Do Not Be Anxious

1 Peter 5:6-11 (NKJV)

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Life that Ceases Not to Yield Fruit

jeremiah 17:5-8

5 Thus says the Lord:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

SERMON NOTES:

The very first command that God gave to man was, "Be fruitful." God demands, desires and delights in fruitfulness - physically as well as spiritually. This is not just a principle found in the New Testament but is also a recurrent truth in the Old Testament. let's consider this passage from Jeremiah on the life that is fruitful in 3 ways:

1. It's ___________________________(v. 7)
2. It's ___________________________(vs.5,6, 8a)
3. it's ___________________________ (v. 8b)

The Dynamics of a Fruitful Christian Life

Colossians 1:9-14

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

SERMON NOTES:

Paul says that for a Christian to grow and bear fruit, there are forces that will enable him/her to do so. In this passage, I see these 5 divine dynamics.

1. Spiritual ________________ (v.9)

2. Worthy ________________ (v.10a)

3. Good ________________ (v.10b)

4. Powerful ________________ (v.11)

5. Grateful ________________ (v. 12-14)

The Lord's Supper - a Call to Remembrance

Luke 22:13-24

13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.
14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 
16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. 21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. 
22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.
24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.

SERMON NOTES:

Whatever name we give to this celebration, whether communion, Lord's table, Lord's supper, Eucharist or the breaking of bread, the rite calls the participants to remember. At the very beginning of its institution , the Lord Jesus said, "Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, do so in REMEMBRANCE of Me. "When we come together to partake of the elements, the call to remember has 3 significances namely:

I. ________________ significance
II. _______________ significance
III, ______________ significance