Listen to this sermon by Nathan House: 02122012BlessingsNotResponsibilities

Download the Notes: 02122012BlessingsNotResponsibilities

Give me the blessings but not the responsibilities

  1. Something for nothingmentality
    1. Blessings are wonderful, responsibility… not so much
  2. Blessings of a prepared worship
    1. Not the responsibility to serve in that worship
  3. Blessings of Grace– Blessings of Grace or favor from God
    1. Not the responsibility to show favor to others
    2. Grace upon Grumblers: Exodus 16:1-4– God rained grace, his favor down upon a complaining people. We are thankful for the good things in our life aren’t we? The good things that God has given us.
    3. Question to Consider: Do we make it a point of showing favor upon those who are similarly undeserving of our favor?
      1. We sure appreciate that God does this for us right? That God gives us good things that we don’t deserve.
    4. Would some argue that others do not deserve our grace? Our favor?
    5. When we look at the story of the Exodus we are reminded that Israel did not deserve God’s grace, God’s deliverance.
  4. Blessings of forgiveness–
    1. Luke 7:36-48, John 8:2-11-–Look briefly at the beautiful examples of forgiveness
      1. Don’t we all want the same beautiful forgiveness that Jesus gives here?
      2. Do you think these Pharisees would appreciate forgiveness? Certainly, they enjoyed that blessing, but not the responsibility.
    2. Not the responsibility to forgive others
    3. Matt 6:12-15, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
    4. Mt 18:21-35
      1. The extreme example that Jesus gives us seems absolutely ridiculous doesn’t it? How could someone be forgiven so much and then turn around and forgive so little?
        1. What are we supposed to learn from that? (V 32-35)
          1. First, that failing to forgive others when you have been forgiven, is wicked.
          2. Second, if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven.
        2. While we see in this parable the nature and vastness of God’s great forgiveness, the real point of the parable is to teach us to be forgiving.
        3. How could we possibly be unwilling to forgive someone for ___________ when God has forgiven me and you for so much more?
        4. We love the blessing of forgiveness don’t we? We love the thought of a forgiving God. But we don’t want to forgive others.
    5. Question to Consider: Do we enjoy the beauty of the forgiveness that God bestows upon us without taking seriously the responsibility of forgiving others? 
  5. Blessings of help from Christian family– Blessings of Grace or favor from man
    1. Not the responsibility to help those in my Christian family
    2. We love it when a Church member offers to help moves us? Or provides food for us? Or a ride? Or some act of love.
    3. Do we pass on that spirit of Christianity?
    4. People like to use the saying “pay it forward” to mean do good things to others with the understanding that your good deed or their good deed will be seen in the future acts of others.
    5. Do we pay others kind deeds forward or do they end with us? What are we doing for others? Or are we always the ones receiving?
    6. II Chron22:10-11; 23:3,11; 24:2-3, 15-16, 17-18, 20-22
      1. Joash enjoyed the blessings bestowed upon him by a Godly man. But he did not remember the kindness. He did not pay it forward.
    7. We love the blessings that others bestow upon us. But often that is where it ends. But we have a responsibility to do good for others
      1. Gal 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
      2. Mt 7:12- Do unto others
      3. Acts 20:35- better to give
    8. Ex 32:32- Moses love and good work for those who sought to remove and kill him
    9. Ps 109:4-5, “In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
    10. I Sam 23, 24:1ff (17), 26:25, Saul returned David’s kindness with hatred
    11. I Sam 25:21- Nabal returned David’s kindness for evil
    12. Question to Consider– Do we pass on that spirit of Christianity? 
  6. Blessings of salvation in Christ, the power of the gospel
    1. Not the responsibility to share the gospel of Christ
    2. We all enjoy, and find hope and peace in the promises of God. The promises of eternal life. Forgiveness. Grace.
      1. We rejoice in the Lord. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Ro 7:24-25
        1. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. NLT
        2. We love the power of the gospel over sin. That we were dead but are now have life. We love that the person we once were is no longer the person we need to be.
        3. We rejoice, but don’t share that joy with others.
      2. We hope in the resurrection while the world fears death
      3. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 

   “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?” 

 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Cor 15:54-57)

        1. We love the power of the gospel over death.
    1. Not the responsibility to share the salvation in Christ
    2. Rom 1:16a, 17a, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation… for in IT the righteousness of God is revealed.” 
    3. I Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (Ex 19:6)
      1. We love the power of the gospel over darkness.
      2. “As a Kingdom of priests, the people had the responsibility to share their knowledge of the Lord.” Roper
      3. “The whole nation was to act as mediators of God’s grace to the nations of the earth.” Kaiser
    4. Question to consider- Can we expect to receive the blessing of salvation if we dismiss the responsibility to share the message with others? Have we forgotten that he privileges of being God’s people come with the responsibility to live as God’s people.”