(February 8, 2010)
Prayer House News!
We heard some great testimonies of those who received a healing last week. God did some wonderful things in our midst. People who had been struggling for years are now free. Let's keep believing God for more.
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This is Family Week at Prayer House which means our schedule is a little lighter. No Mid-week services.
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Please Note: I will be traveling to Missouri to see my Dad. A week ago he had a stroke and is still in the hospital, unconscious. My brother Barry and I are going see him and pray for him. I will still update the blog each day but may not be able to send you the email reminder. So if you would save the email you received to bring you here - and just click on the same link each day - we can stay connected that way.
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The Sermon
I want to start today by looking at where we are in this great Gospel. We just viewed the first 20 verses of the fifth chapter of Matthew which of course is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.
I want to start today by looking at where we are in this great Gospel. We just viewed the first 20 verses of the fifth chapter of Matthew which of course is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.
The Gospel of Matthew begins with the birth of Christ in the first two chapters. Then chapter three introduces us to John the Baptist and the message of repentance. Jesus carried that message into chapter four after he showed us how to get through the wilderness, or temptations, of this life by acknowledging the mercy of God, not putting God to foolish tests and by worshipping him only.
Now we come to what I consider the most important chapters of the New Testament Matthew 5, 6, 7. These chapters make up what is called the Sermon on the Mount.
As we will see Chapter five deals with the beatitudes and the development of God’s character in our lives. Chapter six shows us how to develop these qualities through the three Christian disciplines of giving, praying, and fasting. Chapter seven shows us the things that hinder the development of God’s character in our lives. After chapter seven we simply get into the account of Christ’s life, the various parables he taught, and the incredible insight he gives us about life. The book ends with the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
We need to see the whole picture here. Let me give you the nutshell version of Matthew. First we repent. Repent (change your mind concerning sin), Repentance leads to salvation. Then we get saved (submit your life to Christ and be baptized). After salvation we seek to develop in the character of Christ. Grow up (go through trials [wilderness wanderings], develop in God’s character [sermon on the mount]).
The ultimate purpose of all of this, is so we can Serve God and ultimately fulfill the great commission. The primary point of the Sermon on the Mount is that we most successfully serve God through the development of His character in our lives. It really simplifies what many people try to complicate.
I had the opportunity last week to preach in the church where I had been a youth pastor 30 years ago. All the kids from my former youth group are married with kids – they are all in their 40’s. The most interesting stat that I heard was that most of them were still in the church. There is a reason why I say that.
I’m going to take a couple of minutes before we get into our text for today. While I was visiting with a minister friend in St. Paul – he gave me a copy of this book. It’s the American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster. This is a facsimile first edition. The word facsimile means, exact. So this is an exact copy of the 1828 dictionary.
Fifty two years after our nation gained its independence this dictionary came out. Noah Webster realized that if we were going to come together as a nation we needed a standard for the words we were going to speak. At the age of 43, Webster began writing this expanded and comprehensive dictionary, which would take twenty-seven years to complete. To supplement the documentation of the etymology (et-a-mology) of the words, Webster learned twenty-six languages. This original version contains 70,000 words – if which 12,000 had been published in any earlier dictionary.
What I want us to see are some of the definitions in this dictionary. For instance the word “education” is defined this way: Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable.
I had the opportunity last week to preach in the church where I had been a youth pastor 30 years ago. All the kids from my former youth group are married with kids – they are all in their 40’s. The most interesting stat that I heard was that most of them were still in the church. There is a reason why I say that.
I’m going to take a couple of minutes before we get into our text for today. While I was visiting with a minister friend in St. Paul – he gave me a copy of this book. It’s the American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster. This is a facsimile first edition. The word facsimile means, exact. So this is an exact copy of the 1828 dictionary.
Fifty two years after our nation gained its independence this dictionary came out. Noah Webster realized that if we were going to come together as a nation we needed a standard for the words we were going to speak. At the age of 43, Webster began writing this expanded and comprehensive dictionary, which would take twenty-seven years to complete. To supplement the documentation of the etymology (et-a-mology) of the words, Webster learned twenty-six languages. This original version contains 70,000 words – if which 12,000 had been published in any earlier dictionary.
What I want us to see are some of the definitions in this dictionary. For instance the word “education” is defined this way: Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable.
continued tomorrow
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Medication: A Merry Heart
Cute Things Kids Say
The girls were heading out for a women's dinner at church when my little four-year-old granddaughter asked her mom why the baby couldn't stay home with Dad like the other kids.
Her mom explained that it was because she needed to feed the baby.
The little girl replied, almost like she was thinking outloud: "Oh yeah, that's right, you have the nursers, and Dad has nursers too, but his don't work ... they are just for looks!"
