CityPoint Sermon Summary - Lessons from Camp
This past Sunday, Nick’s sermon was based on what he called “Lessons from camp” where he shared things God showed him while he helped run summer day camp at a Salvation Army on the east side. It was a mix of rambunctious and mostly poorly behaved young kids he was serving and teaching daily devotional lessons to. He told several stories of interactions where the sermon points all came from (you can go listen to the message here), so let’s hit all five main points here to summarize.
Point #1 as the church, we are children of God. In Matthew 19:13-15 we see Jesus rebuking the disciples and others wanting to send away the children as if they are bothering Jesus. Instead of sending them away He lays hands on them and prays for them, saying “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Going back to Matthew 18:3-4 we also see Jesus saying that unless one comes to Him with the humility of a child, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven. While this can sound ominous and threatening, the good news is Jesus isn’t demanding cleaned-up perfection to come to Him, just a humble attitude and an awareness of your need, just like a child.
Following that up, point #2 was that God is big enough, in that He hears our petitions and He knows what we need. Looking at the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, we can have faith that just like a human judge who gives justice to those who pursue it, “will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” (Luke 18:7). Thinking back to the first point with Jesus wanting us to come to Him like children, God will give us what we need like a good father (Matthew 7:11), and similarly as a righteous judge, He will give justice in the end (Revelation 11:18), because God truly is for us in Jesus (Romans 8:31-33).
And the good news is that even though He’s a righteous judge, point #3 God gives chances, Psalm 51:1-2. We inevitably do no get things right, even after coming to faith and being empowered by the Holy Spirit, having all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4), we still battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph. 2:2-3, more study), in the already but not yet reality of being made righteous in Christ but still being in the process of sanctification in this life (extra credit reading).
Part of our sanctification is growing in our worship of Christ our Lord, and that includes the uniqueness each individual possesses, because as Nick learned watching the kids at the camp this summer, point #4 God allows creativity in worshiping Him. There are many examples of worshipful hearts in Scripture, such as in Psalm 98 and 100, and our call as individuals to present ourselves to God as a spiritual act of worship (Rom. 12:1). There are so many ways to worship outside of the default act of corporate singing we do in church gatherings. Anything we do, can be done to the glory of the Lord (Colossians 3:17), especially the gifts and talents He blessed us with when they are used for His glory and the edification of others (1 Cor. 12:7).
And finally, an important reminder to wrap them all up, point #5 God is patient (2 Peter 3:8-13). I’m sure it’s hard to imagine, but Nick said the kids at the camp didn’t have the best behavior, and often would test the line of what they could get away with. We all do this in life, and amazingly, God is patient with us and doesn’t immediately smite us for every slip up. We’re reminded of this in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” While that Scriptural fact is glorious, it is also convicting. If God is patient with people’s sins, then why aren’t we? It is also Scriptural that we are to be patient and forgiving of one another, as God has forgiven us (Matthew 6:12-15; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:37; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13; etc.).
I think an interesting thing to note from these points, is they were all derived from Nick’s time serving kids at the Salvation Army. A key part of our discipleship as Christ-followers is how we pour into others. If you’ve ever taught anyone anything, you’ll be familiar with how the act of teaching challenges and deepens your own understanding of what you’re teaching. It’s a simple principle that applies to anything, including the spiritual parts of life. So as you’re reminded of these Biblical truths this week, pray that God gives you the opportunity to show them to others in word and deed, deepening your maturity as a disciple of Christ.