Richmond Community Church

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:46 — )

Sermon: Games People Play – Twister
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 12:1b-2a
Duration: 25:46
Size: 11.7 MB

Games People Play
Twister
Hebrews 12:1b-2a

Getting pulled in 100 different directions on a Twister mat is fine. But it’s not so fine when life feels like one big game of Twister.

I. The first thing I want to share with you in winning the Twister game in your life, is to be flexible.

If you’re tangled up, then you can’t be flexible to reach the color.
Proverbs 29:1

Each time you decide to try one of those “it won’t hurt” adventures, you’re mind becomes more confident, while your heart becomes more callous.

To keep your flexibility, you need to follow the last part of verse 1, “throw off,” lay aside every weight.

II. The second thing I want to share with you in winning the Twister game in your life, is to keep your balance.

This phrase, “fix your eyes on Jesus,” is really a call for us to turn the knob on our lives to bring things back into focus.

Maybe the person you know who is focused on the wrong things is you.

Whenever you’re facing an option or a choice in your life, there are four questions you can ask that will help you decide where this choice belongs.

The first question is “Does this choice meet God’s approval?”
Psalm 86:12

A second question to ask is “Does this choice strengthen my family ties?” – Because you are irreplaceable in your family.

The third question to ask is “Does this choice help others?”
I Peter 4:10

The fourth question to ask is “Does this choice make my life better?”
Proverbs 28:25

If we have a choice that doesn’t match up with one of these questions, then our passage from Hebrews says “throw it off.”
II Peter 3:17

Our focus has to be on our relationship with Jesus and that has to be reflected in our life’s priorities.

Next Week
Angry Birds

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:15 — )

Sermon: Games People Play – Aggravation
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Matthew 5:21-26
Duration: 23:15
Size: 10.6 MB

Games People Play
Aggravation
Matthew 5:21-26

I. As Christians, we must be aware of the seriousness of unrighteous anger.

Matthew 5:21-22
Exodus 20:13

Killing is a terrible sin, but unrighteous or unjustified anger is a great sin as well because it also violates God’s command to love.

John 2
Ephesians 4:26
I Samuel 20:34

If we have valid reasons to get upset, then our angry feelings are not immoral.

A. Anger that is unjustified is wrong.

When Abel offered a better sacrifice to God, his brother Cain became angry. That is unjustifiable anger.

B. Anger that prompts us to say hateful things to others is wrong and many times destructive.

Matthew 5:22

When we are angry and say hurtful things to others, we are sinning.

Angry words can cause serious damage.

James 1:26

C. Anger that is not resolved and still lingers in our hearts is wrong and sinful.

Ephesians 4:31

If we have anger lingering in our lives, then we have sin reigning in our hearts.

II. As Christians, we must learn how to handle anger constructively.

A. Before we get angry, we need to ask ourselves this question: “Do I have a valid reason to get angry?”

Proverbs 17:14
Proverbs 19:11

If we do not have a valid reason to get angry, then we must drop it!

B. If we have a valid reason to get angry, then we should verbalize our angry feelings.

Proverbs 15:1

Go to the person you are angry with and tell him or her, your feelings. Do this in a loving way.

Matthew 5:23

C. Forgive the person who made us angry.

Mark 11:25
Matthew 6:14-15

Forgiveness means it is over; it is complete; it is finished.

Next Week
Twister

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:05 — )

Sermon: Games People Play – Trivial Pursuit
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Mark 8:36-37
Duration: 31:05
Size: 14.2 MB

Games People Play
Trivial Pursuit
Mark 8:36-37

You see its one thing to be educated, to have knowledge, it is quite another to have wisdom.

He is the architect of our life, he wrote the owners manual, he is the creator of our existence and it stands to reason that he knows best what I should be trying to accomplish in my life.

Four items we know to be in the will of God.

I Thessalonians 4:1-5

1 – It is God’s will that we live PURE & HOLY lives.

Holiness is the term used for our actions and thoughts, the things we do and think and say and read and participate in and we are encouraged that it is God’s will that we grow in holiness.

There is a literal war going on, and every one of us is right in the middle.

And it’s something that many, unfortunately don’t realize until a great deal of damage has been done.

A pure and holy lifestyle in which we set our lives apart for service to God.

2 – It is God’s will that we stay active in serving Him.

I Thessalonians 5:14

I wish that could be said about a lot of us in regards to our service to God, but the reality is that many never get started because of laziness or idleness.

Ephesians 5:14
I Corinthians 4:2

Service doesn’t make you a Christian, but you can’t be a Christian and not serve.

3 – It is God’s will that we love one another.

And this, of all the instructions we will look at, is really at the heart of God’s will for our lives.

If we want to keep from living trivial lives then we need to learn to love like Jesus loved.

It is God’s will that you love your brother.

4 – It is God’s will that we give thanks in all circumstances.

I Thessalonians 5:18

This isn’t easy, obviously because not everything goes the way we want it to in life or even in service to God.

We need to understand that thanksgiving overflows from other factors in our life.

Which one will you work on?
Do you need to be more holy & pure in your lifestyle?
Do you need to be more active in serving him?
Do you need to be more loving to those around you?
Do you need to be more consistent in thanksgiving?

Next Week
Aggravation

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:17 — )

Sermon: Games People Play – Solitaire
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Matthew 3:14
Duration: 27:17
Size: 12.4 MB

Games People Play
Solitaire
Matthew 3:14

If you get right down to it solitaire is a great game to play, but it’s a terrible way to live.

Do you have friends that are committed to helping you along in life?

The question for you today is will you share your life with others? Or will you choose to play it safe, to shut people out?

James 5:16

God himself longs to embrace you. He does this on this side of heaven through other people.

Ephesians 1:4-5

It means it’s better to eat Twinkies with friends then exercise alone!

Hebrews 10:23-24

Let’s help each other out, let’s help each other be followers of Christ and hold on to our faith.

When you serve with others you get to know them.

But you will never fully experience the kind of relationships I’ve talked about this morning until you fully embrace another relationship.

You see once we come to an understanding that we all need Christ, we understand that on this side of heaven we are all broken vessels, we are imperfect people and we all need Christ.

You must first come to terms with your relationship with Jesus Christ.

If I looked at your life and tried to find some kind of evidence that you were a Christ follower, would I find any?

The story of Jesus is a love story, the relentless pursuit of the creator of the world.

I John 3:16 – This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.

Next Week
Trivial Pursuit