Who’s in Your Circle? (June 26, 2022)

Sermon Outline for Sunday, June 26, 2022

Pastor Andy Lambert

PASSAGES:  Job 2:11–13; Daniel 3:4–6; Daniel 3:12; Daniel 3:14–18; Daniel 3:25; Mark 2:2–5

The people in your life can build you up or tear you down and it is YOUR choice what you allow them to do.
The people in whom life you are in, you can build them up or tear them down and it is YOUR choice what you are going to do.
There are people in your life that are only looking for discord, division, tension and they feed off that.
There are people in your life that are going to pray, build you up, hold you up to God and we need more of that.

 

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Let’s look at a few examples:

 

JOB:

 

Job 2:11-13 ~ “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.”

 

  • First, we find that Job’s three friends have heard and traveled a great distance just to be with their friend in his time of trial and loss.
  • They came to sympathize and comfort Job; they met together and came to Job, their dear friend.
  • When they saw Job, they were shocked and utterly horrified. Job’s altered appearance and excruciating pain he was in was almost unbearable for them to look upon.
  • They barely recognized him; they wept in sorrow; they tore their robes; they threw dust on their heads; they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights; they sat in total silence.
  • I want you to really think about this –
    • Job wasn’t sitting in the comfort of his living room, he was among the ash heaps at the city’s garbage dump. Not only the trash was brought here, but also the sewage.
    • Job wouldn’t have been alone, the sick and the poor of the city would have also been here.
    • Job’s friends were placing themselves in danger and assuming real risk – they would have been surrounded by lepers, the lame, the maimed, and people with contagious diseases.
    • Job’s friends endured the discomfort, stench, heat and nagging insects right along with Job.

 

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SHADRACH, MESHACH and ABEDNEGO:

 

Daniel 3:4-6 ~ “And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.””

 

Daniel 3:12 ~ “There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.””

 

Daniel 3:14-15 ~ “Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?””

 

Daniel 3:16-18 ~ “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.””

 

Daniel 3:25 ~ “He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.””

 

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PARALYTIC AND FOUR MEN:

 

Mark 2:2-5 ~ “And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.””

 

  • Jesus, even though He was tired from 12 months of traveling on a preaching tour, went about His primary mission – preaching the Word of God to those who were lost.
  • The man that was brought was desperate for help and hope.
  • Extreme action was taken to get this man to Jesus.
 
 

Pastor Andy Lambert ~ pastorandy@cvcog.church

Call/Text: 205.642.8744 ext 101

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