Sunday Sermon Thoughts: 11/23 Highlights
Speaker: Pastor Paul
Main Scripture Passage from Sunday 11/23: Jeremiah 38 (key verse: 38:6)
Well, for the last two Sundays I've been (A) a bit suspicious that someone at CFAC is sharing my diary with Pastor Paul and (B) wondering about the rest of you b/c he seems to mostly be preaching to me! I've heard a couple of other people say similar things, however, so I'm saying this a bit in jest.
This week's sermon illustration was around Jeremiah being thrown into a muddy cistern for doing what God told him to do. Thankfully I've never been literally stuck in the mud, but I've definately been in stuck in the mud spiritually far too many times to count. Most of those occasions have been entirely my fault. When it has hurt the most, however, is I've been struck by trials and physical fatigue when doing what I feel like God has told me to do. I do tend to learn things the hard way, so it usually seems that I learn far more from the trial than I do from the actual activity I feel like God has inspired me to do. When it's all said and done, sometimes I think it's way more about what He wants to show me along the journey of serving Him than the actual task at hand.
Pastor Paul also cited examples of Job and how encouraging his "friends" were in the midst of the trial. One more reason to keep our inner eyes focused upward instead of around us.
Another awesome point was that Jeremiah got out of the muddy cistern and went right back to delivering the same message God told him to preach. That's an awesome reminder. He could have kept the Divine message to himself and thrown a pity party. When we get bogged down by problems, it's part of our human nature to quit, run as far from the painful experience as we can, and/or to whine to God the whole time asking why this could happen to us.
Okay, so those are the two main points I'm sharing. What struck you on Sunday? Learned any other good lessons this week?
Main Scripture Passage from Sunday 11/23: Jeremiah 38 (key verse: 38:6)
Well, for the last two Sundays I've been (A) a bit suspicious that someone at CFAC is sharing my diary with Pastor Paul and (B) wondering about the rest of you b/c he seems to mostly be preaching to me! I've heard a couple of other people say similar things, however, so I'm saying this a bit in jest.
This week's sermon illustration was around Jeremiah being thrown into a muddy cistern for doing what God told him to do. Thankfully I've never been literally stuck in the mud, but I've definately been in stuck in the mud spiritually far too many times to count. Most of those occasions have been entirely my fault. When it has hurt the most, however, is I've been struck by trials and physical fatigue when doing what I feel like God has told me to do. I do tend to learn things the hard way, so it usually seems that I learn far more from the trial than I do from the actual activity I feel like God has inspired me to do. When it's all said and done, sometimes I think it's way more about what He wants to show me along the journey of serving Him than the actual task at hand.
Pastor Paul also cited examples of Job and how encouraging his "friends" were in the midst of the trial. One more reason to keep our inner eyes focused upward instead of around us.
Another awesome point was that Jeremiah got out of the muddy cistern and went right back to delivering the same message God told him to preach. That's an awesome reminder. He could have kept the Divine message to himself and thrown a pity party. When we get bogged down by problems, it's part of our human nature to quit, run as far from the painful experience as we can, and/or to whine to God the whole time asking why this could happen to us.
Okay, so those are the two main points I'm sharing. What struck you on Sunday? Learned any other good lessons this week?
Labels: Sermon Thoughts
posted by Alicia Z at
9:15 PM 
1 Comments:
Now, keep in mind that only God delivers out of the mud. But one of the ways He has delivered, or at least kept me from the mud is by using you people. One of the "Perils of being stuck in the mud" was that you are alone. So I think I can say this without being too far off.
God has a purpose for delivering us.
That purpose includes Him proving Himself and you helping others.
Both of which happen when we encourage each other to keep doing the work God has for us.
So, I guess what I'm saying is, "thanks for encouraging me" and "keep it up."
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