All of us have basic needs - physical, emotional, social, etc. But our greatest needs are spiritual. Psalm 34:1-7 tells us some creative ways to meet our spiritual needs.
I. Vss. 1-3 - We need to offer up praise A. Vs. 1 - Pray continually. B. Vs. 2 - Boast in the Lord. C. Vs, 3 - Magnify, or exalt, the Lord. II. Vss. 4-5 - We need to seek the Lord in our problems. A. Vs. 4. David sought the Lord, God heard him and delivered him. B. Vs. 5 - "Lighened" means that they had a "glow about them....." Their lights are shining as Jesus demanded..... C. Vs. 5b - They were not ashamed.... III. Vs. 6 - We need to overcome by seeking God. A. He cried...... B. He was heard. C. He was delivered. IV. Vs. 7 - We need to know that God has our backs - so to speak. A. God sends His "ministering spirits," angels to minister to us. B. He has sent more than we have seen... C. Our spiritual needs can be met through the ministry of angels. God wants to meet your spiritual needs and He has given us a good reminder of how He can do this in Psalm 34:1-7
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This is one of the saddest of Jesus' parables. It is a tragic story of greed. Jesus looked into the heart of the man in verses 13-14 and saw greed, and in the hearts of the other people as well. Using this parable, Jesus showed the futility of greed. Let's look at the failures of the rich fool.
I. He left God out of his life. A. Look at the number of personal pronouns in verses 17-18. B. He left God out of his life because he thought only of himself. (He had an "I" problem.) C. There is no room for God in a life lived only for self. 1. The best life is one lived to please God. 2. We need to ask ourselves: "Who am I trying to please?" (Judas should have asked that question.) II. He failed to see the source of his blessings. A. He reasoned that he was the source of his own blessings. He didn't stop to think that he didn't cause the seed to germinate...the rain... or make the seed grow. B. Life is better when we see God/Jesus as the source of our blessings. 1. We will be more inclined to thank Him. 2. We will be more inclined to worship Him. 3. We will be more inclined to share our blessings with others. C. Do you see the Lord as the source of your blessings. III. He failed to see to the needs of his soul. A. He thought only in terms of the physical aspects of life. 1. There was no thought of a tithe....... 2. The was no thought that the most important things in life are spiritual - things we cannot see. B. He starved himself spiritually. 1. Life lived only for self is only half lived. 2. Even when he talked of his soul, it was in reference to things. (vs.19) "Things" make poor food for our souls. C. We need to heed the advice of Jesus: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things shall be added unto you." IV. He thought he would go on forever. A. He planned his life as though he would never die. We have to face that reality and live our lives in the reality that we will answer to God. B. It never occured to him that he could not take his wealth with him. 1. There are no "UHauls" behind hearses. 2. We leave everything when we die. (verse 20) C. Let us determine that we will live our lives with the knowledge that it will not go on forever. The man in the parable was not ready to meet God because of his greed. He left God out of his life. He failed to see the source of his blessings. He failed to see to the needs of his soul. He thought he would go on forever. Leave room for Jesus in your life...... It's easy to say "take up your cross," or to wear a cross around our necks, but it is not easy to do. The cross makes demands on us.
I. It requires self-denial. "deny himself" A. It's not all about me....... B. It's about loving other people. C. It's about ministering to people. (The Good Samaritan is a good example.) II. It requires following Jesus. "and follow me" A. Following Him in what we do and do not do..... B. Following Him in what we say to people.... C.. Following Him in what we allow or promote. (The Bible will be our guide.) III. It is not a negative thing. A. It makes us better people. B. It makes us humble. C. It makes us better witnesses. We need to see the importance of taking up our cross. It will captivate you, but it will not limit you. Taking your cross will set you free from the worst part of yours When Jesus ate the last supper with His disciples and gave them the bread and wine, He was also giving the ultimate reason for His coming. I call it "Calling Attention to His Purpose.
I. "This is my body" Jesus calls attention to his incarnation. A. Isaiah 7:14 & Isaiah 9:6 B. John 1:14 C. This is from prophecy and from apostolic witness. II. "Which is given for you" Jesus calls attention to His sacrifice on our behalf. A. Isaiah 53:6-7 B. John 3:16 and 1 John 1:7 C. Colossians 1:20 and 1 Peter 2:21-24 III. "New Testament in my blood" Jesus calls attention to a new day. A. This had been prohesied in Jeremiah 31:31-33 B. A new day of grace....... C. A new day of faith and trust in the Lord...... D. The new day in which we live. This is what we come today to remember and celebrate. |
All of these materials are free of charge. There is no copyright on them and you are free to use them as you see fit. I am happy to be of assitance to you in your preaching/teaching minstry.
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