SUNDAY SERMONS

 

WINGS

Metaphors for the Christian:

§  Sheep

John_10:14  "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--

§  Salt

Matthew_5:13  "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

§  Light

Matthew 5:14  "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

§  Branches

John_15:4  Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

§  Soldiers

2 Timothy_2:3  Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

·      EAGLES

 

Isaiah 40:29-31  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

 

 

I.                 THE STRENGTH OF THE EAGLE

 

No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God in a human spirit, it is an inner un-conquerable-ness. If you have the whine in you, kick it out ruthlessly. It is a positive crime to be weak in God's strength. Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

 

a.  Be strong in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.

Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

2 Timothy 2:1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

 

b.  Never be weary in well doing

Romans 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Galatians  6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

1 Peter 2:15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

 

When Mike Kollin was a linebacker for the Dolphins and a graduate of Auburn University, his former college coach, Shug Jordan, asked him if he would do some recruiting for him. Mike said, "Sure, coach. What kind of player are you looking for?"  The coach said, "Well, Mike, you know there's that fellow, you knock him down, he just stays down?" Mike said, "We don't want him, do we, coach?" / "No, that's right. Then there's that fellow, you knock him down and he gets up, but you knock him down again and he stays down." Mike answered, "We don't want him either, do we, coach?" Coach said, "No, but Mike, there's a fellow, you knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up."  Mike said, "That's the guy we want, isn't it, coach?"    The coach answered, "No, we don't want him either. I want you to find that guy who's knocking everybody down. That's the guy we want!"

 

We are not called to be weak kneed, mamby pamby nothings for nobody!

We are the army of the Lord and we need to start acting like it  like it!

 

Be Strong in the Lord!

 

II.              The Vision of the Eagle

a.  “The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher standing on his tiptoes.”

 

Matthew 26:64 "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Romans 8:38-39  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 3:5-6 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future.  But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

 

Clarence Francis, who was chairman of the board of General Foods Corporation, said: "You can buy a man's time; you can even buy a man's physical presence at a given place; you can even buy a measured number of skilled muscular motions per hour or day. But you cannot buy enthusiasm; you cannot buy initiative; you cannot buy loyalty; you cannot buy devotion of hearts, minds and souls. You have to earn these things."

 

You can “Hope” for your future but the Christian makes his future happen! We don’t sir idlily by and take whatever we get. WE pray and search God’s Word; we mine out God’s will for our lives and then we set out to make His will our will. We are promised that He/We will not fail!

 

III.          THE POSITION OF THE EAGLE

 

a.  He IS ABOVE THE WORLD

b.  The world is full of gas, smoke, dust, and clouds.

                                                           i.      The Christian rises above the sordid things of the world.

                                                         ii.      The Christian walks on earth but his head is above the clouds.

                                                      iii.      Mans soul longs for freedom from sin.

 

Luke 17:11-19  Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

 

A lady was going away to meet some friends and bring them home with her. She had left her children at home with the understanding that they were to be clean when she returned with the company. She said to the children upon leaving, "Now here is plenty of soap and water and here are your clothes and I will expect you to be clean and dressed up when I return.

 

 What she had made provisions for and had demanded she would require. So it is with the Lord. Provisions have been made, at awful cost, for the cleansing of the heart. Holiness! God demands it. "Be ye holy." And what he has provided for and demands He will require. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."

 

IV.         THE LONGEVITY OF THE EAGLE 

a.  The Christian will live forever.

 

T his old house once knew my children
This old house once knew my wife
This old house was home and comfort
As we fought the storms of life
This old house once rang with laughter
This old house heard many shouts
Now it trembles in the darkness
When the lightning walks about
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
Ain't gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend no window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm gettin' ready to meet the saints
This old house is gettin' shaky
This old house is gettin' old
This old house lets in the rain
This old house lets the cold
On my knees are gettin' chilly
But I feel no fear or pain
'Cause I see an angel peepin'
Through the broken window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
Ain't gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend no window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm gettin' ready to meet the saints
This old house is gettin' shaky
This old house is gettin' old
This old house lets in the rain
This old house lets in the cold
On his knees he's gettin' chilly
But he feels no fear or pain
'Cause he sees an angel peepin'
Through a broken window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
Ain't gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend no window pain
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm getting ready to meet the saints
This old house is afraid of thunder
This old house is afraid of storms
This old house just blows and trembles
When the night cames after dawn
This old house is getting fragile
This old house is in need of paint
Just like me it's starting to die
I'm getting ready to meet the saints

   "The world stands aside," said David Jordan, "to let anyone pass who knows where he is going." This applies to those, who learn where they are going late in life as well as for the young.

At age 53, Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister.

At 65, Winston Churchill became British prime minister for the first time and started the epic struggle against Hitler.

At 72, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.

At 75, Ed Delano of California bicycled 3100 miles in 33 days to attend his 50th college reunion in Worcester, Massachusetts.

At 80, Grandma Moses, who had started painting in her late 70s, had her first one-woman exhibit.

At 81, Benjamin Franklin skillfully mediated between disagreeing factions at the U.S. Constitutional Convention.

At 80, Winston Churchill returned to the House of Commons as a member of parliament and also exhibited 62 of his paintings.

At 96, George C. Selbach scored a 110-yard hole-in-one at Indian River, Michigan.

100th Eubie Blake exclaimed, "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself."

Act_s2:17  "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.