Sermon Cloud

Introductions

• Question: What do you believe

• Question: Why do you believe it?

• Question: How do your convictions shape the way you live?

Many of us will argue for or against evolution…, but most of us wouldn’t go to the stake for Evolution or Creation! Most of us don’t really study it for ourselves…

Many of us will argue for or against abortion…, but we wouldn’t sacrifice our own lives in support of our position! How many actively lobby…

Many of us would argue for helping the needy, homeless, and fatherless in our society, but how many of us are struggling to meet our own needs because we are meeting the needs of others?

During this ReThink Series there is one question I challenge you to ask…

• Question: Do you live what say you believe?

To “Be” is defined by the Oxford American Dictionary: Exist

To “Exist” is defined by the Oxford American Dictionary: Having and objective reality or being or live.

To “Live” is defined by the Oxford American Dictionary: Not dead or inanimate, so living is animated, active. Illus. Faith animating her dolls when she plays with them…

To “Behave” is defined by the Oxford American Dictionary : The way we Act or Conduct ourselves.

To “Believe” is defined by the Oxford American Dictionary: Something we accept as True.

In other words…If we say we believe something to be true, then our actions and conduct our behavior should express/support what we say we believe. “Walk the Thought!.”

• Question: Where do we learn what we should believe?

Illustration: Props: Books, DVD’s, Video’s, Picture of Dad, Year Book (School, Friends), College Degree, Priestly Garb, Bible.

Ultimately, what we believe and thus how we act or behave comes down to our Worldview. Our Worldview is made up of the paradigms/thoughts that create a framework of what we believe…how we see our world and thus how we live.

Illustration: “If I believe/think I’m a criminal I eventually become that criminal,” (Illustration from Think and Grow Rich, p.46).

The point is simple: I do or behave as I believe or think.

Story Class Reunion – Friday night at our High School Class Reunion I thought about the people and their individual life’s journey as we gathered in the bar at Coho’s in Columbia. When I knew them back in high school we all had hopes and dreams. Many of them had attained the education, jobs, spouses, some of them, multiple spouses, income and things (stuff) they had desired and hence pursued. Our personal worldview, paradigms of thought/constructs of living, guided us all to what we believed was important, of value in our world…America. I listened to many of them share their exploits, and some even their failures and hurts. If you listen closely, you could even hear them people covering up, masking their wounds…failed dreams…short comings… I thought back to our 5 year reunion and all the pretending…bragging…hope and expectation. I even remember bragging about my exploits as a young Infantry Officer…jumping out of helicopters, repelling down mountains, taking apart and firing all kinds of weapons and training and leading men. At 24 we were still pursuing our hearts desires…education, jobs, income, life styles, spouses, but at 43 many had obtained what they believed to be of value and importance. The hope and joy that everyone seemed to share at 24 had faded into emptiness, loneliness, and hopelessness, for many. A,”Wow! Is this all there is to life!” kind of thinking.” Where did my Worldview go wrong…?

Question: What happened to that sense of discovery…hope and joy that everyone seemed to display at 24?

Question: Why were many of us, the class of Wilde Lake High School 1984, tired of pretending, lonely, and hopeless in spite of acquiring most of our goals or desires?

Question: What are your goals, desires, wishes? Maybe you’re just at the beginning and working your way down your check list…or maybe you’re at the point where you given up on your desires as unattainable…or maybe you’re at the point many of my classmates are at?

Question: Is this all there is? Something is missing, but I followed the rules I was given, I’ve lived according to the “Worldview” that I was taught living in American culture. A worldview that says…success, money, education, and self are the most important things.

Word

If we want to Follow Jesus…as our Master Teacher then He calls us to ReThink our Worldview. He calls us to question what we think we know and believe. To ReThink what we’ve learned from our teachers, parents, friends, culture, society and even our religion. To ask the most difficult question of all…Is what I know TRUE? And the harder question – Am I living that Truth?

Read Luke 14:25-35

Crisis In Faith (ELI Application)

What I had in my hand was a well paying job, with great benefits, full of opportunity and upward mobility, prestige and even more power. What I was trading it for was a job where I had to raise my own support, salary, benefits, funding the ministry, with seemingly no apparent opportunity or upward mobility, little to know recognition and seemingly no power. Rationally, it made no sense at all to leave my job as a Baltimore City Cop and become a nobody serving a group of 25 to 30 kids most people wouldn’t take the time to even look at. It made absolutely NO SENSE based on the “Worldview” I was indoctrinated by. So, why did I do it? I Thought about the move and planned it. I seriously considered the sacrifice. And I understood my purpose was linked not to the security of being a Baltimore City Police Officer, but that my purpose was linked to those 25 to 30 kids that came out weekly to Campus Life meetings desperately seeking to know the One who loves them the most! So, yes after much deliberation, planning and understanding the sacrifice I stepped into my God Given Destiny! Know this I would not be standing here today, with you if I would not have seriously considered what it means to Follow Jesus Christ by both word and deed!

Challenge

When we live with integrity of heart I believe that we as human beings live out/act upon/behave/or Do, day to day, what we believe/think or accept as true. In other words, we Do what we believe.

Read Points of Challenge from Bible Text Insert…

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

• Jesus wants His Followers to ReThink there priorities.

• Jesus wants His Followers to ReThink why they are Following.

• Jesus wants His Followers to ReThink what it costs to Follow Christ…in other words…

• Jesus wants His Followers to ReThink what they believe/think and how it impacts their behavior/what they do.

• Ultimately, Jesus Christ challenges His Followers to ReThink - exchange their broken, tainted Worldviews for His Worldview.

The result of this ReThinking will lead to changed Living…which Jesus promises to be “Good!”

Closing Thoughts

During this series we are going to hear Jesus Christ weigh in on matters of: love, life, relationships, religion, values, purpose, desires, loyalties, happiness, eternity, etc. But most importantly we will see with our own two eyes how Jesus lived what He believed!

Anyone that has a need, would like prayer, has questions please don’t hesitate to come up and talk with anyone of us…we’re here for you.