The Church in God's Story - 20th Anniversary
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Series: 20th Anniversary Service
Prayer of Confession
Our Father, you have been so kind to us. We take so much for granted. We regularly bring to mind the things in our lives that foster our dissatisfaction, but it is rare that we remember with thanks all that you have done for us. You are faithful. We admit we are not. We need your forgiveness, patience and grace.
As individuals, we struggle daily in our thoughts, words and deeds. As a church, we aspire to worship and serve you and do your work in our world, but we confess we easily get confused, distracted, and lazy. The world will see the truth of Christ by our love for one another, but we confess we have not loved one another as you have loved us. We have not loved the world as you have.
As we struggle to live well in the present, we bring to mind what you did long before any of us were born, in sending Jesus Christ to suffer on our behalf, and to be raised to life so that we have life. In his name, we ask for the forgiveness of sins. We pray you would lead us, provide for us, protect us, and watch over us. Our hope is in you, so we appeal to you today for mercy. Amen.
Ruth 4:13-22 (ESV)
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron,19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab,20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon,21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed,22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
Revelation 7:9-17 (ESV)
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Sermon Outline
We (individually, and as a church) live well when we remember God’s kindness in the past and have a grasp on the hopeful future God is leading us towards.
1. Looking back – Ruth 4:13-22
vv14-15 the women said to Naomi, “… the Lord… has not left you this day without a redeemer… He shall be to you a restorer of life… your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
v17 They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
2. Looking ahead – Revelation 7:9-17
vv9-10 a great multitude… from every nation… all tribes… peoples… languages…crying out… “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
vv15-17 …will shelter them with his presence… shall hunger no more… sun shall not strike them… will wipe away every tear
v11 they fell on their faces… and worshipped God
v17the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd
Questions for Reflection
How are you experiencing this present period? What about the past few months has been similar to how you lived before the pandemic? What has been different?
How are you feeling about the next 6-12 months? Why?
What are some good ways to reflect on and remember the past? What should we avoid? How are you affected by how you remember? What control can (or should) you exert over your remembering?
What are you most thankful for as you look back on your own life? What are the top 2-3 examples of God’s kindness to you?
Have you ever had a sense of God’s greatness and the feeling that you were safe and at peace with God? If so, how does that experience connect with worship? If not, are there things you can do to learn about God and draw near to God? What role does the church, the Bible, prayer and community play in seeking after it?
Jesus is both the lamb and the shepherd. How does Christianity make it possible to draw near to God and follow Him? What is unique and important about Jesus in this?
What in the life of the church provides the greatest benefit to you? What is most challenging about being part of a church?
Do you believe the church - the people of God who come together to worship, who encourage and support one another, and who serve God as ambassadors in the world – can have a significant impact in our world? In what ways can the church make a real difference?
What gifts, abilities, or convictions has God given you that you can contribute to the church? How can you help build up the body of Christ?