Tag: bible

What Are You Waiting For? 7 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 7 of 10

The Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14 NLT… Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!

4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.

7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Introduction: Jesus is having a bad day, and it begins with a walk, a cursed fig tree, an argument, and parables that are uncharacteristic of Jesus to tell.

Transition: Let’s not give more weight to the king of a kingdom, than we do to a father giving a banquet for his son. The king of heaven is relational!

Exposition: What are banquet clothes? Matthew 21 has the answers…

-A life that bears good fruit (verses 18-22)

-A life that accepts the authority of Jesus (verses 23-27)

-A life that is deeper than words (verses 28-32)

Conclusion: What are you waiting for? The Christian is called to a life which must produce love (John 13:35) and light (Matthew 5:16).

What Are you Waiting For? 2 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 2 of 10

Wheat and Tares

Matthew 13:23-30 NLT… Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Introduction: “Your perspective will either become your prison or your passport.” ~Steven Furtick

Transition: Theodicy is the theological construct resolving the omnipotent and benevolent God, in relation to persistent evil in the world.

Exposition:

-You can do it right and wrong still happens

-You can mean right and do it wrong

Conclusion: What are you waiting for? Don’t allow problems to prevent progress!

What Are you Waiting For? 1 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 1 of 10

The Sower

Matthew 13:1-23 NLT… Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. 14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eye— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Introduction: This series will focus on the parables of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. A parable is a compound word in Greek, and it means to cast alongside.

Transition: The issue with this parable is that allegory (a stories elements have hidden meaning) is introduced in the explanation to the disciples, which implies that verses 18-23 were additions.

-Compacted (footpath)
-Crippled (rock)
-Crowded (thorns)
-Choice (fertile)

Exposition: Hope of a harvest begins with what’s in your hand. You have seed and a field; so, what are you waiting for?

-It will not always be efficient (there will be waste)
-It will not always be expeditious (there will be a waiting period)
-It will not always be what you expected (there will be more)

Conclusion: What are you waiting for? The kingdom needs you to take what you have and plant it, care for it, and prepare for the harvest!

BIG Words 3 of 3

BIG Words (Reconciliation) Making sense of Christian language, for holy and healthy living.

II Corinthians 5:18-20 NLT… And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Introduction: Like a puzzle, reconciliation involves patience, determination, common sense, and maturity.

Transition: The following definitions will help us understand this BIG Word, and how it is to be a part of our lives and…

-Reconciliation: the intentional return and commitment to relational health; the merger of wills in favor of unity. REFERENCE Romans 12:17-21

-Ambassador: an authorized agent into a foreign country who speaks on behalf of an invested power.

Exposition: This is a spiritual plea that has physical implications.

–Reference I John 1:5-10

Conclusion: God’s children have the responsibility of getting it right, and that only comes through death/the demise of negativity, hostility, selfishness, and vengeance.

Just Like Jesus 3 of 4

Objective: To transform our lives and relationships, by living into what it means to be Christlike.

Hearing God

James 1:22-24 NLT… But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

Introduction: As we celebrate the birth of the church, we must consider if God can trust us to carry out God’s kingdom building mission.

Transition: The tension of the text, is found in a person’s disregard of the details they learn from the mirror.

Exposition: Hearing God is a discipline…
-Devote and defend time. Reference Psalm 88:13, Psalm 141:2, Psalm 55:17 -Dig into the scriptures. Reference Psalm 1:2 -Determine to be receptive. Reference Acts 17:11

Conclusion/Overwhelming Observations:
-Not sound but substance (listen)
-Discernment is necessary (to God’s word)
-Input makes you responsible for output (do what it says)

Just Like Jesus 2 of 4

Objective: To transform our lives and relationships, by living into what it means to be Christlike.

The Touch of God

Colossians 3:12 NLT… Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Introduction: Love is a pure motivator. Reference Hebrews 10:24 Phileo (brotherly), Eros (passionate), Storge (familial), Agape (sacrificial).

Transition: To be like Jesus, we must investigate His hands so we can evaluate ours.

Exposition: There is grace in a touch from God!

Jesus displays the kind of grace we must be busy dispensing in Matthew 8:1-4… Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

Conclusion: What we have received from God comes with great responsibility.

Community – 4 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Community – 4 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Hebrews 10:19-25 NLT… And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Introduction: Building Christian community is a worthwhile work that is difficult but doable. It is difficult because of humanity’s rebellion toward unity, but it is doable because of the blood of Jesus that changes our nature.

Transition: Community is not so much where you live, as much as it’s about how you live.

Exposition: When we live into the discipline of Christian community, we exchange ‘I, my, and me’ for ‘we, our, us’ which is covenant language.

–Let us (verse 22) approach… faith

We have access because Christ cleansed us with his blood (Hebrews 9:22; Romans 5:1-2), and we’ve been publicly claimed by water baptism.

–Let us (verse 23) hold fast… hope

Our confidence in God is secure, because God’s promises are yes in Christ (II Corinthians 1:20)!

–Let us (verse 24) motivate one another… love

Our intelligence should be used to invest in each other (I Corinthians 13:4-8a). #GoodVibesOnly

–Let us (verse 25) gather together… obedience

Your presence makes the difference!

Challenge: Connect with a member of our faith community this week (call, write, text, meet) to motivate them, and do some random and unselfish for someone.

Devotional song of the week: Jesus At The Center (Israel & New Breed)

Prayer – 2 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Prayer – Spiritual Disciplines 2 of 6

Matthew 6:9-13 NLT… Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Introduction: Prayer is the most underutilized tool in the Christian’s toolbox.

God is the only constant in our relationships, and we present the variables of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual distance.

Transition: Our relationship with God suffers when we fail to make prayer a priority.

Exposition: Prayer must be central to the life of a Christian.

–Divine Centrality (verses 9-10) your name, your Kingdom, your will
REFERENCE Matthew 16:42 My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.

–Communal Petitions (verses 11-13) Give us, forgive us, rescue us
REFERENCE James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Challenge: Secure a prayer partner, and pray with and for each other at least twice this week. Do so audibly, and pray unselfishly based on conversation with your prayer partner.

Devotional song of the week: Sweet Hour of Prayer Meditation (Rev. James Cleveland)

The Choice is Yours (LENTEN DEVOTIONAL)

The Choice is Yours *This Lenten devotional was prepared and presented for the 2024 Lent Worship and Dinner series, of Dauphin Way U.M.C. in Mobile, Alabama. PastorAEW was honored to be their pulpit guest.

Matthew 16:24 NLT… Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me”.

Introduction: When you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.

The Christian (who claims to be on the way to meet God) must know that the road is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14).

Transition: Who Jesus is (vs. 13-20) gives way to what Jesus does (vs. 21-28).

Peter voices the typical posture of humanity, which is escapism. So, Jesus uses this as a teachable moment on what it means to be a disciple of and for Jesus Christ.

Exposition: If you’re going to make the right choice about following Jesus, then there are some questions you should consider…

–What do you want? (Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any of you wants to be my follower)

In the middle of life is an ‘if’.

–How bad do you want it? (you must give up your own way)

Lay it down!

–What are you waiting for? (take up your cross, and follow me)

Pick it up and live it out!

Conclusion: “He is no fool who forsakes what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose”. ~Phillip James Elliott

Study – 1 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Study – Spiritual Disciplines 1 of 6

II Timothy 3:16-17 NLT… All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. [17] God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Introduction: The Christian holy canon has been intricately compiled, is intimately constructive, and is interestingly provocative.

Transition: To study means the devotion of time and attention to acquiring knowledge.

Exposition: Paul is pointing his protégé Timothy in the direction of biblical fidelity (faithful to a code; honoring a promise), and divine usefulness (partners instead of pawns).

-Be good (verse 16)
Studying scripture is important to our development because we are imperfect. Reference Philippians 3:12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

-Do good (verse 17)
Studying Scripture is God’s channel to not only develop us but to deploy us. Reference Luke 10:36-37 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Challenge: Steal Away Time… READ 5 minutes, MEDITATE 5 minutes, JOURNAL 5 minutes.

Fifteen minutes of focused reading, intentional thought, and logging your overwhelming observations, will help develop the discipline of study. ***You can find the passages for your Steal Away Time on this site, under the tab Reading with the Rev.

Devotional song of the week: Steal Away to Jesus (Zo! Gospel Choir)