Church Has Left the Building Sermon Notes: Living Outside Materialism

Living Outside Materialism                              10.4.15

4^th in The Church Has Left the Building series

 

1.     Use Your prayers for truly important prayers   (Joshua 7)

          What is wrong with Joshua’s prayer?

                    Assumes a step back/difficulty is a reverse of God’s decision

                   It questions that God’s expressed intent for Israel was/is not

                             good

                   It brings forth the impossible folly that God’s name will be

                             wiped from the earth

         

          What is the Lord’s response to Joshua’s prayer?

                   Stand up!  (they had been in a position of humble prayer)

                   Israel didn’t obey me, and has stolen, lied, hoarded

                   Israel has made themselves liable to destruction.

                             (your own worst enemy)

                   Make it right.                

 

2.     Live simply in speech and action      Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

 

3.     Don’t lie to God.  Acts 4:32-5:11

 

Ananias and Sapphira died because they conspired against the Spirit.

                   God will not be defeated by any conspiracy.

                   The people had just prayed as to why do the nations conspire?                         

                   In this story, God had to clear out what was in the way.

                             --Ananias means “God is gracious”

                             --Sapphira means “beautiful”

                   May we pay attention, and live up to, the meaning of our names.

Great fear in the church. 

Last week:  the fear of the Lord draws you closer.  Any other fear separates you. 

Great fear that comes from this story redirects the people back to proper obedience, as well as healing, spreading of the word, servanthood and the growth of the church.  This is how they were living before the conspiracy story.