Our Last Words

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

 SERMON OUTLINE

Introduction

Thank you for your love and blessings to Gloria and I.

Important Considerations for the Christian Life

1) First and foremost is the Word of God. Reading for content; studying doctrine; obeying practical teaching; devotional love for God and Christ.

2) Importance of Prayer and time with God. Worship, petition and intercession.

3) Importance of knowing & trusting the character of God

4) Importance of justification by faith/grace/blood. Learn it and stand on its truth as a basis for sanctification.

5) Importance of an eternal perspective on life. 2 Corinthians 4.7-18.

6) Importance of intentional living. Faith, Family, Finance and Fitness.

7) Importance of a disciplined mind. Self-image, purity. Philippians 3.8-9. Fight for a pure mind.

8) Importance of nurturing a relationship with your wife and caring for your children. This likely means more than you think it does.

9) Importance of disciplined finances. Budgeting, 13 week Dave Ramsey course.

10) Importance of a disciplined body. Healthy body and healthy mind go together. Fasting? 1 Corinthians 9.27

11) Importance of missional and warfare approach. We are at war for the souls of men, women, children.

12) Importance of strong, godly leadership. Pray, submit, support. Preference, tradition, culture and truth

13) Discipleship in the local church. A desire and willingness to commit to the vision.

SERMON NOTES

Our Last Words

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

This is my last full sermon to you as your Pastor. I am looking forward to next Sunday as we share the Lord’s Supper together as Gloria and I conclude our ministry here at Rosedale. Two weeks ago I shared the last words from past leaders, and last week the last words of Jesus. This week I want to share with you our last words. Our last words certainly do not carry the weight of the last words we have been considering together over the last two weeks but we want to say a few things as we leave our place of leadership here at Rosedale.

First of all we want to thank you for your love. We want to thank you for your prayers, encouragements, support, guidance, forgiveness, patience, acceptance of our peculiar ways, for meeting our needs, and for accepting change so graciously. You have all played a part in our life and we have loved you for it. Some of you have played more of a part in our lives, and some less, some indirectly and some more directly. We have known many of you for a long time and we are still friends and fellow workers after nearly 12 years of ministry. Others have become recent friends. We praise God for each one of you.

For me, my time at Rosedale has been a wonderful time of fruitfulness and maturity. I have learned much and experienced fellowship with God my Father in a deeper way. I have come to understand some doctrines more fully in their meaning and impact on believers. I have come to know some important spiritual principles like submission to authority and the importance of leadership. I have learned to teach and preach and lead small studies and to share the Gospel more effectively. I have developed courage and discipline. I have learned more what it means to be “in Christ” and to live by the Spirit. I leave with a great sense of peace and joy and fullness in God, and with a deeper desire for righteousness and to see truth and justice proclaimed. I have a deeper love and appreciation for the Word of God than ever and a burden to help and support the third world church in my last days. It is because of you at Rosedale that I feel prepared to move to my next, and likely my last assignment for the Master.

I want to leave you with a summary of what I have taught you over the last 12 years and of what I feel are most important in the Christian life.

1) First and most important is the Word of God. As I mentioned two weeks ago I want to encourage you to read the Bible once a year to get a sense of its history, persons, events and teachings; then to study its doctrines as the foundation of your faith; then obey its practical teaching; and finally use the Bible as devotional reading that deepens your relationship with God.

The aim of the Bible is to know God better and to love Him more. The Word of God is most important both for the growth of the individual Christian and the strength of the local church. Make the Word of God a priority in your life every day and as a church.

2) The importance of prayer and spending time in God’s presence. Spending time in God’s presence and prayer has been one of the most formative practices in my own Christian life. We need to have more times of individual worship to continually generate a heavenly perspective on our lives and circumstances. Seeking God regularly for grace, strength, insight, and guidance is vital to our relationship with God. Intercession for the lost around us and in this world is critical to the lost coming to Christ. Take time to pray and to be in the presence of God.

3) The importance of knowing and trusting the character of God. The basis of all that God does isWho God is in His own Being. God is holy and will punish sin. God’s wrath and judgment against sin is the expression of His holiness. We need to fully believe that. God sending Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for sin on the cross is the expression of God’s love and mercy. God is good to His children and can be trusted in all the circumstances of life even though at times it may not seem that God is not good and that He has abandoned us. God leads and guides His people. God is Sovereign over all the events in our lives. God is faithful to all His promises. We need to know with full assurance the character of God and then we need to fully trust in what we know no matter what the circumstances and the cost to us. So study Who God is and God’s attributes and then fully trust in Him.

4) The importance of the doctrine of Justification by faith/grace/blood. We need to learn this most important doctrine of God’s justification of the sinner in Jesus Christ. Justification is God’s declaration of acceptance by God because God has forgiven us by the blood of Christ and imputed to us the righteousness of Jesus. Justification is the basis of Paul’s Gospel and of the reconciliation that God offers to the sinner. After learning this doctrine and understanding its implications we need to stand firm in our justification in Christ. Standing firm on our justification enables the process of sanctification to work the righteousness of Christ into us. Learn the meaning of justification and then live in it.

5) The importance of an eternal perspective on life. Assessing life from an eternal perspective changes how we value things and people, and the choices we make in how we direct our life. Living with the understanding that we will stand before God in judgment for what we do here on earth, and assessing the value of what we do in terms of how it will count for eternity gives a clear focus to our trials, sufferings, material goods, relationships, and priorities. We need more of this kind of eternal perspective in our lives. 2 Corinthians 4.7-18.

6) The importance of intentional living. For Christians to be strong and fruitful they need to live intentionally for God and Christ. Christians need to will to follow God every day and in every situation, and have a disciplined plan of action. Like a runner we need a goal and we need to make the effort to reach that goal. This involves every area of our life. I think of it in terms of 4 F’s – Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness.

7) The importance of a disciplined mind. What you think in your mind is what you will become in your life. God calls the Christian to renew the mind in accordance with God’s Word and God’s character. We need to fight each day to get our minds aligned with God’s mind. We need to fight against double mindedness. Our self-image should not come from what others say about us and what the world says is right, or what others have said about us in the past, but from a mind that takes its self-image from what God says. The world’s philosophies and values and measures of success must be assessed by the Word of God and not by the standards of this evil world. The mind is the battleground of the soul and the body. I encourage memorizing Scripture. I discourage too much television and movies and to be very selective in your choices. Men are very susceptible to pornography which is a fantasy of the mind. Pornography is not a victimless crime because it affects you and you affect others. It affects your wife, your view of other women, your view of sex and it hardens your heart in your relationship with God. But ladies you are just as guilty when you watch soap opera type shows because this generates romantic fantasies in your minds as well which cause many relational problems. Philippians teaches us that, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Whatever you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you”. (Phil 3.8-9). Maybe a good place to start is to memorize these verses and meditate on the qualities we are to think about. Where will your mind lead you when the restrains of church or law are removed? Fight with all your might for the possession of your thoughts and a pure mind.

8) The importance of nurturing a relationship with your wife and caring for your children. Here I am speaking more from regret than from practice. I have miserably failed in this point of nurturing my relationship with Gloria and Michelle and Ben and the past is not redeemable in these things. I want to encourage those who have more time to nurture their spousal relationships to do it and make it a priority. Learn to love your wife and your children. I would say that loving your wife and children means more than you think it means so learn how to nurture these relationships.

9) The importance of disciplined finances. Here again I am speaking more from regret than from practice. Gloria and I have only started budgeting in the last year and it has made a very real difference in our finances. Had we started budgeting earlier in life we would have much more freedom today to follow God’s plan. I just want to say to the young people and couples here, make a realistic financial plan and stick to it. Don’t try to live like the world. Make sure that you have a component of giving in your plan and learn to be generous. One of the best moves I made last year in my finances was to take the 13 week Dave Ramsey course.

10) The importance of a disciplined body. A disciplined body goes along with a disciplined mind. They work together. A person who disciplines their body can also learn to discipline their mind and their whole life. A healthy body can more readily put good works into action. I wonder why those dealing with people who have depression do not require a daily disciplined physical workout to induce endorphins which produce a sense of well-being not to mention the sense of accomplishment as well. Set up a regular exercise program and stick to it. Be careful what you eat. A healthy body and a sound mind formed by God’s Word will take you a long way. Paul says, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified”. When is the last time you fasted in order to spend some time in prayer? (1 Corinthians 9.27)

11) The importance of a missional and warfare approach to life as individuals and as a church. God has called us individually and as a church to a mission to make disciples in all the world for Jesus Christ. This requires a warfare approach to life. We are at war, in the name of Jesus Christ, with the Devil and his demons, for the souls of men and women, young people and children. Let a missional, warfare understanding guide your choices and your use of time and resources.

12) The importance of strong, godly leadership over a congregation. God calls leaders to lead His people. It is important that you pray for your leaders, submit to your leaders, support your leaders and keep your leaders accountable according to the Word of God. Learn to discern between preference and truth, between tradition and truth, between culture and truth. Preferences, traditions and cultures may change and may not always be to your liking but these should not lead to congregational disputes. Truth, right doctrine and right living are what are important. May God give you godly leaders that call you to live godly lives in Jesus Christ.

13) The importance of a focus on discipleship in the local church. We are called to make disciples in the local church. I have always dreamed of a congregation where there is a deep love for Jesus and a strong desire to be like Jesus in character and action. A congregation that has an all encompassing Biblical world-view that directs every part of their individual and congregational life. Of a local church where healthy families nurture new couples in how to be husband and wife and godly loving parents. Where people want to learn how to properly handle their finances. Where a self-image based on Christ is learned. Where emotional issues from the past can be worked through to bring emotional health. Where Christians are developing and using their gifts and reaching out to the community. That is what I would like for your future as a local church. What is lacking for this vision to become a reality is people who wholeheartedly desire this in their life above anything else and who are willing to commit themselves to this vision and then are willing to reproduce themselves in others. May God renew all of our desires and give us a long term focus in this direction as individual Christians and as a local church.

Gloria and I will be forever grateful for our connection to Rosedale Baptist Church both as members under Pastor Muir and then as your Pastor over the last twelve years.

Gloria and I want to ask for forgiveness from those we have offended over the years, for the harsh attitudes we have shown and the unkind words we have spoken, and for any lack of Christian love toward you.

May God richly bless you as you continue to love God and serve Jesus Christ at home, in the community and in Rosedale Baptist Church.