there will be peace, justice, and care for the poor |
• Practical ways to store up treasures in heaven are to be discussed further |
• Practicing gratitude as a response to God's ownership and provision |
• Believers do not need to fear or be anxious about possessions because God provides generously |
• Gratitude can lead to contentment, simplicity, and living with what one has |
• Focusing on thankfulness for God's gifts rather than constantly desiring more |
• Practicing gratitude |
• Practicing generosity, including giving to those in need |
• Difficulty with generosity due to greed or hunger for more |
• Personal story of giving away someone else's car without permission |
• Breaking news to the owner about the car's destruction |
• The speaker's experience with his son-in-law's car being damaged and the insurance company's response |
• The concept of generosity and openness in Christianity, as taught by Jesus |
• A passage from the Bible where Jesus talks about light and darkness, comparing healthy vs. unhealthy eyes to generous vs. stingy hearts |
• The temptation to be selfish, entitled, and possessive with one's possessions |
• Hoarding and sharing material possessions as Christians |
• Worrying about accumulating wealth and being willing to share it |
• The concept of healthy detachment from earthly treasures |
• A pastor's experience with a church struggling financially despite appearing affluent |
• The crushing weight of idolatry in the lives of Christians due to their attachment to material possessions. |
• The worship of money as a god can lead to failure |
• The antidote to this is a radical posture of generosity and parting with possessions and money |
• Cultivating relationships with vulnerable people who are in need can help change one's perspective on finances and resources |
• Getting close to places of brokenness can spark a desire to use what we have to bless others |
• The church's calling is to kindle the imagination of our resources being used to serve others. |
• The challenges of living in an expensive city |
• Feeling financially strained and thinking that having more money will make generosity easier |
• A biblical principle: "If you are generous with little, you will be generous with much" |
• Being generous not just with money but also with time and resources |
• The importance of practicing generosity from a young age |
• Personal anecdote about being forced to give by parents |
• The importance of practicing generosity and giving |
• The tendency to fall into greed and jealousy towards others' possessions |
• Teaching children to give young to train the next generation in generosity |
• Jesus coming to break the power of sin, including slavery to money and materialism |
• Learning the way of discipleship through simplicity, gratitude, and generosity |
• Recognizing that all we have belongs to God and thanking Him for it |
• Praying for generosity |
• Singing a song of response to God's generosity |
• Reflecting on the goodness of God throughout one's life |
• Celebrating communion as a celebratory meal, recognizing Jesus' victory over Satan, death, and sin |
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