LIFE
God's Gift to Man

 




January 15, 2006

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
"We're Marching to Zion"..........................................................................................................................pg 489
"In the Garden"...........................................................................................................pg 241
Prayer
"A New Name In Glory".............................................................................................pg 417
"To God Be the Glory"................................................................................................pg 298
Offering
Message
  "This Little Light o' Mine".........................................................................Matthew 5:14-16
Introduction: "The Cracked Pot" story. There is always something about ourselves that we don't like. God uses us just as we are.
Ref: Matthew 5:14-16
Every one of us is influential. Someone is observing you whether you know it or not.
Ref: Romans 14:7. You're either helping to draw people closer to God or driving them away.
Ref: "Animals Superbowl Football Game". Ref: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Separation from complacent attitude/conforming to the world. Don't be yoked together with unbelievers, for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common. We have unhindered communion with God when we do not conform to the ways of the world. It is what God expects from us.
Refs: 1 Thessalonians 5:22 - Avoid every kind of evil. Philippians 4:13 - You can do everything through Him who gives you strength.
We should consider those that do not know Christ also while leading what we consider a "good" Christian life.
Your "light" is your relationship with God. Our light should leave an impression on people. John 15:5 - As long as we have Christ in us we can be bold. 1 Timothy 6:7-10: You can have all the riches in the world but you cannot take it with you.
We should ask ourselves what kind of light we are: 1) Abstain from all appearances of evil. 2) Talk to people about God. Ref: Related funny story about two identical twin boys with exact opposite personalities. The boy with the negative attitude gets a basketball and a bike as gifts. He complains about having to use energy to use them. His brother, the boy with the positive attitude gets a bag of horse manure as his gift. Excited as he sees the gift he jumps up and say, "With all that "poo" there must be a horse around here somewhere!
Attitude is everything.
"Softly and Tenderly"...................................................................................................................pg 461
Benediction