Bunbury
Wed pm
5/05/10
“Things to bring to church”
Intro: *** Every Sunday morning there is a check list I go through b/4 I walk out the door to go to church. The check list is of the things that I have to take to church that day.
* Sermon,
* Bible
* Money for offering
* Briefcase
* DVD
* Handkerchief
I got to church one Sunday am & realised I left my sermon at home! I’ve only done it once in 24years. But I’ve gotten used to the idea that there are certain things I just can’t afford to forget to take to church w/ me.
No less true is the need to u/s that there are certain things ‘spiritually speaking’ that we can’t afford to forget to bring to church.
To overlook / ignore / forget to bring these things to church is to waste what God wants to do in our lives through the church service.
Our text t/n is an example of people who came into the presence of God to hear the word of God & remembered to bring to church everything they needed to hear from God.
T/n I want to preach on ‘Things to bring to church’.
Text: Ezra 10:1-12 (NKJV) Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.” Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity. And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity. So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain. Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives.” Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes! As you have said, so we must do.
# 1. An open heart.
A. An open heart is a heart that is ready to hear from & be confronted by God.
a. The church service is essentially a place of change – if you don’t want to change, church isn’t the place to be.
i. An open heart often hears what God has to say b/4 it is even said ..... that’s b/c this kind of heart has already been hearing God speak.
ii. Every time we set foot in the church service we run the risk of God confronting us w/ our/s.
iii. This was what was happening to the people assembled b/4 Ezra ..... listen to how they responded to what God was saying.
Vs 3. “We have trespassed against our God, .....
iv. They are being confronted about very personal issues – family ..... but b/c of open heartedness they are totally into the message.
v. Listen to how they responded .....
Vs 4. ...... We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.”
b. We’ll never be able to get the real value out of the church service if the H/G has to be working on our closed hearts w/ a spiritual crow bar.
B. An open heart is a teachable heart.
*** My wife teaching a class @ Dunsborough today. Teaching them about electrical safety in the home. Kids in the class were out of control, not even the teacher could control them. Here is something that could save their lives one day but they don’t want to be taught!!!
a. Here is the question – do you have a heart that can be taught?
i. Sometimes our theological pride gets in the way here!
ii. We can’t be taught by God b/c we have developed a theology that justifies everything we are & everything we do – That is extreme danger!!!
iii. We’ve learned all the answers & we have all the blocks from every challenge from the H/G.
*** Reminds me of the Kung Fu movies that were so popular years ago. The Kung Fu fighters would always anticipate their opponent’s next movie & b/4 he could land a blow there would be a block to stop him.
Sometimes in church we’re like spiritual Kung Fu fighters! Blocking every blow of H/G conviction!
iv. Contrast this kind of heart – an teachable heart, w/ the kind of heart embraced by the people Peter preached to on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:37 (NKJV) Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
b. Another obstacle to open / teachable heart is a jaundice eye.
i. Every preacher who genuinely preaches the gospel is going to say things that will cut people to the heart.
ii. This is what happened when Stephen preached to the elders of Jerusalem...... he said things that cut them to the heart.
iii. He confronted them w/ deep / painful truth!
Acts 7:54 (NKJV) When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
iv. When this happens we are faced w/ two possibilities – receive what God is saying or harden our hearts as Stephen’s congregation did.
Acts 7:51 (NKJV) “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
v. Many a preacher has met his end not by the fatal blows of flying rocks but by the stony hearts of a hardened congregation.
# 2. A right attitude.
A. Attitude makes or breaks us.
** It has been observed that about 85% of success is attitude. In other words – about 15% is knowing what you’re doing & how to do it & 85% is the attitude we have.
a. Here is a pastor faced w/ the task of preaching a hard sermon to his congregation.
i. But look at the response of the church here ......
Vs 4. Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.”
ii. Here are people that have a right attitude ..... people that realise that it is in the heart of men to err & when they do it’s the pastor’s job to bring correction.
iii. Listen to what Paul has to say about the pastoral role here ......
2 Timothy 4:2 (NKJV) Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
B. So what kind of attitude do we need to bring to church?
a. First of all an attitude of surrender.
** Someone has referred to salvation as ‘The blessed defeat’.
i. In a sense every time we hear the gospel what God wants to bring about in our lives is a blessed defeat.
ii. Surrender always involves giving something up.
Vs 3. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God;
iii. And if we’re going to have an attitude of surrender then there are going to have to be some things in our lives that are given up.
iv. Surrender also involves coming under someone else’ power ....... when we surrender we are literally giving over control of our lives to someone else.
v. And whenever we do this it means that we are putting our future in the hands of someone else.
b. Secondly we need to bring an attitude of worship.
i. I think that many Christians today have no idea what an attitude of worship is!
*** Going into a Presbyterian church as a kid there was a hush in the building. B/4 the service people would be sitting w/ heads bowed in prayer. There was never an open necked shirt in the service, every man wore a tie, women came to church w/ hats & everyone wore their Sunday best!
But the thing that struck me more than anything is that there was a reverent atmosphere.
Vs 9. .....and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain.
ii. Here are people who have a revelation they’re coming into the presence of the living God.
*** This is so different to what we see so often today in the church. I’ve seen people in churches drinking bottles of Coke, eating snacks / text messaging / gaming on their phones or gameboys!
A couple of churches I preached in it was like freeway traffic to the toilet during service!!! Funny how we can go hours when we need to w/o going to the toilet but in church we have to go every service.
*** A friend was preaching while a woman was eating a chicken sanwich in the back row!
This is altogether the wrong attitude to bring into the church!
*** One pastor got so sick of people talking on their phones during service that he would get off the stage while they were on their phones & come down to where they were sitting & ask if they’d like to make the conversation open to everyone in the church service!
iii. Heaven is filled w/ people that have an attitude of worship.
Revelation 4:9-11 (NKJV) Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
iv. You don’t have to lift to lift your hands in worship to God, you can stand there mute b/c you couldn’t be bothered praising Him ....but it’s the wrong attitude to have in church!
v. Being in church is not meant to be like times you spend around the pool on vacation!!!
vi. Sometimes, it’s going to be uncomfortable / unpleasant / even unfriendly ..... think about the people coming to hear from Ezra.
Vs 9. .....and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain.
# 3. A determination to act.
A. How is the church service changing you?
*** Being in Jakarta & hearing the call to prayer 5 x / day. Heard the demonic grown of the man in the minaret 5 x every day for over a week. Even though I heard it 5 x / day for several days it didn’t change me at all!
a. What change has the preaching of the gospel brought in your life?
i. If we’re not careful the preaching of the gospel can be of no more value than hearing the call to prayer from the Muslim minaret.
ii. If you the church service hasn’t changed you in the last week / months / years – why bother?
iii. If you have a heart to hear from God even an average sermon is a sermon where God breathes into your soul.
*** Sometimes preachers get the feeling as though the congregation is scoring them. That was a 4 ..... that one was a 8.5 ...... that’s only a 3.
iv. But if you’re hungry for God every service is a winner, every sermon is a time where we can be fed & nourished by God.
Vs 3. ....according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
v. Here are people here that are saying to man of God ..... we need to hear from God & we’re looking to you & the advice you give!
b. In every service we are working towards the altar & the altar is a place of change!
i. If the altar means nothing to you then essentially speaking the church service means nothing to you.
ii. The altar is the place where we lay our lives down in surrender b/4 God & that is always going to require change.
James 1:23-24 (NKJV) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
iii. Do you walk away from the church service & immediately forget what kind of man / woman God wants you to be.
iv. If the devil can’t stop you from coming to church he at least wants to stop you from acting on what God tells you to do.
B. God’s purpose in the church service is for us to leave different people than when we came.
a. Most of the time we don’t need to ponder / weigh up / consider what God wants us to do – we just need to do it.
*** We learn an impt lesson about change in General Stonewall Jackson's famous valley campaign. Jackson's army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other side. After telling his engineers to plan and build a bridge so the army could cross, he called his wagon master in to tell him that it was urgent the wagon train cross the river as soon as possible. The wagon master started gathering all the logs, rocks and fence rails he could find and built a bridge. Long before day light General Jackson was told by his wagon master all the wagons and artillery had crossed the river. General Jackson asked where are the engineers and what are they doing? The wagon master's reply was that they were in their tent drawing up plans for a bridge.
i. We just need to get moving & do what God tells us to do!
ii. And when we bring to church a determination to change that’s exactly what will happen.
Vs 12. Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes! As you have said, so we must do.
Conclusion: These are the things we need to bring to church:
* An open heart
* A right attitude
* A determination to act
