Sermon Central
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A Time To Respond Series
Contributed by Shawn Drake on Oct 10, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the 2nd sermon in the series "A Time To...".
Series: A Time To¡K (Haggai) [#2]
A TIME TO RESPOND
Introduction:
4 year old Jason was visiting his grandparents. Grandpa was in his study intently reading Jason walked in carrying a peach, said something Grandpa didn¡¦t catch, and handed the peach to him.
Thinking his wife had sent him a snack, Grandpa took it and ate it. Just as he swallowed the last bite, Jason, with lip quivering, said, ¡§But, Pap, I didn¡¦t want you to eat it. I just wanted you to get the worm out!¡¨
Not listening can leave a bad taste in our mouths. Last week was ¡§A Time To Listen¡¨ and during the invitation I asked each of you to write 1 ministry that God had burdened you with. Out of 70 responses 10 of them were blank or had pictures, non-related items, etc¡K on them. 8 responses were attacks on staff, deacons, or certain age groups. The remainder 52 items are the ones of focus and usefulness.
I have categorized all 52 into 6 categories. The 1st 3 are in order of the most listed. The 4th, 5th, and 6th are in alphabetical order since they had the same amount of request.
„© Visitation [Outreach, In-reach, and Evangelism].
„© Women¡¦s Ministry [Fellowships, prayer groups, craft groups, outreach groups, etc¡K]
„© Adult Choir.
„© Singles Ministry.
„© Young Married Ministry.
„© Younger Children¡¦s Ministry.
The Voice Of The Lord
The people of God heard His voice. Did they hear it audibly? No. So how did they know what God was telling them? How do we hear the voice of the Lord?
God speaks to us in different ways. God speaks to us through prayer, Bible study, circumstances, and other believers. That means when you hear a sermon, read your Bible, say a prayer, hear a Sunday School lesson, etc¡K; you need to listen for God¡¦s voice. In this particular case, God used a preacher to be His mouthpiece and the people recognized this fact.
Why in this verse did God have the writer list Zerubbabel (the Governor) and Joshua (the High Priest) before the rest of the people? God is letting us know the importance of leadership.
Folks, the truth is, what is important to the leadership will become important to others. If God has place you in a place of leadership, understand that others are watching and waiting to see what you do. There are some here who can either influence people to serve or to protest.
The people heard the voice of the Lord and they obeyed because they feared the Lord. This word ¡§fear¡¨ means to have a respect and reverence for God. They obeyed because of their respect and reverence for God; not man.
The Stirring Of The Lord
The only way we will succeed is through God and when He is with us nothing can stop us. We can have confidence in our service to God because He is with us each step of the way.
Once we realize that God is with us, it stirs up excitement within us. When God stirs us up, it is hard to keep us from being obedient.
The people began building!
Conclusion:
I pray that you have heard the voice of the Lord and because of your love and respect for God you will obey.
I pray that God has stirred your hearts and you are excited about what God is about to do through you.
Up front on the tables are 6 index cards. There are placards behind them labeling each card.
During the invitation I want you to come and write your name on the card of the ministry God is asking you to be a part of. If there is not a card for the ministry God has placed on your heart, I want you to go to the placard that says ¡§other ministries¡¨ and write your name and the ministry beside it.
Folks, if God has put it on your heart, that is His voice saying, ¡§You need to do this¡¨. Our choir is a good example. We have been having choir rehearsal for a month and not many have been coming for rehearsal. If you want to see our choir singing each week, then you need to show up for the rehearsals and participate. Each ministry will require some commitment and time.
As Nike says, ¡§Just do it!¡¨
