Sermons About Approval
Be Secretive About Your Faith (Matthew 6 1-6) 7-12-09
Only when we have a secret life with the Father will our public life be focused on God's glory and not human approval.
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The Father Heart of Paul (part one)
The Father Heart of Paul (part one) The Importance of “Father” to Paul 1. Paul had a special relationship to God as Father (Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:6) 2. Paul viewed himself as a spiritual father, and his role as father was very important to him (1 Cor. 4:15, 2 Cor. 6:13, Gal 4:19, 2 Tim. 1:2, Titus 1:4) 3. Paul saw himself as being in a lineage of father’s that led back to God the Father (Eph. 3:14-15) Five Ways Paul Loves His Children 1. Attention (time) – A father’s heart is an attentive heart (Rom. 1:9-10, 1 Cor. 1:4, 2 Tim. 1:3) 2. Affection – A father’s heart is filled with affection for his children (2 Tim. 1:2-4, I Cor. 4:17, 2 Cor. 6:11-13) - Hugs, kisses, and words of affection (“I love you, I miss you, I can’t wait to see you again” - Affection must always be unconditional 3. Affirmation – A father’s heart overflows with affirmation (I Cor. 16:13, 1 Tim. 4:12, 1 Tim. 6:11-14, I Thess. 2:11, 2 Tim. 2:1, 2 Tim. 4:1-2) - “You can do it, I believe in you!” 4. Approval – A father’s heart gives approval for a job well done (2 Cor. 7:4, 1 Thess. 2:20, 2 Thess. 1:4) - “Good job, I’m so proud of you, way to go!” 5. Admonishment – A father’s heart gives admonition when needed - It is never shaming (1 Cor. 4:14) - It always strives to build up, not tear down (2 Cor. 13:10)
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You Can't God Can
The fifth in a six-part series on discovering what God is doing in our lives. When we realize that our experiences have helped shape the canvas of our world, then we realize that God truly is saying “I can work with that”. The road of discovery allows us to see the Call of God and the cause of Christ.
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APPROVED
We respond well to the approval of people, how much more do we want and need the approval of God and desire to hear the applause of heaven. What does it look like to be approved by God? The Apostle Paul encourages young Timothy and us in 2 Timothy 2:14-26 to "do our best" and to live as "one approved by God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed" God wants to place His stamp of approval on our lives and He reveals how to receive it through this powerful passage.
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Conflict and Community: Saying No About God
I. When good people fail II. When you can't come back III. When others can't come back
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Everything You Know is Wrong
Wealth. Possessions. Food. Laughter. Popularity. We strive for these things because we see them as being fundamentally necessary for a happy life. Almost every man, woman, and child who has ever walked the earth has believed this, and everything that we experience in our lives seems to reinforce this. Roughly two thousand years ago Jesus Christ stood up in front of His followers and turned this worldview completely upside-down. He said that those who lacked these things were the ones who had it good, and the ones who had these things in abundance were headed for disaster. At first, second, and third glance this makes absolutely no sense but it is rock-solid truth. While money, food, and the approval of others can make us temporarily happy, they are temporary and can be taken from us in a heartbeat. Not only that, we also turn them into idols and they distract us from the most important thing in the universe, God. Those who lack such basic things are the ones that are blessed because it helps them to see just how much they need God, and just how much more valuable He is than the things they lack.
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A Father's Heart
It's no secret that father's have a tremendous amount of influence over how we experience life. Their affect can be very good or very bad. Every one of us is impacted by what we believe our fathers think of us. Fortunately for all of us, we have a heavenly Father who longs to show us how valuable we are. From this relationship comes a life lived "from approval" rather than "for approval", which makes all the difference in the world when it comes to healthy, vibrant living.
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A Warning Label (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)
Paul contrasts divine wisdom with human wisdom. Divine wisdom is distinct from, cannot be reconciled with, and is ultimately opposed to human wisdom. Divine wisdom has a divine origin rather than a human origin: it is revealed by the Holy Spirit and not discerned by man's efforts. Divine wisdom is rooted in and revealed in the gospel and the cross. The cross provokes us to humility and gratitude.
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John 7:1-20 - The Shame of the Spotlight
Jesus' brothers wanted Him to go up to the feast to show off His powers and become popular. Jesus understood that popularity could be a fickle and shameful thing, and He went up in God's time to speak God's words. We should likewise use any attention that we garner not to bolster our own image but to share the Gospel regardless of public opinion.
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