Southwood Lutheran Church

Giving Presence to God

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Text: Matthew 2:1–12

The Three Kings

• They came to find the newborn king.
• They brought gifts:
• Gold:  a most valuable commodity
• Frankincense:  incense used in worship—
  a symbol of prayer
• Myrrh:  a spice that was used to anoint bodies before burial
• They brought gifts to ...
• Show their honor
• To show their respect
• To worship the child

In Jesus, God Gives Us The Greatest Gift

• It’s priceless.
• It’s eternal.
• It’s something you use every day.

What Gifts Will We Give To God This Year?

1. Our hearts. Not just pious words, but our hearts, our love, our devotion, our faith. God wants a relationship!
2. Our worship. Authentic worship is anything we do, anything we say, any action to we take that gives glory to God. God wants lives to mean something…he desires us to be builders of his Kingdom.
3. Our giving and serving. Jesus tells us that when we give and serve the least of these we are doing it to him. If you want to give a gift to God, serve and give to the least of these—it is giving God a gift!

Cultivating Contentment

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Message Text: Luke 12:13–21 (NLT)

We are bombarded with messages…

• If you had a little bit more, you’d be content
• If you had this new ”thing” you’d be satisfied
• If you had a bigger house or more fashionable clothes, you’d be happy

Adam Hamilton calls this the RHS (Restless Heart Syndrome):  “We are never satisfied, always searching for something more, something better, something bigger,  something that satisfies.”

Contentment is a condition of the heart and soul!

¹¹Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. ¹²I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Philippians 4:11-12 (MSG) 

¹⁶Be cheerful no matter what; ¹⁷pray all the time; 18thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (MSG) 

God made us to be content with some things and not to be content with others.
We are made to be content with what we have, and not content with the injustice in the lives of others.  The problem is that we get these confused.  We become content or complacent with the needs of people around us because we aren’t content with what we have.

Contentment is a life choice. Choosing Contentment means:

• that we look to God as the source of all we have and give thanks for what we have been given.
• we ask God to give us the right perspective on money and possessions and to change our hearts each day.
• we lead a simpler life, wasting less, conserving more, managing well.
• we say yes to the right things, and no to the unnecessary, and that we grow closer to God to know the difference.
• we live generously for the sake of others in need.

Prayer of Contentment

Lord, help me be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don’t need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity.  AMEN

This sermon series is based on the book Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton

Defined by Generosity

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Based on: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10

We were created to be givers—we are tempted to be takers and keepers.

• Fear: “If you give, there may not be enough left over for yourself.”
• Self-gratification: “If you give you won’t have enough money to buy the stuff you want that you think will make you happy.”
• Defeating these voices is an act of faith!  As we grow spiritually, we’ll grow in our generosity. We discover that ancient truth that there is more joy in doing for others, than for ourselves.

What we believe about life and what we have to give:

• Life is a gift and everything in it belongs to God.
• We are called by God to be good stewards and managers of all that God has given to us.
• Acts 20:35:  It’s more blessed to give than to receive. My security is in God.  Not in money. 

Giving to God
A large portion of what we’ve been given is for us…taking care of us, our families.  But God also expects us to care for others. To build his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Giving is a part of following Christ that many people feel uncomfortable exploring.  But giving generously is often life-changing for those who respond to God’s call. Our tithes and offerings are:

• Tangible signs of where our heart is with God.  They show God what we think of him. 
• Expressions of our worship and gratitude to God.
• Demonstrations that we put God first in our lives.
• An investment in God’s work through the church.
• Pleasing to God

When we give generously we will be blessed. 
It’s not that we give to get blessed.  That’s the wrong motivation and heart. But when we give generously, thankfully, faithfully, blessings will be ours!  Living for others results in blessings—and isn’t that how we want to be remembered when our life is over?

This sermon series is based on the book Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton

Wisdom and Finance

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Sermon Text: Luke 12:22–34

Enough* Series Introduction

Where are you financially? Are you in a looming financial crisis? Are bills piling up? Do you have major debt on credit cards? Do you feel like you are on a treadmill and something is going to break…either the treadmill or your wallet? OR, are you doing well? If so, what are you doing with what you have been given? Do you waste your money? Do you ever wonder “where it all went?”

In this sermon series we want to look at these issues that deal with our money.  Many of the issues of money aren’t about money itself.  Money is just a tool.  The issue of money is really an issue of what is in our heart…what we value…who we love.

Finding our purpose:

Many of us don’t have our purpose figured out so we buy into our culture’s definition which is: “To consume. To have more.” On the contrary, this is what the Bible teaches us about our purpose:

• We were created to love God and others
• We were created to care for our families
• We were created to glorify God through our actions
• We were created to build God’s kingdom and do God’s will
• We were created to seek justice and serve others in their need
• We were created to follow Jesus

Our money and possessions should align with our purpose!
A Biblical Plan for Wise Financial Management—10/10/80 

• 10% to God
• 10% for the future
• 80% to live on

Six financial planning principles (Enough p. 43)

1. Pay your tithe and offering first (give God his share off the top—not your leftovers)
2. Create a budget and track your expenses
3. Simplify your lifestyle (live below your means)
4. Establish an emergency fund
5. Pay off your credit cards and use cash/debit cards for purchases and use credit wisely
6. Practice long-term savings and investment habits

Prayer of Contentment

Lord, help me be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don’t need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity.  AMEN

*This sermon series is based on the book Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton

Living Beyond Yourself: Following Jesus

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Matthew 16:21-25

To follow Jesus you must…

• “Give up your selfish ambition” (self-centeredness)
• “Take up your cross” (Accept God’s plan for your life)
• “And follow me” (live like Jesus—“the way, the truth and the life”)

Being a Follower of Christ is the greatest adventure of all time.
In the market place, it is reputation and money.  In Christ’s work, when you are doing God’s program, there is a distinct possibility that something super natural is going to happen.  God is going to cross your path and do something and you will miss it if you are not connected to God.

Being a Follower of Christ changes the goal of life.
Instead of safety, Jesus calls us not to play it safe but to change the world—to build his kingdom.  Instead of playing defense, we are accepting Jesus’ invitation to play offense and score some points for God in this world.  His kingdom will advance and not even the gates of hell will have power over it.

Being a Follower of Christ changes our mindset.
Many present the gospel as a way to avoid hell.  When that is done, people just kind of hang out until heaven.  However, Jesus teaches us that when we know our salvation through his cross, we can then be a part of his redemptive actions in the world. 
We like to talk about being saved from something…Jesus challenges us to think about it in this way…what are we saved for? We are saved to build the “kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.”

Mission Sunday

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Text based on: Matthew 25:31-46 (NLT)

“I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” Matthew 25:40 (NLT)

Matthew 25 contains 3 parables about Jesus’ second coming. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus is making a connection between the final judgment and whether or not we have served to meet the needs of the “least of these” in our midst. Jesus says that when we serve the “least of these,” we are serving him! He even goes as far to say that if we ignore the “least of these” amongst us, our hearts are not with him and our salvation is in question.

Some Facts about Poverty

• 40% of the world’s population make less than $2 a day (2.6 billion people).
• 15% of the world’s population make less than $1 a day (1 billion people).
• 4.5% of the world’s population make $105 a day (0.3 billion people).
• The poorest 40 percent of the world’s population accounts for just 5 percent of global income.  The richest 20 percent accounts for three-quarters of the world’s income.
• The top 20% of the world’s population consumes 86% of the world’s goods.
• Some 350-400 million children are hungry.
• About 1 in 7 worldwide (854 million people) do not have enough food to sustain them.
• Approximately 25,000 people die each day of hunger or its related causes, about 9 million people per year.

Serving the Least of these has had an impact!

• Life expectancy in developing nations increased from 46 years in 1960 to 66.1 in 2005.
• Preventable child deaths have fallen 50% since 1960.
• The percentage of people with access to clean water in developing countries went from 35% in 1975 to 80% in 2007.
• Polio has been almost eradicated from the globe.
• Adult literacy has risen from 43 to 77 percent since 1970.

Next Steps

• Pray for the “least of these” in our midst.
• Get involved: Give your time and money to community and global missions work.
• Change your lifestyle; live more simply and generously so others may have basic needs met.

People of God: Conversion

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Message based on: Acts 9:1–18

Conversion is the realization that God can change people!

Christian faith assumes a conversion of the heart and mind in a person. Jesus did not come so we could remain the same. He came to change us. To show us the way. To make us more like him. (I am the way, the truth and the life.) We call it sanctification. Conversion is the beginning of the process.

Conversion is both event and process.

The Event: The realization that there is a God. That God is real. That we are a result of his creative hand. When we open our hearts to God, the Holy Spirit begins to work in us. Our hearts begin to change.

The Process: The journey of faith. The process whereby we are changed in how we think, how we live, how we serve, how we give, even how we feel. This is a process toward holiness. It will last the rest of our lives.

Conversion is both personal and social.

It is Personal. It is between me and God. It is very personal. God suddenly seems very close.

It is Social. It will impact our relationships with others. Sometimes in good ways. Sometimes not. Conversion of our heart and attitudes has far reaching social implications.

Conversion begins a new kind of journey.

We sense a greater purpose for our lives and existence on this earth. We begin to see how God is using us and wants to use us in the building of his Kingdom in this world.

People of God: David

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2 Samuel 1:1-17

David was…

• a great and powerful king
• a man with great failures and moral lapses
• Yet, God used David to do great things for Israel.  What is the message of David’s leadership and success?

Failure isn’t final!

• We all fail. 
• Fail a project
• Fail in a relationship
• Moral failure
• So the question is this:  Why does failure paralyze and sometimes destroy some people, and build up others?

Moving Forward through Failure

• God is graceful, so get honest with God.
• God can work miracles, so concentrate on what God can do, not on what you did or didn’t do.
• God can turn failure into success, so use your failures as learning experiences.
• God’s grace gives us a new beginning for daily life, so view failure as a moment not a monument.
• God is a God of second chances, so stay in the game. 

Listening For God

Based on text: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (GNB)

Samuel Hears the Voice of God

And the lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
1 Samuel 1:10 (NLT)

God Speaks To Us Through The Holy Spirit
The still small voice of the Holy Spirit

For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.
Romans 8:16 (NLT)

• Counselor
• Helper
• Guide
• Advocate

People who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT)

God Uses A Variety Of Means To Communicate To Us

• Bible
• Prayer
• Circumstances
• Church
• Christian community
• Service

God uses these methods to reveal himself and his purposes.

Next Steps

• Pray
• Read Scripture
• Get in a Small group
• Worship regularly
• Find ways to serve the “least of these”

People of God: Joshua

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Based on: Joshua 1:1-9 (GNB)

When you follow Jesus you will eventually be led to a crisis that requires faith.

• Job change
• Life decision
• Moral dilemma
• Financial decision
• Relationship issue

God often calls us to get out of our comfort zones

• Encounters with God are God-sized
• What you do in response to God’s invitation reveals what you believe about God
• True faith requires action

God assures us:  Be Strong and Courageous

• Go where God is sending you!
• Stay firm in what you believe!
• Do not be afraid or discouraged, for God is with you wherever you go!

Next Steps: 

• In what areas of your life is God calling you to make some adjustments in order to follow his leadership? (from Experiencing God by Henry Blakaby)
• Circumstances (job, home, finances)
• Relationships (family, friends, business associates)
• Thinking (prejudices, methods, potential)
• Commitments (family, church, job, plans, transitions)
• Actions (how you pray, give, serve, study)
• Beliefs (about God, purposes, ways, relationship to him)