Below are notes to a sermon preached
Sunday evening, August 31, 2003, at Gospel Light Baptist Church,
Albany, Georgia. For more outlines, including a zipped file of all of
my 1999, 2000, and 2001 sermon outlines, click on the link at the
bottom of this note, and go to our website:
WE
HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD IN
RELATION TO OUR CHURCHES
By Michael D.
O'Neal
Pastor, Gospel Light
Baptist
Church
Albany, Georgia
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter
4:14-19
Text: 1 Peter 4:17
1 Peter
4:17 For the time is
come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first
begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of
God?
Introduction: GOD BLESS
AMERICA! That is my earnest prayer! Truly, God HAS blessed America, but
I fear that we have turned our backs on the Author of our many
blessings! In many ways, it seems that we have FORGOTTEN GOD, which
brings to mind the scripture:
Psalms
9:17 The wicked shall
be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Let's not forget God!
I believe that one of the
areas in which we have forgotten God is in relation to our churches. I
have been bringing a series of messages on areas in which our country
is forgetting God. Perhaps tonight's message should have been the first
in the series, since the Bible says that judgment must BEGIN at the
house of God: and if it first BEGIN
at us...!
We seem to have forgotten
I.
PREACHING GOD'S
WORD AND HAVE INSTEAD
FOCUSED ON PROGRAMS
2 Timothy
4:1-4 I charge thee
therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the
quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the
word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with
all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Our churches have become
A. Singing
conventions
B. Social
clubs
C.
Sickening to Christ -
Revelation 3
We seem to have forgotten
II.
PRAYER FOR GOD'S BLESSINGS
AND HAVE INSTEAD FOCUSED ON PUBLICITY
Acts 4:31
And when they had
prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of
God with boldness.
A. Instead
of asking God in
prayer we're adopting the practices of the world
B. Instead
of agonizing in
prayer we're advertising in the paper
C. Instead
of asking God for
power we're after a new promotion or gimmick!
We seem to have forgotten
III.
PRAISE FOR GOD'S GOODNESS
AND HAVE INSTEAD FOCUSED ON PERFORMANCE
1
Corinthians 4:7 For who
maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst
not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if
thou hadst not received it?
1
Corinthians 10:31 Whether
therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God.
A. Applause
has replaced AMENS
B. Actors
have replaced
preachers - "drama teams"
C.
Audiences have replaced
congregations
- Audiences WATCH
- Congregations
WORSHIP
We seem to have forgotten
IV.
PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING AS
GOD'S AMBASSADORS AND HAVE INSTEAD FOCUSED ON PROSELYTING
Acts 20:24
But none of these
things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I
might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have
received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
With regard to trying to get
people to leave their churches and join ours versus reaching those who
are unsaved, we have been
A.
Exchanging saints instead
of evangelizing sinners
B. Enticing
saints instead of
engaging in soul-winning
C.
Embracing saints (from
other churches) instead of extending salvation to the lost
We seem to have forgotten
V.
PURITY AS THE SAINTS OF GOD
AND HAVE INSTEAD FOCUSED ON PROSPERITY
Titus 2:14
Who gave himself
for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
1 Timothy
6:5-6 Perverse
disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth,
supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 6 But
godliness with contentment is great gain.
Our churches think success is
A. An
increase in our budgets
B. An
increase in our buildings
C. An
increase in our bodies
who attend
What about??? -->
D. An
increase in behaving
godly?
E. An
increase in bringing
people to Christ?
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