Arise And Shine Sermon

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Recently, I was energized and inspired by the text in Isaiah 60:1-3, which I believe is a mandate for us as Christians this year. There is plenty of work to be done, yet many of us fail to put our hands to the plough and play our part. By sitting back and folding our hands, we overlook the wider impact this has on the world around us. We also loose sight of the bigger picture God had in mind when He created us.

Arise and shine: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Arise, shine,for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.' (Isaiah 60:1) NIV. Many verses in the Bible are of universal application but the above verse is targeted specifically at a particular group of people - the group that has failed, neglected or is slow to do what God they ought to do.

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Consider this: If Moses did not answer the call to deliver the Israelites, what impact would it have had on those in bondage? If Esther failed to boldly approach the king, what would have been the fate of the Jews of her time? If David was fearful of standing up to Goliath, what would have happened to the children of Israel? If Jesus decided to remain in Heaven as opposed dying on the cross, how would we have been reconciled to God?

This tells me that God has a specific purpose in mind for all of us. There are no mistakes in Gods Kingdom! The truth is just as God used the people of old to accomplish His great plan in the bible times, He has created you and I, for such a time as this, to accomplish His plans for today. Now, my question to you is how are you progressing with your heavenly assignment? Are you using the gifts and talents Father has equipped you with, to progress His agenda or are you still stuck on pursuing yours? The fact is many of us are too busy trying to earn a buck and hence the notion of purposeful living does not even surface our minds on a daily basis.

And so, I want to give you two crucial reminders to get you back on track.

1. You are here on a mission
Keep in mind that, just like Esther, you have been created for such a time as this. So in actual fact, you could be the modern Joseph, Deborah, Samuel, Elijah, Paul, etc. God has called all of us to serve but I often wonder where these present day heroes are. Sadly many of us are missing in action. We arrive on planet earth and fail to ask our Boss (i.e. God) the purpose of our mission. Instead, some of us have become entangled in the rat race of life and are being lured by the lust of the flesh, eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) which is not of God. Meanwhile, our societies are crying out for us. We are needed in homes, offices, churches, businesses, schools, communities, and government. Simply put, in every crevice of society. Yet, some of us are content with folding our hands and doing nothing.

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2. You have what it takes
Every single one of us has one of more natural talents, qualities and skills deposited in us – similar to software preinstalled on a newly purchased computer. So you have been downloaded with what you need to get on with your assignment. Therefore, I encourage you to use the treasure that has been placed in your hands and don't despise it. Whilst your treasure may be a simple shepherd's staff, considered the great feats God did with it through Moses. Moreover, stop coming up with reasons as to why God can't or shouldn't use you (e.g. your age, status, background, qualifications or lack of it). Ponder on what God did with many young or unqualified people in the bible such as Joseph, Joshua, Ruth, Rahab, Jeremiah, Timothy, Paul, etc.

Now if you are still unsure about pursuing your purpose, think about our world today: What if farmers stopped growing food? What if singers and musicians refused to perform? What if teachers refused to teach, writers stopped writing, leaders did not take their rightful positions and preachers stopped preaching the Word of God? What impact would it have? Now, let's bring it closer to home - what is the world missing today because you are not living purposefully? Could it be someone's wellbeing, safety, growth, salvation, healing, confidence, encouragement, success, or even life could rests on you doing what Father has sent you to do?

Therefore, now is the time to arise and pursue your God-given assignment. Remember that when you fail to do this, someone somewhere does not get to see the God in you. You deprive them of reaping the benefits of your existence.

Arise And Shine Sermon Pdf

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Remember, don't get comfortable here. Planet earth is simply our mission field. We still have eternity to go. So arise, shine and let the light of Christ permeate in and through you as you get on with our Fathers business (not yours). Let's run this year with purpose in every step.

Scriptures to meditate on:
Isaiah 60: 1-3, 1 Corinthians 9:26, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 2:13, and 3:12-14

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To introduce the 2017 Advent Season, I preached out of Isaiah 60:1-3. The first words from the first verse state, “Arise, shine!” The purpose of the sermon was to encourage my congregation not to fall into the trap of being deflated by these commands. The intent was/is NOT for us to think we have to “get up and get to work” to show the world what great Christians we are. The point is to free us, by pointing us to the reality that we don’t shine OUR light. We shine the light that has come upon us. The Light (Jesus) who has and will do everything for us.

Here is how I opened the sermon:

Arise And Shine Sermon For Youth

Several days ago, my family got in the car and drove around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. Thanksgiving week had passed and many had gotten to work on their Christmas trees and homes, to celebrate the upcoming holiday. I guess maybe 40% or so homes had some sort of light activity to commemorate Christmas. We enjoyed seeing what others had done and how pretty some of the arrangements were, all agreeing that ours was by far the best.

It wasn’t long before I heard my kids giving letter grades to the houses we passed. One house would get a “C+!” another a “B-!” Every now and then I would hear, “Oh, that is an A!” Often I would hear “F!” Yes, my children are very judgmental and have strong opinions about how and whether or not a house is decorated for Christmas. I even found myself passing out some grades and criticizing the “Bah Humbugs” in our neighborhood.

But I got to thinking: “Why had so many people decided not to decorate their homes, yards, trees, with lights at Christmas?” Maybe they were still out of town from Thanksgiving and hadn’t had time yet. Maybe they got back from Thanksgiving with good intentions, but time with their family was so hard and difficult, they just didn’t have it in them to do it. Still others, maybe it had been a hard year. Maybe they lost a loved one and the thought of celebrating Christmas without them was horrifying. Maybe some simply cannot spare another dime this year, even if that means no lights or tree. Or, maybe being with aging parents at Thanksgiving again this year just took away all their Christmas spirit. . . at least for last weekend.

Some homes were stunning, beautiful, well-lit, festive. Others, a C+ at best. Still others, nothing. Maybe a kitchen light on, if anything on at all. According to the judges in the car, an “F-.”

I wonder what they think when they pull into their driveway and the house next to them is lit up like Clark Griswold’s? I wonder what they think when they drive by and see several homes on their street look really good and theirs is just a drab, dark, easy to skip over house? I wonder if they think, “I wish I could do something about it, but I just can’t right now . . . this year”?

You ever think about the witness you should be for Jesus? You ever walk by someone who is just eat up with the Christian spirit while you evaluate your own heart? You ever think, “Man, I should be doing ‘X’ like so and so is doing, but I just can’t.” You ever hear or read about what someone’s doing on social media – all in Jesus’ name – and think, “Well good for them!”? You ever wonder if certain people ever struggle with sin? You ever wonder why you can’t shine your light a little brighter or why your light won’t shine like someone else’s or why you don’t feel like shining your light in the first place?

That’s the feeling I get – if I am honest – when I read the first two words of Isaiah 60: “Arise, shine!”

Sermons On Arise And Shine

Great. A plea from a prophet of God to get up and let it shine. I get a little deflated when I read that text. I get that sinking feeling I got when I went to summer camp as a kid and camp counselor came into the bunk singing, “Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory; Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory; Rise and shine and – give God the glory, glory – children of the Lord.” I hate that song. I never wanted to wake up at camp. I never wanted to get out of bed at camp. I especially didn’t want to get out of bed when I heard that song.

Arise And Shine Sermon

“Arise! Shine!”

AriseArise

“Get up! Matt! Shine that light!”

“Get out of bed you people of God! Shine on!”

I feel like an owner of a house with no lights on it, living next to captain smarty pants who has all the lights perfect.

Speaking to tired “churched” people, my aim was to cause the congregation to lean in a bit, hoping to lead them to the freedom found in the text.

How would you kick off a message from Isaiah 60?

How did you start the Advent season?