Sermon Material

Yesterday Robin and four of her friends were in a terrible accident. A woman pulled out right in front of Robin's vehicle and caused it to flip over, landing upside down. Miraculously, none of the girls were seriously injured. Everyone from the policeman who filed the report to the paramedic with the ambulance to the attending physician at the emergency room stressed how fortunate we were that the girls weren't more seriously injured. The paramedic told me almost all accidents involving a roll-over include dismemberment if not death.


We know the hand of God was on Robin and her friends, protecting them from what have could been a tragic situation. It is amazing that one person could climb out of that banged up SUV unscathed, but for all five of them to escape serious injury is absolutely miraculous! Were angels on assignment yesterday? You be they were! It seems the worst that will come out of this is a few scrapes and bruises (Robin got five stitches for a laceration on her forehead) and a new car - I'm afraid her little Ford Escape is totaled. At the emergency room she asked me, "Dad will this make it into one of your sermons?" A few hours later it did.

Growing Pains

When I was younger, I would get aches in my arms and legs and my mother would tell me that they were 'growing pains.' Her analysis didn't make it hurt any less, but the idea of the alternative sure put my pain in perspective! (No one wants to remain 3' tall for the rest of his life!) Believe it or not, churches have growing pains too. But, once again, consider the alternative! Surely none of us want to see the church stop growing. That means no one is getting saved - No ones life is being changed! Lets face it - As long as these kind of things are happening, the church is going to grow and inevitably experience some growing pains! But that's normal! Its to be expected!




Right now, our growing pains are related to parking. We have one means of entering and exiting a parking lot designed to accommodate hundreds of vehicles. Consequently, with a church our size the time it takes to get in your car and off our campus can take up to 15 or 20 minutes. Most of our people are very mature about this and are thankful we have this kind of 'problem.' Others have been less understanding. This week I actually heard about one man who hasn't been to church in over a month because he refuses to get 'stuck' in our parking lot again. Really? I wonder if it took Jesus more than 15 minutes to walk to Golgotha? I'm sure suffering and dying for our sins was a major inconvenience for Him! My prayer is, God please help us to grow up and learn to appreciate what we have and what you've done for us!

What's crazy is no one thinks its unusual to have to endure these types of 'inconveniences' when they go to an LSU game or a concert at the Cajun Dome - They're perfectly content to wait and be directed where to park. So let me get this straight - Its just the church that should have curbside convenience? I suppose otherwise, Jesus just isn't worth it, right? Give me a break!

Now that I've got that off my chest I thought I'd give you a glimpse of our most recent effort to make parking at Crossroads as convenient as possible. Its a 14-passenger shuttle that can get easily in and out of traffic to shuttle people to and from the church. If everyone uses this service like we think they will, we are prepared to buy a second shuttle and have them running before and after each service. Perhaps you noticed our Bio Swale Bridges we've built so our people can easily cross the drainage/green-space features in our new parking lot. The back two bridges are covered to provide shelter while you wait on the shuttle(s). They're fully equipped with lighting and ceiling fans for your convenience!

Now that I've had a chance to both vent and call your attention to our efforts to make attending Crossroads as convenient as possible, let me mention just one more thing. If you get here late this weekend and you see a white Chrysler Aspen parked at the very back of our property in the very last parking place on the farthest row from our church - that will be mine. Just one more thing I've decided to do to help with our growing pains!

Zeal In Ministry

We need zeal in ministry. Without it, ministry can become just another job. That's what had happened in John chapter 2 when Jesus entered Jerusalem and found the moneychangers at the temple. The temple represented ministry and these men had lost sight of that. For them it was just a paycheck - just another day of selling sacrifices. Jesus refused to let that go on!

John 2:15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Zeal will never let ministry become just a vocational prospect! One reason is because zeal will always drive a spear through immorality. Zeal will never let wickedness go waltzing into the temple, dishonoring that which is holy. Just ask Phinehas! His story is found in Numbers 25:1-10. God's judgment was being poured out on Israel because of the sexual relations men were having with Moabite women. Even as that judgment was falling and the leaders of Israel stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting (the temple of that day) weeping before God, one of the Israelites walked right into the Tent of Meeting with his Moabite mistress! Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the Priest grabbed a spear and, following them into the Tent of Meeting, thrust the spear through both of them, bringing an end to the judgment being poured out on Israel. God said of Phinehas that day, "...he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them." Zeal will not look the other way while sin walks in and out of church every Sunday. Zeal will take God's Word like a spear and deal with immorality through powerful conviction and compassion!

In Isaiah chapter 9, God spoke through the prophet about a coming Messiah. He promised us a Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God, an Everlasting Father, a Prince of Peace on whose shoulder the government would rest and would be ever increasing - establishing both judgement and justice forever more. Then He said this, "The zeal of the Lord will perform this." Another reason Zeal won't allow our ministry to become just money changing is because it always gives us a New Testament! When we lose the zeal of the Lord in ministry, we have to look back - a year, five years, twenty years for a testimony of what God has done in and through our lives. Zeal gives us a fresh new testament every day! 

Isaiah 42:13, The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.

Zeal secures victory over our enemies. Notice that the Lord stirs up His zeal in order to triumph! If God has to stir up zeal, what makes us think it will be any different with us? Today we need to stir up the zeal of God in our lives and ministries! There is no such thing as an apathetic victory! 

The word zeal in our English New Testament comes from the Greek word zeo. It literally means 'heat' or 'fervor.' Romans 12:11 says we should never be lacking it as we serve the Lord. The idea of zeal and serving are eternally linked - One cannot have zeal without using it to serve the Lord and one cannot really serve the Lord without zeal! Heat comes from fire and fire comes from the Holy Ghost. We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives so we can serve God with the kind of zeal He expects from us! Remember what John the Baptist said about Jesus? 

Matthew 3:11, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” 

We desperately need that baptism today! Without it, we become like the Laodiceans. Here's what Jesus said to the leader of the church at Laodicea.

Revelation 3:14-19, These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

This was written to the leader of a successful church that had grown apathetic and had lost its zeal. He thought everything was wonderful - attendance and tithing were up, they may have even been building a new worship center - but God said they were wretched, pitiful, blind and naked! 


God help us to see what you see in us - and God give us your zeal!