Monday Morning May 10

It's Monday morning again.  Weren't we just here last week?  Ok, so it comes once a week.  Well, to the day:

Step 1: Review recording from yesterday's services.  It's awful.  Too much space between recording point and source.  The microphone we're using is not designed to pick up a single speaker across a gymnasium.  So, this week, we've got no sermon audio for you.  Which, in all honesty, doesn't bother me that much.

Why?  Well, I'm not sure I was well on track with my speaking skills.  The text was good, the outline was good, but the delivery, I thought, sounded a little shaky.  Part of it was that we had a children's skit at the beginning of the service, and one of the participants was about as hammed up as one can get.  He's usually a good kid.  Just a little on the goofy side, like his father.  So, it was a little hard to recover from my son's antics in the skit.  I think my voice was shaky from it, and I didn't project well. 

Which is a big deal for me.  I use a headset microphone when I preach, but I really prefer to not need it.  If you're dependent on the technology, you're beholden to it, for good or for ill.  So, I try to be able to go without it.  Not so yesterday.

Step 2: online the recording: Not going to happen, not with the quality issues. 

Step 3: Review statistics from yesterday: attendance, giving down from last Sunday.  I know we had some folks out to see their mothers for Mother's Day, a few others out due to baseball tournaments.

Step 4:  Post Sermon Outlines:

Text: Matthew 9:35-38

Theme: Workers for the kingdom

Date: May 9 2010 AM

Location: CBC Monticello

1. The Kingdom of God needs workers

   1. There are people in need physically

   2. There are people in need spiritually

   3. There are people that are ready to enter the Kingdom

2. Mothers are a part of that:

   1. First role:

      1. Expanding the kingdom from home

      2. Few have more impact on children than their mothers

         1. “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” (William Ross Wallace)

      3. Mothers grow the kingdom first by influencing their children to follow Christ:

         1. In prayer

         2. In example

         3. In compassion

         4. this does not diminish the father's responsibility, but supplements it

      4. Mothers grow the kingdom from home by prayerfully encouraging their husbands to be servants of Christ first

         1. by not demanding to be kept equal with the world

         2. by accepting the derision of the world for their Godliness

         3. Proverbs 31:10-31; Titus 2:3-5

   2. Second role:

      1. Releasing their children to serve Christ

      2. How many times have you chosen rightly because of the encouraging mother in your life?

      3. Biblical examples of Hannah, Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist); Timothy's mother and grandmother

      4. Historical examples:

      5. A Godly mother encourages her children to place the kingdom of God first in their hearts, above all else

3. We ought to, as a church, encourage Biblical & Godly Motherhood

   1. In our teaching

   2. In our actions

   3. In our fellowship

   4. In our training of younger generations

Text: Philippians 3:17-21

Theme: Citizenship test

Date: May 9 2010 PM

Location: CBC Monticello

1. Citizenship Matters

   1. Many of us have grown up in America as American citizens, and don't grasp the historical implications of citizenship

   2. The modern age is really the first that extends nearly identical privileges to citizens and non-citizens. In the USA, voting and jury duty seem to be the main 2 differences.

      1. Realistically, there are many more, from not needing to renew “alien” status cards to not being deportable to various individualized benefits depending on what part of the government you're dealing with

      2. There are also substantial advantages we would see if we were outside of the US-in terms of US Embassy/Consulate help

      3. But, to most of our normal lives, we just don't see it

   3. In the Roman Empire, only a portion of the population were citizens. They had more rights and lower taxes than non-citizens. There were legal rights, voting rights, and property ownership rights

   4. Look at Paul's statement in Acts 22:23-28

2. Yet here, Paul is highlighting which citizenship really matters

   1. It is as citizens of heaven that we derive our identity

   2. Any other citizenship comes second

3. We would do well to focus our attention on examples worth following

   1. Since we are to be focused on our citizenship in heaven, our examples should reflect that:

      1. Walk according to the pattern Paul and others showed

      2. Walk according to the hope of Christ transforming us

      3. Walk according to the subjection of all things to Christ.

   2. Since we are to be focused on our citizenship in heaven, our examples should not be those that:

      1. Walk as enemies of the cross of Christ in word

      2. Walk as enemies of the cross of Christ in deed

      3. Walk as enemies of the cross of Christ in belief

4. Where will we find our examples to follow?

Step 5: Start looking at this week: Graduate recognition Sunday, Baptist Association Board meeting tonight, business meeting Wednesday.  Sermons to prep: Matthew 10:5-15; Philippians 4:1-2 (or 3).  Books to be read: Holiness  by J.C. Ryle; The Good News We Almost Forgot by Kevin DeYoung; and for fun: The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel Miller.

Have a good one!

Thanks for taking the time to read! Doug Hibbard