http://www.wilsoncommunitychurch.org Gary Combs is the senior pastor at Wilson Community Church in Wilson, North Carolina. WCC is a church that pursues growing a family of Christ-followers through celebrating God's Son, connecting to God's people and contributing to God's family. For more information on WCC, visit www.wilsoncommunitychurch.org. en Gary Combs is the senior pastor at Wilson Community Church in Wilson, North Carolina. WCC is a church that pursues growing a family of Christ-followers through celebrating God's Son, connecting to God's people and contributing to God's family. For ... Wilson Community Church no Wilson Community Church Podcast: Gary Combs info@wilsoncommunitychurch.org ℗ & © 2010 Wilson Community Church 720 There are similarities in being financially fit and physically fit. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. We must use it or lose it. The Bible teaches us that money is the same way. God blesses us with money so that we can use it, exercise it to be a blessing to others. Today, I want us to look at what the Bible says about exercising, investing money. We're going to look at a parable on the best use of our money. The Bible has a lot to say about money. In the gospels, Jesus spoke more about money than He did about heaven. Jesus spoke more about money than He did about hell. Isn't that interesting? Why? I think it's because God knows the tremendous influence and power money has over our lives. We spend so much of our time earning it, making it, that He needs to tell us how to use it wisely. Jesus said that handling money is a spiritual test: Luke 16:11 "If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" This phrase comes from one of the most misunderstood parables in the Bible. Many people when they read this think Jesus is commending dishonesty. But that's not what He's doing. What He’s doing is using the story of a worldly manager to shock his Pharisee audience into seeing that even worldly people can invest money wisely. The point of the parable is that money should not be wasted or hoarded but thoughtfully invested with future needs in mind. Money should be exercised! http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/exercise-your-money http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/exercise-your-money.mp3 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:06:25 GMT Gary Combs Financial Fitness money,finances,stewardship,investing 47:06 There are similarities in being financially fit and physically fit. In one you have to watch your food diet, in the other you have to watch how much debt you have in your financial diet. Americans are among the most overweight people on the planet. And we’re also among the most in debt. And it’s now wonder… Everyone buys on credit these days. “Buy now, pay later.” “Easy money.” “90 Days no interest” “10% off when you use credit.” Even Barbie is getting in on the action. Now you can teach your little girls how to use credit with “Shopping Barbie.” A plastic doll teaching the value of shopping with plastic. Many of you may be “overweight” in debt. You feel overwhelmed and trapped. Maybe even ashamed. But there is a way out. God’s Word has a lot to say about money and about being in debt. Financial fitness is connected to spiritual fitness. How we handle money says a lot about our spiritual condition. In the book of 2nd Kings the prophet Elisha gave a widow woman whose husband had died and left her in debt, godly wisdom for getting out of debt and living in financial freedom. God still speaks today. He still teaches us through His Word and gives us the help we need to get out of debt when we follow His counsel. http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/cut-debt-out-of-your-diet http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/cut-debt-out-of-your-diet.mp3 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:52:38 GMT Gary Combs Financial Fitness money,stewardship,debt,finances 46:30 Financial fitness is connected to spiritual fitness. How we handle money says a lot about our spiritual condition. Jesus told a parable that illustrates how our spiritual condition and our finances are linked. We know this story as the parable of the Prodigal Son. This parable is often taught to warn us against rebellious living or illustrate the love of the Heavenly Father and both those applications are correct and useful. But this sermon looks at this story from a different angle to see that it gives us both a warning and a proper perspective on how to handle money. Here’s a man who learned lessons on financial fitness the hard way: http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/check-your-financial-vitals http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/check-your-financial-vitals.mp3 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:43:10 GMT Gary Combs Financial Fitness finances,stewardship,budget,money,debt 46:48 New Year's resolutions are soon forgotten every year, so how do we get the passion to change? How do we experience real growth and passion for our dreams? http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/a-new-year-an-old-passion http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/a-new-year-an-old-passion.mp3 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:35:58 GMT Jonathan Combs New Year's resolutions are soon forgotten every year, so how do we get the passion to change? How do we experience real growth and passion for our dreams? passion,new_year,dreams 35:38 In the book of John, Jesus told a prominent Jewish teacher named Nicodemus that God “so loved” everyone that He was offering His greatest gift to all those who would receive it. It is as though God took the approach of wrapping the gift of LIFE and then placed it inside the gift of His Son, the LORD, and then placed it inside the gift of His LOVE. A gift within a gift, within a gift. The greatest gift of all! http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/love-all http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/love-all.mp3 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:24:51 GMT Jonathan Combs The Advent Conspiracy love,jesus,life,gift,god 31:55 In the book of Luke, the birth of Jesus was recorded in its historical context with special attention given to show both the humble circumstances of His birth and the glory of His person as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. In Luke’s gospel the angel of the Lord invites the shepherds to come celebrate the birth of the Messiah. They came and it changed them and all they came into contact with afterwards. The Lord still invites us to come celebrate the Christ. We can say yes to His invitation and invite others to join us by giving and loving like Jesus. http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/give-more http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/give-more.mp3 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:26:34 GMT Gary Combs The Advent Conspiracy christmas,advent_conspiracy,worship,give 44:38 In the book of Isaiah we find many prophecies concerning the Messiah. The prophecy from Isaiah 9:6-7 concerning the Son that is “given” is well known. From Handel’s Messiah to Christmas cards purchased at Walmart, we see Isaiah’s prophecy proclaimed. But Isaiah had more to say about the coming Messiah. Isaiah told the people of Israel that they should stop spending so much on that which doesn’t satisfy and start spending their lives looking for the coming Son of David, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone could satisfy all of their needs. We can start spending less at Christmas on that which doesn’t satisfy, so that we can worship fully, give more and love more. http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/spend-less http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/spend-less.mp3 Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:19:39 GMT Gary Combs The Advent Conspiracy christmas,advent_conspiracy,worship,spend_less 39:58 Pssst… want to be in on a conspiracy? We’re joining other Christians this Advent season in conspiring against the consumer Christmas culture by spending less on ourselves and on our families and focusing more on the true meaning of Christmas – the worship of One born King. The Rev. Tim Keller says, "Worship is pulling our affections off our idols and putting them on God." So, that’s the deal. We want to pull our affection off of the crazy, chaotic spending spree that comes every December and instead focus on worshiping Christ. In other words, we want to worship God more by spending less on ourselves. Don’t you feel the tension? Don’t you feel the pressure to spend more money than you have in order to give your kids everything on their list? You spend too much in order to match the gifts that your uncle or aunt, sister or brother, will give. You don’t want to be considered cheap, so you spend, spend, spend… And the more you spend, the less it feels like Christmas. Or at least what Christmas is supposed to represent. In the book of Matthew the story of the birth of Jesus is told within the political backdrop of the times. This Jesus was the one prophesied to be King, but He came in the most unexpected way. And from the beginning there was a battle between His Kingdom and the false king that usurped His Throne. The challenge for us is to remove our worship from the false king and to put our worship on the true King, Jesus Christ. http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/worship-fully http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/worship-fully.mp3 Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:30:02 GMT Gary Combs The Advent Conspiracy christmas,advent_conspiracy,worship 39:12 Self-control. It’s the 9th and final mark of the fruit of the Spirit. Series theme verse: Galatians 5:22 23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Self-control (Greek: egkrateia, from en + kratos… internal strength/power/dominion) Literally, "one holding oneself in." It is the strength or power to take control of one's own desires, passions, thoughts, and actions. It is mastery over oneself. It includes the idea of self-discipline, restraint, temperance, even continence… the ability to control one’s bladder. In the Hebrew it is often literally translated as "to rule his spirit," which as the idea of being the governor over one's own spirit. The opposite of self-control is unbridled passion, a lack of self-control. (Greek: akrates, literally "no strength, no control, powerless.") Do you possess this spiritual attribute of self-control? Are you defenseless against your own desires? In the apostle Peter’s 2nd letter he told his hearers that God had given them everything they need to “participate” in the divine nature of Christ. He urged them to “make every effort” to live out of this grace that God had given them by His Spirit. He told them to yield to God’s divine power and “escape” the desires of this world. We can have self-control by surrendering our desires to God’s control. http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/the-mark-of-self-control http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/the-mark-of-self-control.mp3 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:05:21 GMT Gary Combs 9 Marks of Authentic Christians self-control,fruit_of_the_spirit,fruit 48:04 Gentleness. It’s the 8th mark of the fruit of the Spirit. The Bible says that real, authentic Christians are gentle. Authentic gentleness is strength under control. It's under the control of the Holy Spirit. Series theme verse: Galatians 5:22 23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. The world tells us to be assertive, but the Word tells us to be gentle. Gentleness (Greek: praiotes), n. 1. Kindly; amiable: a gentle manner. 2. Mild; not sever, rough, or violent: a gentle wind; a gentle tap on the shoulder. 3. Moderate: gentle heat. 4. Gradual: a gentle slope. 5. Of good birth or family; well born. 8. Soft or low: a gentle sound. [ME gentle highborn, noble L gentilis belonging to the same family, gens family, race] (The Random House Dictionary of the English Language). The New American Commentary – Galatians: Gentleness connotes a submissive and teachable spirit toward God that manifests itself in genuine humility and consideration toward others. It is regrettable that the English word Agentleness@ has come to have the popular connotation of a wimpish weakness and nonassertive lack of vigor. As an expression of the fruit of the Spirit, gentleness is strength under control, power harnessed in loving service and respectful actions. One who is gentle in this sense will not attempt to push others around or arrogantly impose one=s own will on subordinates or peers. Do you possess this spiritual attribute of gentleness? In the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul wrote from his imprisonment in Rome, urging his hearers to live worthy of the calling of Christ. He wanted them to be authentic Christians. One of the marks that he encouraged them to bear was the mark of gentleness. This mark, perhaps as much or more than any other, is like a family trait the cause the world to see Christ in us. We can bear the mark of gentleness. http://www.sermoncloud.com/wilson-community-church/the-mark-of-gentleness http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2455/the-mark-of-gentleness.mp3 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:58:08 GMT Gary Combs 9 Marks of Authentic Christians gentle,gentleness,fruit_of_the_spirit,fruit 44:36