Tinney Chapel Today

JENNA NELSON OFFERS PRAISE TO GOD by casting The Word over our community during last year's multi-church Bible Reading Marathon, held in front of the historic railroad depot in downtown Winnsboro. Photo by Angela Wylie.

MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 9:00 A.M.:

Pastor: Rev. Duncan Graham

Greeter: Roger Schneider, Gerry Privette & Matthew Stanley.

Sound: Bob Deitering.

Ushers: Gerry Privette & Roger Schneider.

Music:

Song leader: Angela Wylie.

Piano: Pat Hollingsworth.

HYMNS:

Draw Me Nearer, Come Thou Fount, Psalm 50:23, I Surrender All.

Call to Worship & Opening Prayer

Morning Prayer & Lord’s Prayer:

LITURGY

Offertory Prayer

Doxology

Gloria Patri

Apostles Creed

CHILDREN’S SERMON:

The Pastor, Rev. Duncan Graham, began today by referring to Matthew, Chapter 7: “Right at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus ends it by stating some things,” explained the Pastor. “Jesus said that everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.”

Here, the Pastor used an analogy of a person who has access to a large library of books, reads all of the books and has the ability actually to remember all of it. “If you did that, you’d have a lot of knowledge, wouldn’t you?” questioned Pastor Graham, rhetorically. “We could say the same thing about encyclopedias, couldn’t we? But, if you remembered all that knowledge, but didn’t put it into practice, it would mean you had knowledge, but not much wisdom. Does that make sense? There’s not much point in knowing a lot of things if you don’t do anything with it. If you keep it all in the head, but don’t apply any of it via hand and feet action.

“That’s what Jesus was talking about,” added the Pastor. “If you hear My words, and do them, you are wise. But, if you hear them and do not do them, you are foolish. If you build a house on the sand, the rainwater may wash it away. In fact, in your handout sheets today, you will see some examples of building houses on rock and on sand. Jesus was saying that if you take His teachings, and put them into action in your life, it makes you a very wise person. But, to hear His teachings and not put them into practice makes you a very foolish person.

“So, what we need to learn is to be very faithful,” said Pastor Graham. “Faithful in the doing of these things, because knowledge, in and of itself, is pretty useless. But, knowledge that is applied becomes wisdom. And that’s what we want to be about in our lives. So, let’s pray:

“Gracious Lord,” said the Pastor. “We pray that these young lives may always be filled with Your Word, not only in knowledge, but in the doing of it, the practice of it. And so we ask, Lord, that You bless these young people all the days of their lives, and lead them in the Ways of Righteousness. To do the things that not only keep their lives upright, but Lord also influence the lives of those about them. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

ADULT SERMON:

“Remember how we sang the song from Psalms 50:23 about glorifying the Lord this morning,” began the Pastor, Rev. Duncan Graham. “And the Psalmist said, ‘whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me’ Or, in deference to the words we sang out of the King James Version, looking at it now in the New International Version: ‘He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.’ Now, I like the King James wording better because it’s more of a literal translation from the original Hebrew language.

“In the King James, the Psalmist says, ‘Whoso offerth praise,’ now get that firmly fixed in your minds: ‘Whoso offerth praise.’ To God. Glorifies Me! ‘And to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.’ This is a very important and telling verse. For one thing, it talks about how God gets glory. We talk about glory from a Biblical perspective, and generally think that if we can see God’s glory, or if God will let us glimpse His glory, it will be a very divine thing, and would certainly influence our lives forever thereafter. And there is certainly Truth to that.

“But, what we need to understand and learn is that not only is God’s glory something that can be shown to people,” explained the Pastor. “But, at the same time, His glory is also something that we can give to Him, from us to Him. That’s what Psalm 50 is telling us. That we can give glory to God, and that He desires that we give Him glory. And praise is one of those methods by which we give God glory. We come together so often in the church, and Tinney Chapel is not a real high liturgical church. Some Methodist churches are. But we are not. I’m sure if we took a poll of the congregation, some would perhaps like to see us a little more liturgical. Some would like to see us less liturgical than we are. Some are pretty well satisfied with where we are. That’s human nature. It’s like you prefer some foods over others. Not everybody likes the same things.

“What we have, in terms of liturgy, in our church, varies from time to time, and if you picked up a copy of the long version of our Communion Service, I haven’t looked at it lately, but I know that I have, over the years, often remembered the old version that was in vogue in the 70s and 60s, and we always had that one paragraph that I always loved so much: Therefore, with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Thy glorious Name, evermore praising Thee and saying holy, holy, holy is the Lord, God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Glory be to Thee, Oh Lord, most high.

“That always blesses me, just to remember it and speak it, and I speak it sometimes when I’m just totally by myself,” emphasized Pastor Graham. “Nobody else around! But I get awed with God in all of His glory, and I want to lift up some word of praise. And I can do that, whether I’m by myself or with somebody. But you know, if we do it in a liturgical manner, in the church, and we just do it by rote: I remember, as a young boy, sitting in a Methodist church, and we’d go through—every First Sunday—that long Communion Service, and as a boy I was sitting there fidgeting, at least within me, I didn’t do it too much openly or I’d get a pinch right under my arm. I’d sit there thinking, man, I wish this would be over with. I’m ready to get outa here. To be honest with you, it was boring.

“Why?” said the Pastor, rhetorically. “Because I didn’t understand what was going on. But, when you really lose yourself in the practice of the glory of God. When I say practice, I mean just doing it: glorifying God. And you understand what it means to Him, how it pleases Him, how it draws you close to Him, then you begin to get caught up in it and enjoy it. I’ve often said: If we would just capture the essence of what the Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed or the Korean Creed is all about, we would rejoice in the doing of it.

“Or, if folks would just stop to really think of the importance of the communication between them and God, when they recite the Lord’s Prayer, they would be excited,” declared the Pastor. “In churches where they regularly have responsive readings, if they really looked at the meaning of the words they are reading, rather than just try to get through it, they would truly be delighted, because the promises of God and the praises of God and the glories of God are contained in all these.

“What I’m trying to say is that learning to glorify God is going to bless Him, and He, in turn, is going to bless you,” added Pastor Graham. “When you’ve learned to do these things. And, He’s going to bless you. And, He’s going to be blessed in ways that will happen no way else, nowhere else, than this. That’s not real good grammar, but you get my point.

“Now, I want to go another place here to a Scripture: I may take you several places today, so keep your Bibles handy,” said the Pastor. “I want to take you to Isaiah, chapter 6, beginning in verse 1: 'In the year that King Uzziah died…' Now let me just tell you that King Uzziah was a very righteous king, a very Godly king, by and large God was very pleased with Uzziah. But, Uzziah made one big mistake. And that is: He presumed upon himself to take incense in before the Presence of the Lord in the Temple and to offer incense, and he was not a priest. He was the king. He was not a priest. And, so he immediately became sick with leprosy and died. Much like the sons of Aaron, who offered strange fire unto God and were struck down. Uzziah was struck down because he tried to do something he was not called to do.

[Here, the Pastor resumed the reading of Scripture.] To view the New Living Translation of Isaiah 6:1-8, click HERE

“Now, if you want to know what all He is sending Isaiah to, you will have to read the rest of this chapter,” added the Pastor, after finishing the Scripture reading. “What I want you to see is that Isaiah is basically called of God to come before the Temple and he suddenly had it all opened up before him. We don’t know whether he’s seeing a vision of what’s going on in heaven or what’s going on in the Temple’s holy of holies itself. But, it would be quite an event in anyone’s life, whichever way it was. But, Isaiah sees the Lord in either the heavenly Temple or the earthly Temple, and says that His train fills the Temple, and that there are seraphims that are flying about, above him, calling out to one another: holy, holy, holy is the Lord, God Almighty; heaven and earth are full of His glory.

“And they keep doing that,” emphasized Pastor Graham. “Over and over again. Afterwards, Isaiah says the door closed and the threshold starts shifting, and smoke fills the Temple. One thing that we find, Scripturally, over and over again, is when the Presence of God comes forth, smoke begins to cover everything. By and large, we’ve always assumed that the smoke was there so no one would get blinded by God’s glory. But, I think something a little more, or a little different, than that may be taking place. Let me put it this way.

“We are taught in General Science in school that water has three forms,” explained the Pastor. “Water is a liquid. We drink it. We bathe in it. We wash in it. Water, in its liquid form, is essential to our lives. Water also has a solid form when it is frozen. It becomes ice. While living in Iowa, I’ve seen cars drive onto ponds covered with thick ice: water in its solid form. Water also has a gaseous form. That is steam. When you put the teakettle on your stove, and you turn on the fire underneath the water, the resulting steam is the gaseous form of water.

‘Now, I want to draw this parallel,” declared Pastor Graham. ‘This is an analogy. So you have to treat it as such. I want to suggest that praise can kind of come in three ways that we see in this experience of Isaiah. First of all, praise in its liquid form, if you will, comes forth through the words of one’s mouth. Remember how John told us that Jesus said that out of our innermost being would flow rivers of Living Water. When we have those words of praise flowing out of our mouths, we see that Living Water flowing up and giving God glory. The words of our mouths! Are of vital importance in the way we live. In the way we act. In the way we relate to God and to people.

“We can’t escape it,” added the Pastor. “The power of life and death are in the tongue. And they that love it will eat the fruit thereof. That means that whatever you are speaking out of your mouth is what you are going to partake of yourself. So, if that glory, that praise, is flowing out toward God, then you are going to be blest. You are going to be enriched. You are going to be lifted up. You are going to be given Life. What did we sing from the Psalm? ‘And to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.’ Will I show the salvation of God! Hallelujah! Amen, Brother Duncan?

“But, secondly, when we offer praise, it’s like the coals that came off the altar, and they touched the lips of Isaiah and cleansed it,” he explained. “There is a cleansing effect that happens in our lives when we start offering praise, when we start glorifying God. It begins to take away that which is wrong, that which is sinful, that which is iniquity, out of our very being and makes us a pure person, a holy person, a person who is, indeed, dedicated to the glory of God and to the will of God. The more you pray, the less you will be prone to do that which is wrong, that which is evil, that which offers no Life-giving support to the world.

“The more you glorify God, the more holy you become,” said Pastor Graham. “It purifies the one who does it as well as the One Who receives it. So, in its solid form, it becomes like coals of fire. Fire has always been used, Scripturally, to signify the cleansing and the burning away of the dross or the things not belonging within the gold or the metal or the vessel itself. And, so, what we are saying here is that praise, in its solid form, is that which cleanses and purifies us.

“And, then finally, the smoke that filled the Temple is praise in its gaseous form,” he added. “And that is to say the smoke that permeates the place, not only perhaps protects us from things that are too bright for us to see, but it also saturates us with the essence of that from which the smoke comes. Think about that for a moment. I just want to say this to you. At the risk of offending you. Did you ever get around someone who smokes? This is especially true of smokers who have quit smoking. Smokers don’t realize this, but smoke permeates your clothing, the walls of your house, your car, and it stinks! The smoker can’t smell it, but everybody else, who is a non-smoker, can. [Here, the Pastor told the story of a smoker who owned a dress shop, and eventually had to close because the smoke was offensive to potential customers.]

“There can be good smoke and bad smoke,” said Pastor Graham. “Obviously, the smoke of incense that was offered in the Temple on a regular basis was a smoke from incense that God had told them how to make. It smelled sweet. It was a good essence. I suggest that the smoke we find here, that Isaiah talks about, is a smoke that saturates everything it comes in contact with. So, when the glory of God’s smoke descends on a people or a person, it changes who they are! It gives them a good smell. It makes them acceptable to people who are sensitive to it everywhere they go.

“This is what happened to Isaiah as he enters the Temple and sees God Almighty and the seraphims and the smoke and the things that truly have an impact,” said the Pastor. “This is God’s calling of him. Perhaps, in our thinking, this section should come in chapter 1, verse 1, but he waits until this chapter to tell us about his calling to be a prophet of God and to speak the Message of God to the world. This is what happens when you come into the Presence of God, and I believe that, in some sense, although we may not have a vision like he does, but we can come into the Presence of God through our praise.

“The Psalmist himself said, ‘I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart; I will enter His courts with praise.’ With praise, into the Presence of God. It is to give glory to Him through praise. If you want to walk into the Presence of God. If you want to receive the blessing of His smoke falling upon you. The way to do that is to glorify Him in praise. Paul has a lot to say in a lot of places that would relate to this. One of those is over in Philippians, chapter 4, verse 8. To view the New Living Translation of this Scripture, click HERE

“Paul knew very well that if we put good things into our minds, the things that bring about good reports, into our minds, and keep our minds filled with those things, then we will begin to act out those things,” explained Pastor Graham. “If we put garbage into our minds, and negatives into our minds all the time, we begin to act on those things. We begin to speak on those things. But, if we put the glory of God, the purpose of God, constantly in our minds, in our thoughts, this is what is happening with the seraphims who are constantly going about giving God glory. And they bring blessing. This is what we have to learn in church.

“When we come together on Sunday morning, it’s not just to get through the preliminaries and the sermon and the benediction and get out of here,” declared the Pastor. “It’s really not about any of those things at all. The central purpose, the primary purpose, the only real purpose we have in coming here is to glorify God. And we don’t do it by running through things that are there to do or just to get through them. We do it out of a heart that truly wants to offer our worship, our praise, our thanksgiving. When we do that, we begin to approach the very throne of God. And, what a difference it makes in our lives!

“Think about this,” advised the Pastor. “The seraphims are talking to one another, making a practice of saying to one another, not to God, but to one another: holy, holy, holy is the Lord, God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory, oh God most high. What in the world will happen if we start looking at one another all the time and say: holy, holy, holy is the Lord, God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Your Glory? Well, I’ll tell you what we would do. We would kill some frogs. But, that’s another message! Let’s pray:

“Gracious heavenly Father, I don’t know what others came to do, but I just came to praise Your Name. I glorify You. Holy Father, Lord, God of heaven and earth, holy, holy, holy are your victories. And heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Glory be to You, Oh Lord. Amen.”

CLASSES TODAY:

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS TOPICS:

WISE ONES, Frankie Brewer: Living Together.

LADIES BYKOTA CLASS, Peggy Boyd: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

TINNEY CHAPEL MEN, Bill Knoop: Faith for Earth's Final Hour, by Hal Lindsey.

OVERCOMERS, Jenna Nelson: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

YOUTH, Ronny Ellison: Life Lessons from 1 & 2 Peter, by Max Lucado.

CHILDREN, Linda Hallman: Pentecost.

REMNANT, Joe Dan Boyd: Wisdom With Others, Proverbs 10-31.

The Remnant Righteousness handout is below:

REMNANT RIGHTEOUSNESS:

Life lessons # 269 from studying “Wisdom With Others” in Proverbs 10-31, a study by Roger Hahn.

1. Throughout the Bible, we find the assumption that success in life begins with success in home relationships.

2. Proverbs suggests that wisdom in the home will teach a way of relating to others outside the home.

3. Wise relationships with others and the wise use of words are foundational for right relationship with God.

4. The person who has no friends and who cannot get along with his neighbors has not learned the basic lessons of Biblical wisdom.

5. Right relationships with others provide a proving ground for right relationship with God.

6. Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family---Proverbs 18:24 Message Translation.

7. A man who has friends must himself be friendly—Proverbs 18:24 King James Translation.

8. A friend loves at all times—Proverbs 17:17. In other words, there’s no place for time-out in friendship.

9. The purpose of life is not to achieve personal fulfillment, but to be in a meaningful covenant relationship with someone else.

10. Friendships that cross-generational lines are especially to be valued.

11. Friendships with neighbors may be more important than relationships with blood relatives. Proverbs 27:10.

12. We are not to return animosity and bitterness when it is directed at us, because this brings us down to that same level.

13. Proverbs promotes positive action toward enemies rather than punitive action. Proverbs 25:21-22 commands helping an enemy in his most difficult hours.

14. Strife lies outside the Will of God.

TODAY’S DATE: 05-29-05

THE REMNANT

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

TINNEY CHAPEL UMC

WINNSBORO, TEXAS

ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT SUNDAY: 06-05-05 “First Sunday Healthy Churches” lesson by Sherri Brewer.

ASSIGNMENT FOR SUNDAY WEEK: 05-12-05

STUDY “WISDOM IN THE HOME” IN PROVERBS 10-31.

AFTERWARD, REFLECT UPON THESE THINGS:

1. Children are a gift of the Lord.

2. The rod & reproof provide wisdom.

3. Those who love their children discipline them.

4. A good wife is a gift from God.

5. Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised lives in the Fear-of-God.