RLCF Sermons

When God puts up job postings for His Church, He doesn’t look at qualifications or experience; He looks at character. This is God’s job description for servants in His Church: a man/woman of dignity and worthy of respect; a man of your word who doesn’t love money; a woman who is self-controlled and dependable, and doesn’t gossip; a man who is committed to his wife and whose home-life is in order; someone who won’t use his position to try to run things (I Timothy 3:8-12). Most Christians are content to let others do the work in the church because they: (i) exalt the worker because of his gift (preaching, music, etc.); and (ii) divide God’s work into spiritual and non-spiritual. There are no “un-spiritual” gifts or functions in the Body of Christ. If you think that in order to serve the food at a church gathering you don’t have to be full of the Holy Spirit, then you haven’t understood what it means to be a servant in the church (Acts 6:3). Everything we bring into the Church must be out of the fullness of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. It’s significant that the Church’s first martyr was someone with a hidden practical ministry – serving food to widows (Acts 6:1-5). Someone with a bondslave mentality will not be able to casually stay home during a gathering of the church, thinking that the work can go on without them. Unfortunately, many churches today are plagued by hidden organs that are deadweight — simply “tagging along” wherever the body goes, but never fulfilling their function in the body. The fact that God has incorporated you into the Body of Christ does not leave you off the hook; you still have to fulfill the purpose for which God placed you in the Body. Eternal life is a free gift of God (Romans 6:23), but it is for those who have been set free from bondage to sin and become bondslaves of Jesus (v22). The only life of freedom from bondage to sin is the life of being a bondslave to Jesus Christ. The reason many Christians slip back into bondage to sin and never experience sanctification that leads to eternal life is that they aren’t bondslaves of Jesus. If you are truly a bondslave of Jesus (the Head), you will be a bondslave of the Church (His Body on earth). It was on his being a bondslave of Jesus Christ that Paul based his preaching (II Corinthians 4:5) and teaching (Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1). God will not grab you by the neck and force you to be His bondslave. You must deliberately choose that life. “The passion of Christianity is that I deliberately sign away my own rights and become a bondslave of Jesus Christ. Until I do that, I do not begin to be a saint” (Oswald Chambers). One mustard seed is stronger than a 1000 pebbles of stone — because it has life! So also, it’s not the quantity of faith, but the quality of it — it must be real faith (Luke 17:6)! To be a true disciple is to be a bondslave of Jesus, someone with no right to anything — not payment, not honor, not reputation, nor anything else. After you have done all the things which Jesus commanded, finish by saying, “I am an unworthy slave; I have done only that which I ought to have done” (Luke 17:10).

One: Doctrine and Life are 2 spiritual legs. It is most important that they are equal in length; otherwise you will walk with a spiritual limp (I Timothy 4:16). Two: God will keep you always full of His Holy Spirit, if you always remain: Honest (Luke 8:15); Humble (I Peter 5:5); Hungry for God (Matthew 5:6). Three: Always wait on the fullness of God’s time, and then He will accomplish His perfect will in your life (Galatians 4:4). Four: Stop right now and picture this: When you come to God, He is rejoicing over you with shouts of joy (Zephaniah 3:17). You come, God will run (Luke 15:20)!

The gospel that we have a Mediator in Jesus Christ should result in the following for women: modesty in external adornment; and submission as inner adornment

Matthew 7:13-23, Revelation 2-3

The amazing paradox of the Christian experience is that as you get to know God more and more, you will actually feel like you know less and less of Him. This is because when you were first born again you were still pretty earthly-minded. As you grow in Christ, you will become more heavenly-minded and will realize that God is far greater than your pea-sized brain could ever fathom. God's plan for mankind is that we are not only saved but also come to the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2:4). He made no such plan for the angels who fell away, yet sadly most of mankind wastes His plan of salvation. For there to be a mediator between God and Man, it had to be someone who fit both sides. That's why Jesus, the Son of God had to also become the Son of Man (I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:14-18). When we truly see that it is in the same spirit of mediation with which Christ came to earth as a man, that men are now called to pray (I Timothy 2:5,8), it will change the way we pray. You've only truly prayed when at the end of it, you have a little more of God's thoughts and a little less of your own. Your prayer-life will change when you realize that if God was willing to give up the most valuable thing He had — His only Son Jesus — for your sake, He will freely give you all things that come with Jesus! John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the first coming of Christ, and he is describe in these terms: there came a man sent from God (John 1:6). We in the Church have the same mission to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ. So, even if it can't be said about anyone else around you, let God be able to say of you, "There came a man/woman sent from God..." God is looking for men and women sent by Him who have the same mentality that Christ had - that they can't afford to sin even once. He can accomplish Christ's work of mediation through such men and women. In the example of Jesus we see what it really means to "be a man" (Philippians 2:6-8): not grabbing His position; laying aside His privileges; becoming a bond-servant; making Himself like others; humbling Himself; becoming obedient to the point of death. The true man of God (I Timothy 2:8): is devoted to prayer; has hands that are holy; is cleansed from anger; is cleansed from dissension — i.e., quarreling, resentment, and doubt.

John 5:19,30; II Corinthians 11:3; II Corinthians 4:10.

Matthew 16:18-19

When we came out of our mother’s womb, we were born for the first time into the realm of this earth. Similarly, when we are born again, we are born for the first time into the realm of faith. God has made faith so precious that you have to fight for it, and the reason many Christians stop living by faith (Romans 1:17) is that they aren’t fighting for it (I Timothy 1:18). The world’s way is fighting in your own strength for victory; God’s way is praising your way into victory (II Chronicles 20:22). The former is actually quite tiring; the latter is peace. When you pick up your weapons of the flesh (words, actions, etc.), you effectively drop the mighty spiritual weapons God has given you (II Corinthians 10:4), and this immediately makes you powerless against the Devil and his hosts (Ephesians 6:12). Faith Battlefield #1 – God is Ruler of Time: God is the same yesterday, today and forever: He wants to work in your past as much as in your present and your future. If He loved you enough to forsake His only begotten Son on Calvary, how will He not also freely give you all the things that come along with Christ (Romans 8:32)? Level 1 of faith is trusting that God causes my present to work together for good. Level 2 is trusting the same about my future. Level 3 is trusting that God causes the events of my past also to work together for my present and future good! If one of the Devil’s fiery arrows of anxiety and worry was able to get through into your life, it just means that you failed to take up the shield of faith in that area. Don’t let it get through next time. When the Devil tries to sow unbelieving thoughts into your mind about what COULD happen (II Corinthians 10:5), destroy them by reminding him about what DID happen (Colossians 2:15). Faith Battlefield #2 – The Word of the Invisible God Will Come True: God is contrary to your natural senses. That’s why you can only understand Him by faith. Every time you look at the world around you, it should be a reminder that the God who brought all of it into existence from nothing, will bring into existence spiritual reality in your life — by His word (Hebrews 11:3). The reason the world does not take God’s word seriously is because He is invisible. But, His word spoken then, is just as powerful today and o fight the fight of faith is to punish all disobedience (II Corinthians 10:6). Faith Battlefield #3 – God is the Only Source of Wisdom: God knows best, and His stamp of approval is the only thing that matters (Hebrews 11:2). The reason God resists us when we’re proud (I Peter 5:5) is that every lofty thought is an affront to Him and prevents us from knowing Him (II Corinthians 10:5). I have come to see this new definition of God: He is the only one who gets all the glory. So, the moment I try to take some glory to myself, I am effectively claiming that there are now two gods; and God hates polytheism (Exodus 20:3).

An excellent husband, who can find? He is worth ten thousand others. The way you view God in His dealings with you, is the kind of husband or father you will be to your family. "There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up." (I Corinthians 4:15 MSG) Many men know what a "Proverbs 31 wife" is, whose worth is above jewels (Proverbs 31:10); but, they don't know what her husband is like (Proverbs 31:23, Job 29:7-25). 1. An excellent husband is respected by others for his wise speech and blameless conduct, and for how "well-dressed" he is in righteousness and fairness (Job 29:8-11,14). 2. An excellent husband helps others in their time of weakness — especially his wife and children when they feel like spiritual or emotional widows and orphans (Job 29:12-13). 3. An excellent husband wrestles in prayer on behalf of others — especially his wife and children (Job 29:17; Ephesians 6:12). 4. An excellent husband is merciful and compassionate, never provoking or exasperating others; when he sees his wife or children struggling in unbelief, he responds with a long-suffering smile and the light of encouragement from his face. (Job 29:24; Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21). 5. An excellent husband knows God's ways and speaks of God's faithfulness; he guides his wife and children by exhorting, encouraging, and imploring them (Job 29:25; I Thessalonians 2:11). We ought to be able to say, "If you have seen me as a father, you have seen the Father" (John 14:9). The Church is the "Elijah" whose ministry it is to restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers before Christ’s return (Malachi 4:6).

Unbelief is spiritual cancer and the only remedy for it is to always live in dependence on God in every area of your life. Faith is complete dependence on God in every area of our lives. So any area of unbelif is actually an area of pride. Cancer is caused by the uncontrolled growth of a single cell. Likewise, spiritual cancer begins with allowing one area of self-dependence (unbelief) in our lives, which quickly spreads to other areas. The saddest verse in the Bible is Matthew 13:58. Three things that cause spiritual cancer are: the love of money (I Timothy 6:10); empty worldly chatter (I Timothy 6:20-21); and false teaching (II Timothy 2:18). Faith is like: 1. Taking a check to the bank and cashing it. You only need to be sure that God is good for His money. 2. The sails on a boat. You don’t have to manufacture the wind; you only need to put your sails up, and God will send His power. 3. A shield against fiery arrows. Anytime the Devil throws negative thoughts at you, resist them with the shield of faith in God’s promises. 4. A child climbing into Daddy’s arms when facing something difficult or scary. A bad conscience is spiritual leprosy and the only remedy for it is to let the Holy Spirit constantly sensitize your conscience. The fact that we have a conscience is proof that we are made in God’s image. A good conscience is complete sensitivity to sin in every area of our lives. Leprosy attacks the nerve endings, destroying the body’s ability to feel pain. Likewise, spiritual leprosy is neglecting the pricks of the Holy Spirit in our conscience, which makes us less and less sensitive to sin. Satan’s goal is to desensitize our conscience. The Holy Spirit’s goal is to re-sensitize our conscience. The conscience is to the spirit what pain is to the body.