“Our Spirit Rejoices”
Luke 1:46-55
Sunday, December 6, 2009

Introduction: There is a story of 2 missionaries who were captured and imprisoned in the same cell, but were forbidden to speak to each other. On Christmas Day one of the missionaries, who was shivering because it was so cold in the cell, sat covered with hay trying to get warm. As he looked at the hay, he realized he could communicate with his friend. With the hay he spelled the word I – M – M – A – N – U – E – L. As soon as his friend saw the word, he immediately lit up with joy. They were captives, but they both believed that God was with them and that ultimate triumph would be theirs!
As we come closer to Christmas Day, I know my children get more and more excited about it. Partly from the idea that they will get presents, partly from the fun of the decorating and getting the tree, but also partly because they know that it is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. Are you getting excited about celebrating Jesus’ birthday? Jesus; Immanuel; GOD WITH US.
Because of this blessed event over 2000 years ago, we have been given meaning and purpose for our lives in this world. This morning I want to talk about the “joy” of Christmas as we think about what God can and will do in our lives, and what awaits us when this life ends. The idea of the coming of the Lord should fill us with joy.

I. Mary’s Song- (Luke 1:46-55)
In our scripture reading this morning, we read the song of Mary. It is a song that
gives praise to God, and rejoices in all that God has done This is a remarkable song, because it shows us how Mary has gone from being a quiet, humble girl, overwhelmed at the thought of being the mother of the Savior, to someone who now believes that the Lord will fulfill what He has spoken to her.
WHAT DOES HER SONG SAY?
a. God looks with favor on the lowly- First, God is a God who looks with
favor on even those who might seem and feel insignificant. It is not the rich, the powerful, the prestigious that God’s heart longs for, but those who humble themselves as servants to others.
God did not go to the mighty, or the rich to find someone to be the mother of
Jesus, but to one who was humble and low; to someone who loved God and would be faithful in service. God went to Mary.
Christianity is to be the death of pride. How can we even compare ourselves to Christ who was God in the flesh? How can we cast ourselves above the God who created us? How can we lift ourselves above others who are made in the image of God?
Christ should cause us to see ourselves as we are; people who struggle with sin and fall short of God’s glory, and yet also God’s children whom God loves and desires to save, to love, and to be in relationship with!
b. God casts down the mighty- Next, in Mary’s song we see how God doesn’t
seek out the mighty, but casts down the mighty. We see Mary say in verse 52- “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones…” Christianity puts an end to the world’s labels and prestige, and shows us that these things have no eternal significance. Even though there are many who think of themselves as significant in this world, they really only bring unhappiness, loneliness, and despair to themselves when they try and find fulfillment through their status and position.
God turns on end this thinking of the world with the coming of the Savior. Like the story of Muretus, a wandering scholar, who took ill in an Italian town. In the hospital the doctors were discussing his case in Latin, not knowing he could understand. They were saying that since he was a worthless wanderer (having a very lowly appearance) that maybe they should use him for medical experiments. To their surprise he responded to them in Latin: “Call no man worthless for whom Christ died!”
c. God fills those who are hungry- A non-Christian society would be set-up
as every person for themselves. Or even worse, where the powerful take from the weak. This society would love selfishly and be concerned about nothing that doesn’t profit their own life. Their goal would be to amass as much as they could for themselves. It would be a very selfish and materialistic society.
A Christian society is a society where people dare to care for others. Where
we turn our focus not just on ourselves, or our family, but to the needs of others who need assistance. Where we don’t dare to have too much, for fear of the repercussions of how it will affect others. Where our desire is not just to get, but to give away as well.
Mary is telling us in her song, in words that have been given to her from God, that the coming of the Savior will change our world by changing the people of the world. That the coming of the Savior will bring joy to all who have faith, because there is so much sharing and caring that gets passed on. That we are led in a direction that is so much more fulfilling and satisfying. This is the kind of society God desires for us to be. This is the kind of society that God wanted to establish with the coming of His Son Jesus.

II. Christmas Lost and Found-
A number of years ago there was a college freshman named William, who was walking the streets of Philadelphia all by himself. Three weeks prior he had received a letter from his mother saying that the family couldn’t afford to bring him home for Christmas because his father’s business was struggling and there was no extra money for travel. A couple of days earlier there had been a flurry of activity as all of his friends and dorm-mates had been preparing to go home to their families. This was by far the most depressing time of his life. He thought to himself: “Not even God knows that I’m alive. If he cares, why didn’t he help me get home for the holidays?”
William boarded a bus for downtown Philly thinking he could keep himself busy and not thinking about being alone. In his wallet he had a $50 bill which was a present from his parents. He knew they had sacrificed just to send him this. They wanted him to buy something special for himself for Christmas. He spent most of the day wandering aimlessly from store to store; nothing really standing out to him to buy. As he was walking down the street he noticed a boy, about nine or ten standing in front of the window of a toy store.
As he approached the window, he could see that the boy was staring at a train set. He introduced himself to the boy, who told him his name was David. “Nice train,” William said to the boy. “The best I’ve ever seen,” answered David. “How would you like to have it?” William asked. “Oh, I could never own it. My mom doesn’t have enough money.” “Come on,” William motioned, as he walked into the store with David following. Then William asked the owner how much the train set cost. “It’s $46.95,” the store owner answered. “We’ll take it,” William responded.
With that William bought the train set and started to walk David home. When they got to David’s apartment, he pounded on the door. An apron-clad woman, in her 30’s appeared at the door. “Mom,” David started, “this man is my friend and he just bought me a new train. Can he come in, mom? Please?” “Hi,” I’m William Lambert,” he said. “I am a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. I saw your son looking at the train, and really wanted to buy him it as a gift. I would be really pleased if you would allow him to accept it.”
“Well sure,” said David’s mother. “Bring it on in. My name is Pauline Sanders.” “That would be fine,” said William. “How about I just set it up for David, and then I’ll be on my way.” But as William came in, David was excited to show him his room. The apartment was very simple in appearance with not many decorations. William could tell that Pauline and David didn’t have much. Off to David’s room they went, and William saw the models David had made and the pride David took in his room.
After looking at his room for a while, they went back to the kitchen, and when he saw Pauline, she invited him to stay for dinner. “It’s just David and me,” she said, “and it will be good for us to have a guest.” Knowing that he didn’t have anything special to do, William agreed to stay, which made David very happy.
As they sat down at the table, Pauline said: “Do you mind if we say grace before we eat? David and I are Christians.” “Really?” said William. “I’m a new Christian too. I became a believer last month at an InterVarsity meeting, but there is still so much I don’t understand.”
They bowed their heads while Pauline thanked God for His blessings and for the birth of His Son Jesus Christ. During the meal they talked about how Pauline’s husband Richard had died in the Vietnam war and how it was her dream to move to the west coast. They both shared how they couldn’t see their family for Christmas because of money issues. To which Pauline responded: “It must have been God’s will that you’re here tonight.” William agreed.
After dinner William put together the train set for David (which took him 3 hours) and then helped him play with it as well. The joy-filled expression on David’s face made William realize that his money was well spent. He had great satisfaction knowing that he had blessed David so much. After a while William decided it was time to go back to his dorm. “Wait a minute,” said David, as he ran to his room. As William put on his coat, he noticed that there were tears in Pauline’s eyes. “I want you to know I’ve been praying for an entire month for a way to buy David a nice Christmas present. Your kindness was not only a gift to David, but a gift to me as well. You have been an answer to prayer.”
Before William could respond David was back with a little white box, handing it to William and saying “Merry Christmas.” As William lifted the lid he was surprised to see that it was the model train David had put together himself. With a grateful heart, William gave David a hug saying it was the best gift he had ever received.
As he made his way to the bus stop, he reflected on all that had happened, and felt a great deal of satisfaction in how his Christmas turned out. Then he remembered the words of Jesus which he had learned, and agreed that it really was more blessed to give than to receive. He really did feel now that God was with him. And at this thought he whispered: “Happy Birthday Jesus. And thank you.”

Conclusion: As Christmas approaches, let us remember that we are never alone, because our savior Jesus Christ has been given to us. This is God’s gift of “joy” to us. And the wonder of this day is that as we learn to give away ourselves to others, as God gave Himself to us, the love of Christ we share is a special gift of joy to those whom we give. We will be touched to the depths of our spirit, as will they.
Joy is not just about having things go well for us, joy is experienced because we know that God is there, and that God cares. Whatever is going on in our lives, whatever we are dealing with, whatever we need, God will be there to work it out for us. God knows what is going on in our heart, and in our mind, and will walk this road with you. Let us give praise to God this day and always, for this wonderful gift of “joy” found in the Christ child. Amen.

“Revealed Again”
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Isaiah 64:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Introduction: In preparing this sermon, I asked some people “What is your favorite Christmas experience?” Many of the answers that were given were memories of childhood Christmases. It is not uncommon for the Christmas experiences we had as child to stay with us for the rest of our lives! Why is this? Probably because Christmas is best experienced with childlike behavior, and when we reach adulthood we lose much of the joy and fantasy that Christmas can bring.
As we enter this advent season, we work our way through the four areas of advent: hope, joy, love, and peace. I hope that you would allow yourself to experience this season with childlike faith; that Christmas could be revealed again to you. Now in one sense, we know that Jesus has been born and come to this earth. But the wonder of the Advent season is that it is a season of hope, as we once again anticipate many things. As Isaiah 64:1 tells us, “O that You would tear open the heavens and come down…”
The Advent season reminds us that Jesus has come down from heaven, and at every Christmas it is revealed to us again that God has torn open the heavens and come down to us in the baby Jesus. This morning, our scripture passages remind us of three ways that Jesus reveals Himself to us time and time again as we await His second coming!

I. Enriched in Christ- (1 Corinthians 1:5; Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:13)
a. Without enrichment- There is a movie called “The Stuntman,” which
I have not seen, but have heard about. This movie is about the making of a film, and is filled with images of greed and lust, manipulation and exploitation, fearful and painful sensations. As I thought about the explanation of this movie, it occurred to me that so many of today’s popular movies are filled with these exact things!
Why is it that those in our world try to fill themselves with these kinds of things? Why does greed, lust, manipulation, and power so dominate the desires of our world? Why would we rather let these things be that which gives us hope, rather than seeking God for hope? Now as I say this, you may be thinking that you don’t allow those things to give you hope. But many people we encounter every day do. Many people who have influence in our lives do. So we have to be aware of these desires, and guard ourselves against them.
Even more, when we seek after any of these things (often without realizing we are doing it), what we are doing is saying that we believe the answer to our fulfillment is to make things happen for ourselves. We have this strong inclination to try and bring hope into our lives. This is especially true in this time of a down economy. So many are feeling hopeless, and trying to do it on their own; trying to make something happen. In doing this, we tend to seek after the wrong things, and hope for the wrong things, and give our energy over to the wrong things!! Our lives are spent in pursuit of that which cannot enrich us.
b. Enriched in Christ- The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:5
something that should give us hope and remind us of Christ’s coming; Paul says- “For in every way you have been enriched in Him, in speech and knowledge of every kind.” We who have Christ, who know Christ as Savior and Lord, are enriched in Christ. BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN AND HOW DOES IT GIVE HOPE?
A missionary once told the people he was ministering to: “If you will accept Christ, you will find wonder upon wonder—and every one of them true.” We cannot argue people into the kingdom of God; into believing that Jesus is their Savior. We cannot argue with people to get them to believe that hope is found in Christ. All we can do is say: “Try it, and see what happens.” Being enriched by Christ means that God’s promises come true through Christ.
God promises that we will become a new person; a better person; a more loving, giving, and kind person. Those who have tried it, I mean really given themselves over to Christ, have found this to be true. God promises that we will be forgiven; our guilt and sin taken away. Those who go to God regularly for confession find this to be true. God promises that our lives will have purpose and meaning. Those who have followed the path that God lays before them finds that purpose, and experiences deep meaning for life. And on and on it goes; God’s promises for us will come true!!
A second way that we will be enriched is that we will understand God, this world, and life itself more fully. While this world and life can seem complex, it can be broken down so that we might understand it. Let’s highlight a few verses from the book of Romans to see this a little better:
Romans 3:23- “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” There is sin in our lives, and sin in this world. God not only desires that we be sinless, but God cannot be in the presence of sin. So to be in a relationship with God, and to shine forth God’s glory, we have to have our sin removed. Our sin separates us from God. But there is hope, as Paul tells us in Romans 6:23- “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The penalty for our sin is death; eternal separation from God. But because God loves us so much, God wants to remove what causes that separation; our sin. So God allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to come down from heaven, and die on the cross to pay the penalty for us. With Christ in our lives, we can have a relationship with God, and can live with God for eternity in heaven. It is a free gift, there to be received.
How do we receive this gift? Romans 10:13 tells us: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved.” By asking Jesus to be our Savior, acknowledging that it is in Christ we are saved, we WILL be saved from any penalty. The penalty has been forgiven and done away with for us.!
This is the enrichment of knowledge we have. We understand why Jesus came, and what Jesus has done for us. We understand that life is about loving God, and with God’s love we can better love those around us. That is why the advent season is filled with hope. It is the hope of salvation and love found in Jesus.

II. Strengthened in Christ- (1 Corinthians 1:6-8a)
a. Strengthened in Christ- But just having the knowledge of God’s
promises and knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ is never enough. Knowledge must be put into practice for it to be valuable, other wise it is wasted knowledge. So Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:6, 8a- “Just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you…He will also strengthen you to the end…”
We can only live out this life, as God has intended for us to live, with the strength we receive through Christ. It starts with a knowledge of Christ (what Christ has done for us), and the knowledge of the example that Christ sets for us, but it can’t stop there. Too many people who claim to be Christians have this knowledge, but don’t put it into practice. In the book of James we are told in 2:18- “But someone may say to you, ‘You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” After we receive Christ into our lives, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit of God in our lives, we have the power of God available to us. It is in this power that we put our knowledge into practice; that we live our lives in the way God calls us to.
Whatever is going on in your life, God can come and strengthen you. Whatever struggle you are going through, God’s strength can get you through it. That is why Paul puts these words in verse 7 between verses 6 and 8 (the verses I just read to you)… “So that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
b. A gift given- The Greek word that Paul uses here for “gift” is one of
his favorite words; it is the word Charisma. Paul tells us that we have not only been given a gift from God, but this gift is given freely to us. It is a gift that is not deserved or earned, but comes to us from God out of love. When we accept in faith that Jesus Christ came out of love, to die for our sins (as we just talked about), and that through this faith we have forgiveness from our sins and eternal life with God, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit we are given certain gifts to use in our life. And remember how last week we talked about these gifts being a strength for us to be used in service to others. This gift strengthens us to live out our life in fullness.
As we fully realize our gifts, it brings a new ability for us to live as we were created to live, and to achieve great things for God. And as with any gift, we use it well, only when we practice it often.
Illus. “Play like the Pros,” 1001 Humorous Illustrations; p. 331, #878- Australian golfer Greg Norman was playing in the Australian open one year. On this one hole, he sliced the ball to the right into the woods; out of play. He then dropped a new ball and hit again. A second time the ball went into the woods. His third ball he hit into the rough (the thick grass to the side of the fairway). After finally getting the ball to the green, it took him 3 putts to hit the ball into the hole. His score was an 8 on a par 5! Writer Paul Harvey said this of Norman’s hole: “I always wanted to play like Greg Norman; now I can.” You can bet Greg Norman went out after his round of golf and practiced.
As an athlete needs to practice his or her sport to get better, as a writer needs to practice their skill to get better, as a musician needs to practice to get better, so we must practice using our gifts and living out our faith to do it better each day.
As we reflect on Christmas being less than 4 weeks away, one of our first thoughts is the gifts that we will give and receive. There is no better gift that can be received than discovering anew our spiritual gifts that can be utilized for the work of Christ. Christ is revealed to us again every time we exercise our gifts! This not only brings hope into our lives, but hope to everyone who is blessed when we use our gift.
III. Fellowship in Christ- (1 Corinthians 1:9)
a. Fellowship with Christ- Advent season is also the time that we
remember the hope that Christ is always with us, and His presence has not ended with His birth, death, and resurrection. God continues to give us hope in this world by the faithfulness of continuing to have fellowship with us. As Paul says in
1 Corinthians 1:9- “God is faithful; by Him who were called into the fellowship in His Son; Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Story: “The Tale of the Three Trees.” (Stories for the Heart, p. 248)- Once upon a mountaintop stood 3 trees. Each tree had a dream, a hope of what they would become. The first dreamed of becoming a beautiful treasure box, holding some of the greatest treasures in the world. The second dreamed of becoming a great ship that would carry powerful kings. The third wanted to grow tall so that when people looked at the tree, they would look to heaven and think of God. Years passed, and one day 3 woodcutters came and each cut down a tree.
The first tree was taken to a carpenter’s shop who worked the tree into a feed box for animals. The beautiful tree was not covered with treasure, but with sawdust and hay for the hungry animals.
The second tree was taken to a shipyard, but no mighty ships were being made that day. Instead the tree was fashioned into a simple fishing boat. Too small to sail on an ocean, the ship was brought to a lake where fish were loaded onto her.
The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams only to leave her at the lumberyard.
Many days passed as the trees forgot their dreams. One night however, the first tree was surprised when a young woman placed a newborn baby in him, saying: “This will make a beautiful manger for Jesus.” At this the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world. Many years later, Jesus was with his friends, and they all crowded together in an old fishing boat. When a storm arose, Jesus calmed the storm, and the fishing boat knew that she was carrying the king of kings. One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when she was yanked from the woodpile and carried to a hill. Then she shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands to her. She felt ugly and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when she heard the joyoft Jesus being raised from the dead, she knew that every time people thought of her, as she had been made into a cross, they would think of God!!
In a way, each tree had an experience of fellowship with Christ, and this fellowship fulfilled their dreams, and fulfilled the hope that they had. We too have fellowship, communion with God. And each time we do, the hope of Christ reigns in our hearts.
b. Fellowship with one another- This season can be exciting for some,
but hard and lonely for others. Those who have lost loved ones come to this time feeling a little less hope in their lives. The phrase in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “fellowship in His Son,” is not just referring to fellowship with Christ. It also refers to the fellowship Christ (God’s Son) leads us and enables us to have with each other. Just as God’s love helps us to love others, so the fellowship we have with God through Christ helps us to have fellowship with others.
This is a season where we are to join together with other Christians in hope and love. We should allow this fellowship to brighten our lives, and be aware of those whose lives need brightening because of the difficult and lonely time they may be going through. To do this, it may mean giving a gift to a family who doesn’t have much, or inviting someone to dinner so they don’t have to eat by themselves. It might mean taking some time out of your day to talk to someone who needs a friend, or including someone you might not normally include in a party you are having. By sharing the fellowship of Christ with others, we share God’s hope to this world!

Conclusion: “S-4 Submarine is Sunk,” …The Tardy Oxcart, p. 275. Years ago an S-4 submarine was rammed by a ship off the coast of Massachusetts. The submarine sank immediately. The entire crew was trapped in the submarine. Every effort was made to rescue the crew, but all attempts failed. Near the end of the ordeal, a deep-sea diver, who was doing everything in his power to release the crew, heard a tapping on the hull. He placed his helmet up against the side of the submarine, and realized it was Morse code. The tapping was asking a question: “Is……there….hope?”
That is what so many in our world wonder today: is there hope? And the answer is, “Yes.” There is hope because we can be enriched in Christ, and in turn enrich others. We can be strengthened by Christ, and use our strength to bring strength to others. We have fellowship with Christ, which leads us to have fellowship with others. This is what the advent season is all about: having the hope, joy, love, and peace revealed to us again, and remembering that they are found in the Christ child. Let us give praise to God this day, and throughout this season of Advent. Let us commit ourselves to Him, the One who gives hope. Amen.

“With All of My Strength”
Mark 12:28-30; 1 Peter 4:7-11
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Introduction: This morning we conclude our series on “Loving God with All Your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.” So today we will look at how to love God with our strength. When you think about strength, one of your first thoughts might be physical strength; someone like Superman; someone who is physically strong. Superman even uses his strength to do good things. He helps those who are in trouble, and rescues those who are in peril. Superman uses his strength to make a difference.
While there might be some truth to using our strength in this way, to do good for others, and by doing good show love to God, I believe it goes deeper than that. I believe that there is more to our strength than just our physical strength, and more to loving God by just trying to do well. So let us look at three biblical truths about strength, and then four ways to love the Lord with all our strength.

I. Three biblical truths about strength- (Ecclesiastes 10:10; Judges 16:17;
1 Corinthians 12:4-7; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Romans 8:28)
1. Strength of body- Ecclesiastes 10:10a tells us: “If the ax is dull and its
edge unsharpened, more strength is needed.” This verse is pretty straight-forward. If you have an ax that is dull, and you are trying to cut down a tree, it is going to require a great deal more energy and effort to cut down the tree than if the ax were very sharp. Someone once said: “If you have 4 hours to cut down a tree, it would be wise to spend the first 3 sharpening your ax.” Meaning that by sharpening your ax for that length of time, the actual cutting down of the tree will be exponentially faster than trying to cut it down with a dull ax!
As we relate the strength of the body to our lives, we understand that we all have physical strength, and this strength varies from person to person. Some are more physically strong than others. That is easy enough to understand. And yet there are ways to increase your strength. If you want to increase the strength of your muscles, you work out with weights. If you want to increase the strength of your endurance you do more exercising, more running. If you want to increase the strength of your core, you might do Pilates, or yoga, or something like that. We can increase our physical strength.
Yet, we have limits. We can only get so strong. The size of our body and the shape of our body can limit how strong we can get. As we get stronger, we will ultimately hit a wall that we cannot go beyond. In the book of Judges there is a man named Samson, with great strength. But this strength that he has is not from himself, but a gift to him from God. One day he even tells his wife, Delilah, how he has been made strong; we read it in Judges 16:17- “..‘No razor has ever been used on my head,’ he said, ‘because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.’” God is the one who gives us the capability for physical strength.
2. Strength of skill- Second, the Bible tells us of the strength we have in
the skills we have been given. One place we are told about this is in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, where the apostle Paul says: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” We have been given special gifts, special skills from God. We are made strong in a way by having these skills. The areas where we are gifted in is seen as a strength for us. One person may be strong in teaching, but weak in prayer. Another may be strong in administration, but weak in being able to heal.
The problem with this is that at times we can get prideful about our skills. We begin to judge our skills against the skills of others; our strength against the strength of others. We also begin to think that this skill is for our own benefit. For many years “Wild West” stories were very popular. The main character was always the self-sufficient frontiersman. The one who trusts no one and who only leans on himself. And this theme has been taken up in many popular stories today. We love to watch movies of characters who are strong, and self-sufficient, and who are there to rescue others, but never need rescuing themselves.
However, the Bible makes it clear that our gifts, our strengths, have not been given for our benefit, but for the benefit of others. The next verse in 1 Corinthians 12 tells us just this, as we read verse 7: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” What are we to do with our gifts; our skills? We are to use them to bless the body of Christ. We are to use them for doing good for others. We are to use them to bring glory to God.
3. Strength through weakness- Third, the Bible talks about how our
strength can sometimes come out of our weaknesses. Not at first hearing, this might not sound right. How can we be strong in weakness? The apostle Paul tries to make it clear for us in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 when he says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul has some challenging words for us. We don’t like to think of ourselves as weak, but rather we want to be thought of as strong. We want others to think we are capable. We want life to go smoothly and to walk strongly through it. But then Paul talks about delighting in weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and difficulty. How can this be? It is because Paul knows that in the midst of all these things, God is there to get us through. As the familiar verse in Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him…”
The reality that Paul is talking about comes from our understanding of sin. Our world and our flesh is corrupt with sin, and in this corruption and sin we are made weak. We try to deny it, but it is there. We try to overcome it, but it comes back on us. We try to save ourselves from it, but it overwhelms us in the end. The only way that we can be made strong in our weakness and through our sin is by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ!!

II. Four Ways to Love the Lord with all your strength- (1 Peter 4:7-11; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 2:3-4, 4:4; 1 Corinthians 12:29-30, 13:4-6)
So we come to this place of understanding that we have strength of body and strength of skill. Even more, we have strength in the midst of our weakness. So how can we translate this into love?
1. Pray- First, we do it by prayer. But when I say “by prayer,” it is
important to understand how our prayer allows us to love God, and how it is a sign of strength. Many people believe that faith, and prayer, are actually a crutch that makes it appear as if people are weak. They believe that people pray because that aren’t strong enough on their own. But it actually takes strength to pray. Prayer is partnering with God to allow God’s plan to be carried out through us. In 1 Peter 4:7 we read: “Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” If you are not clear minded, then you will have difficulty knowing what to pray. And if you are not self-controlled, then you will not make the time to pray.
But above all of that, we have strength in our prayers when we let the Spirit of God lead us in our prayers. In Ephesians 6:18 it says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.” What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
Praying in the Spirit is about letting God's Spirit lead you to constant prayer. Often times we only pray when there is a crisis, or when we have something specific to pray for. But we are called to "pray without ceasing," and this can only be accomplished when the Holy Spirit is directing us to pray. Second, praying in the Spirit is about praying with grace. We often bring judgment into our prayers. Instead we need to leave the judgment to God and simply pray with love and concern. In fact, Jesus did tell us to pray even for our enemies.
Third, praying in the Spirit is about learning how to let God’s words flow from us. This comes from knowing God deeply. The deeper we know God, the more we will know what God wants us to think, and wants us to say, and how God wants us to pray. For example, we may want to pray for healing for someone, but God may be using that sickness in the person's life to teach them to trust in Him, or for them to be an example to someone else who is sick. As we open ourselves up to God’s Spirit, God’s Spirit will help to lead us how to pray. Lastly, we are to pray in the Spirit in all of our prayers, and all of our supplications. Even the simplest of prayers need to be offered through the guidance of the Spirit. This reminds us that God is concerned with even the minute aspects of our lives. To leave the Spirit out of any prayer will lead us to pray in our sinfulness and selfishness.
Praying in this way leads us to a fuller aspect of prayer, and our prayers will have more power. In this way, we love God with all or our strength.
2. Love each other- Next, we love God with all of our strength by loving
others. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Now this verse isn’t saying that our love for others takes away our sin, but rather it covers our sin. As we love others, we usually are seen in a better light; our sin isn’t so evident. It is covered up by our loving ways.
The question then is: How do we love each other deeply?
While looking after our personal interests is a proper and healthy life
management, we cannot do it to the exclusion of others. When this happens it is not love but is it selfishness. Philippians 4:4 says: “Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also the interests of others.”
Do you desire success? That is fine. But if you hurt others in achieving it that is not love, and don’t just use your success for just yourself. Do you wish to look nice? That’s okay. Just don’t do it by making others look bad. WHY? Because we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is not selfish…”
To love others deeply we have to remember to be kind; remember to be patient; remember to be courteous instead of rude and sarcastic and short. It is about remembering 1 Corinthians 13 and trying to learn how to love like God loves us. Remember what it says? “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude. Love is not selfish….”
Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” This is what it means to love others deeply; showing them that they matter.
3. Use your gifts- Third, using our gifts shows love for God. In the first
part of the sermon I talked about how part of the strength of who God made us to be is that we are each gifted. But if we don’t use our giftedness, then we will be lacking in how we love God. We won’t love God in our full strength. As 1 Peter 4:10 says: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.”
We are looking at loving God with all of our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, but the second command Jesus talks about is “loving our neighbors as ourselves.” Jesus makes it clear that it is in loving others that we show love for God. God enables us to do this with the gifts we have been blessed with. Our gifts can really make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others. Think about this list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28-30: 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? We don’t have all the gifts individually, but when we come together as the body of Christ, we bring these gifts together, and can love the Lord by using these gifts to touch and bless the lives of others!
How meaningful would it be if you used your gift of teaching to only teach yourself? Sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it? Or how powerful would it be if you just used your gift of helps for yourself? It wouldn’t have much impact on God’s kingdom. You see, we love God with our strength by using our strength (our giftedness) to love others.
4. Do everything by God’s strength- EX. There is a cute fun movie called
“Angels in the Outfield.” In this movie we see a boy pray for God to help his team win the pennant. After his prayer, some angels show up and begin to help the team play better. Let’s watch this clip….
In the end, they were able to perform better, even after the angels stopped helping them. This is what it means to do it with God’s strength. We do it, but God helps us. As 1 Peter 4:11 says, “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides..” We might be able to do some things well, but with God’s help we can do many things great. God will take what we do and bless it all the more. When we serve God in this way, we love God with all of our strength.

Conclusion: Loving God with all of our strength needs to be a way of life. Our prayer life becomes more powerful because we pray in the Spirit; our love becomes deeper because we become more patient, and kind, and giving; our gifts are more effective because they are being used to bless others and give glory to God. And all this goes to be a sign that we love God wholely and completely. I hope that you have a better sense now of how to love God with all of your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and that you would seek to fulfill this call from God. Let us join together as God’s people to live this out, this day, and every day. Amen.

"With All of My Mind"
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Mark 12:28-30; Philippians 4:8

Introduction: Illustration: "Different Mentalities," Illus. Unlimited, p. 413, #18- The Stanford Research institute a number of years ago was making a study of how different people think; how they perceive things differently. They devised a short test to use in their interviews and called in people from different walks of life. The first to come in was an engineer. The researchers asked him: “Tell us, what does two plus two make?” The engineer didn’t even hesitate to give his answer; he simply said: “Well, if you mean in absolute terms—two plus two make four.” They wrote a couple of notes and then thanked him. Next they called in an architect, and asked him the same question. He said: “Well, there are several possibilities: two and two make four, but so do three and one—or two and one-half and one and one-half—they also make four. So, it is all a matter of choosing the right option.” The researchers made their notes and thanked him. The last of the 3 to come in was an attorney. The researchers asked him: “Tell us, what does two plus two make?” The attorney looked around, asked if he could close the door for privacy, and them came over close, leaning toward them he said: “Well, tell me, what would you like it to be?”
How we think is important, and shapes our lives. God wants us to know that what goes into our minds is of utmost importance. As we continue our series on loving God with all of our heart, and soul, and mind and strength, this morning we try to get an understanding of the importance of loving God with all of our mind. And like before, we will start by looking at 3 biblical truths about the mind.

I. 3 Truths About Our Minds- (Psalm 139:2; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5)

1. God knows our thoughts-
First, we need to understand that God knows our thoughts. As we are told in Psalm 139:2- "...You, O God, discern my thoughts from far away."
Let us not deceive ourselves, God knows what we are thinking; the good and the bad. We cannot hide our thoughts from God! For some this is a scary thought, but it actually is a good thing, because we don't have to try and fool God. We can be real and honest with God; especially on Sundays when we come to church. It actually frees us up to be ourselves with God. We don’t have to pretend and put forth the image that everything is okay, or that we are somebody that we are not!
It is true that not every thought we have is pure, or right. Our circumstances around us can lead us to think some pretty mean or angry thoughts. The issue isn’t whether we have bad thoughts or not, the issue is do we think we can hide these thoughts from God? We get ourselves into trouble bottling up our thoughts. The best thing to do is acknowledge to God the thoughts we have; the thoughts that God already knows is there! Only then can we even think about trying to move to the place where our mind can be on God and the things of God.

2. God can change our way of thinking-
A second truth is found in Rom. 12:2, where the apostle Paul says: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."
It is important for us to understand that when we accept Jesus as our savior and Lord, God comes in to change our mind; to change the way we think. We are no longer to follow the thinking of this world, but to be transformed into thinking the thoughts of God!
Understand that the thinking of the world is different than the thinking of God. The world is about being independent; the world is about looking out for yourself; the world is about climbing the corporate ladder; the world is about working to get a better car, a higher paying job, achieving a higher standard of living.
God is about loving your neighbor as yourself, being a giving and selfless person, putting others before yourself, serving instead of being served. This indeed takes a great transformation of the mind!

3. We are responsible for our thoughts-
Third, we find in 2 Corinthians 10:5- "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
We live in a world where there are many philosophies that can lead us astray and lead us away from God. This verse reminds us of the importance of being responsible for our every thought, and that the only way we can overcome these thoughts, that are not of God, is to take them captive and then filter them through the word of God. As we do this, we can begin to be obedient to Christ even in our mind! We become responsible for our thoughts!

II. Eight Ways to Love the Lord With All of Your Mind- (Philippians 3:8, 4:8; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 33:11, 51:2, 145:2-3; 1 Timothy 6:17; Malachi 1:5)
In thinking about loving God with all of our minds, I want to briefly look at 8 ways that we can do this by breaking down this wonderful verse from Philippians…
Hear Philippians 4:8 again: "Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things." Paul gives us a great list that will help our minds be more in line with what God desires.

1. Meditate on God's truth- ("whatever is true")
First, Scripture is clear that what we dwell on will determine what we believe, and ultimately how we choose to live our lives. In Joshua 1:8, as Joshua is poised to take over for Moses in leading the Israelites to the promised land, he is given this advice:
"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."
Now meditating is focusing your mind on the things of God's truth. You can do this through your daily or regular Bible readings, but an even better way to do this is to memorize scripture. There is nothing more powerful to help us keep the truth of God's word close to our minds than to memorize scripture.
This verse then goes on to say that if you meditate on God's word, "you may be" careful to do what is written, and then "you will" make your way prosperous. Now the phrase "you may be" is telling us that just because we meditate on God's word, doesn't mean that we will live it out. But the "you will" is telling us that if we meditate on God's word, and apply it to our lives, then our way will be prosperous, because we will be following the path God has for us. This is what God was wanting Joshua to know, that if he knows God's word, and follows God's word, he and the Israelites will be prosperous. Our prosperity comes from thinking about and following what is “true.”

2. Appreciate God's worth- ("whatever is noble")
Second, if you were to look at the word "appreciate" in the financial sense, it would mean that our financial worth is continually growing. This is to be true of how we should approach God with our mind; the more we think about God, the greater His worth becomes to us…As Paul says in Philippians 3:8- "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord..."
Paul reminds us that the most important thing we can have is knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is a noble, honorable thing to have a deep understanding of who Christ is and what Christ has done, because our lives only have honor in Christ. To appreciate God's worth is to appreciate who He is; His holiness, His unconditional love, His faithfulness, His willingness to forgive, His power, His presence, the fact that He created us to be in relationship with Him. The way we show that God has value, worth to us, is to give Him everything of who we are, even our mind! In this way we dwell on what is “noble.”

3. Cooperate in God's Plan- ("whatever is right")
Third, there are things that are right in this world, and there are things that are wrong. God created this earth, and all that is in it. God has established a plan for creation. But all too often we don’t follow this plan. It is the right thing to do to seek to know in our minds what God's plan is, and then to try and cooperate with it.
As the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 33:11- "But the plans of the Lord stand
firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."
God's plan has not changed. He has made His plan clear. Do you know what God's plan is? In short, the summary of God's plan is found in the 2 great commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. But this can be complicated to live out. How we make decisions shows whether or not we are cooperating with God's plan.
A good book that might help you in this area is the book Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby. In this book we are challenged as Christians to experience the fullness of life by letting God reveal Himself to us. On page 49 of his book, Blackaby says this: “When God gets ready to do something, He reveals to a person or His people what He is going to do. God accomplishes His work through His people…” By knowing the mind of God, we can discover what God is revealing to us, and we can know our special place in God's kingdom; we can know the “right” things to do.

4. Appropriate God's Cleansing- ("whatever is pure")
Illus., 1001 Humorous Illustrations, "Old Sins," p. 328, #868- There is a story of a middle-aged woman who was concerned about her mother, so she phoned her daughter to see if she knew anything: “Dear,” she said, “have you spoken to your grandmother recently? I’ve tried to call her every evening this week, and there’s been no answer. She really should be at home. I’m beginning to worry!” The daughter thought for a second and said: “Oh, they’re having a revival at the retirement village this week. I’ll bet that’s where she has been when you’ve called.” “Revival?” the mother responded. “What on earth do they need with a revival? What kind of sins could they possibly have at a retirement village?” The daughter wisely responded: “Old ones, mother. Old ones!”
Most of us don't think of ourselves as "pure" because we don't let ourselves receive the cleansing of God; we hold onto our old sins. God wants to forgive us; we just have to ask. After David was convicted of his sins of adultery with Bathsheba, and then killing her husband by having him put on the front lines of the battle, King David said this in Psalm 51:2-"Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin."
We need to keep a short list of our sins. We keep a short list by regularly going to God with our confessions, and once we have done this, our list is wiped clean! But we also should ask God to erase our evil thoughts as well, because thoughts can turn into sin. Our sin can affect our thinking, and keep our minds from God. We must move away from sin and sinful thoughts and focus on those things that are good and “pure!”

5. Anticipate God's Abundance- ("whatever is lovely")
Next, we move our minds closer to God by anticipating God’s abundance. God has an abundance of love, and power, and blessings. All which are available to us. A good way to anticipate God's abundance is by focusing on the blessings of the past. You can do this in a number of ways; maybe when you go to bed each night think about how God blessed you that day, or maybe you can ask a friend or family member how they think you have been blessed (other people tend to be more objective when it comes to this), or maybe you can take some time each week to write down or journal the many ways God has blessed you. It will surprise you to see that God has blessed you abundantly.
One of the things I love about our Contemporary Service on the fourth Sunday of each month is the testimony time. The testimony time is a time for us to hear from others how God is blessing them. By hearing their testimony, not only can we rejoice with them in their blessings, but hopefully it will spur our thinking about how God is blessing each of us. As the body of Christ, we are blessed when we know that others are blessed. We need to be thinking in these terms, and make ourselves more aware of God's blessings in our lives….In this way we can focus on those things that are lovely. As Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:17- "...God richly gives us everything to enjoy."

6. Communicate What You See of God in Others-
Paul then tells us to dwell on whatever is admirable. Unfortunately, we live in a world where we judge others instead of encourage them. We tend to focus on the faults of others, and the imperfections of others instead of their good things. Scripture tells us we were made in the image of God, and that we were wonderfully made.
The same is true of ourselves. We have trouble seeing the good, but instead focus on our faults, weaknesses, sins. Often times I will ask a person to give themselves a self-esteem score. More often than not the score is low. Someone once said: "The closest a person comes to perfection is when he fills out a job application." (1001 Humorous Illus., p.320, #845) There is probably a lot of truth to this. We like to put our best foot forward when we apply for our job. How come we can't be like this in our self-image and in the way we look at others?
They say that it takes about 30 compliments to overcome one criticism. How sad this is! One thing I have done now for a number of years is to save all of the encouragement notes I get from people. Every once in a while I pull out this folder and read the encouraging things people have said to me.
Let us be people who are seeking to communicate the love of God to others with words of praise and encouragement. You will find that it will change how your mind thinks of others!

7. Motivate Your Days By God's Greatness-
Next, Paul tells us to dwell on that which is praiseworthy. How can we do this? Maybe each morning when we wake up, the first thing we can try and do is to dwell on God’s greatness. As Psalm 145:2-3 says: “Every day I will praise you and extol Your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.” Now this isn’t normal for us to do, so we have to write ourselves a note to do this, and then practice this kind of thinking each day. In time it will become habit to start out the day with our mind thinking about God’s greatness.
What makes God great? He is the creator; He is ever-present; He will never abandon us; He has given His Son so that we might live; He has given us this world to enjoy; He has gifted us to be the body of Christ; and on and on the list could go. Thinking like this will help us to put the day in perspective, and help us to understand that God gave us this day to live for Him and glorify Him with our lives.
Even more, we begin the day by asking ourselves questions like this:
What can I do that will make the day a blessing? How can I dedicate this day to God? This kind of thinking will help us change the way we perceive the day, and the way we live out our day. As we focus on God’s greatness, we remember that living our lives in the right way is not about will power, but about God power!

8. Celebrate What God is Doing-
Lastly, Paul tells us to think about whatever is praiseworthy. There is a story of a farmer who was sitting on the porch with his wife. As he looked over at her he realized how much she meant to him. They had been married for 42 years, but at this moment it really impacted him. So he said to her: “Wife, you’ve been such a wonderful woman that there are times I can hardly keep from telling you!” Not exactly the warm fuzzy that most women want to hear, but it was an attempt. J
This is all too true of us, and God; of us, and the church. We often realize that God is wonderful. We see how the church can be a great blessing in our lives. But we fail to talk about it. The prophet Malachi tells us in Malachi 1:5- “…lift up your eyes to see what God is doing all around the world; then you will say, ‘Truly, the Lord’s great power goes far beyond our borders!’” God is at work in our lives, in the work of this church, and in the world. We need to look around and focus on what God is doing, and give praise to God for all that God is doing. We need to celebrate with each other and with other Christians what God is doing! It is time to celebrate who God is and join with Him in accomplishing His will. We need to get this into our minds.

Conclusion: If we focus our minds on these eight things, I believe the result will be peace in our lives, and power and purpose in our actions. Too many people do not have peace of mind because they are focused on everything but the things of God. The prophet Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 26:3- “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in God, whose thoughts are fixed on Him!” We were created to dwell on god, to focus on the things of God. We can love the Lord with all of our minds when our minds are fixed on God. Then we will experience perfect peace. Come, let us love the Lord with all of our minds. Amen.

“With All of My Soul”
Mark 12:28-30; Acts 2:25-28
Sunday, November 8, 2009

Introduction: Someone once said: “If you resent it, don’t do it. If you do it, don’t resent it.” (Humorous Illus., #203, p. 91) I think this quote is helpful for us this morning, as we first look to understand the soul, and then seek to know how to best love the Lord with all of our soul. As we continue in our series on “loving God with all of our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength,” we will see that the soul is an active force, and can be active in good things or bad. If you resent something, that means that you have bad feelings towards it, and you shouldn’t do it; you shouldn’t let that enter your soul, because once it does, the chances of us carrying it out into action are great. Even if it is not necessarily a bad thing, it will not become a positive force in our lives.
So this morning, let’s look first at four truths about the soul, and then look at how we can love the Lord with ALL of our soul!

I. Four Truths About our soul- (Matthew 10:28; Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:6; Revelations 18:14a; Psalm 42:1, 11)
a. The soul is invisible- We read in Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear
those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” It’s never popular to talk about hell, because hell is such an evil place. But the biggest reason that it is an evil place is because it is completely separated from God and God’s love. I can’t imagine a more horrible place than being eternally separated from LOVE.
Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 10 after He had told the disciples that nothing would be secret from God. Jesus knew that we all have secrets, and that we all have fears. One of our fears is people who control us or overwhelm us. Jesus is trying to say that we should not fear the punishments of others, because God is with us, but all the more, if we let this fear keep us from giving ourselves to God, the greatest punishment will await us; HELL.
The most important part of our lives is our spirit and our soul, because these are eternal in nature, whereas our body is temporary. Once this life ends here on earth, it is our soul, not our body that we continue on. While we will live for a few years here on earth, we will live for eternity after we die. The question is, do we want to live eternally in heaven, or in hell?
So while we cannot see our soul, we also cannot forget that it is there, and the importance it has for us. Even though the soul is invisible, it is what will prepare and enable us to live with God in heaven. If we live rightly, we can avoid penalties both here on this earth, and in life after this life.
b. Separate from the spirit- A second truth we learn about our soul
comes from the book of Hebrews, 4:12- “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit…” It can be difficult to understand the difference between the soul and the spirit; but they are separate. The spirit is the higher element of our invisible being; our life force. The soul is the lower element of our invisible being; that which sets our life in motion. This is why we are called to love God with our soul, because the soul is the active force. Another way to see it is that our spirit, the pneuma (in Greek) focuses on the spiritual aspect of man (our life in relation to God), whereas the soul, the psuche (in Greek) focuses on our life in relationship to ourselves (our emotions and thought). That is why the psalmist asks in Psalm 42:11- “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you disturbed within me?…”
c. The seat of our will and purpose- Thirdly, we are told in
Ephesians 6:6- “Not only by being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” At the end of this verse we read the phrase “the will of God from the heart.” The Greek word here that is translated as “heart” is the word “psuche”, which we have just learned is the word used for “soul.” It is in our soul that our will and purpose are set, and the soul, being the active force, is what sets our will and purpose into motion.
We see here that our lives are designed and controlled in a deeper manner than we might expect. It isn’t just our mind that controls what we think, and feel, and do, but deeper down, the soul is where it originates. As we talked about last week, we are to love God not only through our words, but by our actions. The soul is what sets us on the path of how we will act. If we are going to change how we act, meaning, seeking to love God deeply, then we have to change our will at the core level; the level of our soul!!
d. The place of our appetites- Fourthly, the soul is the place of our
appetites. Revelations 18:14a says: “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you…” It is our soul that longs for things. It is in the soul where our appetites for things begin. As Psalm 42:1 states, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God…”
If we are to long for anything, it should be God. Because what we long for is what we will seek after. And what we seek after is what we will find. And what we find is what will direct our path. And so we want our soul to long for God, so that our soul can be filled with God, and directed by God, and strengthened by God. David is expressing in Psalm 42 his deep desire for God. David had longed for many things in his life, including Bathsheba, another man’s wife. David knew where his longing should be; David knew what his soul should desire! And we would do well to understand this same truth.
Now that we have a little better sense of what our soul is,
and how our soul works, let us look at 4 ways to love God
with all of our soul.

II. Four Ways to Love the Lord with All of Our Soul- (Psalm 35:9; Hebrews 6:19; Psalm 41:4, 19:7; Acts 2:25-28)
a. Rejoice in God- The first way we should love God with all of our
soul is to let our soul rejoice in God. THERE IS A STORY of a little girl who saw that her grandmother was sad, and so she asked her: “Grandma, are you okay?” “I feel fine,” her grandmother responded. Then the little girl asked: “Well, if you feel fine, why don’t you tell your face?”(1001 Humorous Illus., p. 329, #873)
How often do we not show the joy we feel on our face, even though life might be good? The psalmist knew that life was good when he said in Psalm 35:9- “Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, exulting in His deliverance.”
Why does the psalmist rejoice? Because the Lord has delivered him from eternal death. The psalmist knows that he will spend eternity in the presence of the Lord. The psalmist remembers who God is, and all that God has done for His people, and how God is there for Him now as well. He rejoices because the Lord is in his favor. He rejoices because his ease and safety are not in his doing, but in God’s. He rejoices because he will have God’s presence and guidance here on this earth. So he gives praise to the Lord.
Now understand, that this praising of God is not just outwardly, physical praise. It is not just the praise we do in worship. It is rejoicing in God to the depth of the soul; the place of our will and appetites and purposes. When we love God with all of our soul, then we give our soul to God, so that our desires and purposes are shaped by God’s desires and purposes. His joys are our joys. The deepest part of our being is connected to God, so our worship and praise and rejoicing comes from who we are, not by what is going on in our lives. We can’t help but to rejoice be-cause God has touched our soul, the place of action, and our only action is to rejoice!
b. Let God be your anchor- A little boy was praying one night before
he went to bed, and he was overheard saying: “Dear God, please take care of my daddy, and my mommy, and my sister, and my brother, and my doggy, and me. OH, and please take care of yourself, God, because if anything happens to you, we’re gonna be in a big mess.” (1001 Humorous Illus., p. 225, #583)
The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 6, verse 19, “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain.” We need to let our hope be in God, and let that hope be an anchor to our soul; an anchor which keeps us in place, and secure in the Lord. And we know that our hope is secure in the Lord because of His promises to us, which are founded on His eternal counsel. His promises to us, which can be safely depended upon.
When our hope is in the Lord, anchored and secure, we will have security of happiness as heirs of the promise, that in the end, all things will work for the good. When our hope is in the Lord, we will be comforted in even the strongest of trials. God is always there to console us. When our hope is in the Lord, we know that we are not in danger of being cast away, because the anchor of God’s truth is there to keep us steady; causing it to be impossible for us to be moved away from God.
In the book “The Practice of the Presence of God,” Brother Lawrence says this about our soul being anchored in God: “To succeed in giving ourselves to God as much as He desires, we must constantly guard our soul. In addition to being involved in spiritual matters, the soul is involved in the things of this world. But when we turn our backs on God, exposing our souls to the world, God will not so easily answer our call. When we are willing to accept God’s help and guard our souls according to His desires, we may commune with God whenever we like.” When we are focusing on the things of the world, and not on God, then our souls are not anchored in God!
How does this help us to love God? Because we can be sure and steadfast in our faith when our soul is anchored in God. Our faith is not tossed about like the waves of the ocean. Our souls have been taken hold of by the Lord, and we are able to love God deeply and consistently!
c. Let God renew your soul- Third, we must let God renew our souls.
There is a story of a London businessman named Lindsay Clegg who was selling a warehouse. The building had been empty for months and was in great need of repair. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and thrown trash all over the place. As Clegg showed a prospective buyer the property, he made sure the person knew that he would replace the broken windows, and bring in a crew to correct all the damage. The prospective buyer responded: “Forget about the repairs. When I buy this place I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building, I want the site.”
God’s message to us is that He wants to make great changes in our lives. He doesn’t just want our words, He wants to come in and completely rebuild. And even after He has been working for a while on this re-building project, there are still times when He needs to come in and bring renewal. As the psalmist says in Psalm 41:4- “I said, Lord, be merciful unto me; heal my soul; for I have sinned against Thee.”
We have to understand that sin is a sickness of the soul, and quite often we need healing from our sinfulness. The only thing that heals it is the pardoning of our wrongdoings, and the only one who can pardon is God. So if we hope to love the Lord with all of our soul, we must continually be going to God for this healing of our soul. When we receive healing, we are then ready for renewal!
Psalm 19:7 tells us, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple.” In God’s law, God has set-up things in this world to follow an order. He has established a directive of right and wrong. Where we get lost is when we stray from this order; this law of God. The law of God is perfect, free from corruption, filled with good. It is wonderfully designed.
As we renew our soul, we again begin to delight in God’s law, in God’s ways, and are then led back to the right understanding of how we are to live. It is in the law of God that we know the mind of God. How have things been structured to fit together? How has life been designed to work together? How can people live together in love and harmony? These questions are answered by God’s law.
But ultimately, what the law really does, is it helps us to realize that we cannot fully follow the law, and so in God’s love for us, He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our not living up to the law. The law was ultimately replaced by the cross. So, as we follow God’s law, our soul is revived to the point where we can be taken to the cross of Christ. And the cross touches us at the depth of our soul!
d. Spending eternity with God- Finally, we cannot rely on just
thinking that we are Christians. It isn’t just about asking Jesus to be our Savior. We must ask Jesus to be our Lord each and every day! In this way we give our soul over to God so that He might watch over it and protect it.
We are told in Acts 2:27- “For you, O God, will not abandon my soul to Hades…” God gave us this life, and has given us the opportunity to spend eternity with Him. When we give our soul to Him, He will not allow it to ever be separated from Him, even when our soul is separated from the body!
Illustration- “Father at the Game, “ Illus. Unlimited, p. 171, #2. Some years ago Columbia University had a great football coach by the name of Lou Little. One day Lou had a boy try out for the team who wasn’t really that good, but he noticed that there was something unique about him; while he wasn’t good enough to make the team, he had such a great spirit and contagious enthusiasm that caused Lou to think: “This boy would be a great inspiration on the bench. He’ll never be able to play, but I’ll leave him on the team to encourage the others.” As the season went on, Lou began to develop an admiration for this boy. One of the things that really impressed Lou about him was the manner with which he cared for his father. Whenever the father would visit the campus, the boy and his father would always be seen arm in arm with each other. They would always go to the university chapel together on Sunday. It was obvious to Lou that they had a deep bond and a shared Christian faith. One day Lou got a phone call informing him that the boy’s father had died; could he be the one to tell the boy? With a heavy heart he informed the boy, who immediately left to go home for the funeral…..A few days later the boy returned, 2 days before the biggest game of the season. Lou went to him to see if he was all right, asking him: “Is there anything at all I can do for you?” Lou was surprised by the answer, as the boy said: “Let me start the game Saturday!” Lou didn’t know how to respond. The boy wasn’t good enough and in fact he might get hurt. But then he responded: “All right you can start the game.” And then he thought to himself, I can always take him out after a few plays……To everyone’s surprise the coach started the boy. But even more surprising was the way the boy played. He single-handedly made play after play. He played so well that Lou left him in the whole game. He was voted outstanding player of the game. After the game Lou came up to him and asked: “Son, what got into you today.” To which the boy replied: “You see, my father was blind. I was able to hide it from most people. But now that he is in heaven, I knew that he would be able to, for the first time, see me play!”
The boy believed his father was watching him, and so he was inspired in his play. The truth is, our heavenly Father is watching us, and this should inspire us in the way we live. Most people, when they think of eternity, think it starts when they die. But the reality is that eternity starts when we decide to let Jesus Christ be our savior and we give our lives to God. When we make a decision to spend eternity with God, it shows in the way we love God with our soul.

Conclusion: After hearing this sermon, the question I want to ask you is this: Have you given your soul to God? Not just your words, or your time on Sunday mornings, or your prayers, BUT YOUR SOUL. I want to challenge us all this morning to reflect upon our lives, upon what our desires are, and the purpose we have set for our lives. Do they show love of the soul to God?….Along with that, I want to challenge us this week to let God renew us and uplift us, and bless the love we show to Him. It will change your life. IT REALLY WILL. Come, let us love the Lord with all our soul. Amen.