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Luke 17:7-10 Heart Of Christ's Servant

 this Sunday, we will continue examining how we make disciples and grow as disciples. The last three weeks, we have talked about worshiping corporately and personally, and we have shown the importance of connecting in discipling relationships. This Sunday we will see how serving is essential for making disciples and growing as disciples. We will examine Luke 17:7-10 and hear how Jesus explains the heart of a servant to His disciples. Verses 7-10 will be our focus, but we will read Luke 17:1-10 to see the incredible context which leads Jesus to speak about service to the Lord. Please read Luke 17:1-10 for Sunday as we look at the heart of Christ’s servant. As servants of Christ, our highest priority is to be faithful.

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Hebrews 3:7-15 Connect: Battling The Deceitfulness Of Sin Together

 Right now we are reminding ourselves of who we are at First Baptist Church. We exist to make disciples of Jesus and grow as disciples of Jesus. We have seen that discipleship is not a destination. It is the lifelong process by which believers are always deepening in their relationship with Christ and moving closer to Christlikedness in their walk. We saw from Acts chapter 2 that the early church in Jerusalem discipled thousands of new believers by worshiping, connecting in discipling relationships, and serving one another as they served Jesus in evangelism and disciple-making. Worship, Connect, Serve is much more than a pithy slogan. It is the means by which believers grow in Christ. Over the last two weeks, Dave and Cameron preached on corporate worship and personal worship. They showed us from the Scripture how important worship is for the growing disciple. Ultimately, we become like what we worship. This Sunday, we will examine the importance of connecting in discipling relationships. Growing in Christ cannot be done in isolation. Jesus’ model of disciplemaking involved an intentionally small group of disciples who were relationally bound together under His teaching. They followed and learned as they daily walked with Him through His earthly ministry. In this same pattern, the early church continued the practice of smaller groups (Acts 2:46-49.) To illustrate the urgent and essential nature of being in accountable discipling relationships with one another, we will examine Hebrews 3:7-15. The Hebrew Christians were being tempted to leave from following Jesus and go back to the old ways of Judaism. They were suffering persecution, being treated as outcasts by their own family and friends, and enduring hardship because they had professed faith in Christ. The temptation was great to just go back to the old religion they had always known. The book of Hebrews is written to encourage them to remain faithful to Christ. Again and again, Hebrews shows us that Jesus is better than the old sacrifices, temple, priests, and even Moses. Jesus is the fulfillment of all these things. As the writer exhorts them not to turn away from Christ, he shows us the importance of being in discipling relationships with one another. Hebrews 3:13 says, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” We were never intended to fight alone. We were never intended to battle the world, the flesh, and the devil in isolation.

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Acts 2:42-47 The Disciple Making Church

This Sunday will be our first service in the remodeled sanctuary. This is an exciting and overwhelming time in the life of our church. About four years ago, we began talking seriously about building, and through this process we have seen God’s hand working at every step. Of course, the building is beautiful and more spacious and we praise the Lord for His work among us. But what I find more amazing is that, by the grace of God, we have come through this entire project united together as a body. Sunday we have a new church building - but it is the church (all of you) that makes First Baptist Church such an oasis in the desert. I am thankful that God has brought us together to carry this baton that has been passed to us. And just like God led us through this building project, he will lead us to carry out His will as we commit ourselves to the gospel above all, feeding on the word of God together, and investing ourselves in making disciples. God is doing an amazing work among us (I’m not talking about the new building) and what we have at FBC is worth passing down to the next generation. It’s my prayer that no matter what state the word descends into, there will always be a place in Mulvane where disciples of Christ are made and grow strong.

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Matthew 28:16-20 The Mission Hasn't Changed

There are lots of changes happening at First Baptist Church. We are still on track to have our first service in the new sanctuary Sunday Sept. 17th. It will be at 10am and we will only have one service. I’m sure we are all looking forward to the new space. This is the beginning of a new chapter in the life and history of First Baptist Church and I am overjoyed to be embarking on this journey with this congregation. Sunday the 17th, won’t be the end of this project. It will just be the beginning. While there are many things that are changing and have changed in the life of our church, our mission hasn’t changed. We are called by the authority of our Lord, as individual believers and as a church, to His mission. The mission is to make disciples. This building is a glorious work of God and we have seen God’s hand move in mighty ways throughout this whole process. But I don’t believe God has provided this building as an end in itself. It is a tool for us to more effectively make disciples and grow as disciples of Jesus. The mission will not change until the end of the age. To remind ourselves of that, we will examine Matthew 28:16-20 this Sunday as we continue focusing our hearts on who Christ calls us to be at First Baptist Church. This passage is often called the Great Commission. It is what Jesus calls the church (all of us) to be doing until he returns.

Last week as we looked at the end of Revelation, we saw how the Bible is one grand story of redemption. God is moving to restore creation to what was intended in the garden. And you are part of that epic story. You have a place in the movement of God’s kingdom toward His goal. Adam and Eve were commissioned to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth with God’s image. But sin spread with humanity. It spread so profusely that God destroyed all life with a global flood and began again with Noah, who he also told to be fruitful and multiply. But Noah also failed. Then Israel was called to be a light to the nations, and they rebelled in unbelief. Finally, Jesus the Son of God took on a human nature and defeated the sin that pervaded the creation. Now by the Holy Spirit, His people are being conformed to the image of His Son. And so we have the same commission as Adam and Eve - be fruitful and multiply. We spread this image over the earth as we make disciples of Jesus Christ. As we study the Great Commission we find that:

I. The Mission isn’t Given to Perfect Disciples (v. 16-17)

II. The Mission Bears The Authority of Jesus (v. 18)

III. The Mission Is To Make Disciples (v.19-20)

IV. The Mission is Empowered By Jesus HImself (v. 20)

I am looking forward to the book of Hebrews and getting back to preaching section by section. I am still firm in my conviction that verse by verse is how God intends us to study His word. But taking several weeks to remind ourselves of who we are and who we are going to be no matter what is extremely important. Our mission is to make disciples and grow as disciples, and we do that just as the early church did in Acts 2:42-47, by worshiping, connecting, and serving. So in the first Sunday in our new Sanctuary (Sept. 17) we will look at that passage in Acts.

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Revelation 21:1-4; 22:1-5 Our Eternal Hope

Before we launch into the book of Hebrews, we will take some time to remind ourselves of our mission at FBC, to make disciples of Jesus and grow as disciples of Jesus. Last week, we heard Paul tell Timothy to "train yourself for godliness" in 1 Timothy 4:6-10. If you weren’t able to be there, I would encourage you to go to www.fbcmulvane.com and listen to that text. Discipleship is not a destination it is a path we walk all the way until we reach glory. Until that day, we sow to the Spirit as we train ourselves in the things God uses to grow us in godliness. But before we begin detailing those things God uses (which are under the categories of Worship, Connect, Serve). It is important for us to understand what Paul meant in 1 Timothy 4:10 when he said, "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." When we train, strive, and toil, we must keep our eyes on the true hope. Our hope isn’t in our training. It is in God who has told us how this race will end. When we turn our eyes upon things above, we are able to keep on sowing, and "not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Gal. 6:9). To that end, this Sunday we will examine the first and last section of John’s description of the new heavens and earth, the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-4 and 22:1-5. We will examine what awaits us in eternity and the hope for which we long. We won’t have enough time to walk through all of chapter 21, but I would suggest you read 21:1-22:5 before Sunday because I will be referencing a few things in there. 

We can strive and toil to grow in what we have been freely given because we know where our hope lies. Sunday we will examine what our eternal hope and the glory of our eternal state with Jesus. 

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1 Timothy 4:6-10 - Training For Godliness

1 Timothy 4:6-10, where Paul tells Timothy what a good servant of Jesus Christ looks like. What is most striking to me about the letter to Timothy is that though Paul is writing to tell him how to build up the church(es) and how to be faithful as a minister of Jesus Christ, Paul continually draws Timothy’s focus to watching over his own walk and godliness. And it is in this text that he tells Timothy to train for godliness. Having just come out of Galatians, this may sound strange to us. But Sunday, we will see that training for godliness and depending upon the Spirit do not contradict. Even in Galatians, Paul could say that we are to walk in the Spirit as He produces His fruit, and at the same time we sow to the Spirit and not the flesh. This is essential for us to comprehend if we are to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We must:

I. Be Nourished On The Word of God (v. 6) - (ESV says "train" here but it is more appropriately "nourish"

II. Train For Godliness (v. 7-9)

III. Strive With Our Hope In The God Who Saves (v. 10)

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Galatians 6:11-18 What Really Matters

Galatians 6:11-18 is the final section in the letter. Paul has made his case against the false teachers pushing circumcision in the Galatian churches. They said that faith in Jesus was not sufficient for Gentiles to be saved. They must also be circumcised to be right with God and heirs to Abraham’s covenant. Through this letter, Paul has been terse, abrupt, and confrontational, even placing those teaching another gospel under the curse of God. He has demonstrated that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone. He has demonstrated the inability of the law to make sinners righteous. All the law can do is condemn, punish, and point us to the Savior. In Christ we have been freed from the condemnation of the law and we have been declared righteous because Jesus stood in our place, taking the punishment for our sin and imputing to us His righteousness. The gospel is sufficient. The gospel gives us perfect righteousness and nothing can be added by any outward work. But Paul also showed us that the gospel also transforms our hearts by the indwelling Spirit. We are given new hearts in Christ so that we now live out the intent of the law as we serve one another in love. We have been changed by the gospel and now the Spirit Himself produces His fruit in us as we keep in step with what He is doing in us. In this final section, Paul doesn’t introduce anything new but concisely summarizes the important conclusion of his argument. He will contrast the motives of those who boast in the flesh with his boasting in the cross alone. And in the end, he leaves the Galatians with what really matters. "For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation" (Gal. 6:15). The Galatians are being caught up in this idea that outward religious works, service, rituals, or laws can add to their standing before God. Paul says what really matters is not what you put on the outside, but what God has done on the inside - what matters is that you have been made a new creature in Christ by faith in the gospel. 

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Galatians 6:6-10 Sowing & Reaping

Sunday we look at Paul’s final exhortations before closing the letter to the Galatians. He is continuing to show us what keeping in step with the Spirit looks like in the body of Christ. In chapter 5, Paul pictured the Christian life as a battlefield. The flesh wars against the Spirit and the Spirit wars against the flesh. In 6:6-10, he describes the Christian life as a farm, where the Spirit and the flesh are fields where we sow seeds. Though these "sowing and reaping" verses are often misused and applied in all kinds of ways, Paul has not changed his subject. He is still talking about the fruit of the Spirit and the works of the flesh. He is still talking about keeping in step with the Spirit toward one another in the body. Because we know a harvest is coming, we are called to do good to all, especially those of the household of faith. 

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Galatians 6:1-5 Am I My Brother's Keeper

I am still trying to decide what the title of Sunday’s sermon should be. It will either be "Am I my brother’s keeper?" or "A Spirit-Filled Church." Honestly, both of these titles bring out Paul’s teaching in this final chapter of Galatians. After telling the Galatians not to use their freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but instead serve one another through love, Paul gave us specific examples of "the works of the flesh," and "the fruit of the Spirit." He ended chapter 5, giving believers a command. It isn’t "do better," or "work harder." He commands that believers keep in step with the Spirit, not becoming conceited or provoking one another. Galatians 6:1 is a continuation of this thought as Paul continues giving specific instructions about what "keeping in step with the Spirit" looks like in the body of Christ. It is believers gently restoring one another when they are caught in transgressions. The Judaizers in Galatia, who believed keeping laws makes people right with God, could do nothing for the sinner but bite and devour them. The law offers no redemption. But those who are spiritual (i.e. who have the Spirit) are restore such a person because we have the only means of restoration - repentance and faith in the gospel. In the same way, keeping in step with the Spirit means that believers bear one another’s burdens. Incredibly, Paul says bearing one another’s burdens fulfills the law of Christ. And he equates not bearing one another’s burdens with deceitful pride (6:2-3). In Galatians 6, Paul is applying what it means to keep in step with the Spirit in the real, day-to-day lives of the Galatians Christians. And his application for them is still our application today. When we are keeping in step with the Spirit, we will be discipling one another, loving one another, and bearing one another’s burdens.

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Galatians 5:19-26 (pt 2) The Fruit Of The Spirit

This Sunday, we will finish Galatians chapter 5. Last week we looked at the first of Paul’s two lists in v. 19-26, the works of the flesh. As we examine the fruit of the Spirit, there are several things we need to keep in mind. First, as we saw last week, this is not a list of laws to fulfill in order to be right before God. Just like "the works of the flesh," the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of the Spirit’s work. The fruit is what the Spirit produces in the life of the believer, just as the fruit tree produces its fruit. So once again, this is not a list of things we need to do better to be righteous, it is a list of evidences we are to examine to discern the Spirit’s work. Of course, we all need to do better in these things and we will talk about how we cultivate and grow in this fruit, but we must not lose sight of the fact that it is the fruit OF THE SPIRIT. It is God’s Spirit which produces it. Second, we cannot examine the fruit of the Spirit apart from the context of Galatians 5. Remember Paul told the Galatians not to use their freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but (instead) serve one another through love (5:13). Then in verse 15, he told them that if they bite and devour one another, they would consume one another (5:15). He follows this by saying, walk in the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (5:16). And then he gives us the two lists - flesh and Spirit. And last week we saw that the works of the flesh are all about living for self. Divisions, dissensions, anger, enmity, strife - all these are fleshly sins that destroy communities and relationships. The fruit of the Spirit are also lived out in community, but they focus on goodness and godliness to others. It is impossible to demonstrate love, kindness, patience, goodness, and gentleness in isolation from others. The evidence of the Spirit working and producing fruit in the believer is seen in how we treat one another. Thirdly, the list of the fruit of the Spirit shows us the nature of God. He is all these things. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness etc. The fruit of the Spirit is a character sketch of Jesus Christ. So the Spirit of God in believers isn’t just working to make us "good." He is working to make us like Jesus. That is the evidence of the Spirit indwelling His children - He conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ. Sunday, we will examine 5:22-26 and see the evidence of God’s work in us, as well as our need to cultivate and nurture the fruit He produces.

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