Sermon for the Sullivan SDA Church

December 31st, 2005

Yeeee Ha  2006

Are You Making Plans?

What’s your commitment?

Our mission - our sense of what God has called us to do

Under God’s guidance, we meet people where they are, and lead them to experience a growing relationship in Christ with us.

Our vision - what our church will look like when we are accomplishing our mission

 

To be a growing church that transforms our community, models singular devotion to Christ, and is prepared for His coming.

Our core values - principles that define how we do ministry together as we pursue our mission

1         Empowering Leadership - Many people are leaders and don’t even know it; we lead in a variety of ways. (e.g. parent/child, father/family, teacher/student, Christian/unbeliever)  Leadership is influencing people toward something better in their lives.  Not that we are better, but we participate with God in directing them to the happiest life possible with Him.  We “empower” leaders by apprenticing new leaders.  We guide and equip them so that together we multiply our influence for good and accomplish God’s mission.

Ephesians 4:11,12; 2 Timothy 2:2; RH 8/24/86; 11/6/88; 9T 82

2         Gift-Oriented Ministry - We serve the Lord in our areas of giftedness through appropriate ministries so the Body of Christ “grows and builds itself up in love.”

Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:1,4-6; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Peter 4:10; Letter 19, 1901; 8T 186,7

3         Passionate Spirituality – We believe continual spiritual growth should be normal for all Christians.  Hence, we encourage Christians of all walks and religious persuasions to become more devoted to Christ by taking delight in the spiritual life.  This includes daily renewal through the personal disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and obedience.

Psalm 119:148; Mark 12:30; Romans 6:22; 13:11; 2 Corinthians 7:11; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:15

4         Functional Structures - Our church’s ministries, systems, programs and policies work optimally through well-defined objectives, which are regularly evaluated to ensure functionality and excellence.

Exodus 18:14-22; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:16

5         Inspiring Worship - We gather for worship first and foremost for our heavenly Father.  We worship Him in spirit and truth because of His beautiful holiness, creative power and loving kindness.  The blending of spirit and truth reveals our commitment to authentic expressions of praise and adoration that are biblical, decent and orderly.

Psalm 29:2; 96:6,9; 99:5,9; 138:2; John 4:23; 1 Corinthians 14:40; Revelation 4:11; 5:9,10; 14:7

6         Holistic Small Groups - We desire everyone to be involved in a small group that ministers to their spiritual, mental, physical, and social needs.  Since leadership is vital to this ministry, we equip them through regular training, encourage them through monthly briefings, and evaluate them through annual reviews.  While these discipleship groups vary, they are primarily focused on life transformation and evangelism.

Matthew 18:20; Acts 2:46-47; Philemon 2; RH 5/30/71; 9/29/91; 7T 21-22, 195

7         Need-Oriented Evangelism –

People are at the heart of our existence as a church.  We authentically and intentionally cultivate friendships with pre-Christians to lead them to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  We use Jesus’ own method of mingling with people desiring their good, showing sympathy, ministering to them, winning their confidence, and inviting them to follow Him.

 

Matthew 25:34-40; 28:29,20; Luke 19:10; Revelation 14:6; MH 143

8         Loving Relationships –

People matter - they’re the only things going to heaven.  We are known for our love for all people without regard to gender, race, social or economic status.  We accept people as they are and desire for them the happiest, highest and holiest life possible with God.  We hold special regard for those who are destitute, without loved ones, and in need of our sympathy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 90:12

12 So teach us to number our days,

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.    [1]

 

I.       2005 in Review:

A.               Here are 2005's top 10 stories, as voted by AP members:

1.           1. HURRICANE KATRINA: Days in advance, America knew it was coming. But even though Hurricane Katrina weakened slightly from its frightening Category 5 strength, its impact was stunning. It killed more than 1,300 people in five states, ravaged the Mississippi Gulf Coast and set off flooding that submerged 80 percent of New Orleans, forcing the largest urban dislocation in U.S. history. Hurricanes Wilma and Rita also inflicted severe damage.

2.           2: PAPAL TRANSITION: John Paul II's death marked the passing of the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and ended a 26-year pontificate, third-longest in history. In a remarkable show of affection, many millions attended services worldwide on the day of his funeral. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, expected to continue a conservative doctrinal approach, became the new pope and promptly waived the normal waiting period so John Paul could swiftly be considered for sainthood.

3.           3: IRAQ: As in 2004, news from Iraq ranged from the grim, including a devastating wave of suicide bombings, to the promising - Iraqis voting for new leaders and thrashing out differences on a new constitution. The U.S. military death toll surpassed 2,000, and President Bush estimated the Iraqi toll at 30,000, but he insisted U.S. forces would stay until Iraqi troops could contain insurgents on their own.

4.           4: SUPREME COURT: Not since 1994 had a Supreme Court seat become vacant. Suddenly there were two openings due to Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement and Chief Justice William Rehnquist's death. John Roberts was smoothly confirmed to succeed Rehnquist, but President Bush's next nominee, Harriet Miers, had to bow out amid conservative complaints. The right liked the next choice, Samuel Alito, but he could face tough Democratic opposition at confirmation hearings in January.

5.           5: OIL PRICES: Crude oil prices hit an all-time peak of almost $71 a barrel in August before subsiding. Costly gasoline prompted some motorists to rethink their driving habits; the beleaguered U.S. airline industry had to spend $9 billion more on jet fuel in 2005 than in 2004.

6.           6: LONDON BOMBINGS: Attacks on three rush-hour subway trains and a bus killed 56 people on July 7, including four bombers with ties to Islamic militants. Authorities said three of the alleged bombers were born in Britain to immigrant parents from Pakistan; the fourth was from Jamaica.

7.           7: ASIAN QUAKE: A massive earthquake near the Pakistan-India border killed more than 87,000, and left more than 3 million homeless. Worried relief officials appealed for more emergency aid as winter arrived in the stricken region.

8.           8: TERRI SCHIAVO: A family feud escalated into a wrenching national debate as the husband of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo struggled and finally succeeded in getting clearance to remove the feeding tube that had kept her alive for 15 years. President Bush, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and members of Congress joined Terri Schiavo's parents in efforts to have the tube reinserted before she died.

9.           9: CIA LEAK: Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, was indicted and several prominent journalists were entangled in complex offshoots as a special prosecutor investigated the Bush administration's leaking of Valerie Plame's CIA status to the news media in 2003. Plame's husband, a former U.S. diplomat, had accused the administration of manipulating prewar intelligence on Iraq.

10.      10: BUSH'S STRUGGLES: Multiple factors, including public doubts about Iraq, a flawed response to Hurricane Katrina and a failed Supreme Court nomination, drove President Bush's national approval ratings below 40 percent, the lowest of his presidency.

11.         Natalee Holloway

12.         Tsunami

13.         Hurricanes

i                       Katrina

ii                     Rita

iii                    Wilma

iv                   Emily

v                     Ophelia

vi                   Andrew

vii                  Camille

viii                Ivan

ix                   Irene

x                     Charley

14.         Pope John Paul II

15.         Gas Prices

16.         Live 8

17.         Terri Schiavo

18.         Earthquakes

19.         Rosa Parks

20.         Bird Flu

21.         Gagets

i                       iPods

ii                     Cell Phones

iii                    Playstation 3

iv                   Xbox 360

v                     MP3 Players

vi                   XM Radio

vii                  Laptops

viii                Palm Pilots

ix                   Sirius Radio

x                     GPS Devices

22.         Movies

i                       Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

ii                     Star Wars Episode 3

iii                    Napoleon Dynamite

iv                   Dukes of Hazzard

v                     Fantastic Four

vi                   War of the Worlds

vii                  Lord of the Rings

viii                Batman Begins

ix                   White Noise

x                     Constantine

B.                 Web Searches

1.             Yahoo

i                       1. Paris Hilton (2)

ii                     2. Pamela Anderson (8)

iii                    3. Britney Spears (4)

iv                   4. Poker (10)

v                     5. Dragonball (13)

vi                   6. Jennifer Lopez (28)

vii                  7. WWE (17)

viii                8. Pokemon (33)

ix                   9. Playstation (24)

x                     10. Hurricane Katrina (-)

II.         Predictions for 2006

A.                 The Coming World War:          Find out what Nostradamus says about the years 2006 - 2012. NostradamusOnline.com

B.                 what about 2006? We asked Swami Salami, noted mystic and deli owner, to tell us what he saw coming in the world of technology. The Swami gazed deeply into his Magic 8-Ball and emerged with the following predictions:

1.             Prediction 1: After a brief and tumultuous relationship, Apple Computer and Intel will announce that they are separating, after Intel learns Apple has been seeing Advanced Micro Devices on the side.

2.             Prediction 2: As part of its ongoing agreement with NASA, Google will secure exclusive advertising rights to the moon, where it plans to run text ads on the lunar surface. To increase traffic, the search company will distribute free telescopes to every human on the planet.

3.             Prediction 3: Hollywood's Movielabs R&D center will announce a breakthrough technology that erases viewers' memory of a film; patrons will forget they saw a movie and pay for it all over again.

4.             Prediction 4:     Steve Jobs will announce the IPod Synapse, a music player so small it fits inside your brain. Besides delivering music and videos directly to your cerebral cortex, the Synapse will monitor your brain waves and issue a small electrical shock if you think bad thoughts or look twice at the Best Buy special on a Rio MP3 player.

5.             Prediction 5: Later this year, Microsoft will introduce the Vista Omnivorous Media Center that will let you control every appliance in your home from one easy-to-use Windows interface. It will also introduce enhanced phone support: For $35 a call, technicians in Bangalore will tell you how to reboot your washing machine and get the bagel out of the toaster.

C.                 In a lecture given yesterday (Tuesday 9/13/05) the elder Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, called on world Jewry to come to Israel because of natural disasters that will take place in the near future. In the announcement Rav Kaduri says: "I hereby find that it is necessary to pass this call to the ears of world Jewry, that they should come to the Land of Israel for the reason of the great dangers awaiting the world from the side of nature. "In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring great disasters in the countries of the world in order to sweeten the judgements of the Land of Israel.

1.             Predictions for 2006

2.             Daniel

3.             2006 is the date indicated by an angel to the prophet Daniel for the "time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations" (Daniel 12:1) the same words used by Jesus in Mathew 24:21.

i                       The 23rd of May 2006, He judged! - It shall be an evil time in that day.

ii                     3rd August 2006          Violent 3rd August 2006           4th August 2006 - Day of the sign.

iii                    You are worn out; bear up, you shall smite! World War - in 2006 - and they smite you!

iv                   And, poor me, shall you give a promise China? In 2006 shall you be still? Hey! They shot shots!

v                     2006 - The War

vi                   2006 - The writing on the wall

vii                  The jewel and the stone; thus. In 2006 the proof.

viii                The End, Ethiopia, in 2006, to her.

ix                   Master will come - 2006?

x                     Rev 6:12 - 2006 comet - 6th seal

xi                   In 2006, as his bitterness - big stones - they will fall on open fields.

xii                  A bitter rough-edged rock in 2006

xiii                2006 matrix

xiv                2006 and 2010 asteroids - India burnt

xv                 Jerusalem - and the year 5766 (2006)

xvi                Military draft USA 2006

xvii              A. Schwarzenegger - 2006

xviii             Exodus 2006 code

 

 

III.         Steve’s Predictions for 2006

1.           Things will get worse

2.           Gas will cost more or maybe less.

3.           The situation in Iraq will get worse

4.           The things you see on television will become more offensive.

5.           There will continue to be cataclysmic and devastating natural events

i                     Hurricanes

ii                  Earthquakes

iii               Fires

6.           There will continue to be unbelievable autocracies committed by terrorist.

i                     Governments will respond by continuing to limit individual freedom.

7.           The political situation in the US will continue to disgust most of us.

8.           The news media will continue to fill the minds of the American People with sensationalism and biased reporting.

9.           You will find that everything cost more.

10.      Your expectations for a good future will become less and less secure.

 

IV.       Steve’s predictions about what we’ll do in 2006

 

A.                Most of us will not be touched by any of this, so we will go living just like we did in 2005.

B.               Most of us will seemingly not be touched by any of this, so we think we can just go on living like we did in 2005.

C.               Most of us think that tonight is an artificial demarcation in time, and has no particular significance on the course of events or things of importance in this world.

V.           Plans for 2006

1.           Vacation

2.           Work

i              Maybe you have some particular projects you might start in 2006

1         Landscaping

2         Move to new house

VI.           Spiritual Growth in 2006

A.               What are you planning for your spiritual growth in 2006?

1.           If it applies, what are you planning for the spiritual growth of your children in 2006

i              If you do nothing, they’ll get a street education!

B.               You’re going to just take advantage of whatever the church provides this year.

1.           The church is working to provide Spiritual valuable experiences for the congregation in 2006.

i                     These will only be of value to you if you participate.

C.            As you look back to the beginning of 2005, have you experienced any significant Spiritual Growth?

D.           Do you want to have significant spiritual growth in 2006?

 

E.            IF NOTHING CHANGES, NOTHING CHANGES

 

VII.        WILL YOU MAKE SOME COMMITMENTS for 2006?

com•mit•ment \kə-ˈmit-mənt\ noun

 2 a : an agreement or pledge to do something in the future; especially : an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date

b : something pledged

c : the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled 〈a commitment to a cause〉[2]

 

 

In Heavenly Places 1967

 

Chap. 184 - Total Commitment to God

 

     The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Matt. 6:22.  {HP 190.1}

 

     If the Word of God is cherished as an abiding principle in the heart, and held fast under all and every circumstance, man is brought, with his entrusted capabilities, under {subjection} to the Lord Jesus Christ. His undivided powers, even his thoughts, are brought into captivity to Christ. This is true sanctification. All the parts of the experience blend in complete harmony. He is "wanting in nothing." He does not keep part to himself, to do with just as he pleases. . . .  {HP 190.3}

 

     "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, the whole body shall be full of light." This says, "thine eye," not some other person's eye. The rich experience that it is our privilege to have, we lose when we expect someone else to do our seeing for us and guide us in our spiritual experience as if we were blind. We must have a single eye to God's glory, a single and persistent purpose to leave self and the preferences of others out of the question. . . .  {HP 190.4}

 

     You are each living your probationary time day by day, obtaining your experience as the days pass; but you can go over the ground only once. Then let every precious moment be employed as you will wish it had been when the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened. Our Lord will judge us according to the opportunities that we have had.  {HP 190.6}

 

VIII.                       What are you willing to do?

 

A.           What are you willing to Change?

B.            What are you willing to move out of your life?

 

Matthew 12:43-45

43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.44 “Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.45 “Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”[3]

 

1.         Reduced Television watching.

2.         Reduced Sport activities

3.         The house doesn’t have to be cleaned every day. My personal value is not totally reflected in my living in a spotless home. Some things can be let go of.

4.         There are some things that are more important than earning a living. The workman is worthy of his hire. I can take time to do God’s work and still prosper. In fact, I will not prosper unless I am doing God’s work.

 

C.            Possible Commitments

 

1.         Read some version of the bible through in 2006

i                     I don’t read well, I’ll

1         Listen to tapes

2         Get the bible on CD, or DVD

 

2.         Read Spirit of Prophecy Books in 2006

 

3.         I will get 3ABN into my house this year.

 

4.         I will work with the Pastor and the Elders to build up this church by participating in all possible activities.

 

5.         I’ll start attending the Tuesday night studies at the church.

 

6.         I’ll change the way I support the church in tithes and offerings.

i                     I’ll start giving offerings and see how the Lord makes up for this expense.

ii                 I’ll pay an honest tithe as commanded in Scriptures. I’ll watch the Lord bless me as I do this.

 

7.         I will set aside a portion of this year for some missionary work

i                     A trip to Mexico or elsewhere

ii                 A week to work on the church

iii              A week to do work with people in the local area.

 

8.         I’ll get my kids into church school this year

i                     Our Church School in Bourbon,

ii                 Sunnydale

 


[1]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

\

\ə\ abut \ə\ kitten, French table \ər\ further \a\ ash \ā\ ace \ä\ mop, mar

\au̇\ out \ch\ chin \e\ bet \ē\ easy \g\ go \i\ hit \ī\ ice \j\ job

\ŋ\ sing \ō\ go \ȯ\ law \ȯi\ boy \th\ thin \ṯẖ\ the \ü\ loot \u̇\ foot

\y\ yet \zh\ vision \ȧ, ḵ, n, œ, œ̄, u‍e, u‍ē, y\ see Pronunciation Symbols

[2]Merriam-Webster, I. 1996, c1993. Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (10th ed.). Merriam-Webster: Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.

[3]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.