LTCi 2011 Fall Semester Opening Sermon

Richard Chamberlain

http://rdcramblings.com/

Tuesday 12 July 2011

http://rdcramblings.com

http://rdcramblings.com

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.1 Cor 16:13-14


Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.1 Cor 16:13-14

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.


Be watchful - keep your eyes open

Who are you?The battle is on for your soul (identity)!

The devil prowls around like a roaring lion


Your flesh is strong

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels


Temptation is all around

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.


“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”...[Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”...Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.


Stand firm in the faith - hold tight to your convictions

Are you a parrot?Do you know what you believe?Prov 2:1-5, 2 Tim 2:15,


Stand firm in the faith - hold tight to your convictions

Are you a parrot?Do you know what you believe?Prov 2:1-5, 2 Tim 2:15,


Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then...It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery...


...Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor 1:21)...So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thess 2:15)


...Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor 1:21)...So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thess 2:15)



Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soulSteadfast and sure while the billows roll,Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.


act like men - give it all you've got

Meet a couple of superheroes

"It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply." AWTozer


act like men - give it all you've got

Meet a couple of superheroes


February 19, 1812, young Adoniram Judson, and his bride of seven days, Ann Haseltine Judson, set sail for India...The Judsons were rejected entrance into India to preach the Gospel to the Hindus by the East India Company and after many trying times, frustrations, fears, and failures, they finally found an open door in Rangoon, Burma.


There was not one known Christian in that land of millions. And there were no friends in that robber-infested, idolatry-infected, iniquity-filled land. A baby was born to alleviate the loneliness of the young couple, but it was to be only for a temporary time. Eight months later, Roger William Judson was buried under a great mango tree. The melancholy "tum-tum" of the death drum for the thousands claimed by cholera, and the firing cannons and beating on houses with clubs to ward off demons, tormented the sensitive, spiritual souls of that missionary couple, too.


And there were no converts. It was to be six, long, soul-crushing, heart-breaking years before the date of the first decision for Christ. Then, on June 27, 1819, Judson baptized the first Burman believer, Moung Nau. Judson jotted in his journal: "Oh, may it prove to be the beginning of a series of baptisms in the Burman empire which shall continue in uninterrupted success to the end of the age." Converts were added slowly — a second, then three, then six, and on to eighteen.


But opposition came, also. Finally Judson was imprisoned as a British spy — an imprisonment of twenty-one months. Judson was condemned to die, but in answer to prayers to God and the incessant pleadings of his wife to officials (one of the most emotional-packed, soul-stirring stories in evangelism), Judson's life was spared and finally British intervention freed him from imprisonment.


Adoniram Judson served 37 years in Myanmar with just 8,000 converts.

William Carey labored for 7 years before his first convert in India.

Robert Morrison worked for 25 years in China with less than a dozen converts.


be strong - be resolute

Dictionary:Admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering...you are both staunch and steadfast, but the emphasis here is on character and a firm adherence to your own goals and purposes rather than to those of others.


“One day George Mueller began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Mueller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Mueller’s funeral the last one was saved.”


"God does nothing except in response to believing prayer."John Wesley

“There is a mighty lot of difference between saying prayers and praying.”John G. Lake


Let all that you do be done in love - love without stopping

Where is your focus?


Love God - Love your neighbour

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." AWTozer

How much time do you spend loving yourself?


Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint...

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint...

If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves;


Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint...

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint...

If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves;


Spiritual

LTCi 2011 Fall Semester Opening Sermon