Sunday, November 28, 2004
Article Three of the Apostles' Creed: 11-28-04
REV. DUNCAN GRAHAM, left, is Senior Pastor of Tinney Chapel UMC, the quintessential country church. His sermon today examines Article Three of the Apostles' Creed. In the photo, above, actually snapped earlier this year, Rev. Graham is shown welcoming three recent additions to our church roster: (left to right) Harold Lenius, Linda Kemp and L.R. Kemp. Photo by Angela Wylie.
ABOUT US TODAY:
CORE VALUES OF TINNEY CHAPEL UMC:
We are an extended family of God.
We are an open door church to all persons.
We value our traditions as building blocks to the future.
We are a Bible-based, Christian community.
We believe in an empowered laity.
We are a conservative congregation, theologically and politically, and our beliefs are generally consistent with the Methodist doctrine.
MISSION STATEMENT OF TINNEY CHAPEL UMC:
To welcome people to Jesus and fellowship within His family, complete them in Christ, provide for their ministries, enrich their lives and glorify God.
VISION OF TINNEY CHAPEL UMC:
To be a growing Christian church where anyone can become a disciple for Jesus Christ.
SUNDAY WORSHIP TODAY:
MORNING SERVICE, 9:00 A.M.
Greeters: L. R. Kemp and Roger Schneider.
Soundman: Bob Deitering
Ushers: Roger Schneider & L. R. Kemp.
MUSIC
Pianist: Pat Hollingsworth.
Songleader for hymns: David Stanton.
Songs: He Keeps Me Singing; Wonderful Words of Life; Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus; Cleanse Me.
SPECIAL MUSIC BY TINNEY CHAPEL CHOIR, directed by Pat Hollingsworth:
Sanctuary/Oh, I Want To Know You More/More About Jesus
Today’s Choir Singers included:
David Stanton, David Wylie, Ronny Ellison, Derrell Hollingsworth, Angela Wylie, Alice Deitering, Mollie Stanton, Stacey Stanton, Sadie Jordan, Judy Spears, Josephine Garrett.
Morning Prayer & Lord’s Prayer: Pastor Duncan Graham
LITURGY BY ASSOCIATE PASTOR GENE MILLER:
Call To Worship
Offertory Prayer
Doxology
Gloria Patri
Apostles Creed
CHILDREN’S SERMON TODAY:
Senior Pastor Duncan Graham’s topic today was the First Sunday of Advent: “What do we celebrate?” he asked the kids. The first answer was: Christmas? “That’s a good start,” replied the Pastor. “Tell me about Christmas.” The answer: It’s Jesus’ birthday! “So, this is the Advent of the Messiah or Christ into the world, or the Son of God in the world,” added the Pastor. “It’s a time when we traditionally light an Advent candle. This week’s Advent candle represents Hope.”
The Pastor passed out coloring assignment pages oriented to the theme of Hope, and explained that the Advent Season looks both at the past (the birth of Jesus) and the future (the second coming of Christ). “Someday He will take us to a new home with Him in heavenly places,” explained Pastor Graham, who also passed out an Advent packet to each child, who is expected to complete the various craft assignments.
“We are about remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season,” concluded Pastor Graham. “He came into the world to bring Hope, and He did that by becoming our Savior.” In his closing prayer, the Pastor thanked the Lord for sending Jesus Christ as our Savior, to bring us our Hope of Glory, and prayed also that Christ may continue to live in our hearts in ever-greater measure, and continue to show us the Way.
*****
TODAY’S ADULT SERMON:
Senior Pastor Rev. Duncan Graham’s sermon title was “Article Three of the Apostles’ Creed: I Believe,” based in part on John 16:5-16:
16:5 "But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'
16:6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
16:8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
16:9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
16:10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
16:11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
16:12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
16:14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
16:15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
16:16 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."
---New King James Translation
The Pastor’s emphasis today was on the phrase, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” which we recite every Sunday as a part of the Apostles’ Creed. In today’s Scripture Lesson, the Holy Spirit is referred to by Jesus as The Helper and The Spirit of Truth. “In the original Greek, it translates as The One Called Alongside To Help,” explained Pastor Graham.
“Ever since the original Pentecost in the Upper Room, Christians have talked about the Holy Spirit,” said the Pastor. “And today we at least give lip service to the Holy Spirit by mentioning Him in such ceremonies as marriage and baptism or when we close a prayer in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Certainly we recognize the Holy Spirit as a part of the Trinity, as a very real, empowering presence of God who lives within us as believers in Jesus Christ.
“But, if we took seriously our statement about believing in the Holy Spirit, we would acknowledge His presence as something we could not do without,” added Pastor Graham. “We would recognize Him as vitally important in our Walk of serving the King. It is that gift of Himself that constitutes His presence in us. It’s important to recognize that the Holy Spirit is essential to the work of God in the world and in us. Without His presence, the world would be in even worse shape. So it is that our saying, I believe, is more than just making a statement. It’s saying we could not do what we do without Him in our lives.
The Pastor referred to the Apostle Paul’s description of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit:
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
--New King James Translation
“With the Holy Spirit in our lives, we begin to experience all the qualities on that list from Galatians,” explained Pastor Graham. “The Holy Spirit is the giver of those fruits. He will pour them out on us, and we can not help it as we begin to touch the world around us. So it’s important that we begin to take notice of what we say we believe by asking ourselves if we are practicing the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If so, others should notice it.
“If I believe what I repeat each Sunday, even when I don’t have the right attitude, then I should act as the Holy Spirit within me directs,” said the Pastor. “In my recent column for the print newsletter, I mentioned the flesh rising up and warring against the Holy Spirit, something that Paul wrote about, so you can be sure the rest of us have that problem as well. We need to give the Spirit every opportunity to win that war. The flesh puts us down, but the Spirit builds us up. Normally, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in gentle, quiet ways that bring out the loving, gentle side of our nature. It’s ourselves we need to monitor, not others and not the world.
“We are called on to practice the love of Jesus Christ to all those people out there that we might not otherwise love,” reminded Pastor Graham. “It’s easy enough to love our families and friends, but only the Holy Spirit can empower us to love the unlovable or those who don’t love us. I am still a work under construction, and the Holy Spirit at times convicts me of sin, which makes me want to turn away, and that feeling is from God, not the flesh. The original Greek word used for Holy Spirit is probably best translated for us as an Invisible Force, at least in terms of its meaning to us.
“If we allow it, the Holy Spirit will work in and through us far more than we ever thought,” added the Pastor. “This is especially true in prayer, where Paul tells us that the Spirit will pray to God for us when we don’t know how, and will always pray for us according to the Will of God. We are told the Holy Spirit will even reveal the future to us. Interestingly, we learn that the only unpardonable sin is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, a concept that may be hard to define, but most likely means to deny the divinity or works of the Holy Spirit. At least that would likely come dangerously close to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
“I try not to judge others in the practice of Christianity,” said the Pastor. “God sometimes brings us things that we don’t think we need, but He knows best what we need. We need the Holy Spirit, Who was sent by Jesus from the Father as empowerment for us in our walk to exemplify the Life of Christ, to be part of Christ’s Body and to relate to others in the way that Christ would relate to them. Since Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, it is the Holy Spirit we believe is by our side with us. In a real sense, the Holy Spirit is the Power of the Church. When the Holy Spirit is present, the Church works. The Holy Spirit is God’s Presence in the world.
“When we say we believe in Him, the Holy Spirit, we should realize that it means we could not possibly have any hope without Him,” declared the Pastor, who then closed with prayer, asking God to increase our understanding of the Holy Spirit by opening our hearts, our minds and our spirits for such knowledge, moment by moment. “Help us to recognize and respond to the Holy Spirit’s leadership, wisdom and urgings to live Christ-like lives and to build the Kingdom in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.”
BIBLE READINGS TODAY:
Readings for the First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44.
CLASSES TODAY:
SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS TOPICS:
WISE ONES, Frankie Brewer: Becoming A New Family.
LADIES BYKOTA, Peggy Boyd: Praising God (Psalm 145).
Tinney Chapel Men, Bill Knoop: The Case For Christ, a study by Lee Strobel.
OVERCOMERS: Jenna Nelson: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.
YOUTH: Stephen Graham: Journey Through The Bible (Quiz) Continued.
CHILDREN: Linda Hallman: Early stories of Genesis.
The Remnant Class, Joe Dan Boyd: God’s First Remnant: Noah: A Faithful Covenant Man.
REMNANT RIGHTEOUSNESS (Life Lessons # 245)
Take home lessons from studying Genesis 7 and related Scripture:
1. This chapter of Genesis, and the chapters surrounding it, Genesis 6-9, combine to present Noah as a faithful covenant man, says Gerard Van Groningen, writing in the Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology.
2. Socially, Noah had one wife, and was blameless, says Van Groningen; spiritually, Noah was in constant fellowship with God, actually walked with God, was righteous and managed to live according to God’s Will.
3. That the world was granted a final reprieve of one additional week before the onslaught of floodwaters, after the promised 120 years, suggests that God made a last ditch altar call for repentance, says John Wesley.
4. The same hand that at first brought the creatures to Adam to be named, then brought them to Noah to be preserved, writes John Wesley. Commentator John Gill believes that this was accomplished either by a God-given instinct or by the ministry of angels.
5. The 600th year of Noah’s life was 1,656 years from the Creation, according to calculations by John Wesley, who also believes the floodwaters started in early November, which allowed Noah time to gather and stock food for the ark from that year’s harvest.
6. The Apostle Peter wrote of the flood, saying that eight people were saved in the ark, through water, and today’s baptism, which saves us, is a corresponding act, which pledges a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).
TODAY’S DATE: 11-28-04
Tinney Chapel UMC
The Remnant
Sunday School Class
Winnsboro, Texas
ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT SUNDAY: 12-5-05
READ GENESIS 8:1-22
Afterwards, reflect upon these things:
1. God remembered Noah.
2. Cabin fever.
3. A wind over the earth.
4. Noah opened the window.
5. The raven & the dove.
6. A freshly plucked olive leaf.
7. Landing high and dry.
8. Noah’s altar to the Lord.
9. The heart of the Lord.
*****
