Month: August 2025

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date August 24, 2025
Text John 14:8-17 and John 15:5-17
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

One of the popular things that parents say to their children, especially teenagers, (maybe your mom or dad said it, or some of you said it to your children): “What part of NO don’t you understand?” This is after the begging and pleading that there would be a different decision. `But the statement means just what I said. Now also in the affirmative, Jesus also means just what He says when he says ANYTHING! (This is a pronoun meaning any occurrence.)

This is hard for us to understand when we don’t see the answer to our prayers right away. It might be prayers for healing, deliverance, open doors for evangelism: —–like we prayed when we first went to France to work with Muslims. It was after we had prayed, walked the streets, had a Bible Stand, and believed the promise that God would do great things,

Habakkuk 1:6 (NIV) “Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.” This is very important to see God answer our prayers for “anything” we ask for.

We needed to:

first- Have FAITH, but also to BELIEVE HIS WORD.

In John 15:7 … :If you remain in me, and my words remain in you—–Ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you.”

We need to understand that this isn’t a magic formula, so that we can ask for just anything our fleshly worldly hearts desire. But if we stay connected to the vine, and stay in a close relationship with Jesus, we will know what his will is, and as I have said before—-His will becomes our will.

There are a number of other conditions that we overlook when we read that we can ask for whatever we wish. The starting point, of course, is to have faith and believe, but we read in verse 7 of chapter 15 that we must stay in a close relationship with Jesus and His word.

. Some people pray for the sick or the disabled to be healed, and when they aren’t, they say that the person didn’t have enough faith. We must realize that many times in scripture, the people Jesus healed didn’t know that they were going to be healed. Faith was important for someone in order for them to be healed, but not necessarily the person receiving the healing. Jesus said to believe that the Father was in Him, and He was In the Father. ( a tremendous declaration of the deity of Jesus).

We see in our scripture passages this morning some other conditions that may explain why we don’t see answered prayer. Verse 16 tells us that:

WE ARE TO BEAR FRUIT,— FRUIT THAT WILL LAST.

Wow!, Not only are we to bear fruit, but we have to see results, and the results must last. Now we know that it is only the Holy Spirit that causes them to desire being discipled and having a desire to grow in the Lord, but our part is to keep sowing. Then at some point we will see a yield of 30, 60 even 100 times what was sown. This is the kind of reproduction Jesus was talking about in Matthew 13:23. Anyone who has faith in Him will do what he had been doing.

Back to chapter 14:

In John 14:12, Jesus makes an amazing statement: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” Jesus performed many amazing and wonderful works—healing the sick and delivering people from evil spirits, raising the dead, walking on water, and feeding thousands come to mind—how can it be true that those who have faith in Him will perform “even greater” works than those? Like raising people from the dead and He Himself rose from the dead; How do you “top that”

In saying that those who believe in Him would do the works that He did, Jesus was not saying that every Christian would walk on water and raise the dead. The apostles in the book of Acts performed some miracles that were similar to Jesus’ works, but even they did not walk on water or feed multitudes, as far as we know. The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people as He sees fit (1 Corinthians 12:4). Not everyone has the same set of gifts. Some believers have more revelatory or public gifts, and others have quieter, more private gifts.

Jesus said that not only would His followers do the same works, but they would do “greater” works than He. Again, this is not a reference to the works’ being greater in power.(qualitatively) Jesus had raised Lazarus, who had been four days in the tomb (John 11); humanly speaking, not even the apostles did a greater work than that. No one has ever exceeded the power or majesty of Jesus’ miracles.

So, what did Jesus mean that His faithful followers would do “greater” works than He? Without a doubt,

The works of Jesus’ followers would be greater in extent (quantitatively). Jesus’ earthly ministry had been largely limited to Galilee and Judea; That’s about 120 miles north to south, and 20 miles east to west. A narrow strip that he and his disciples walked. His disciples, however, were going to extend His ministry to the uttermost parts of the earth. When Jesus ascended to heaven, His followers numbered in the hundreds; forty days later, in response to the preaching of the apostles, that number leaped to 3,000. (Acts 2:41). In Acts 4:4 the number was 5,000 “men”

By the end of Acts, the gospel had made its way to Rome.

I want to emphasize the “quality” of the “greater works” that the disciples and we are able to do. The greatest miracle that God performs in the life of people is their transformation from death to life. It is what I see as an important privilege that we have, that Jesus did not have.

JESUS COULDN’T PREACH THE CROSS. He couldn’t preach the Good News of salvation, like we can. He left that to his disciples and to us.

A Hymn written by Johnson Oatman tells about the fact that even angels can’t sing A SONG OF REDEMPTION. The chorus says:

Holy, Holy is what the angels sing, and I expect to help them make the courts of heaven ring. But when I sing redemption’s story, they will fold their wings, for angels never felt the joy that our salvation brings.

There is also a Southern Gospel song entitled “ A Song Holy Angels Cannot Sing.” The song emphasizes that only human beings can truly share the message of Christ’s redemption. Angels are holy and have not sinned, so they cannot testify to being forgiven and saved by grace. Jesus couldn’t and didn’t either.

Jesus links the works of His followers with the fact of His return to heaven. In fact, He says His absence is the cause of their greater works: “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12, Jesus later told His disciples that the gift of the Holy Spirit depended on Jesus’ return to heaven (John 16:7). It was through the Spirit that the church is enabled to do the work of God.

WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IN ORDER TO RECEIVE ANSWERS FOR ANYTHING WE ASK FOR —–THERE ARE CONDITIONS.

FIRST:

1. But we must accept Him as the only way to God. And that Jesus is the truth and the life. ( John 14:6)
2. We must BELIEVE IN HIM AND HAVE FAITH

3 We must PRAY TO MAKE HIS WILL, OUR WILL

4. We must REMAIN IN HIM AND TRUST IN HIS WORD
5. We must BEAR FRUIT—-AND DISCIPLE THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED

We must LOVE EACH OTHER.

The words of Jesus in John 14

What does John chapter 14 mean? | BibleRef.com
What does John chapter 14 mean? How should I understand John chapter 14? How does John chapter 14 fit with the s…

and 15 were of great comfort to His eleven disciples. He was about to be arrested and suffer a cruel and unjust death. The disciples themselves would be scattered that night. But Jesus assures them that:

No matter what happens, God’s work will continue in the world. Even after Jesus’ earthly ministry ended, His work would go on. The followers of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, would continue to help and heal people. The gospel would have a worldwide impact.

As God’s people pray in Jesus’ name, answers will come, and the greatest miracle of all—the spiritual transformation of a sinful heart through faith in Christ—will become commonplace, to the glory of God.

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date August 17, 2025
Text TEXT: Exodus 4:1-20
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

On a plaque marking Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace near Hodgenville, Kentucky, is recorded this scrap of conversation: “Any news down t’ the village, Ezry?” “ Well, Squire, McLain’s gone t’ Washington t’ see Madison swore in, and ol’ Spellman tells me this Bonaparte fella has captured most o’ Spain. What’s new out here, neighbor?” “Nuthin’, nuthin’ a ‘tall, ‘cept fer a new baby born t’ Tom Lincoln’s, Nothin’ ever happens out here.”

Some events, such as birthdays in Hodgenville, where Abraham Lincoln

was born. Or in Bethlehem, or a baby found among the reeds along the Nile River in Egypt, or spiritual rebirth in a person’s life, may not create much earthly splash, but those of lasting importance will eventually get the notice they deserve.

The three earthly births mentioned were deliverers: Abe Lincoln, Jesus, and Moses.

Moses was a reluctant one. Moses asked God: “Who is sending me?”

God answers him with: I AM — AM—The great I AM —I AM WHO I AM. Now this is after God has spoken to him from a burning bush that wasn’t consumed. In the last part of chapter 3, God has laid out for Moses, all that he is to do, how he is to explain everything to the elders, and what was going to happen, and how the Israelites would be able to receive plunder, l from their Egyptian neighbors, to make up for all of their hardship during the years of their bondage. All of these riches are what will make it possible for them to have the elaborate tabernacle in the wilderness to worship in.

Now, beginning in chapter 4, Moses shows incredible unbelief. Oh, he believes IN God, he knows that God is the only true God, and in his heart he has faith in God. That’s why God is calling him to be the deliverer of Israel. We too believe in God. He has provided us with salvation, we believe he is the Creator, and we believe he takes care of us. We have even seen him answer prayers and help us in so many different ways.

However, we have also seen times when he hasn’t answered our prayers, and times when we have had a very hard time of it. Nothing like the Israelites experienced, but nevertheless, we have had some trying times in our lives; but we continue to believe IN Him, even if sometimes we have our doubts. But the title of my message this morning is:

“DO WE REALLY BELIEVE WHAT GOD SAYS?” There is a difference in believing IN God and believing what he says. When we don’t believe what God says to us in his Word, or when he calls us, or tells us to do something, we give excuses to him, or we rationalize things he says; like; oh he doesn’t really mean that—-or he will overlook that—-or it will be Okay if I don’t do exactly like he wants me to do, and so forth. Or maybe we answer him like Moses did (in verses 1 -2) when God had told him what he was to do; he comes up with an EXCUSE: “What if they don’t believe me, or listen to me,” or they say, “the Lord didn’t appear to you? God just asks him, “Is that a staff in your hand? Uh, yes—“Throw it on the ground.” Moses did, and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then in verse 4. God tells him to “take the snake by the tail.” So Moses did, and “it turned back into a staff.” God says to him, “This is so that they will believe the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob appeared to you. The staff would be his credentials before the people. God takes what we have in our hands and uses it, if we just trust Him. Of itself, the rod was nothing, but in God’s hands it became POWERFUL.

Moses didn’t have a chance to ask God—if he was going to do this in front of the Israelite elders. God just told him to put his hand inside his cloak. So he did, and when he took it out, it was leprous and completely white. “Now put it back into your cloak.” He did, and when he pulled it back out, his skin was normal, and he was completely healed.

Moses’ own hand had killed a man, but in the second miracle, God showed him that he could heal the weakness of the flesh and use Moses for His glory. His own hand was nothing, but in God’s hand, it would do wonders!

God says to him, “If they won’t believe the first sign—your staff turning into a snake, and then back to a staff again, or this second sign of you getting leprosy and then being healed, go get some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground. It will become blood. These are pretty convincing answers to them not believing that God appeared to him and called him to be their deliverer. However, these signs would eventually be imitated by the godless Egyptian magicians.

So Moses has to give another EXCUSE.

“Pardon your servant, Lord.” (he acknowledges that God has called him to serve him.)—“I have never been eloquent”—(-I don’t speak very good, especially in front of people,) neither in the past, nor since you have spoken to me. I am slow of speech and tongue ( did he stutter?) He is saying, “I am not gifted.” God had said, “I AM, and all Moses could say was, “I am not.” He was looking at himself and his failures instead of at God and His power. God doesn’t need eloquence or oratory; He needs only a clean vessel that He can fill with His message.

In verse 11, God asks him; Who makes people mute or deaf?—Who gives sight, or makes people blind. Is it not I?——–NOW GO! “ I WILL HELP YOU SPEAK AND WILL TEACH YOU WHAT TO SAY.”

“Pardon your servant Lord” (here we go again)—

‘PLEASE SEND SOMEONE ELSE!!!” In verse 14, we read, “Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, ‘What about your brother Aaron? ( I can just hear Moses saying—yeah—what about him?) but no, he didn’t say that to God. God says, “I know he can speak well, and he is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You will speak to him and put words in his mouth, and I will help you both to speak, and I will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth, and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so that you can perform the signs with it.”

Moses’ reaction to what God had said was one of UNBELIEF.

Next, we also see a question of INTEGRITY.

Moses returned to Jethro’s house and told him all about his encounter with the Lord, and asked permission to return to Egypt and see if any of his people were still alive. Now he wasn’t honest with Jethro. God had told him his brothers were still alive.

This was the first uncovering of a lack of integrity. However, his father-in-law, Jethro, encouraged him to go. Moses wasn’t a very good testimony for the Lord to his father-in-law, then — he was a lot like we are sometimes. We just don’t come out and tell people what God has said to us, or what he has done for us. Later on in the wilderness, chapter 18

The Lord told Moses in Midian that all of those who sought to kill him were dead, and that he should return to Egypt. God wanted Moses to trust Him and not be afraid. How patient God is with His own. How encouraging are His promises.

Then God says to Moses, Be sure that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. BUT, I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. What does this mean? How is it that God caused Pharaoh’s heart to harden, and that he refused to let the Israelites go free? Think of it this way.

The heat of the sun beats down on the clay on the ground, and makes it hard. That same sun, when it beats down on wax, softens it. It is the substance that causes the result. In the same way, since Pharaoh’s heart was already turned against the One true God, God’s power forced a response from him. Then you are to say to him, “This is what the Lord says; Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, Let my son-(that is, my people) go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go, so I will kill your firstborn son” (verse 23). Then the next verse, 24, we read a very shocking statement. “… The Lord met Moses, and was about to kill him.” Many commentators and theologians have trouble with this verse. It goes against all of our understanding of who God is, and the mercy, love, and forgiveness he shows us. But this isn’t anymore harder to understand than his instructions to the Israelites when they went to battle; in some cases, they were told to kill every inhabitant in a village. That is, men, women, children, and animals. That too is hard to understand.

WE MUST GRASP THE HOLINESS OF GOD, THEN WE CAN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT HE DOES.

But once we grasp the holiness of God, and how he hates sin, and the fact that he will not tolerate someone ignoring Him, it becomes clearer how serious it is when we refuse to bow down to Him and obey Him. It is only because we live in a day of Grace that he holds back his wrath now,

but some day on the day of judgment, everything that we have done against God, and all of man’s rebellion, will be dwelt with.

Circumcision was an important part of the Jewish faith, yet Moses had neglected to bring his own son into the covenant (Gen. 17:10).

This was his second lack of INTEGRITY before the Lord. God had to discipline Moses (perhaps by sickness) to remind him of his obligation. How could he lead Israel if he was failing to lead his own household in things spiritual? Especially since he was going to kill all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, because of Pharaoh’s refusal to listen to God. His wife Zipporah probably was against doing this before, but now, reluctantly and with disgust, she circumcises Moses’s son herself. The Hebrew phrase that she uses, “you have become a bridegroom of blood to me,” refers to this command to circumcise male babies. Moses later sent his family back to Midian. (Because in chapter 18:2, we see that Jethro, Zipporah, and Moses’ two sons come from Midian and join him in the Wilderness.

God had promised that Aaron was coming (v. 14), and now He fulfilled that promise. While both Moses and Aaron had their weaknesses, and each failed God and each other more than once, it was a great help to Moses to have his brother at his side. They met at “the mountain of God” where Moses had seen the burning bush (3:1-5). Verse 5; “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

Moses told Aaron all that God had told him to do. When they performed the signs before the people, they believed. When they heard that God had heard their cries and seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

God sees everything you are going through and is still providing deliverance for you. Today, the power of the Holy Spirit will give you strength to withstand anything the enemy throws at you

Jesus is your deliverer. He wants you to believe everything he has told us in The Word. Let’s not give him excuses when he asks us to do something for him.

Moses’s reluctance and fear were caused by overanticipation. He was worried about how the people might respond to him. We often build up events in our minds and then panic over what might go wrong. God does not ask us to go where he has not provided the means to help. Go where he leads, trusting him to supply courage, confidence, and resources at the right moment

A shepherd’s staff was commonly a three to six-foot wooden rod with a curved hook at the top. The shepherd used it for walking, guiding his sheep, killing snakes, or pulling a lamb out of a crevice. Still, it was just a stick. But God used the simple shepherd’s staff Moses carried as a sign to teach him an important lesson. God sometimes takes joy in using ordinary things for extraordinary purposes. What are the ordinary things in your life—your voice, a pen, a hammer, a broom, a musical instrument? While it is easy to assume God can use only special skills, you must not hinder his use of the everyday contributions you can make. Little did Moses imagine the power his simple staff would give when it became the staff of God.

For us today, Jesus Christ, God’s son, is the ROCK that we stand on. Because of him, we can do anything he asks us to do. Because of his shed blood on the cross, we are delivered from sin, healed from sicknesses and addictions, and BECAUSE OF HIM, WE TOO, CAN HELP OTHERS TO BE DELIVERED. JUST BELIEVE HIM, AND DO WHAT HE SAYS WHEN HE CALLS US TO ACTION.

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date August 10, 2025
Text Luke 16: 1-13 I Corinthians 4:1-5
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Verse two in this passage that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church says, “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

This morning, we have sung about the faithfulness of God and of our Savior Jesus Christ to bless us, help us to solve our problems, relieve the burden of the suffering heart, and so forth. It seems natural that we, in turn, should be faithful to Him for all He has done and is doing, and will continue to do for us. Yet we do not understand what it really means to be faithful stewards. I wonder if we would or could give an account of our stewardship like the steward in the parable, what we would say if our master would say to us, “What’s this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship or your management. The picture here was of a steward or servant who was in charge of an estate or household, dispensing tasks to other servants. He is called in the text a manager in some translations. He probably was a “slave” put in charge of running his master’s estate. In Palestine, there were many absentee landlords. This steward in this parable had followed a career of embezzlement. The debtors were dishonest, too. No doubt what they owed was rent. Rent in Palestine was often paid to a landlord not in money, but in goods. It was a lot like the old system of “sharecropping.” Someone who rents land and farms it for the owner, and he pays for the land by giving the owner a share of the crops he raises. Palestine was like that. It was often an agreed proportion of the produce of the part of the estate which had been rented.

The steward knew that he had lost his job. He therefore had a brilliant idea. He falsified the entries in the books so that the debtors were debited with far less than they owed. This would make them grateful to him, and he had also involved the debtors in his own misdemeanors, and if worst came to worst, he was now in a strong position to exercise a little judicious blackmail! The master wasn’t shocked but appreciated the shrewd brain behind it, and actually praised the steward for what he had done.

One important meaning is to teach that all men are God’s stewards. Those who are unrepentant are bad stewards without doubt, but also those who claim to want to serve their master sometimes are bad.

The apostle Paul writes in I Cor 4:2 about what is required by those who have been given a trust; a steward must prove faithful.

THERE ARE FOUR LESSONS FOR US TO LEARN FROM THIS PARABLE. In verse 8, the lesson is that:

I. CHILDREN OF THIS WORLD ARE WISER (IN THEIR GENERATION) OR (IN DEALING WITH THEIR OWN KIND), THAN ARE THE PEOPLE OF LIGHT.

If only the Christian were as eager and ingenious in his attempt to attain goodness as the man of the world is in his attempts to attain money and comfort, he would be a good servant for his Lord.

If only men would give as much attention to the things which concern their souls as they do to the things which concern their business, they would be good stewards.

It is a fact that people will spend twenty times the amount of time and money and effort on their pleasure or recreation, their hobby, their golf (or watching sports), their gardening, and so forth, as he does the Lord’s work. (ie. Things in church for the Kingdom.

Our Christian service will only begin to become real and effective when we spend as much time and effort on it as we do on our own worldly activities.

You may say, “But Pastor Paul, we are told that whatever we do, we are to do it for God’s glory. Can’t I serve the Lord just as easily doing the things you mentioned? They are legitimate activities. Yes, you can, and I trust you do, and some of you are doing them a large proportion of your time. Others, not so much. Many of us need to examine this area of our lives. We should be faithful in giving of ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and His purposes. This means a full life commitment of doing HIS WILL, not ours. We must quit trying to run our lives according to our selfish interests and allow the Lord to take control and show us areas where we have not yet surrendered to Him.

A few years ago, there was a small boy, described as a “shy” second grader, eight years old, “a little owlish in spectacles,” who was guilty of committing a crime in a New Jersey school. It was Valentine’s Day. He brought a Valentine and put it on the teacher’s desk; then he went down into the basement and set fire to the school by lighting wastepaper in the boiler room. When the Fire Commissioner conducted an inquiry, evidence pointed to the boy. He readily admitted that he had done it. When he was asked why, he explained, as the news report put it, with childish simplicity, “In class yesterday teacher took away my bubble gum.”

The child says in effect, “ I am on the throne of my life, and I want everybody else to bow down before me. I want to rule. When I want anything, I want it, and that is sufficient reason for my having it. If I want to chew bubble gum, I should get to do it. If anybody takes it away from me, I have a right to lash out and destroy anything that stands in the way of my whim and desire.” Maybe we don’t burn down schools, but we lash out in our own way. The only way to curb that desire is to have our Adam sin nature cleansed and changed by the Spirit of God by a new birth experience. This isn’t just “trying again” as the world sees it; “a new start on our own,” but rather by life-transforming power when Christ enters our life. II Peter 1:3, 4 says that His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Day by day we must submit our lives to the control of the Lord Jesus Christ in order that He may keep the old nature crucified with Him. All He wants is our lives and that we yield to His will. Now that isn’t so bad, because we were created to serve God and to glorify Him. Some of you may have learned the Heidelberg Catechism (written in Germany in the 16th c. and used in the Reformed Church then, and many churches today), which says “the chief aim of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Some of you have gotten that confused and have thought that your chief aim in life is to enjoy the good things God has given you forever.

THE SECOND LESSON IS FOUND IN VERSE 9

II. THAT MATERIAL POSSESSIONS SHOULD BE USED TO CEMENT THE FRIENDSHIP WHEREIN THE REAL AND PERMANENT VALUE OF LIFE LIES.

It could be done in two ways.

1.) It could be done as it affects eternity. The Rabbis had a saying. “The rich help the poor in this world, but the poor help the rich in the world to come.”

Ambrose, who lived from 340-397, was Bishop of Milan and later Governor of Northern Italy. was contemporary with other early Church fathers like Jerome and Augustine. In his commentary on the rich fool who, in the parable that Jesus told, built bigger barns to store his goods, Ambrose said, “the bosoms of the poor, the houses of widows, the mouths of children are the barns which last forever.” It was, in any event, a Jewish belief that charity given to poor people would stand to a man’s credit in the world to come. A man’s true wealth would not be in what he kept, but in what he gave away.

2.) It could be done as it effects this world.

A man can use his wealth selfishly or he can use it to make life easier for his fellowmen. Possessions in themselves are not a sin, but they are a great responsibility that God has given to us because he has given our possessions to us. We are stewards.

“You might say; “Oh, no wonder I don’t have much; I probably wouldn’t take care of it very well—I would blow it!”

Yes, you might be right, because you might misuse it.

Jesus made a point about this. He said; “whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

LOOK AT VERSES 10 AND 11. THE LESSON IS THAT:

III. A MAN’S WAY OF FULFILLING A SMALL TASK IS THE BEST PROOF OF HIS FITNESS OR UNFITNESS TO BE ENTRUSTED WITH A BIGGER TASK.

Jesus says that; “upon earth you are in charge of things which are not really yours. You cannot take them with you when you die. They are only lent to you, so to speak. You are responsible for them. You are only a steward or manager over them. On the other hand in heaven you will get what is really and eternally and essentially yours, and what you get in heaven depends on how you used certain things on EARTH.

IV. THEN FINALLY VERSE 13 LAYS DOWN THE RULE THAT NO SERVANT CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS.

In our economy today many people, if they still have a job, it isn’t enough, and they try to have two jobs, and work for two different people. We can use our spare time in this way but a slave could not, actually he had no spare time; every moment of his day and every ounce of his energy, belonged to his master. He had not time which was his own. So, serving God, can never be a part time or a spare time job. Once a man chooses to serve God every moment of his time and every bit of his energy belongs to God. God is an exclusive master we either belong to Him totally and altogether or not at all.

You probably remember the account of a former city employee in Albany, NY, who attended an evangelistic service, and received Jesus Christ as His personal Savior. The Holy Spirit convicted him of some of things he did when he worked for the State, but more importantly he was convicted of what he didn’t do; for the hours he wasted by “goofing off” instead of working. He then mailed a check for $100.00 to the then city treasurer Frank J. O’Brian, and with it a note which read;

“FOR STOLEN TIME”

Not very many people would have done that.

We should think about the way we use our time. I know I have thought about this. I believe all of us need to consider how we spend our time, in the days that the Lord gives us. Time at work; time for meditation, devotion, and prayer; time for the Lord in worship, “singing spiritual songs” (as they did in the early Church); time serving Him and listening to Him when He tells us we should do a certain thing; time in fellowship with God’s people.

Let’s ask ourselves the question this morning; “Am I serving self, and ultimately Satan when I do that, and is it he who has mastery over my time, or am I serving my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and is it He who is master over my time, my money,

over my talents, my abilities- maybe to sing, to teach or work with children; are there spiritual gifts the Lord has given me, that I am not using to serve Him?

Remember it is required that we as stewards be found faithful. Then, when we see Him some day, He will be able to say, “WELL DONE, MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.”

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date August 3, 2025
Text I Corinthians 11: 23-34
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Celebrations come in all shapes and sizes; birthday parties and celebrations, wedding anniversaries, family and class reunions, small town carnivals, ethnic celebrations, and National Independence Days and holidays. All of these are almost always accompanied by “feasts”—eating together, and usually plenty of food, or at the least cakes or other delicious desserts.

There is one celebration that is celebrated worldwide in a similar fashion. It is “The Lord’s Table” or what we call COMMUNION. The differences have to do with the understanding of why it is celebrated and also the way that it looks.

There are those who treat it as a sacrament which is necessary for salvation, and many others who understand it as a symbol of what Christ accomplished on the cross.

It is Jesus Christ alone who provides salvation, not the elements of unleavened bread and wine. We share these to remember what He did. But in every country where there is a Christian Church, the Lord’s table is recognized, and communion is given for all believers.

The passage that we read envisions a great banquet table.

Extending from Rome to Corinth, to Philippi, to Galatia, and so forth.

Today, that table extends to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, Latin America, South America, and every island of the sea.

In many parts of the world, they are not very well dressed, and the bread is what they can buy in the open market, and is the juice of a tree that is indigenous to their country.

Some are eating hard brown bread; others are eating rice cakes or corn bread. Some are drinking wine from silver goblets, others are pouring juice of tropical plants from earthen bowls. Some are dressed in suits, some are dressed in expensive casual wear, even shorts, and some wear tattered clothing.

In this celebration, we all acknowledge a worldwide need;

That we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, (or God’s glorious standard) (Romans 3:23)

We set aside all boasting and claims of superiority. Instead of claiming goodness, we seek mercy. We share a common humanity, and so because of that, a common need. The evidence of sin is worldwide.

Hatred and injustice know no boundaries. In every major city, and in many smaller communities in the world, we see all sorts of crimes, brutal murders, theft, extortion, fraud, and unbelievable injustices

Recently, especially in the United States, we have seen a spirit of anti-Semitism against Jewish students and Jewish people in general that we haven’t seen since the days of Nazi Germany.

Jesus Himself suffered unjust treatment (actually illegal treatment based on both Jewish and Roman law), and was crucified even though he was totally innocent of the charges brought against Him. We read in I Peter 2:21, “this suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps.”

It seems that everywhere in the world, there is restlessness and revolt. It is no longer just in developing nations like in Africa, but countries like Greece, Spain, and at various times, France, Great Britain, and Germany, and right now in our own country, we see mobs of people revolting in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and recently in Cincinnati, Ohio as well as other cities. Everywhere, there are attempts at suppression, manipulation, and discrimination. There are times when it seems like the persecutors are at fault, like when, for years, the Islamic Sudanese regime persecuted and killed Christians. Now, South Sudan has finally gotten their independence, but persecution continues, and has spread down into the north-eastern part of the Congo. And of course, since last Oct. Hamas started the war with Israel. There are other times when the revolutionaries seem to be at fault in disrupting things. In all nations:

PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS IN THE WRONG PLACES; they don’t want to know what the Bible says.

Also in this celebration of communion, we rejoice in a worldwide love.

(John 3:16)—“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God established no boundaries for His love. His love is unconditional, and the atonement for sin is not limited. There are some denominations that claim a doctrine that states—“Limited Atonement” That is, that Christ didn’t die for everyone, only God’s elect who will be saved. They only say this to try and explain the doctrine of election that scripture talks about. Whatever else it means to God, it does not mean that some are determined for eternal life and some for damnation, for such a purpose would destroy the cosmic aspect of the cross and make it something which is contrary to the great truth that we just quoted from John 3:16. An invitation to whoever believes would hardly be honest if some were unable to be among the- “whoever.”

However, if by election it is meant that God takes the initiative, then this idea is in conformity with the purpose of redemption, for man does not turn to God by himself, but is impelled by the convincing power of the Holy Spirit. This understanding of election makes man dependent on God not only for his salvation, but also for the motivation which brings him to God. It must always be remembered that God shows no partiality, for he loved the world, and

The cross raises no barriers and imposes no limitations, but its message is, “whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Rev. 22:17)

God established no boundaries for His love. His love was unconditional when He sent His son to die. His love continues to be unconditional.

There was a young boy who asked his dad one day, Daddy, how does God love us? His dad answered, “God loves us with an unconditional love!” The boy thought for a moment and then asked, “What kind of love is unconditional love? His dad said, “Do you remember the two boys that used to live next door to us, and the cute little puppy they got last Christmas? “Yeah”—“Do you remember how they used to tease it, throw sticks and even rocks at it? “Yeah,” Do you also remember how the puppy would always greet them with a wagging tail and would try to lick their faces? “Yeah”—Well, that puppy had an unconditional love for those boys. They certainly didn’t deserve his love for them because they were mean to him. But he loved them anyway. The father then said—You see, God’s love for us is also unconditional. Men hit Jesus (God’s son), and then killed Him, but Jesus loved them anyway.

Romans 5:6-8 says:…”When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man. Though for a good man, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his LOVE for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

II Peter 3:9 we read…He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

The text of John 3:16 doesn’t say that God only loved the Jewish world, or the Gentile world, or the white, European world, or Asian or African. It doesn’t even say He loves only the elect! It doesn’t say God loved the rich world, the poor world, or the middle-class world.

God expressed His love for all people. His love is expressed in provisions for our spiritual welfare. There is no material provision that can ensure the life of the soul. Through the gift of His Son, God has provided forgiveness, new birth, and eternal life.

As we partake of the Lord’s Supper this morning, let us again accept the love of God for our salvation.

In this celebration, we express a worldwide fellowship.

Eating together is a symbol of unity. The common meal is a symbol of loyalty, love, friendship, and unity. When people are angry with each other, they usually refuse to eat together. We should never come to the Lord’s Table with anger, or bitterness, or jealousy in our hearts towards someone.

At the time that Paul is reminding the Christians at Corinth about some things having to do with the Lord’s Supper, they would use one loaf of bread, and he says in I Cor. 10:17—that drinking the cup and eating the broken bread is a participation (or sharing) in Christ’s blood and body. “because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. That is to say, those who receive these elements, in faith, are united to Christ and, by the Spirit, to one another. They partake of the benefits secured for them through our Savior’s shed blood and crucified body. —benefits that include atonement for sin, justification through faith, and healing for the body.

Thus, both strong and weak members need to remember that the body of Christ is not divided, and therefore, we must express our unity in our relationship to each other.

We are all one in Christ. What we have in common with Christians everywhere is more important than the cultural, racial, or economic differences that separate us. We have accepted the same love and believed in the same Lord, we are united in a common purpose, and we will share the same heaven.

For safety reasons, mountain climbers rope themselves together when climbing a mountain. That way, if one climber should slip and fall, he will not fall to his death. He would be held by the others until he could regain his footing.

The church ought to be like that. When one member slips and falls, the others should hold him up until he regains his footing. We are all “roped together” by the Holy Spirit. As we unite and go forward in His power, we will affect others both inside and outside the church.

So let’s acknowledge a worldwide need.

Celebrate a worldwide love, and

Express a worldwide fellowship