the table

We've had a powerful series this month and tonight we'll conclude on the thought of "what are you bringing to the table?"

Romans 6:13 "Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God."

1.When Paul uses the term "instrument of evil," he uses a word that can refer to a tool or weapon.

1.Our skills, capabilities, and bodies can serve many purposes, good and bad.

1.In sin, every part of our bodies are vulnerable.

2.In Christ, every part can be an instrument for service.

1.It is the one to whom we offer our service that makes the difference.

3.Will you give yourself completely to God, asking him to put you to good use for his glory?

2.What part of your body have you not completely given to God?

1.Your mind? Choices, attitudes, wandering.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT) "We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. [4] We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. [5] We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ."

1.Your Spirit? The true inner workings of God in you. Your emotions, character, true you. The you God knows.

1.Omnipresent-God is present everywhere all at the same time.

2.Omniscient-God knows all things.

3.Omnipotent-God's unlimited power, able to do anything.

Hebrews 12:9 (NLT) "Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn't we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?"

1.Your members?

1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT) "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified."

1.Discipline your mind, your spirit and your body to do what you want and need it to do for God.

2.Don't disqualify yourself by not hearing and responding to the voice of God.

3.Don't disqualify yourself by knowing what to do then refusing to make yourself do it.

4.Your body and all it's 2000 parts is a terrible thing to waste but such a powerful thing to surrender.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT) "There are six things the Lord hates- no, seven things he detests: [17] haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, [18] a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, [19] a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family."

1.Haughty eyes.

1.Arrogantly superior.

2.Lying tongue.

1.Refusal to tell the truth.

3.Hands that kill the innocent.

1. Abortion, murder.

4.A heart that plots evil.

5.Feet that race to do wrong.

6.A false witness who pours out lies.

7.A person who sows discord in a family.

1.These sins are in a provoking manner to God, which are hurtful to the comfort of human life.

1.These things which God hates, we must hate in ourselves; it is nothing to hate them in others.

2.Let us reject all such practices, watch and pray against them;avoid, with marked disapproval, all who are guilty of them, whatever may be their rank.

1.When I think about what I bring to the table, what I personally offer, I want to be loyal to God, loyal to His message, loyal to His mission and not just faithful.

1.There is a huge difference between being loyal and being faithful.

2.Many people faithful to the core but disloyal to the cause.

Loyal-showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution.

Faithful-constant, reliable.

1.It could be that your current life challenge is just God giving you an opportunity to do something you've never ever done before?

1.To be a voice of God to this generation you must know who and what you are to this generation.

2.God has gifted you, open your mouth to speak for Him, open your heart to serve for Him, open your ears to the injustice in this society, and open yourself to others they desperately need the message.

Romans 12:9-10, NLT "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."

1.Most of us have learned how to pretend to love others--how to speak kindly, avoid hurting their feelings, and appear to take an interest in them.

2.We may even be skilled in pretending to feel moved with compassion when we hear of others' needs, or to become indignant when we learn of injustice.

1.But God calls us to real and sincere love that goes far beyond pretense and politeness.

2.Sincere love requires concentration and effort.

3.It means helping others become better people.

4.It demands our time, money, and personal involvement.

1.We are the change the world is waiting for.

2.We've got a love the world is desperate for.

1.Use my calling, use my gift to change the world!

1.Now, right now is my time I am the voice to this generation I abandon all to you God and only to you will I surrender.

2.Carry hope, let love shine and show this world that mercy is alive.

3.Whatever you are bringing to the table is what is being consumed by this generation, by this culture, by society, by your friends, your family.

1.So it's imperative that you bring your very best, your anointed, your reason and calling from God to this table.

4.The world needs your testimony of hope, your testimony of passion, your testimony of salvation, your testimony of rescue, your testimony of His Spirit's power working in you!

Acts 4:32-33 (NLT) "All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. [33] The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all."

1.God's great blessing was upon them all.

1.God's great favor and protection was upon them all.

2.Your love in us has given us the power to change the world.

3.Your love in us is how we change the world.

What are you bringing to the table (guest speaker Doug Lopez)

What are youbringing to the table today?  

Is itSpirit, and life or

is it deathand the flesh!  

If you worked in arestaurant and someoneordered a fruit salad, what would you think the chef might put onthe plate?

Dirt, sand,fish guts, spoiled cabbage, or maybe rotten

potatoes.  

• No, the chef would put in some choppedapples, mangos,bananas, some pears, peaches, plums,maybe a dragonfruit, lychee, or mangosteen, and maybe throw in a little bitof nuts and a spoonful or two of mayonnaise.

Galatians 5:22

"The fruit ofthe Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such

 there is no law."

If we liveby the spirit then let us walk by the spirit. Going back

to verse 16it says, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not gratify

the desiresof the flesh.  For the desires of theflesh are against

the Spirit, and thedesires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for those are opposed toeach other, to keep you from doing the things you want todo.  But, if you are led by the Spirit,you are not under

the law.

2Timothy2:15

"Do your bestto present yourself to God as one approved, a

worker whohas no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the

word oftruth…vs…19 The Lord knows who are his, and, “Let

everyone whonames the name of the Lord depart from

iniquity.”

Vs 20 Now ina great house there are not only vessels of gold

and silverbut also of wood and clay, some for honorable use,

some fordishonorable.  21 Therefore, if anyonecleanses

himself fromwhat is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for

honorableuse, set apart as holy, useful for the Master of the

house, readyfor every good work.

So fleeyouthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love

and peace,along with those who call on the Lord from a pure

heart!"

If you werethe waiter in the restaurant and you had nasty

fingernailsand while coming to the table to serve the soup, you

accidentallystuck your finger in the soup bowl would you

expect thecustomer to be willing to eat what you brought to

thetable?  

• What about your uniform, it’sdirty and wrinkled, stainedwhite socks and your shoes were nasty and the pants you have onare barely up and your boxers are hanging out. 

What kind ofa tip do you think you would receive? NOT

MUCH, If youwere waiting on me! 

• Now let’sjust imagine you were serving Jesus and you knew Him!  
• Youknew He was coming to the store and your manager wasexpecting you to do your best as the King of Kings and the Lord ofLords was going to buy some Chicken and rice from off your menu.

• Do you thinkyou would pull out the paper plates and the plasticforks, or would the boss make sure the crystal was used and thesilverware was shining, the napkin would be perfectlyfolded and the tablecloth would be as clean as it could possibly be?
• As theMaster entered the establishment, everyone who knew Him would beon their best behavior.  
• You gotta knowHe sees exactly howyou serve those around you all the time. He sees when youthink no one is watching. 
• He sees youpick on that guy or girl,or when you make fun of the foreigner with the locker nextto yours. 
• Of course he hears you, and so does God our Fatheras you smart off to the substitute teacher, the new coach ormaybe the new kid who just moved here from out of town.
• What are yougoing to do when it is time to make a decision to do what isright, when everyone you hang with is making the wrongchoices?
• Will you continue to wear those clothes thatare stained by sin?
• Are you not at all concerned with the stenchof smoke that is coming fromthe pit of hell as you just keep on doing what you’redoing?  
• Who will you bring to the tablein Heaven?  
• Will those youtouch and the ones who live with you be seated at the table inHeaven with you?  
• Imagine the table whereyou are setting. 
• Isit empty, except for you, sitting all alone at God’s table?

Will youbring obedience, or shame as you sit at His table will

you be proudof your actions and of your willingness to

immediatelyobey your parents, your teachers, your pastor? 

• Will youobey as He is calling you to live a righteous life or will you changeback into the chameleon that you sometimes are…justblending  in with the crowd or, will youset a table of righteousnessfor the Master with a life of obedience, trust, and service tothose who God brings across your path each and every day?
• Will you go when He tells you to go to Africa,India, China, Korea,or to the people who sleep on the streets in Thailand?
• Will you goto St. Louis, Chicago, Destin, or Virginia Beach?
• Will you goacross the street to your neighbor and share the truth of theknowledge of the Love of Jesus with an unbeliever?

Will youallow God to use you, as you bloom in the pot where

you areplanted today? 

• Be who Godcreated you to be!  
• A willing vessel thatbrings honor toGod, and to those He allows to glimpse into your life. 

May you bethe invitation to the party as you bring many to the

table at thefeast in the Kingdom of God.

the table (what attitude are you bringing)

 

 

1.What attitude are you bringing to the table?

 

Luke 18:9-14 (NLT)

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: [10] "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! [12] I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' [13] "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' [14] I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

The attitude of the Pharisee.

•    God I belong here.

•                God I thank you that I'm so much better than the rest of the world.

•                God I'm so glad that you chose me, called me, destined me for greatness and you bypassed so many others.

Or the attitude of the despised tax collector.

•    God be merciful to me.

•    Forgive me.

•                I don't always live life right.

•                I'm not perfect.

•                There are times I am so selfish God, change me, shape my thinking, rearrange my life.

 

2. Attitude of gratitude or an attitude of entitlement?

•    People live in a attitude of entitlement rather than gratitude.

•                Entitlement says you owe me, gratitude says you owe me nothing. 

•                Entitlement says what will you give me, gratitude says what can I give?

•                Entitlement says give that to me now, where gratitude says I'm so thankful for what I have now, what I am now, and God what you are doing in me in the now.

 

3. Attitude will determine your altitude in every situation.

•                Attitude will make or break your future, your perspective on life, in life, and all through life.

•    I've seen people give up on life, give up on people, give up on themselves, and worst of all give up on God.

•    God never promised ease, never promised abundance, never promised that hard work would not be a part of our every day, and never promised us simple solutions to our every problem.

 

Acts 2:46-47, NLT "They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity--all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved."

 

1.They worshipped together.

1.We have to worship in unison, we have to come together in a plan, a strategy that will change ourselves, culture, society, and everyone who would connect themselves.

2.You have to choose to worship God and go all out to Him.

3.Forget bystanders, forget the Devil, forget society, ,forget shallow relationships, forget anyone that would try to keep you from worshipping Him and worship!

4.They prayed for each other and deeply cared about the well being of their community and those entering their community.

2.Shared with joy and generosity.

1.What? 

2.They shared their food with what?

3.Joy and generosity.

3.Continually thanking God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.

1.goodwill-Friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude.

2.Thanking God is an action.

1.You have to speak it, act it out, declare it, and live in it with a sincerity about you.

4.A healthy Christian community attracts people to Christ.

1.Like a moth to a flame.

2.Like kids to candy.

3.Like a magnet to metal.

1.The church's zeal at this time for worship and concerned love was contagious.

2.A healthy, loving church will grow in numbers.

4.What are you doing to make your church your student ministry the kind of place that will attract others to Christ?

1.We each have to ask the question in and of ourselves what am I doing or not doing to grow myself, grow others, and grow the global church by reaching others for the cause of Christ?

1.We can each make excuses, we can each choose to be connected or disconnected, we can each choose what our attitude will reflect but ultimately it's the world that suffers.

2.It's our family that suffers, it's our peers that suffer, heaven suffers, and it will eventually make us suffer.

 

1.In these verses we have the history of the truly primitive church, the first days of it; its state of infancy and the state of its greatest innocence.

2.These Christians kept close to the plans and purposes of God, overflowed in respect, reverence, devotion for God; for Christianity.

1.God continues to remind me that He is able.

2.He continues to remind me that He is able to do the impossible.

1.God spread the good news of Jesus Christ sacrifice to a world without cell phones, Internet, Facebook, twitter, and email.

2.God did it without speakers, flyers, concerts, conference, guest cards, electricity, planes, trains or automobiles.

3.He used His Spirit.

1.Maybe we should rethink our strategy, plans, programming, and structure.

3.These Christians were part of a regenerating grace.

1.God refuses to close heavens mercy, refuses to close heavens grace so that all may come to know Him.

2.God "so loved the world, John 3:16" not God so hated us, not God is so displeased with us, not God can't wait to catch you doing something wrong but God "so loved" us that His Son chose to trade His perfect existence for our imperfect one.

4.Christ's attitude was of overwhelming, confusing difference to culture, society, religion and law than that of any other king since the beginning of time. Exuding character, compassion, forgiveness, humility, servitude and vision.

 

Acts 4:32-33 (NLT) "All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. [33] The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all."

 

1.God's great blessing was upon them all.

1.God's great favor and protection was upon them all.

 

Philippians 2:4 (NLT)

"Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too."

 

This was the life of Jesus.





October Series