The Greatness of Christ

Col. 1:15-21

Intro:

– The Bible describes one God who consists of three eternal, equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We learn from the Bible clearly that there is only one God. We also learn clearly that there are three persons who make up this one God. There is nothing else in creation that is like this, like the Godhead. A term that we use to describe this is the “Trinity” (and as mentioned, “the Godhead”). One God, three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

– We are going to focus on the second person of the Trinity, God the Son. We are going to see some awesome things from God’s Word. We are going to be awed by God the Son.

 

1) Jesus is the image of the invisible God (15a)

– Jesus is the exact representation (“icon”) of the invisible God. We cannot see God because He is spirit, but Jesus is God (the Son, specifically) in a physical body.

* Jn. 1:1, 14; 5:16-18; Heb. 1:3

 

2) Jesus is the firstborn over all creation (15b)

– In Jewish culture the firstborn son received the inheritance from his father, and took charge of his father’s things.

 

3) Jesus created all things (16)

– Jesus was involved in creating everything. Jesus, God the Son, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit created all things.

* Jn. 1:3; Heb. 1:2

 

4) Jesus is before all things (17a)

– Jesus existed before all things. This is because God the Son has existed eternally. He is the second person of the divine Trinity. He was not created.

* Jn. 1:1-2

 

5) Jesus holds all things together (17b)

– God the Son causes everything to continue and work in this creation. God is the one who keeps this planet spinning, seasons changing, food growing, rain falling, Sun rising, etc…

* Heb. 1:3

6) Jesus is the head of the Church (18a)

– God the Son is the boss of the Church. He is the boss of every single believer. He is the chief Shepherd/Pastor (1 Pet. 5:4). If anyone wants to know who ultimately is in charge around here, it is Jesus, God the Son. Yet God has placed pastors/elders in the churches to oversee them and lead them for Him.

* Eph. 1:22-23

 

7) Jesus is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead (18b-c)

– God the Son was the first to rise from the dead with an immortal, glorified body. God the Son in a resurrection/glorified body is the beginning of God’s new creation.

* 1 Cor. 15:20, 23; Acts 26:22-23

 

8) Jesus has first place in everything (18d)

– God the Son is given first place over all creation. He is preeminent and presides over creation. He is exalted by God the Father and given the name above every name.

* Phil. 2:9-11

 

9) Jesus is God (19)

– Jesus has all of the fullness (plhrow = completeness) of God in Himself. Jesus has the fullness and completeness of deity in Himself. Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the divine Trinity, the second person of the divine Godhead.

* Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9

 

10) Jesus has reconciled all things to God the Father through His death on the cross (20)

– As a result of mankind’s rebellion against God: creation is cursed, people are separated from God spiritually (spiritually dead), and people are under judgment. God the Son indwelt a human body, and took God the Father’s judgment, for the sins of mankind, on Himself when He died on the cross.

* Rom. 5:6-11

– It seems as though ¾ of Americans are in therapy. We have wrongfully “Christianized” worldly psychology and counseling advice. Here is a quote from Al Mohler (president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary),

“Most people (especially Americans) feel that all of their problems are because of something external that has happened to them. So they look for a solution from within (“self-help”). People believe that they have a problem that is from an external source and they are searching for an internal solution (inside themselves). The Bible tells us that we have an internal problem (inside ourselves) and our only solution is external, that is righteousness from God through faith in Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins.”

 

Concluson:

– We have explored some facts about Jesus Christ, who is God the Son. These are awesome things, truths that should lead us to worship the one true God. The Bible is the source of truth. Let us be people that are students of the Word of God, not just learning it, but living according to it in our lives.

 

Go Fish!
The Selfish Servant
Message #5
Jonah 4:1-11
Intro:
– Last week we completed message #4 in our series, “Go Fish!” which was entitled The Reluctant Revivalist. Here is a quick review of the principles from the passage:
(1) God wants you to fulfill His mission (1-2)
(2) Obey God’s commands (3)
(3) Declare God’s message (4)
(4) Sometimes people turn from their sin (5)
(5) Mourning over sin is not a bad thing to do (6)
(6) When God warns of judgment, you had better take it seriously (7-8a)
(7) Ask God to change people’s hearts so that they will not be judged (8b)
(8) If people turn from their sin, God might be merciful and not judge them (9)
(9) Turning from sin is not evidenced in words spoken by themselves, but accompanied by changed actions (10)
– This morning we are on to message #5 in the series, “Go Fish!” which is entitled The Selfish Servant. This is the final message in the series “Go Fish!” We have learned a great deal about God calling His people to do things for Him and the decision that His people have to make. Do they obey or do they disobey?
– In our passage today, we are going to learn a little bit more about people. People like to get their own way, even if it is not right for them to have their own way. People like to get their own way so much that when they don’t get their own way, they are not happy. Have you ever seen someone use manipulation to get what he/she wants? Do you ever do that to God? Jonah tried it. Let’s see how it worked out.

I) God the King, not Burger King (1-4)
– God doesn’t do things our way (1)
* It greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry
~ Jonah was angry that God would have compassion on an enemy of Israel. He wanted God’s goodness to be shown only to Israelites, not Gentiles.
~ God’s greatest concern is not our happiness
– It is ok for God to be gracious to us, but not to people we don’t like! (2)
* in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish
~ Jonah knew this would happen, because God is:
> gracious and compassionate
> slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness
> one who relents concerning calamity
~ Jonah is not happy with who God is at the moment
– If I can’t have my own way, I quit! (3)
* death is better than life!
~ to Jonah, God’s mercy to the Ninevites meant an end to Israel’s favored/special standing with Him. Shortly before this Jonah rejoiced in his deliverance from death, but now that Nineveh lives, Jonah prefers to die
– God’s way or mine? (4)
* do you have good reason to be angry?
~ this is in essence a rhetorical question because the answer is so obvious. Jonah has no right to be angry because God has done nothing wrong

II) Maybe God will change His mind…again! (5-8)
– If I hope hard enough, God will do what I want (5)
* made a shelter for himself…until he could see what would happen in the city
~ apparently this shelter didn’t provide enough shade since the next verse tells us that God provided him more shade.
~ Jonah waited because he still hoped that Nineveh would be destroyed
– God is good to us even in-spite of ourselves at times (6)
* God appointed a plant…to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort
~ plant – probably a castor oil plant, a shrub growing over 12 ft high with large, shady leaves
~ God graciously increased the comfort of His stubbornly defiant prophet
– God gets our attention sometimes through unpleasant circumstances (7-8)
* God appointed a worm…it attacked the plant and it withered (7)
~ situation #1
* God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head (8)
~ situation #2 & #3
> Jonah begs God to take his life – he wants to die again
> Jonah knows that God is behind these things

III) A God-sized perspective (9-11)
– God’s way or mine? (9)
* do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?
~ Jonah tells God that he is justified, he is right to be angry
~ Jonah says that he is so angry, to prove his point, he wants to die
– Do you care more about God’s mission or yourself? (10-11)
* you had compassion on the plant for which you didn’t work…cause to grow…came up overnight and perished overnight
~ God is breaking down Jonah’s view by asking these questions. Jonah cared more about a soul-less plant which meant nothing to him, more than he cared about a group of people made in the image of God, whom He created
> the point that God is making is…He cares about the Ninevites
~ came up overnight…perished overnight – indicative of fleeting value
* Should I not have compassion on Nineveh
~ Go had the first word and the last. The mission He gave Jonah displayed His mercy and compassion to the Ninevites, and His last word to Jonah emphatically demonstrates His concern for every creature, both man and animal. Not only does the “Lord…preserve man and beast (Ps 36:6; see Neh 9:6; Ps 145:16), but He takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but (desires) rather that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezek 33:11; see Ezek 18:21-23). Jonah and his countrymen traditionally rejoiced in God’s special mercies to Israel but wished only His wrath on their enemies. God here rebukes such hardness and He gives grace.
* more than 120,000 persons who don’t know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals
~ like small children who don’t know any different, the Ninevites need God’s fatherly compassion
~ God’s concern even extended to domestic animals – God is not cruel, and also, He made them, so obviously He cares what happens to them

Conclusion:
– Here is a quick review of the principles we have seen this morning:
(1) God doesn’t do things our way (1)
(2) It is ok for God to be gracious to us, but not to people we don’t like! (2)
(3) If I can’t have my own way, I quit! (3)
(4) God’s way or mine? (4)
(5) If I hope hard enough, God will do what I want (5)
(6) God is good to us even in-spite of ourselves at times (6)
(7) God gets our attention sometimes through unpleasant circumstances (7-8)
(8) God’s way or mine? (9)
(9) Do you care more about God’s mission or yourself? (10-11)
– In this series we have been reminded about the importance of obeying God by taking His message to the people in this world. Jonah as God’s prophet was called to warn the Ninevites of the coming judgment and how to avoid it. Today as Christ followers we are called as God’s ambassadors to warn people of the coming judgment and how to avoid it.
– What are you doing to warn people of the coming judgment and how to avoid it through receiving forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection?

Go Fish!
The Reluctant Revivalist
Message #4
Jonah 3:1-10
Intro:
– Last week we looked at message #3 in our series “Go Fish!” The title of that message was Missing the Boat. Here is a quick review of the principles that we found:
(1) Disobedience brings trouble (1-2)
(2) God will discipline us for disobeying (3)
(3) God followers must trust in Him (4)
(4) Disobedience will bring distress (5)
(5) Disobedience will bring dark times (6)
(6) In our darkest moments we must cry out to God (7)
(7) God’s people must obey (8-9)
(8) God’s rescue (10)
– This morning we are going on to message #4 in the “Go Fish!” series. The title of this morning’s message is The Reluctant Revivalist. In the history of mankind there have been some incredible spiritual revivals. When I say revival I mean that there was very little or no spiritual life in existence and then the Spirit of God brought life to a group of people. There are well-known evangelists/revivalists in our country today, which include, Billy & Franklin Graham, Luis Palau; and men of the past, which include D.L. Moody, and Billy Sunday. These men really desired to go to all people groups in the world and share God’s message of warning.
– As we think of Jonah, he seems at least in regard to this destination to be the least willing to share God’s message of warning. So let’s jump in to the Text.

I) The Call and Response – a sequel (1-4)
– God wants you to fulfill His mission (1-2)
* proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you (2)
~ a prophet was the bearer of a message from God, not primarily a foreteller of coming events
– Obey God’s commands (3)
* Jonah arose and went to Nineveh
~ he went reluctantly because we will find out that he still wants the Ninevites destroyed
~ an exceedingly great city
> 120,000 inhabitants – 4:11
> between 8 miles and 60 miles in circumference
– Declare God’s message (4)
* he cried out and said…
~ Jonah does what God told him to do, he warns the Ninevites of the coming judgment

II) A Change of Heart (5-9)
– Sometimes people turn from their sin (5)
* the people of Nineveh believed in God
~ a fast and sackcloth
> customary signs of humbling oneself in repentance
~ this may mean that they genuinely turned to God, it may not. At the very least they took the warning seriously and acted accordingly
– Mourning over sin is not a bad thing to do (6)
* the king…covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes
~ the king of Nineveh = the king of Assyria
~ the king realized that his earthly power could do nothing to stop the God of Israel from destroying them, so he mourns over their sin
– When God warns of judgment, you had better take it seriously (7-8a)
* no man, beast, herd, or flock can eat or drink water (7)
* both man and beat must be covered with sackcloth (8a)
~ inclusion of the animals was unusual and expressed the urgency with which the Ninevites sought the mercy of God
– Ask God to change people’s hearts so that they will not be judged (8b)
* call on God earnestly that each may turn
~ from his wicked way
~ from the violence in his hands
– If people turn from their sin, God might be merciful and not judge them (9)
* God often responds in mercy to man’s repentance by canceling threatened punishment

III) A Reprieve (10)
– Turning from sin is not evidenced in words spoken by themselves, but accompanied by changed actions (10)
* God is merciful because of their repentance and doesn’t judge Nineveh

Conclusion:
– Here is a quick review of the principles that we saw in the passage this morning:
(1) God wants you to fulfill His mission (1-2)
(2) Obey God’s commands (3)
(3) Declare God’s message (4)
(4) Sometimes people turn from their sin (5)
(5) Mourning over sin is not a bad thing to do (6)
(6) When God warns of judgment, you had better take it seriously (7-8a)
(7) Ask God to change people’s hearts so that they will not be judged (8b)
(8) If people turn from their sin, God might be merciful and not judge them (9)
(9) Turning from sin is not evidenced in words spoken by themselves, but accompanied by changed actions (10)
– We saw Jonah finally making it to Nineveh. He gave what might have been his most lackluster message ever, and his worst nightmare came true! The people of Nineveh turned from their evil and God spared them. In Jonah’s mind this is the absolute worst thing that could have happened. His warning was taken seriously and the people were saved from judgment. Do you know of a group of people that need to be warned about a judgment that is coming?
– Next week we are going to take a look at message #5 in our series “Go Fish!” which is entitled The Selfish Servant. This will be the final message in our “Go Fish!’ series.

Go Fish!
Missing the Boat
message #3
Jonah 2:1-10
Intro:
– Last week we looked at message #2 in our series “Go Fish!” The title of that message was Ready to Run. Here is just a quick review of the principles that we found in the 1st chapter of Jonah:
(1) God notices sin and doesn’t like it (1-2)
(2) When God tells you to do something, you can either obey or disobey (3)
(3) Disobedience to God’s commands brings serious consequences (4-6)
(4) Things don’t happen by accident (7-8)
(5) When you are a child of God and you disobey, God disciplines you (9)
(6) It is confusing to non-believers when believers disobey God (10-11)
(7) People should be very cautious what they do to God’s servant (12-14)
(8) Sometimes situations cause non-believers to revere God, His reputation is exalted (16)
– This morning we are moving on to message #3 in our series “Go Fish!” The title of this morning’s message is Missing the Boat. When someone makes the statement, “you are missing the boat on this one,” they are really trying to communicate that the person is really not getting the right idea, or solution to an issue. The statement includes the idea of a person being unfortunate because they are missing the boat. In this case we are going to see how Jonah missed the boat, and throughout the process, see a little bit of ourselves in him also.
– This is a psalm of thanksgiving for God delivering Jonah from death in the sea. Inside of the stomach of the fish Jonah is recalling his prayer for help as he was sinking into the depths of the sea. His gratitude is increased by the knowledge that he deserved death but God showed him extraordinary mercy.

I) Time to think and pray (1-10)
– Disobedience brings trouble (1-2)
* Called out of my distress to the Lord
~ God answered him (You heard me) because now he is in the fish
~ from the depth of sheol (the grave) – a figure used to describe Jonah almost dying
– God will discipline us for disobeying (3)
* You had cast me into the deep
~ the sailors were agents of God’s judgment
* Your breakers and billows
~ the storm is from God
– God followers must trust in Him (4)
* I will look again toward Your holy temple
~ this is a hopeful expectation that Jonah will survive because of God’s mercy and he will visit the temple in Jerusalem again
> The Israelites viewed the temple in Jerusalem on earth and the temple of God in heaven as inseparable locations – God was present in both places
– Disobedience will bring distress (5)
* To the point of death
~ he is drowning
* Weeds around my head
* Great deep engulfed me
– Disobedience will bring dark times (6)
* Descended to the roots of the mountains
~ the deepest valley
* The earth with its bars was around me
~ it was like prison
* You brought me up from the pit
~ pit = the grave, Jonah is looking back on the situation inside the fish; Jonah is thankful that God is merciful and spared his life
– In our darkest moments we must cry out to God (7)
* I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord
~ Jonah is in desperation, he was running out of air and was drowning. He knows that God is the only one who can save him now, so Jonah prays.
* My prayer came to You, into Your holy temple
~ When Jonah prayed, his prayer came directly to God (earthly temple, heavenly temple)
– God’s people must obey (8-9)
* Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness (8)
~ Jonah recognizes that people who worship false gods will desert them when the cost for obedience becomes too high
* But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving (9a)
~ Jonah is contrasting his devotion to the one true God with non-believers. He says that others will give up their devotion to false gods, but Jonah will be devoted to the God of Israel. He will obey God, he will worship Him, and he will do it with thanksgiving.
* That which I have vowed I will pay (9b)
~ During Jonah’s descent or sometime inside the fish, Jonah promised God that he would do something. Jonah reaffirms to God that he will do what he said. Jonah will obey.
* Salvation is from the Lord (9c)
~ Jonah gives God the credit for his rescue from the drowning. He also recognizes God as the great savior/rescuer.
– God’s rescue (10)
* God rescued His prophet by using a big fish
~ Jonah missed the boat and was transported by the fish to God’s intended destination

Conclusion:
(1) Disobedience brings trouble (1-2)
(2) God will discipline us for disobeying (3)
(3) God followers must trust in Him (4)
(4) Disobedience will bring distress (5)
(5) Disobedience will bring dark times (6)
(6) In our darkest moments we must cry out to God (7)
(7) God’s people must obey (8-9)
(8) God’s rescue (10)
– There seems to be non-stop action in the book of Jonah. In this text we saw that God is incredibly merciful. He rescues His very disobedient servant in-spite of himself. Though Jonah was disobedient, he still cries out to God. This is an example of total dependence on God.
– Next week we are going to be taking a look at the 4th message in our series “Go Fish”, which is entitled The Reluctant Revivalist.

Go Fish
Ready to Run
Message #1 & #2
Jonah 1:1-16
Intro:
– We are beginning a series in the book of Jonah. The series will be called, “Go Fish.” It will consist of 4 messages. This book will teach us a lot about who God is, and how to live for Him.
– Just to give you a little background on the situation at hand, we are in the Old Testament. This is important to note, because God is working out His plan in the world by dealing specifically with the nation of Israel. The Church does not exist and won’t exist until a couple of thousand years from this point. Jesus has not come yet, the cross, and the resurrection have not happened yet. Nineveh is the capital of the Assyrian empire. Assyria is one of the most powerful empires in the world at this time and they do not like the Israelites. They are not very kind toward the people of God in Israel. Also, as we gather from the book of Jonah, it becomes clear that Nineveh and its people are representative of Gentiles as a whole.
– This raises some problems for Jonah the prophet of God. The first problem is that he is an Israelite, the covenant people of God. They are special, they are God’s people. Jonah is sent with messages from God to the Israelites, not Gentiles! God on this occasion is sending Jonah to the wrong people (at least in his own mind). The second problem is that Israel was viewed as an enemy by Assyria. There was always a danger that the Assyrians would wage war on Israel for the land, and destroy everything (this did happen at a later time – when the northern kingdom was deported to Assyria)! Why would Jonah want this group of people who were such a great threat to God’s people to be warned? Just let God judge them, so that God’s people Israel would be safe.
– To say the least, Jonah is very reluctant to go to Nineveh the capital of Assyria.

I) The Call and Response (1-3)
– God notices sin and doesn’t like it (1-2)
* The Word of the Lord came (1)
~ A common phrase used to indicate the divine source of the prophet’s revelation
~ Jonah – a prophet from 800-750 BC
> 2 Kg 14:25
* Nineveh the great city (2)
~ built by Nimrod – Gen 10:11-12
~ in 700 BC Sennacharib made it the capital city of Assyria, until in its fall in 612 BC
~ Nineveh is over 500 miles from Jonah’s hometown of Gath-hepher
* Their wickedness has come up before Me (2)
~ the only wicked thing described in the book is violence – 3:8
~ Nahum tells us later that Nineveh’s sins included
> plotting evil against God – 1:11
> cruelty and plundering in war – 2:12-13; 3:1, 19
> prostitution and witchcraft – 3:4
> unfair business practices – 3:16
– When God tells you to do something, you can either obey or disobey (3)
* Jonah flees from God in a boat headed for Tarshish
~ it was in the opposite direction, to what seemed like the end of the world to escape God’s assignment

II) The Perfect Storm (4-14)
– Disobedience to God’s commands brings serious consequences (4-6)
* Jonah can’t escape God (4) – Ps 139:7, 9-10
* Jonah was supposed to be warning the Ninevites about God’s coming judgment, but his refusal to go brings these unbelieving sailors into danger (5)
~ the sailors worshiped many gods
* The captain approached him (6)
~ the unbelieving captain’s concern for everyone is a contrast to Jonah’s refusal to obey God and take warning to Nineveh
– Things don’t happen by accident (7-8)
* The lot fell on Jonah (7)
~ casting lots was frequently practiced in the ancient Near East, sticks or marked pebbles were drawn from a receptacle into which they had been “cast”
~ the guilty one is exposed
* Who, what, where??? (8)
~ the sailors want to know who Jonah is and what he has done
– When you are a child of God and you disobey, God disciplines you (9)
* Hebrew – Abram, the father of the Hebrew people, is the first biblical character to be called a Hebrew. It was usually an ethnic term used by non-Israelites in a derogatory way
* I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land
~ these unbelieving sailors would have understood Jonah’s words as describing the highest divinity
~ this was Jonah’s first confessional statement (1:9; cf. 2:9d; 4:2). It is completely true, Jonah is orthodox in his beliefs, but refuses to fulfill his mission from God
– It is confusing to non-believers when believers disobey God (10-11)
* How could you do this? (10)
~ this is a rhetorical question, most certainly asked in disbelief
~ the sailors hear Jonah’s description of his God, and can’t believe that he won’t fulfill this God’s mission
* What do we do with you? (11)
~ they know Jonah’s God is mad, what do they do to make Him not mad?
– People should be very cautious what they do to God’s servant (12-14)
* Throw me into the water (12)
~ Jonah would rather die than go to Nineveh, mercifully this will save the sailors, but in his mind not the Ninevites
* They rowed desperately to return to land (13)
~ they are not so sure about drowning God’s servant, that might make Him angrier
~ the sailors are reluctant to drown Jonah, a contrast to Jonah refusing to warn Nineveh about the coming judgment
* Don’t let us perish on account of this man’s life (14)
~ the non-believing sailors understand that even though he is disobedient, Jonah is still God’s servant. Therefore, they are cautious to harm him. This is something that not many people practice today, not even church people. Sometimes pastors face their greatest attacks from church people, this is a shame!

III) The Problem Solved? (15-16)
– Sometimes situations cause non-believers to revere God, His reputation is exalted (16)
* The men feared the Lord greatly
~ ancient non-believers were ready to recognize the existence and power of many gods. However, the sailors acknowledged that the God of Israel was in control of these events and at this moment He was the one to be worshiped

Conclusion:
– Wow, what a series of events that have occurred already in this account! God has called his servant to do something that he does not want to do, and he runs. We are beginning to see that he cannot run forever, the mission must be carried out.
– Some principles we see in the first message:
(1) God notices sin and doesn’t like it (1-2)
(2) When God tells you to do something, you can either obey or disobey (3)
(3) Disobedience to God’s commands brings serious consequences (4-6)
(4) Things don’t happen by accident (7-8)
(5) When you are a child of God and you disobey, God disciplines you (9)
(6) It is confusing to non-believers when believers disobey God (10-11)
(7) People should be very cautious what they do to God’s servant (12-14)
(8) Sometimes situations cause non-believers to revere God, His reputation is exalted (16)
– Next week we will take a look at message #2 in our series, “Go Fish” which is entitled Missing the Boat.

Extreme Makeover Home EditionChildren: A Godly ChildMessage #20Intro:– Last week in message #19 which was entitled “Children: Living a Pure Life – pt 2″ we saw that the Word of God gives us 3 facts about impurity in Proverbs 2 that will help us to be prepared to live a pure life for God.  They are:           1) It is avoidable                                                     2) It is attractive          3) It is destructive– A United Press survey found that the “typical American” is a twenty-seven-year-old who does not read one book a year. He is materialistic, satisfied with small pleasures, bored with theological disputations. Although he may attend church twenty- seven times a year, he is not interested in the supernatural. He is concerned with neither heaven nor hell. In fact, he has no interest whatever in immortality. His principal interests are football, hunting, fishing, and car-tinkering.– “When a man says he can’t keep awake through a thirty-minute sermon, and stays home with his 700-column newspaper, whom is he kidding? When a man says Sunday is his only day to rest, and gets up at 4:30 a.m. to go fishing, or spends the day on a golf course, whom is he kidding? When a man says church seats are too hard and uncomfortable, then goes some Saturday to sit on a bleacher for hours in a drizzle watching 22 men push one another back and forth across a mud lot, whom is he kidding? When a man says he doesn’t have time for Christ and His church, then spends evenings shopping, bowling, watching television, going to clubs, playing cards and having evenings out, whom is he kidding? … Not God!” ~ Spire– This week in message #20 which is entitled “Children: A Godly Child” we are going to look how our actions affect others and ourselves.  This wisdom from the Word of God will help us to be better prepared to make right decisions.  Decisions that will glorify God. * The effect of your conduct on your parents– Prov 10:1- a wise godly child makes his/her dad happy, but a foolish ungodly child brings grief to his/her mom  > In January 1970, Max Born died. A close friend of Albert Einstein and a colleague of Max Planck and Otto Hahn, the nuclear physicists, he was one of the great minds of the twentieth century. In an interview on German television before his death, Born commented: “I’d be happier if we had scientists with less brains and more wisdom.”          – Prov 15:20 – a wise godly child makes his/her dad happy, but a foolish child despises his/her mom           > Knowledge can be memorized. Wisdom must think things through. Wisdom is the something that enables us to use knowledge rightly. Wisdom resists group pressures, thinks for itself, and is reconciled to the use of its own judgment – Prov 23:15-16 – if a child is wise his father will be glad, when a child speaks what is right the dad will rejoice         > A gentleman, traveling on a misty morning, asked a shepherd what weather it will be. “It will be,” said the shepherd, “what weather pleases me.” Asked to explain, the shepherd said: “Sir, it shall be what weather pleases God; and what weather pleases God also pleases me.” ~ Foster– Prov 29:3 – a child who loves wisdom makes his/her parents happy, but a child who spends his/her time with harlots/immoral people will lose his/her money                           * The effect of your conduct on you          – Prov 20:20 – a child who curses either one of his/her parents will die          – Prov 22:1 – a good name/reputation is better than to be rich> A committee of ministers in a certain city was discussing the possibility of having D. L. Moody to serve as the evangelist during a city-wide evangelistic campaign. Finally, one young minister who did not want to invite Moody stood up and said: “Why Moody? Does he have a monopoly of the Holy Spirit?” There was silence. Then an old, godly minister spoke up: “No, he does not have a monopoly of the Holy Spirit; but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly of D. L. Moody.”           – Prov 22:24-25 – don’t spend a lot of time with an angry person, it will rub off on you          – Prov 25:6-7 – don’t presume great honor/respect, it is better to receive it than to lose it                   >         Which Disturbs You Most?                    A soul lost in Hell … or a scratch on your new car?                    Your missing the worship service … or missing a day’s work?                    A sermon 10 minutes too long … or lunch half hour late?                    A church not growing … or your garden not growing?                    Your Bible unopened … or your newspaper unread?                    The church work being neglected … or housework neglected?                    Missing a good Bible study … or your favorite TV program?                    The millions who do not know Christ … or your inability to keep up with the neighbors?                    The cry of the multitude for bread … or your desire for another piece of German chocolate cake?                     Your tithes decreasing … or your income decreasing?                     Your children late for Sunday school and Church … or late for public school?                            Which really disturbs you most?          ~ The Bible Friend Conclusion:– We said to a physician friend one day, “Doctor, what is the exact significance of God’s touching Jacob upon the sinew of his thigh?” He replied, “The sinew of the thigh is the strongest in the human body. A horse could scarcely tear it apart.” God had to break us down at the strongest part of our self-life before He can have His own way of blessing with us. ~ J. H. McConkey– This morning we looked at how our actions affect others and ourselves.  This wisdom from the   Word of God properly applied to our lives will help us to make right decisions.  Decisions that will   glorify God.– This is the final message in our series “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”.