'Words of Life' w/ Pastor Mark D. Ingram
'Words of Life' w/ Pastor Mark D. Ingram
What GOD Is Doing 'In' Me... Not 'To' Me
In lieu of eternity, sermons and musical artists are featured to extol JESUS CHRIST as the sole hope for the eternal souls of humanity.
Thank you.
Speaker 2:We thank you for joining our Words of Life, broadcast every Saturday night from 8 to 8.30 pm, where our mission is persuading the lost, perfecting each believer and equipping all for service with practical application from God's Word. We now join Pastor Mark for this week's Words of Life.
Speaker 3:In today's opening text, we are going to be reading from the book of Ephesians, chapter 4. And I am going to read one verse, that verse being verse 2. So Ephesians 4 and 2. I'm going to read two versions, though. I'm going to read the King James Version of the verse as well as the New Living Translation version, and those verses, or this verse, those translations here is how it sounds With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.
Speaker 3:That's what the King James Version says, but here's what the New Living Translation Version of the same verse says Always be humble and gentle, Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Again, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, we are to forbear one another in love. Always be humble and gentle, being patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of that same love. May the Lord add a blessing to the hearers, the readers and those that intend to do his holy word. I would like to present for a title this week. This week, it is what God is doing in me, not what others are doing to me.
Speaker 3:Again, it is what God is doing in me, not what others are doing to me and in this particular sermon. This sermon will require brutal honesty and transparency to even apply the message, because we might not admit it openly, but the truth is, people can work our nerves. I'm just going to say that people can work our nerves, but understand we, as people, we can work others nerves. As people, we can work others' nerves. We live in a world whereas dealing with or interacting with people on a daily basis will inevitably lead to someone being offended, be it purposefully or subconsciously. Humans, we have this ability to impact one another by our actions, our words or our behaviors. Understand that people are simply the instruments by which God changes and matures Christians. So understand we cannot avoid people if we are to grow in Christ. We cannot segregate ourselves to avoid being hurt by people, betrayed by people or even misunderstood. To place this in proper perspective of how much God needs to mature each and every one of us, I want us to imagine. Picture this you know that you are going to be misunderstood. You know that you are going to be mistreated. You know that you are going to be talked about. You know that you are going to be beaten for over 12 to 16 hours. You will be tortured. Hours you will be tortured, you will be spat upon, your hair will be plucked out, you will finally be killed. And yet Jesus decides, without stipulation. He decides to go through with that anyway, that being going to the cross on behalf of human beings. Jesus knew all of this would happen to him, but he decides to go through with it anyway because he chose to ignore what others did to him and he focused on how much he loved us. Wow, that lets me know with the quickness how short I come up in that area.
Speaker 3:If we interact with people long enough within the boundaries or time or space, within those confines of time, space and place of planet Earth, well, we need to understand that we will one day, without a doubt.
Speaker 3:Well, we need to understand that we will one day, without a doubt, come face to face with situations that we can easily take offense with, simply because it's just the nature of people, it's just who we are in Christ Jesus. We will understand that we need to adopt a spirit of humility in interacting with others, lest we always be frustrated simply because somebody always has to be right, or somebody doesn't want to be taken advantage of, or somebody doesn't want to be mistreated, so on and so forth. The reality is, we often get off course with our spiritual course of maturity that God has set before each of us, simply because we tend to focus on what others are doing or have done to us instead of realizing what Holy Spirit, through people, is doing in us. I want to repeat that because it bears repeating. We oftentimes tend to focus on what others are doing or they have done to us, instead of just realizing what the Holy Spirit, through His use of people, is really doing in us.
Speaker 1:Spirit, through his use of people, is really doing in us.
Speaker 3:They hunt us even in daylight. Now, nowhere is safe, thank you. So let's review our opening scripture within the context of its setting in time with those involved. Right off the bat, as we read that text, there is a word, I believe, in the King James Version that says we are to be long-suffering. That word simply means to suffer long or to be patient with another long, or to be patient with another. Another word in the text says that we are to forbear, forbearing one another. To forbear is to simply bear with or to tolerate with. And so, within the context of this scripture, we have to understand that the writer is writing to Christians at the church asking them hey, we need to be, you all need to be more long-suffering, be patient with one another, tolerate with one another, bear with each other's faults. In this book, the book of Ephesians, paul is writing to the churches in the area of Ephesus, and one of the churches was Colossus. In that he refers to this same letter, but in this letter, primarily to the Ephesians, paul is teaching them from prison, as he writes this letter, that they they being Christians, they were no better than anybody else.
Speaker 3:Paul begins the book of Ephesians. Of Ephesians, he's emphasizing salvation as a work of God, with Christians, believers, being saved by grace alone. Chapter 2 of the book begins to express how we used to be or they at that time, christians as well as us how Christians used to be covered with sin, used to be in the world, used to be lost with the inability to save themselves. But the book, in chapter 2, expresses what they used to be and it contrasts that with what they now are Christians. And it's a work of God. All by himself did it, by grace alone, nothing they did save themselves. And so Paul goes on to note that, hey, since you've been saved by grace, good work should come forth from those of you who are now believers and you should refrain from living the way you used to live.
Speaker 3:Paul continues in chapter 3, encouraging the believers, because he was writing to them from prison and he did not want them to be discouraged or downcast by what he was going through at the hands of others. In so many words Paul was saying tribulation, offense, trouble, those should be expected. And so he begins chapter 4,. This brings us full circle to our opening text. He heartens them to be a unified group of people, a unified group of Christian believers, and I think that's a great place to begin our transition from the text setting to applicable points to our lives, because to be united is to be combined, it is to be unified, it is to be cohesive or uniting, integrated and understand to do either of the aforementioned combination, unification or even integration. Those things cannot be achieved alone, but they must be accomplished. Interacting with you got it people.
Speaker 3:So before we pause for our Song of the Week segment, let's examine very quickly the text to investigate the following. Number one what did God, jesus or Holy Spirit do within that text? Well, god, by his own power, grace and election, he saved Christians through Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit on the scene now to teach and speak through Paul what they and we now receive, which is the book of Ephesians, or should I say, the letter to the believers at Ephesus. Number two what did the people or our subjects in the text do? Well, somewhere along the way or subjects in the text do. Well, somewhere along the way, the people of the church had gotten off course and they had forgotten who they used to be. They were saved from themselves, not by anything they did. And so later on in the book of Ephesus or Ephesians. They even exhibited an air of superiority right in the church and it was exemplified in the use of their spiritual gifts, seemingly forgetting that Christianity is about relationships. And so now that we've kind of looked at the text, we see what God, jesus or Holy Spirit did in the text. Now we've gotten over the point that, hey, this is what the people or the subjects did, how they responded in that same text.
Speaker 3:Here's the question before we get to our song of the week, what should we extract from the text to apply, to do or not to do? That's a question I'll ask again. From the text, what should we extract to apply to our lives, to do or not to do? Before we get to those applicable points, I want to pause right here for our weekly Song of the Week segment to offer you additional words of life Bible. That is within our selected melody of the week. The name of this week's track is entitled Break it Up, and that's on the forthcoming MDI project, the Church Mixtapes, volume 1. This title is going to get you hopping, hopefully a little bit, because there's quite a few things in the church, the body of believers, that we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves to see man. Am I guilty of that or do I need to break that up? Here's Break it Up. It's presented to you right here on the Words of Life show.
Speaker 1:What do you mean this?
Speaker 2:is VIP In God's house.
Speaker 1:Really, I'm a mistake. I put you so long on the phone.
Speaker 2:Take my phone.
Speaker 4:Girl.
Speaker 1:I didn't take your phone, I got my phone no-transcript.
Speaker 3:I can't even tell you the difference. I can't even tell you. Amen Morning past, saints, deacon, everybody within Excited about where I'm going wanna share with you where I've been. Some say I'm telling the bears and this might be a bit much, but if it sets somebody free, well let it be. I can't break it up. I can't break it up. I can't break it up.
Speaker 5:I can't break it up.
Speaker 3:I can't break it up. I can't break it up, I can't break it. Do all I checkin' on the past on a safe view, never open no hole for any need a reservation and a place, a VIP a bunch with a division.
Speaker 4:I'm a nation. We care more about religion. No relation I keep it real.
Speaker 3:When I feel gotta give your live, pay the rent or pay the fee, let's keep it real.
Speaker 4:I'm just in the house, tryna find my way in the house, trying to find my way In the house trying to offer praise. I'm grateful for this worship day. I didn't come to sing the blues, don't come to hear how much you kiss me Cause I took a free with a catchy phrase. Just need the word now.
Speaker 5:Sure, let's come home and pray. I'm fighting now. I gotta break it up. Bitches on the ground I gotta break it up. Superfighter break it down, I gotta break it up.
Speaker 3:Break it up, break it up. Break it up now. Break it up. Break it up. Break the word now. Break it up, break it up now. Come on break. I just need the word. Tonight, the lights lights Now we present Spotlight for the word. On stage I fight the plight when I feel anointing but choking in this fog and haze I can't see. We'll presentate Just for the sake Of generating help and hands. So sad to know we're selling growth, the blood paid for the master plan.
Speaker 4:I'm just in the house trying to offer praise. I'm grateful for this worship day. I didn't come to sing the blues. Don't compare how much you've gained. Slap two or three with a catchy phrase. Just need the word now. Sure, let's come on pray. Every time I turn around, I gotta break it up.
Speaker 5:I feel it like I'm fighting. Now I gotta break it up. I'm in pictures, underground, I gotta break it up Just to fight or break it down. I gotta break it up Just to fight or break it down. I gotta break it up Every time I turn around I gotta break it up. I feel like I'm fighting. Now I gotta break it up. I'm just underground, I gotta break it up Just to fight or break it down. I gotta break it up. And the girl takes the brain. Oh, why don't we see that?
Speaker 5:Chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken. I gotta break it up. I gotta break it up. I gotta break it up. I gotta break it up Every time I turn around. I gotta break it up. I gotta break it up. I gotta break it up.
Speaker 3:I gotta break it up. We certainly hope that you were ministered to by that upbeat tempo track entitled Break it Up, and again, you can look for that or you can listen to it. You can actually. There's a video to that one. You can watch that anytime you want to. You can actually go to our webpage, wolchristiancenterorg, and I believe that you can find it under the word media and it says broadcast sermons or internet sermons. It will take you right to our YouTube webpage and you'll actually be able to watch the video of that song that we just played today Break it Up.
Speaker 3:And back to our message. As we get to our applicable points. Title of the message is it's Always what God Is Doing In Me, it's not about what others are doing to me. Again, it's what God is doing in me, not what others are doing to me. And so here's coping mechanism number one that I believe will help us. Coping mechanism number one we need to know that the heart is sick and no one is immune. Again, point number one Know that the heart is sick and no one is immune. Know that the heart is sick and no one is immune. If we can step back and we take our feelings, if we take our rights, our stipulations of I will not tolerate or put up with, or we might sound like this Ooh, they had better not say or do, or you know what this will be my response. I know I've been guilty of that, but if we can focus on what God is doing in us instead of what others are doing to us, then we'll grasp this particular coping mechanism of knowing that the human heart is simply sick and no one is immune and no one is immune.
Speaker 3:Human beings are by nature, selfish and sinful and left to ourselves without God's instruction, we will do or say anything, normally hurting somebody else in the process. You want an example of how selfish we are? We come into this world and this sinful world. Just look at babies, newborns. You don't have to ever teach them to say me mine, no, ah, whining when they don't get their way, no, we have to reprogram them to say that is not acceptable in society and so understand that the human heart from birth. The Bible says we are born into this world. This is a sinful world we are in and it takes God to regenerate our hearts.
Speaker 3:Let's look at Romans 3, beginning at verse 10. The verse begins as the scriptures say no one is righteous, there is none good, not even one. No one is truly wise, no one is seeking God. All have turned away, all have become useless. The verse concludes with verse 12. No one does good, not a single one. Wow, that puts things in perspective. Jeremiah 17 and 9.
Speaker 3:The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, is desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Mark 7, 21 through 23,. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come. Sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from where? From inside, and they defile a person, even within the churches. At Ephesus and Colossus, in our opening text, paul had to remind the believers about how quickly we can forget who we used to be, and that should inspire us to appreciate what God has done in our lives and what he wants to do in others' lives through us being aware of the condition of the human heart should be a coping mechanism that allows us to understand that it's all about what God is doing in us instead of what others are doing to us.
Speaker 3:People just so happen to be the tool by which we mature or regress, and this brings us to coping mechanism number two. God uses people to disturb our comfort zones. God uses people to disturb our comfort zones. Here's a newsflash I think we need to take heed to. It's rather easy to be a Christian among those we love, like and generally get along with or worship amidst. That's pretty easy to do, but growth manifests itself by how our light shines in the middle of turbulent, petulant, moody, selfish hearts, be it they're Christians or not. Let's look at the book of Luke, chapter six, beginning at verse 32. Jesus lets the world, or his disciples know, and those that are following him, he tells them if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Now I know I'm not the only one to utter these faithful words that I'm about to say, and when I utter them, I'm simply instructing Holy Spirit to start another chiseling section or session on my haughty attitude when somebody has worked my nerves. Here's how I sound sometimes. Oh, I wish they would do that, because if they do that, well, this is what I'm going to do. And when I say that, along comes Holy Spirit and symbolically he says okay, back around that mountain you're going until you learn and you apply the lesson. See, oftentimes we believe we're spiritual giants with master's level spirituality, but our behavior indicates we're still in the fourth grade and in need of retention to master a specific failure. I often minister to those who are troubled at their job and on the verge of exploding or quitting, and I'll ask one question Did you ask for the job or promotion? They reply yes. My reply are there any Christians there? Their reply no. My final query so where is light most effective, isn't it in the darkest places? God is in the business of changing symbolic light bulbs and he places our light where it's most needed in the dark. And our understanding of coping mechanism number two God using people to disturb our comfort zones to mature us. This will allow us to again take hold of. It's always about what God is doing in us instead of what others are doing to us. And this brings us to our final point. Coping mechanism number three I am on the potter's wheel, not he, not she, not they, but I am on the potter's wheel.
Speaker 3:God is in the pottery business. Pottery is simple, simply, if you look at it when we took the class, pottery is simply breaking down something to make it better, make it more stable, to make it anew. Well, philippians 1 and 6, he says I am certain that God, who began a good work in you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. James 1, 2 through 4,.
Speaker 3:Brothers and sisters, when trials and troubles come your way, your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy, for you know that when your faith, your faith, is tested, your endurance, your endurance, has a chance to grow and let endurance have its perfect result so that you might be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Notice who's on the potter's wheel and where the work is taking place. It's taking place in you and I, not the other person, not what they're doing to us. It is about what God is doing in us. God has instructed Holy Spirit to initiate that process within each of us that belong to him, and people are simply the means by which he matures us.
Speaker 3:And so I want to close with these three questions, to query ourselves to see if we're working with God in the maturity process or are we guilty of working against his work within us? Here's question number one Do I realize that the hearts of humanity, they are desperately sick and do I understand that I cannot take offenses personally? Question number two In experiencing offenses, tests, trials, temptations or troubles, do I recognize that my comfort zone must be disturbed to foster my spiritual growth? And question number three do I remain on the potter's wheel or hop off, negating God's purpose of maturing me through people?
Speaker 1:After what he did to my sister. Just say the word. You say the word. I make him a ghost.
Speaker 4:God, why here?
Speaker 1:Why me?
Speaker 2:Is that what you do, Papa? We are all given gifts and abilities.
Speaker 3:All the voice that spoke to you speaks to me as well. See in a new way.
Speaker 2:We thank you for listening to Words of Life with Pastor Mark D Ingram. We request your prayerful consideration in partnering with us to support our sole purpose of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ with your monetary donation. You may visit our website at wolchristiancenterorg or contact us here at thewordfmcom.