Sermon 15 May 2011
Scripture: Luke 11:37-54
Theme: What destroys our ministry to unbelievers?
A person's motives, although not apparent to Man, are obvious to God.
Some are self-seeking, self-absorbing and self-glorifying, seeking praises of men rather than the praises of God through an over-focus on rituals and protocols. We engage in spiritual hypocrisies when our outward devotions are for show and do not come from within.
Sometimes we also get carried away by our own convictions. This sense of self-righteousness, which is deceitful and a misrepresentation of the intention of God, will cause believers to stumble and unbelievers to turn away. We should not be judgmental or be critical of others, or worse, make unfair assumptions of unbelievers. While we have various theological convictions, we must not force our convictions on others. We must not forget the big picture of God's love, or doing God's work together in different ways.
We must learn to stop seeing ourselves in the eyes of others. We must let go, trust God and receive criticism with humility. Learn to encourage one another, giving each other love, comfort and hope in God.
Pleasing God begins with a self-examination!
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