What is your potential?

Sermon Topic Sunday 7/7/13 Elder Dennis Trudgen
What Is Your Potential?
What can you achieve? What are your goals?
(Dennis showed pictures of The White House, a large mansion, CEO Magazine, and a child with a crown)
Alma 5:31-34 … Alma, coming off somewhat of a disappointment in Zarahemla, where he had to restore order to the church … now in Gideon. He sees that the people there are in the path of righteousness. How would the ministry of the Church of Christ think about the Bradley Local? Actually, we seem to be doing pretty well …
Alma 5:24-28 … ye must repent and be born again, baptized unto repentance … so there were those in Gideon that had not made that commitment yet. Likewise today….
Alma 5: 36-43 … The Lord does NOT dwell in unholy temples, and NO unclean thing will enter His Kingdom. Faith, hope, and charity will produce good works. Sermons are part of that process … we all fall away at times, we are NOT perfect … preaching is part of that edifying (building up) process.
What are we doing right?
A Fellowship … getting along with each other
B Most of the members are coming regularly or tuning in on the internet
C There was a baptism last July, an ordination recently, a transfer, and people tuning in from Texas to Alaska
D The children are being raised in the Church and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord
Dennis showed pictures from years ago, of Bradley Local members and other members … we are here because of those members from years ago
Proverbs 22:6 … train up a child.
E We work out our differences in love
F We have put away gross sin from among us
G We are a very active church … great participation, many members working in all areas of the church
Matthew 25:14-30 … the parable of the talents. The talent mentioned in this passage is a weight unit … in verse 18, the word “money” is Strong’s G694, argurion (silver). In our time, we think of talent in terms of the gifts God has given us in the form of abilities … this is our spiritual treasure. The fellow that got 5 talents of silver used and increased them; the fellow that got 1 turned out to be lazy, and squandered what he was given.
Nobility … is it an evil?
Proverbs 8:16 … By HIM, princes and judges rule. Would God set up something evil? He is King … is He evil? … no! It is not wrong to want to achieve great things … just remember that “By Me” in the verse.
John 4:46,50, 53 … the nobleman of Capernaum … he believed the Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:26 … not many mighty, not many noble, are called … the calling is to SALVATION.
Alma 15:18 …none receive, save the truly penitent and humble seeker of joy
Power … is it wrong/evil to have power?
2 Timothy 4:8 … God is the Righteous Judge
Isaiah 1:26 … God will restore Israel’s judges
Alma 19:78 … Alma’s command to his son Corianton to judge righteously
It is not wrong to be a judge.
Mosiah 13:64 … Alma (Jr.) judged righteous judgements … a bad king will judge otherwise (King Noah [Mosiah 7], e.g.)
Revelation 5:10 … the song of the 24 elders … we have been made kings and priests and kings unto God, and shall reign on the earth.
Righteous kings … David, Solomon, Benjamin, Mosiah, Hezekiah
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
2 Kings 18:1-9, 20:12-13 … Hezekiah was arguably the best king Judah had … and yet he fell to pride. God told him he was to come home, and Hezekiah begged to stay … God granted his petition, though He knew what would result … Hezekiah sired Judah’s worst king ever (Manasseh), and then in his pride showed the Babylonian entourage all of his wealth.
Riches
Helaman 2:139 … the Lord had blessed the Nephites with the riches of the world, and they fell to pride and lust for gain. God would not give us something inherently evil … but we set our hearts on riches, which is evil (1 Timothy 6:10 msl)
Matthew 6:19-34 … we set our hearts on treasure, instead of on Him. “Take no thought…” is commanded directly 3 times, and indirectly (“why take ye thought?” … “which of you by taking thought…?” 2 times.
Does this mean that we stop working? No! … those who will not work, should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10) … but we are not to make THINGS our sole aim in life. We are to lay up our treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:20).
Jacob 2:23-24 … Before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) … THEN ye shall obtain riches … but we must seek them with the intent to do good to others.
How do we lay up treasures in Heaven? … by being a follower, laboring here, using our talents.
Are your treasures the things given from God, such as spiritual gifts, blessings, callings?
Colossians 2:2-3, Romans 11:33 … treasures of wisdom and knowledge … how do we come by these treasures from Heaven? By hope and desire:
1 Corinthians 12:31 … covet the best gifts.
1 Corinthians 14: 1 … desire spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 14:39 … covet to prophesy.
By our desires and prayers comes wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. By thanksgiving comes knowledge and revelation.
Jarom 8-9 … those who are not stiff-necked, have faith … these have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest.
By belief comes revelation and the ministry of angels
Omni 44 … believe.
By desire, faith, and prayers comes a multitude of gifts
Alma 7:29-31
By searching diligently, and much prayer and fasting, comes revelation, prophecy, and the power to teach
Alma 12:4-7 (and don’t forget those Bereans, Acts 17:11 msl)
By repentance and good works (faithfulness), and praying continually, come the mysteries of God and revelations for the purpose of bringing others to Christ
Alma 14:103-104 … for the purpose of bringing souls to repentance, and edifying (building up) the body
These gifts are given by our desire, repentance, prayers, fasting, good works, faith, faithfulness (a choice, we are not robots!), and to those who search the Scriptures.
Are our goals/desires spiritual or earthy? Are you on the path that leads to the Kindom of God, or a crooked path? Did God lead us to follow the path, or to the TV? To inappropriate entertainment? Do you think God would lead you to that??
Elder Adam Porter, in closing, asked us if that is the last sermon we should ever hear? Of course not! …we need that edifying (building up) every week!