Sermon notes

Sometimes it happens. I forget part of the sermon. If I just read a manuscript this would not happen, but when you speak from notes you sometimes lose your place and sometimes leave things out.

I really liked this part of the sermon. I think it made it into the 905 service only.

The sermon was about how it is easy for us to "go thru the motions" of faith. What I left out of several of the services on Sunday was a quote of some lyrics from a Keith Green song. Keith Green was a contemporary Christian singer who died at age 28 in a plane crash along with two of this three children. Keith's ministry has been described as "John the Baptist style." That is, confrontational and challenging.

Here are the lyrics that I wanted to share. They challenge us to do more than just go thru the motions of faith. Hang on, they are straight to the point.

"To obey is better than sacrifice, …
I don't need your money, I want your life.
And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon,
But you act like I'll never return.
Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet,
How you thrive on milk, but reject my meat.

Well you pray to prosper and succeed,
But your flesh is something I just can't feed.
To obey is better than sacrifice.
I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights,
Cause if you can't come to me every day,
Then don't bother coming at all.
To obey is better than sacrifice.
I want hearts of fire, not your prayers of ice."

The quote "to obey is better than sacrifice is from 1 Samuel 15. To me, these words mean that it is better to live the christian life during the week, than to come to church on sunday and ask forgiveness for not living the Christian life. Worship should lead us to a transformed life. The result should be that we are becomming better wives, better husbands, better friends, more determined to be dispensers of Gods grace in our daily life.

Ouch! I apologized for picking on the folks at 905. These were words that cause me to think. Think really hard. I wanted to share. Sometimes it is the things that challenge us that make us better people.

I would rather go to a church where I was challenged from time to time than to have a place where I was allowed to go thru the motions of faith.

Its a beautiful day in God's world. Be sure to see the good.