Sunday I will be leaving for Detroit Michigan for Nation Fine Arts Festival.
I’m doing a Short sermon.
When I get back and know my score and stuff I will post it.
But for now I thought it would be fun to look at my sermon from last year.
This is the Scoring Scale for Fine Arts
-27 Excellent
28-35 Superior
36-40 Superior with Invitation to Nationals
My score was 33.67
What do you think about it?
Changing Humility into Extraordinary
Micah 6:8 says “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humble with your God.”
· The definition of humility is the state of being humble, and free from pride.
· I think it takes an extraordinary person to have humility in this day in age. And I’m pretty sure we can all agree that the greatest example of humility is the extraordinary person Christ is. None of us deserve the sacrifice Christ made for us. Humbling himself to a sinner’s death on the cross. Humility is more than just being free from pride. Humility is being completely unaware of yourself because you’re consumed by thoughts of serving God and others.
Philippians 2:3-4 says “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vein conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others.”
2. Our humility before God is tested in or humility before others
· “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
· People today need more than a sermon, they need someone to come alongside them and lend a helping hand that reflects the love of Christ. There can be a lot of sacrifice that goes into humility; Christ sacrificed being separated from the father to living an earth life.
· Sacrifice looks different for each person, it could be sacrificing your time, or your money, it might even mean getting out of your comfort zone and speaking to people you wouldn’t usually speak to. It could be any number of things.
· When I think of people who sacrifice things everyday and humble themselves, I think of the leaders in our churches. For example I think of my youth pastor, Pastor Jason. He sacrifices so much time to spend with us crazy teenagers, sometimes he thinks he still is one. He and Amy both sacrifice so much time and effort in making sure that we’re taken care of.
3. We must find joy in humility
Philippians 4:4 says “ rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
· A lot of people don’t really think about the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is an emotion or feeling. Joy is a perspective and attitude of a lifestyle. Someone who is able to find joy in humility is unshakably optimistic. No matter what comes their way.
The end of Nehemiah 8:10 “…do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength”
· When we see others facing tough times and yet holding on to their joy, it’s a powerful example of how true and unshakable the joy of the Lord can be found in our relationship with God.
· Someone who practice humility and yet is still joyful can be considered extraordinary.
4. The extraordinary acts of Christ
John 13:4-5 says “So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
· Through Christ’s acts of service, he humbled himself to wash the disciples feet. Jesus clearly states that we are to serve; we are to show humility in our walk with Christ. We are not to boast about what we have done, but we should practice humility in everything we do.
· Everyday we are challenged in some way to be more like Christ. And if one of Christ’s greatest attributes was to be a servant then why should ours be any different? Humility teaches us servant hood, and with that we see how extraordinary we can be by humbling ourselves just as Christ did.
Dear Jesus,
You gave us the ultimate example of service. Even though you’re the Son of God, you stooped down to help those in need.
Help us to have your eyes, that we might see the need.
Help us to have your hands, that we might meet the need. And help us to have your heart, that our love would be an extension of your heart.
God, I want to carry out your will in my life. I want to make a difference for you.
But I realize that I am powerless without your help. On my own, my attempts will always fall short.
Empower me, empower your church by your Holy Spirit. That we might hear your voice and do your will. Amen.
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