What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Monday, October 22, 2018

Sermon Notes "Just Like Them!"

Before I get into the message from Sunday's sermon,  I'd like to share these thoughts from my morning meditation beside the waters as I watched the mist rise up from the surface much like the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters:

Genesis 1:1-5
1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2.  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.
 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
 3.  Then God said, "Let there be light";
and there was light.
4.  And God saw the light, that it was good;
and God divided the light from the darkness.
5.  God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.
So the evening and the morning were the first day."

What a powerful way to start the day! I Praise God for this gift.

This past Sunday was "Laity Sunday" at our church, and thus the Pastor was given the day off from preaching and our lay people took charge of the service.  This is also in conjunction with October being Pastor Appreciation Month.  Of course, our Pastors should be appreciated every month because they are there for us 24/7/12 months of the year. Trust me, I know...my hubby spent quite a few years in the ministry, and as the Pastor's Wife, I know what kind of hours the Pastor puts in.  But it is a calling...called to serve the Lord and His people, and any person who believes he or she has been called to serve in the capacity needs to be aware that it is a full time, life time commitment. Not something you can just walk away from, even when retired.... (and wives and family are a big part of this "calling". If you don't think you can take it, best not marry a pastor!)

All that being said, we appreciate our Pastor very much, and thank the Lord for his dedication to the flock of God at our little church.

In light of this special day, one of our laymen delivered the message entitled "Just Like Them",  from the scripture passage found in I Samuel 8:4-20.  In this passage the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel the Prophet and demanded that he "make us a king to judge us just like all the nations." (see verse 5)

Verse 6 says, "But the thing displeased Samuel when they said , 'Give us a king to judge us.'  So Samuel prayed to the Lord."

7.  "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them."

God apparently was not surprised that His chosen people of Israel would demand a king to reign in place of Him.  Way back in the book of Genesis 35:11 He told Jacob (who was renamed Israel by God), 
"I am God Almighty.  Be fruitful and multiply; 
a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, 
and kings shall come from your body..."

Israel had rejected God's leadership. Their basic problem was disobedience to God.
  • In Leviticus 20:26 God said to the people of Israel: "You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the people, that you should be Mine."
  • Israel was called to be a holy nation, but they no longer wanted God to be their nation's ruler.
  • They wanted to be like other nations with a human king
  • They did not understand that only God's strength can make them flourish.

  • We, too, are disobedient to God and not listening to Him as a nation (and as a people)
  • In Deuteronomy 28:1, God told Israel:
  • "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth."
  • But we, as a nation, have turned away from God. Our nation is divided.
  • We are His people also, not just Israel.  
  • Romans 12:2 says: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
  • The world is corrupting our minds and our nation.  
  • Our refusal to conform to world "values" must go deeper.
  • Only when the Holy Spirit renews, educates and redirects our minds can we be firmly planted in Christ.
  • We need to pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us.

  • Read God's Word, the Bible.  Let God's Holy Spirit do His job of leading us.
  • Romans 8:5 says:  "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit."
  • There are two kinds of people:  Those who let themselves be controlled by SIN
  • Those who let themselves be led by the Holy Spirit.
  • Ask yourself:  What would Jesus want ME to do? Then do it eagerly!
  • Make God YOUR king, and follow Him!
Thank you to our layman and Sunday School teacher, David Perez, for this excellent message from God's Word. We are so blessed to have such excellent leadership in our little church.

14 comments:

  1. They got into such trouble, insisting on having a king. Yes... there is only one King for me!! Amen!

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  2. Our God reigns! And forever He is King!
    We too were in the Ministry and I remember even when we were on vacation, our church family was always in our thoughts and prayers. It was a 24-7 commitment which we loved.
    Great message and thank you for sharing it with us! Have a wonderful week, Pamela!

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  3. Absolute power corrupts absolutely as its said. Best to have only God for your king. He never disappoints you but human leaders always will.

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  4. Amen...amen... This really spoke to me this morning.

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  5. Thank you for sharing this today. I pray that I will have a grateful heart and a humble attitude. God is SO good!

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  6. Thank you so much. It is a very good sermon, I think! Have a nice day. Glad I was here, on your blog ♡

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  7. What a blessing to have such wonderful leadership in your church, Pam. It was such a good message. We also attend a small church and are blessed with good leadership. I also enjoyed the first part of your post. I love to watch fog lift from the water...or even from a valley. Such wonderful pictures you've shared...and the Scriptures always go so well with the pictures. xx

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  8. Such a powerful message from the Laity, Pamela! We were blessed to have our Lay Leader, Jerry, speak to us, and his words inspired me for the blog I'll be writing for Friday - unity in the church.
    Oh, and those amazing photos of the mist over the waters paired with Genesis - fabulous!
    Blessings!

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  9. Beautiful post, Pam. I especially enjoyed the photos at the very beginning with reference to the mist rising from the lake and the Spirit of God. Beautiful imagery.

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  10. Pam, it sounds like you heard a wonderful message Sunday. We humans get into a whole heap of trouble when we have anyone or anything as king, except Jesus!

    I find it so meaningful to deliver sermons when I get a chance--I can tell it has been awhile due to the longing I feel to preach. My church (also a UMC) has a strong laity emphasis too.

    Love and blessings!

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  11. Your Lawman delivered an awesome message!

    I appreciated your words about the Pastor and his wife and how the ministry to serve in that area is a full time commitment, good for you!
    I did not know that your husband was once a Pastor and you a Pastor's wife, but oh how wonderful you must have been as a Pastor's wife, your sweet and gentle spirit, your loving and caring attitude along with the prettiest and happiest smile just radiate the love of Christ.

    Those photos and verses you began your post with sure touched my heart strings, thank you for sharing.

    God bless you ~

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  12. Praise God we serve the ONE and ONLY true living King! Happy day to you dear Pam. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  13. Pam: Our (UMC) church also observed Laity Sunday this past Sunday. We had two women tell their stories and how God was with them during a difficult time in their lives. The younger woman spoke of things that brought tears to a lot of eyes. I heard that her husband's parents were in the early service and heard some of what she went through for the first time. I love your pictures of the water. Peace and blessings

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