Excel in the Grace of Giving (Week 2)
Sunday, November 13, 2011
• Children’s Message: Bring up children and explain we’re going to get the adults moving, too, to help everyone think about who God has made them to be
• Ask adults to get up and move to one of the spots on the edge of the seating area—Worship/Music, Administration/Leadership, Education/Discipleship, Fellowship, Community Service, Maintenance/Hands On Labor
• Encourage people to move as they are able, to locate their most natural talent area, and then meet others who are there.
• PRAY
• Send adults back to their seats; then children.
• Ask people to turn to Old Testament reading.
• “Praise be to you, O LORD,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
• In our Old Testament reading from 1 Chronicles, King David is praising God, especially because the people had just gathered a tremendous offering to make the temple.
• But on this day when we’re thinking about Time and Talents, I want you to see how these words could also apply to the giving of our time and talents.
• “Praise be to you, O LORD,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
EVERYTHING WE HAVE IS FROM GOD—INCLUDING OUR TIME AND TALENTS, OUR ABILITIES, OUR PASSIONS.
• Everything we have is a gift from God.
• Jesus comes into our lives to connect us with those gifts through His Holy Spirit.
• Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
GOD IS HEAD OVER ALL THINGS, INCLUDING OUR TIME AND TALENTS, LEADING US TO USE THOSE THINGS FOR HIS KINGDOM.
• Last week we talked about how God invites us to be His coworkers in bringing His blessings to our neighbors, the people around us.
• Well, this is true with time and talents as much as our money. We’re invited to share our time and talents for the sake of building up God’s kingdom, building up His people, bringing blessings to others, bringing Jesus to others.
• 12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
HERE DAVID MENTIONS SPECIFICALLY THAT HE’S PRAISING GOD ABOUT TREASURES, BUT NOTICE WHAT HE SAYS NEXT:
• In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
ALL STRENGTH AND POWER IS IN GOD.
HE IS THE ONE WHO LIFTS US UP AND GIVES US STRENGTH.
• God giving us strength; strengthen us through Jesus Christ—that goes beyond giving us money, treasures. That includes giving us our strengths—our talents, our abilities, our passions.
• And it includes giving us our time—a very precious commodity, the time to enjoy His blessings, the time to serve Him and serve others.
• God gives you your time and talents, and that’s what we celebrate today.
• So everything we have is from God.
• God is head over all that we have.
• God lifts us up and gives us strength.
• What’s the result of that?
• Well, according to David’s prayer, the result is:
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
WHEN WE REALIZE THE GIFTS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US, OUR RESPONSE IS TO PRAISE HIS GLORIOUS NAME, PRAISE HIM FOR WHAT HE’S DOING IN US AND THROUGH US.
• Because of reFocusing, the process that the congregation is involved in to discover our individual and congregational calling in the Lord, because of reFocusing, and because of other things I see happening at Bethel, I really sense that we’re in a season of discovering who we are in the Lord.
• That’s why I wanted to have you get up and move today.
• That’s why I wanted you to meet others who share a similar talent or passion.
• That’s why I want those words of David to be on your lips—God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious Name.
• I really sense that God is calling us together to serve Him, helping us to see ways to serve Him and serve each other and serve our community.
• I really sense God’s Spirit moving in this place to call us to recognize the gifts that He’s placed in us, gifts that He desires to use for His kingdom, His kingdom of grace, love, and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
• Now I don’t say this lightly.
• I don’t always talk in these ways—about sensing God’s presence and movement.
• I’m not saying this just because it works for the sermon.
• I’m saying this because looking at what’s happening, hearing what people are saying, seeing people’s passions starting to bubble up and come together—well, I’m very confident that God’s moving in this place
• I believe so much that Jesus has loved us and forgiven us, but that He’s also sending us, calling us to serve Him and serve others.
• And this train’s leaving the station.
• Things are happening; things are beginning to move forward.
• I want you to be on this train.
• I want you to be recognizing your talents and how they could fit into serving God, serving Bethel, and serving our community.
• I want you to be on this train.
• I want you to be rejoicing in how God lifts you up and strengthens you.
• I want you to see that everything you have is a gift from God for the sake of His kingdom.
• I want you to be on this train.
• I want you to serve Him with your time and talents.
• Now next week we’ll talk more directly about how we use our money, how giving to the Church serves our neighbors.
• Usually that seems like the biggest step, it seems like a big step to speak directly about money.
• But honestly, today’s the big step, a big step in telling you that this train’s leaving the station, that I want you on this train, that I want you to serve Him with your time and talents, that I want you to see ways in which God is calling you to serve Him, serve Bethel, serve the community.
• It’s a big step, because I’m asking for your time and talents, I’m asking you to make a commitment to serve, I’m asking you to step out of your comfort zone, I’m asking you to serve Him beyond one hour on Sunday, I’m asking for you to see the countless ways that God has blessed you in how He has made you.
• It’s a big step. . .
• But I so much want to see all of you recognize the tremendous people that God has made you to be.
• I want you to see that God can use you in many different ways.
• I want to have spiritual conversations with each one of you—conversations which call us to remember that God made you, God is shaping you, God can use you for the sake of His forgiveness and love in Jesus Christ.
• You are a gift from God.
• May you rejoice in that!
• I want you to be on this train—this train of God’s forgiven people responding to Him by serving others.
• Now we’re going to give you a few minutes to fill out the Time and Talent Survey.
• Now you don’t have to only mark down things under the category that you went to when we walked around. We’ve all got many different kinds of talents and passions.
• But I also don’t want you to mark down things just because you think you should. That’s following some kind of obligation; that’s not following your passion.
• Mark down the things that seem to grab your attention right away—even if it’s something you’ve never done before. Mark down the things where you feel a passion welling up inside of you, an interest that goes a little deeper, things that strike a chord with you.
• If you’re visiting with us, use this time to think about how you might serve in your congregation or see the ways you could serve at Bethel.
• As you finish, pray for Bethel during these minutes.
• Close the sermon by praying for the congregation before giving them a few minutes to fill out the Time & Talent survey. Give to ushers when you finish.