Pastor Doug Wright

by Pastor Doug Wright

 

Thank you Work Day Volunteers! - 02.21.11

Dear Workday Volunteers,

Thank you so much for a successful day this past Saturday. The church grounds look great, and inside the building looks wonderful too! Thanks to all of you for a job well done. I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice several hours of your Saturday to take care of the Lord's house. And thanks to you guys who worked on the Coffee Shop. It's coming along nicely. We'll be ready for good cup of joe soon!

Serving together with you!

Pastor Doug

 

"Not my Master" - 8.15.10

Listen to the full sermon online.

         At the University of Oklahoma, for many years a project was underway to teach a chimpanzee named Washoe to talk by combining sign language with simple recognition.  Over the years the chimp learned 140 signs.  Finally the project directors decided it was time for Washoe to “conceptualize” meaning that instead of imitating human words, she would express thoughts on her own.  Now understand that Washoe was a pampered animal in the University’s laboratory.  She was well fed, physically comfortable, and safe from harm.  And yet, when she was able to put words together to make a phrase of her own, the first three words she communicated – which she used repeatedly – were, “Let me out!”

         There’s something within God’s creation that cries out to be free.  And human beings are no different.  We’ve been designed by God to live and walk in freedom.  But the only way for that to happen is for us to submit to the right Master.  Everyone is mastered by something, but the only worthy Master is the Lord Jesus Christ.  That’s why the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians “I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Cor 6:12 NIV).  He had made a choice not to be mastered by anything except the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
In this passage, Paul quoted a popular expression that was common in Corinth at the time.  “Everything is permissible for me.”  Whenever the Corinthians said that, they meant it was all right for them to indulge in whatever they wanted, because Jesus had saved their spirit.  They believed that it didn’t matter what their body did, because their spirit was the part of them that would be saved.  They used this expression to justify sexual immorality, drunkenness, and overeating.  But the Apostle wanted them to see the folly of thinking this way.  Accepting this popular belief was nothing more than listening to the voice of their flesh.  And listening to the flesh would lead them down a pathway to disaster.  Paul wanted them to hear what the Holy Spirit was saying instead.  He was telling them that their choices did matter.  That everything was not all right for them to participate in, because everything is not beneficial or good.  And besides that, some things could even master them.

It’s interesting to note that we can be mastered by almost anything.  Certainly when we give ourselves to sinful behaviors we find ourselves enslaved to those sins.  But we can also be mastered by good things taken to an extreme.  That’s why the Scriptures teach temperance – avoiding all that is evil and being moderate in our use of all that is good.  We must not allow anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ to become our master.  That’s where our will gets involved.  Paul said, “I will not be mastered by anything.”  We must exercise our Holy Spirit empowered will in making the choice not to allow anything to master us.  We must not allow for the excuses of the flesh.  We must refuse to tolerate a lifestyle of bondage.  We must make up our mind to not be mastered by anything except the Lord Jesus Christ.  You can say from your heart, “By the power of Jesus living in me, I will no longer be mastered by _______________, but I will be mastered by the Lord Jesus Christ.”  This decision will be a step in the right direction, beginning a walk of liberty and freedom offered by the Lord Jesus Christ.  But this decision must be walked out daily, and if you find that you need further support and encouragement, please contact us at 601-853-LIFE.  We can direct you to some helpful resources.