About

Big Apple Chapel is a New Testament based church in New York City, modeled after the pattern of the early church, with a strong emphasis on following Christ as a community of His disciples.

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  • Sunday - 10:30 am
  • 520 8th Ave, 16th floor
    New York, NY
  • phone: +1 (973) 837-1041
 

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BAC Sermons

One Life One Goal

2010-01-10 2Cor 5:9-10

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2Cor 5:9-10 So we make it our goal (strive for love of honor) to be pleasing/acceptable to Him…For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

I. What do we Value? What we gravitate toward Doing.

Health and Wealth (diet, exercise, debt, budget, better job, save $); Banish Bad habits (smoke, drink, excess, TV, stress, anger);  
Get Good habits (organization, time mgt, education, language); Purpose/Meaning (relationships, trip, volunteer, spirituality)
  52% were confident of success; only 12% actually achieved their goals. 22% more when written, 10% made public  Wikipedia study

II. We Please God by Walking/doing in the Light of His Revelation/Will

Eph 5:8  you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)10 and (try to -esv) find out/PROVE-DEMONSTRATE what is pleasing to the Lord.  cf Rm 12:1-2

 

Specific (schedule/trigger) Measurable (checklist; calendar) Activating (visualize consistent action) Realistic (baby steps) Transforming (changes us and things)

 

Accept Christ as Savior, Lord and Judge  Rm 14:10…why judge brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.   
1Jn 3:22 whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

 

Bible is Bread   1Pt 2:1 So rid yourselves of all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, crave/desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow by it in your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good.

 

Christ followers are friends/fellowship 1Thess 5:11 encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

 

Deny self, sin, and Satan to walk dependently in the light  Mk 8:34 Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 What will a man give in exchange for his soul? 
Gal 6:14 May I never boast (in external ritual) except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither (external ritual)…means anything; what counts is a new creation. 

 

Exchange the old life for the new life  Eph 4:21 you heard of him and were taught in him in acc with the truth that is in Jesus.22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Cf Rm 12:1-2

 

Focus on Fleeing and Following in Faith 1Tim 6:11 O person of God, flee these things and follow/pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on the eternal life, to which you were also called 2Tim 2:22

 

Grow in godliness with goalsCol 1:9 asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance

 

Help others do the same Mt 28:19-20 make disciples…teaching them to obey everything Heb 13:21 (May God) equip you in every good work to do His will, working in you  what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever

 

III. We Displease God when we seek to please ourselves or others  Rm 15:3 For even Christ did not please himself

Jn 5:44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

 

Lk 14:26 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. 34 Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

 

Jn 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

 

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

  1. Do you have a SMART goal of pleasing God?  How will/do you know that you are pleasing to Him?
  2. Is the default to please or displease God? What are the consequences of not planning to please God, and thus being displeasing to Him?
  3. What would motivate you to eliminate everything from your life that displeases God, and incorporate everything that pleases Him?
  4. What have you found most effective in initiating and sustaining change? How much are you willing to pay for your goals?
  5. What can you do this week that not only pleases God, but will result in a different future for your life?