Sermon Slides by Rev Dr Ng Swee Ming on 15June2014. New Sermon series on Living Beyond the Box

1. ELVIS’ ALBUM OF GREATEST HITS ...
went 3 weeks No. 1 album US charts ...
25 years after he died ??

2. He thought he was here for a reason, maybe to
preach, maybe to serve, maybe to save, maybe to
care for people. That agonizing desire was always
with him and he knew he wasn’t fulfilling it.”
“Elvis never
came to terms
with who he
was meant to
be
or WHAT HIS
PURPOSE IN
LIFE WAS...

3. He didn’t have a clue where to begin looking.
In a sense, he was lost - he just couldn’t quite
figure out HIS PURPOSE IN LIFE”
“So he’d go on
stage and he
wouldn’t have to
think about it.
Elvis Presley
1935 - 1957

4. “The greatest tragedy in life
is not death,
but a life without a purpose.”
Myles Munroe

5. New Sermon Series :
Living Availably
Living Abundantly**
Living Authentically
Living Accountably

6. #1 LIVING AVAILABLY
Scripture Ref. Luke 5:1-11**

7. #1 Living Availably
Luke 5:1-3
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of
Gennesaret, with the people crowding around
him and listening to the word of God,
2 he saw at the water's edge two boats, left
there by the fishermen, who were washing
their nets.
3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging
to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from
shore. Then he sat down and taught the people
from the boat.

8. Living Availably...1. WHERE YOU ARE
• Peter - the fisherman
was...
 at his usual place...
 at the usual time...
doing his usual work...
 with his usual mates...
• Entered JESUS ...
Peter knew Jesus ...
Lk 4 Jesus just healed
Peter’s ‘MIL’

9. Living Availably...
community
friends
1. WHERE YOU ARE
• Not all are called to
serve God in ‘exotic
places’
Begin with ...
 Where You Are
(wya)...
 Who You Know
‘wya’...
 Who You Spend Time
with ‘wya’...
clients

10. Living Availably...
1.WHERE YOU ARE
Eg Matt 9:9
Call of Matthew...
Q. What was the 1st thing
Matthew did ?
 Threw a party...
 Invited all his friends...
 Invited Jesus ...

11. Living Availably...
1.WHERE YOU ARE
Eg John 4 – Judea > Galilee...
Passing thru Samaria ...
Q: What were the disciples
thinking ?
Q: What was Jesus thinking ?
 A Samaritan woman coming
to the well ...
 Samaritans who
needed a Savior...

12. Living Availably...
1.WHERE YOU ARE
Quotes from this week’s Staff devotion
1&2 Thessalonians by David Pawson
‘God would rather have a
conscientious taxi-driver
than a careless missionary’
‘People who have been in the same office for
40years and wish they had been able to serve the
Lord have totally misunderstood the point’

13. Living Availably...
1.WHERE YOU ARE
God uses where
you are ...
to take you
where
you never could
have gone
"Divine service is
conducted here...
three times
daily."

14. Living Availably...
2. WHAT YOU HAVE
v3 He got into one of the
boats, the one
belonging to Simon,
and asked him to put
out a little from shore.
• Peter was there
• Peter’s boat was there

15. Living Availably...2. WHAT YOU HAVE
v3b Then he sat down
and taught the
people from the
boat.
• Peter was washing
& mending his
nets...
• He was listening...

16. Living Availably...
2. WHAT YOU HAVE
Ref Exo 4:2
God asking Moses –
"What is that in your
hand?”
 God used what
Moses had ...
 Moses staff became
God’s mighty instrument of deliverance ...

17. Living Availably...
2. WHAT YOU HAVE
Ref Luke 9:13 Jesus to his
disciples,
“You give them something to eat.”
Ref John 6:9 "Here is a boy with
five small barley loaves and two
small fish, but ...
 Jesus took what the boy had ...
 did a miracle ...
 with leftovers ...

18. Living Availably...
2. WHAT YOU HAVE
• Peter had a boat ....
Q: What Do You Have ?
• God is not asking for
what you do not have
• God ask for what you do
have here and now ...
‘God uses what you
have to fill a need
which you never could
have filled’
BOAT CAR
garden
HOUSEsmile
JOBtime
FINANCE
children
hobbies
cook
sew

19. Living Availably...
3. WHAT YOU CAN DO
v4 When he had finished speaking, he said to
Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down
the nets for a catch."

20. Living Availably
3. WHAT YOU CAN DO
v5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all
night and haven't caught anything.
BUT BECAUSE YOU SAY SO,
I will let down the nets."
• Things that Peter Can Do ..
 Put out ...
 Let down ...
 Peter Obeyed and ...

21. Living Availably
v6 When they had done so, they caught such a large
number of fish that their nets began to break.
v7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat
to come and help them, and they came and filled
both boats so full that they began to sink.

22. Living Availably...v8 When Simon Peter saw
this, he fell at Jesus'
knees and said, "Go
away from me, Lord; I
am a sinful man!"
v9 For he and all his
companions were
astonished at the catch
of fish they had taken,
v10 and so were James
and John, the sons of
Zebedee, Simon's
partners.

23. 3. WHAT YOU CAN DO
Peter did what he can do and ...
Ref John 9:7 a man born blind
“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”
Q: Was it something he can do?
 YES
 so the man went
 and washed,
 and came home seeing.
Living Availably...

24. Ref Luke 17:14 Ten Lepers
"Go, show yourselves to the
priests."
 and AS THEY WENT ...
THEY WERE CLEANSED.
 only one came back ...
Living Availably : 3. WHAT YOU CAN DO

25. Ref 2 Kings 5 Naaman
V10 "Go, wash yourself seven
times in the Jordan, and your
flesh will be restored and you
will be cleansed."
 initially refused ...
 buthen obeyed ...
 was cleansed ...
Living Availably : 3. WHAT YOU CAN DO

26. Living Availably : 3. WHAT YOU CAN DO
•God do not ask of you what
you cannot do ...
•God ask WHAT YOU CAN DO...
Q: What is it that you can do ?
Q: What has the Lord has asked
you to do ?
God uses what you can do
to accomplish what
you never could have done.
GO ... Sent...
LOVE...
abide...
FORGIVE...
come...
Be STILL...
No condemnation

27. Living Availably
v10b Then Jesus said to
Simon, "Don't be
afraid; from now on
you will catch men."
v11 So they pulled their
boats up on shore,
left everything and
followed him.

28.  ‘fishers of men’
 ‘friend’ – John 15:14
 ‘children of God’ – John 1:12
 ‘heirs of the Kingdom’ –
Rom 8:17
 ‘ambassadors’ – 2 Cor 5:20
 ‘forgiven’- Col 2:13
 ‘chosen’ – 1 Peter 2:4
 ‘accepted’ – Eph 1:6
Living Availably...
4. WHO YOU ARE (in Christ)

29. Living Availably...
4. WHO YOU ARE
God uses who you
are to let you
become who you
never could have
been.

30. Living Availably...
God uses ...
1.where you are
2.what you have
3.what you can do
4.who you are
 not where you would
like to be...
 not what you do not
have...
 not what you cannot
do...
 not what others may
say or think of you...

31. CONCLUSION : It's never about your ability,
Moses- “slow of speech”
Joseph - ‘daddy’s boy’
Rahab - a prostitute
David - a shepherd boy
Nehemiah - a cup-bearer
Amos - a ‘gardener’
Joseph – a carpenter
Mary – a home-maker
Peter – a fisherman
It's all about your availability.
God uses real
people
with real lives
and real
problems
to make a real
difference
in His Kingdom

32. Application: Living Availably
a. Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for
the Lord, then, I urge you to live
a life worthy of ...
a. yourself & your reputation
b. the calling you have received...
c. your social & economic status
...
d. your position in church &
society...
e. your abilities and gifts ...

33. Eph 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord,
then, I urge you to live a life
worthy of the calling you have
received”
• All of us have a ‘CALLING’...
– a ‘Job’...
– a ‘Ministry’ ...
– a ‘Vocation’ ...
Q: Is it from God ?
Q: What’s God’s calling upon
your life ?
Q: Are you ‘availabling’ yourself
to fulfill His call ?
MISSIONARY
EVANGELIST
PASTOR
Teachers
LawyersEngineers
Accountants
driver
Banker
clerks
housewife
farmer carpenter
salesman
cobbler

34. b. 1 Peter 4:10
“Each of us should use
whatever gift he’s received to...
a.study, work hard and enjoy
life ...
b.make a lot of money ...
c.be famous and well liked ...
d.attend church and serve
when its convenient ...
e.serve others ...
... faithfully administering
God's grace in its various
forms.
Living Availably

35. “Everybody can be
great...because anybody
can serve. You don't
have to have a degree,
title or position to
serve...
You only need a heart
full of grace, a soul
generated by love.”
Matt 20
v26 “... whoever wants to
become great among you
must be your servant,”
v28 “just as the Son of
Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and
to give his life as a
ransom for many."
Dr Martin Luther King

36. c. Rom 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in
view of God's mercy, to offer your ...
a. children as sacrifices ...
b. tithes & offerings sacrificially &
cheerfully
c. bodies as living sacrifices...
d. talents & gifts to the church...
e. possessions willingly ...
holy and pleasing to God — this is
your spiritual act of worship.

37. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to
God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
• a Call
• a Call to Serve
• a Call to Sacrifice
God’s Call, Our Service, Our Sacrifice
Q: Are You Available ?
Q: Are You in Alignment

39. Q: Who was the singer of those two songs ?
A: Elvis Presley
Q: What award is this ?
A: Grammy Awards
Elvis songs sold about 250 million albums.
Q: How many Grammy Awards did Elvis win ?
A: THREE – all for Gospel Recordings
1967 album, "How Great Thou Art;"
1972 album, "He Touched Me” and
1974 live recording, "How Great Thou Art."

40. Living Availably...
God uses ...
1.where you are
2.what you have
3.what you can do
4.who you are
 to take you where you
never could have gone
 to fill a need which you
never could have filled
 to accomplish what you
never could have done
 to let you become
who you never could
have been

41. Isa 64:8-9
8 Yet, O Lord , you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord ;
do not remember our sins forever.
Oh, look upon us, we pray,
for we are all your people.