40 DAYS IN THE WORD : Building God's Word into Your Life Sept. 1, 2014

The following sermon comes from Rick Warren, having been abridged and changed to adpated for CCQF bythe Rev. John Donnelly

Welcome to the Bible made easy—where you can master the bible..er, or , I should say, where the Bible will master you in just 40 plus days.  We are intersted in  speaking to 2 groups of people here this morning:

1.    Those who have signed up for a small group, so that you know what to expect;

2.    and those of you who may not yet have signed up,  so that we might  encourage you to join in the fun and learning of small groups.

There is a loose page in your bulletin, which reads  “Warm Up Message”.  Tale that out, and if those of you at the end of your pew would take out from pens from white baskets, we’ll begin.

A. 3 GOALS of the 40 DAYS IN THE WORD” MINSTRY:

·         ___LOVE_____ the Word of God like never before.

·         LEARN      the Word of God like never before.

·         LIVE    the Word of God like never before.

tHIS PORGRAM HAS BEEN TESTED IN THOUSANDS OF OTHER CHURCHES WORLD WIDE, AND SURVEYS OF PARTICPANTS INDICATE THAT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN PARTICPATONG CHURCHES.  SO, WE ARE NEXT.

B.             POINTS OF ENTRY

·         Sunday Sermons/Messages at 8 & 10:00, Sept. 15 – Oct. 27

·         Sunday School Classes,  Gr. PreK – 12

·         Small Groups   90 minutes/week

·         Free Daily Devotions

C.  6 SUNDAYMESSAGES from Rick Warren as presented by Fr. John

1.     Inspiration--   Why can I trust the Bible?

 2. Foundation - What is the Purpose of the Bible?

 3. Illumination - How can I see what God wants me to see?

 4. Interpretation - How do I know what it means?

 5. Integration - How do I integrate God’s Word into my life?

                  (work, family, finances, relationships)

 6. Application -  How can I USE God’s Word effectively?

      make decisions, defeat temptation, help others, comfort

  Now, in today’s Gospel, Jesus describes why we need to build our lives on God’s word.  If you look at the cover of today’s bulleting, you see a drawing depicting today’s Gospel. .ILL: Jesus ended the Sermon on Mt with a story.

            - 2 guys built houses for themselves

            - But they built on different foundations (solid rock/sand)

-  When a  massive storm came up,

 The house built on sand collapsed

but the house built on rock survived!

D.  “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like that wise man who built his house on the rock.”   Matt. 7:24         

HOW DO I BUILD MY LIFE ON THE BIBLE?

1.  I RECEIVE IT WITH MY EARS

a)     Rom.10:17 “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.”   

b)    Let us read this verse together: James 1:19-21 “Everyone should be QUICK TO LISTEN, slow to speak;  and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore,… ACCEPT THE WORD planted in you, which can save you.

S from the b     o “Accept” Dechomai (hospitality term) “Receive a stranger”

I.              Welcome the Word! Come on in!   Attitude of Acceptance

II.       hear same message “Blessed” vs “Didn’t get anything…”

                                    Not prepared!          

c)    For “Good Reception” I need to be…

Ø  QUIET     “Be quick to listen and slow to speak…”    when talking / I’m not listening

Ø  CALM       “and slow to become angry …” 

                      Fact:  we don’t hear much when angry / upset / uptight. 

                            So, clear out the baggage of life and take a moment to calmly & quietly listen with your ears.

2.   I READ IT  WITH MY EYES  

James 1:22-25  “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like!  But the man who looks intently into God’s Word that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.”    

 So, what does God give to the One who looks intently at His word? FREEDOM AND BLESSINGS.

                 

         In  many ways, God’s Word is like a Mirror  PURPOSE:  TO EVALUATE OURSELVES

        MIRRORS REFLECT HOW WE LOOK   ON THE OUTSIDE                   ---1^st Queen Elizabeth had all mirrors-removed from palace                    the closing years of her life-had lost her beauty

       BUT GOD’S WORD IS S SPIRITUAL MIRROR, WHICH   REFLECTS WHAT I LOOK LIKE ON THE INSIDE 

    Ever seen yourself in the Bible?

Characters, dilemmas, situations/ relationships/ attitudes/ fears/hopes/ dreams

Ø  2 WAYS TO LOOK AT A MIRROR/ 2 WAYS TO LOOK AT GOD’S WORD.

                     GLANCE – Look quickly & forget (most of the time)   Many of us take a quick glance of God’s word, & forget it almost instantly.                     “Lord, I’ve got 10 min.”   QUICKLY FORGET

                     GAZE INTENTLY – look at the details/ consider the meaning/                                                               consider how the word applies to you, personally.

                    

God wants us to gaze on not glance at His Word

                 

                          

3.  I reflect upon it with my mind and heart.                    

READ TOGETHER: Josh. 1:8 (Niv) “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”                         

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                  Learn 6 ways to do this in small groups!/Methods

     

So, God wants you to build your life, your house, on rock, by listening, reading & reflecting on God’s Word, together.  In the next 40 days, together, we can build our lives on the solid rock foundation of God’s Word.