Monday May 3

In case you've ever wondered, not that you've asked, but I typically spend my Mondays trying to process the Sunday before.  I go back over notes about the service, attendance information, notes from any committee meetings, and sometimes listen to the worship service.  I try to figure out what went well, what went poorly, and what caused anything else.

This I usually do while I'm getting the church sermons put together to put online.  I'm not sure either one of these is doing anyone any good, but the exercise in futility helps me to understand some things better.  How was yesterday?  Well, we had some technical problems in the morning service which caused a rough start, but it went ok.  Music was alright.  Solo was good, but bizarre microphone popping was a distraction.  Sermons were ok morning and evening, not great, but not the worst I've ever delivered.  Committee meetings in the afternoon was about as I expected it to be.  Meanwhile…

 

I've now got the files ready for the Media Player, so here are the sermons and the sermon outlines:

Go To FileFactory.com

(By the way: STE-000.mp3 is Sunday night.  New recording device named the file that, and I forgot to change it.)

Text: Matthew 9:14-17

Theme: A Burst Life!

Date: May 2, 2010 AM

Location: CBC Monticello

1. Text:

   1. Explanations:

      1. Fasting:

         1. The Pharisees, as many of the religious people of the day, fasted at least 1 day a week

         2. The purpose being to help the person focus more on God and less on things

      2. Wine fermenting

         1. Grape juice poured into skins to age: normal practice

         2. In the process, gas bubbles are formed and escape

      3. Bridegrooms and Feasting

         1. A time to celebrate new life

         2. A time to celebrate hope for the future

         3. A time to celebrate covenants

   2. Quick notes:

      1. Recorded also in Luke 5:36-39

      2. Also: patching clothes: most of us are well aware of that principle

2. Principle:

   1. There is a time for mourning

   2. There is a time for fasting

   3. There is a time for feasting

   4. There is a time for celebration

   5. There is a time for repair

   6. There is a time for newness

3. Application:

   1. The parable associates the work of God in our lives as if it were the new wine being poured into wineskins

   2. The point is:

      1. God's work in our lives is not guaranteed to be easy

      2. God's work in our lives can, in fact, be destructive if we are not willing to change the formats we expect God to work in

      3. God's work in our church is the same way

      4. We cannot expect God to work in us or our church and have things remain the same

ARE YOU PREPARED TO HAVE GOD BURST YOUR LIFE?

 

Text: Philippians 3:12-16

Theme: Fughetaboudit!

Date: May 2 2010 PM

Location: CBC Monticello

1. We're looking at the balance between God's work in our lives and our responsibility for our own lives

   1. Christ has made us His own: we are already fully bought by God

      1. This is complete

      2. This is irreversible

   2. We are responsible for living up to what God has done in us

      1. This is not complete

      2. This is reversible

2. How will we accomplish what we are responsible for?

   1. By forgetting the past:

      1. First, forgetting our failures

         1. We must acknowledge they exist

         2. We must accept God's forgiveness

         3. We must stop trying to undo the ones that cannot be undone

            1. Marriage

            2. Children

            3. Other Permanent decisions

      2. Second, forgetting our successes

         1. That's right

         2. A ship does not sail on yesterday's wind

3. We must press on to the goal

   1. It is to us to supply the energy

   2. We can because God has already bought us

   3. We can because God is with us

   4. We can because God has commanded us

   5. It is a matter of the will

4. Notice the collective nature of the terms: we, many, us

   1. This is not a task for loners

   2. This is not a task that we abandon others in our pursuit of doing

   3. This is a task for the church!