Southeast Christian Church

More Than Words: Where Are We Going?

I think the 20th Century Humorist, Ken Hubbard, said it best when he stated, "Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs out and tears out faster than the Christmas Spirit." So before we totally put Christmas in our rearview mirror I want to take some time to take 3 stops along the way on the day after Christmas. The goal is that we will see that we are to make the most out of every day God gives us, even after Christmas.

This message is titled "If I Could Only Preach One Sermon." Now I hope I will preach many more sermons, but if that were not the case what message would burn in me? What message would I want everyone to hear? I would want you to hear three things: Hell is a terrible place of eternal punishment, Heaven is an awesome place of eternal reward, and Jesus is returning soon.

You have just been asked by a publishing company to write a biography on your life. When the initial excitement fades away you become anxious. What will they include and what will they leave out? Will they uncover secrets that I have kept hidden away? What about those parts of my story that I have never told anyone? When we read the OT we find biography after biography which include the hidden secrets. You would think God would have wanted to keep these things in the dark but instead Scripture tells the whole truth even when the truth involves sexual sin like that mentioned in Davids family.

It has been so hot around here this summer. Imagine it is a hot, muggy, 98 degree day and youre out working in the yard. It feels like youre baking in an oven. Just when you cannot take it any longer your spouse comes walking out with ice-cold water. The water refreshes you and youre ready to get back out there and keep going. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7 that it is better to marry than to burn with sexual temptation. So it is the intimacy of marriage that quenches our thirst. This week we are going to look at another one of Davids sons, Solomon. He too was undone by sexual desire, but in Song of Solomon (Song of Songs) we have a flashback of his youthful desire for intimacy in marriage.

My family and I enjoy spending time around the fire in our fire pit. We gather around to roast marshmallows or hotdogs and to enjoy conversations and tell stories. The fire pit comes with a manual full of warnings: not to use indoors or on a wood surface and not to use gasoline to ignite the fire to name a few. It comes with so many warnings because fire in the confines of the fire pit is safe, but outside the fire pit it is dangerous and destructive. In the same way, sex is safe as long as it is confined to marriage as it was created, but outside of marriage sex is a dangerous fire that causes devastation and destruction.

Sex is found everywhere in our society isn't it? Somehow there is something about talking about it in church that doesn't seem right. However, this is where we should talk about it. After all God is the One who created sex. From the outset I want to make clear that sex is not a sin. Sex is good. God created sex for the marriage relationship as a special bond that creates intimacy between a husband and a wife. In the context of marriage sex has an addicting power that powerfully unites and bonds a couple. This powerful addicting power is destructive when it is connected to an image, a website, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or to some sexual act.

We love romantic stories. As children many of us grew up seeing marriage cast in Disney movies with a fairy-tail ending. The princess and the prince finally are able to express their love in marriage at the end of the movie. As the movie ends and the picture fades we see them departing to live happily ever after. I wonder what we would see in a sequel to these marriages titled, "6 Months Later." The princess aggravated by constantly picking up after her husband who she has discovered is a total slob and wonders how she could have married such a man. When she confronts him with frustration and anger in her voice he also wonders what happened to the princess he thought he married. She does not always look as beautiful as they did when they first married and her lack of education is beginning to get old. Which leads to the question: "Is it possible to live happily ever after?"

The story of the USA is like a cliffhanger, the jury is still out on the ending. However, reflecting upon our nations foundation (as well as its current status) will help us determine what awaits us ahead. In Psalm 127:1 King David writes, "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." A positive change in our nations future begins with putting God first in our homes and in our families. You see, as it goes for the home so it goes for the country.

Whether married or not, we all have great expectations when it comes to marriage. Our spousal expectations are often heavily influenced through advertisements, reality television, and movies. These expectations may be inaccurate. In Genesis 29, we read the story of Jacob and Leah which is full of unhealthy expectations for marriage. Initially they both felt deceived and heartbroken. We can certainly learn from their experience in an effort to mold Biblical expectations for marriage. With Biblical expectations, you can get it right the first time and insure that you have a lasting marriage that becomes a strong testimony for Christ.

The father factor in The Story of Us is more significant than we realize. This means we must confront the sin struggles of our fathers. We tend to think of sin in terms of commission: here are the things that I have done wrong—the sins I have committed. However, the Bible also speaks of sins of omission—where we do nothing even after God has called us to action. Adam, our first father, sinned in this way. Even today this continues to be a sin struggle for men as husbands and fathers. We cannot be content in allowing ourselves – as well as others under our influence – to be negatively impacted by the affects of our passivity.

On occasion the preaching staff at Southeast feels God calling us to focus on what is happening in the lives of church members. This series came about from us hearing love storieslove stories that are falling apart. So we are going to take a look at what Gods recipe is for marriage.

We have come to the last fruit of the Spirit, self control, but the level of difficulty does not diminish as we come to the end of the list. Is self control listed last because its the least important? Probably notafter all this list is called the fruit, not the fruits of the spirit. Its your lifeyour work viewed in its entirety. And I believe that self control is last because it takes that resolve and denial of self to overcome any temptation so that you can show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness and gentleness.

We usually think of gentleness as weakness. We want to be strong our recipe for achieving success not weak or gentle. And yet Galatians 5 says, "The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness." The lesson is this: our aggression can lash out, hurting others and grieving the Holy Spirit. Gentleness, however, is turning the reigns of your anger and aggravation over to the Holy Spirit. If you are walking with the Spirit then gentleness should be evident in your life.

The next Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 is "Faithfulness." The Apostle Paul found that the only correct response to Christs sacrifice on the cross is faithfulness. It is the essence of Christian obediencereflecting a lifestyle that has accepted Gods grace. This compels us to be faithful in all things, for our behavior shows our acceptance of Gods salvation activity in Christ.