Sermon and Announcements July 30

 Announcements:

Tuesdays 9:30 Bible Study

Sunday School 9:00

July 31-Aug 4 6:00 – 8:30 pm VBS at Methodist Church

Aug 5 2:00-4:00 pm, Born Park, CUIC ice cream social

Our Upper Room subscription was inadvertently canceled.

Please tell Nancy Born Martin if you would like to receive it

again. We will resume the subscription if enough want this

devotional. The Daily Bread devotional is in the back of the sanctuary.

Needed: Children’s message volunteers. Sign up in back.

Donation Box: AC bills

First Sundays: food donations for food banks

Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362

Keep in Your Prayers

Pam and Tom; Carolyn Fansler; Iva Traughber Brunner; Nora

Hanaver; Todd Henricks; Jonah Martina; Jan Bower; Larry

Traxler; Michelle West; Michelle’s mom; Carolyn Hirsch; Eli

Brunner; Nancy Fansler; Joe Waltz; Doug Larrick; Ron &

Kathleen Petersen; Debbie Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Tina

Wilhelm; Mindy Sawyer; Carl and Wilma Cable; Mike and Carol

Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Kim Lehmann; Doug Fansler;

Shawn Cain; Robert Cripe; Mayo & Darlene Hanaver; Patty

Cripe; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; many unspoken requests;

healthcare workers and first responders; victims of disasters;

victims of shootings; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian

Brethren; Ukraine

Military and Other Services and their families

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Champaign congregation.

Sermon:

CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

July 30, 2023

No Excuses!

Jude 17-25

We are going to take a look at what God expects of His

people this morning. This can take at least a couple of

different turns. I shared with you a few of the issues the

church and society are dealing with at this time a couple

weeks ago. We could expand that in more detail and in

many other directions but we are not going to do that

today.

As we begin today, I would like to share with you one of

the dominant themes God has established for His people

beginning in Genesis and going consistently all the way

through to the last verses of Revelation. It may not be

what you would immediately think. For one thing as we

have looked at the Ten Commandments as well as a

couple of the other rules or laws given to Moses found in

either Genesis or Leviticus, we see God establishing a

stand to live by for His people. Jesus made it clear what

should motivate us to do our best to obey those laws.

Love. In fact, as we look at the laws given to mankind

through Moses by God when Jesus was asked what is the

greatest commandment this was his answer. We see this

answer:

Matthew 22:36-40 NIV

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first

and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love

your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang

on these two commandments.”

So, one can truly and accurately say love is the most

dominant theme in scripture. However, this is not the only

dominant theme God gave us throughout His word. There

is one more. Personal responsibility, no excuses. In the

beginning after God created man and woman, what

happened? There were lots of trees in the Garden of

Eden. They could eat from every tree or of any plant they

wanted except one. God commanded that they do not eat

from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And what

happened? Eve allowed herself to be deceived by Satan

and at of that tree. She hadn’t anymore than finished

eating when Adam came along and she convinced him to

eat as well. When it became apparent to God what they

had done, what did they do? Eve made excuses, “Well the

serpent tricked me!” and what did Adam do, “Well the

woman you gave me talked me into eating of the tree!” In

both cases, “It is not my fault” was their excuse.

The next major event in scripture happened with Cain and

Abel. One offered the best he had to God; the other did

not. When God questioned Cain about his mediocre

sacrifice, how did Cain react? He refused to recognize his

error and drew Abel out to a field and killed him. When

God asked Cain where his brother was, he said he did not

know. Again, refusing to take responsibility for his own

actions.

From that point on God’s relationship with His people

would go back and forth as people would sometimes

admit to their sins and at other times try to pretend, they

were doing nothing wrong and make excuses.

In the New Testament Paul went as far as to say this.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 NIV

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The

one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

In verses 6-9 Paul goes into detail about what lead him to

share that warning. Once again, no excuses. It is up to

you to do the right thing in the eyes of God and as an

example to others around you. With all this being said,

what does the Lord expect of the church today? Are we to

honor and value the commandments God gave to Moses

all these thousands of years ago still today? Did Moses

make them up because those are what he thought were

the right way to honor God? Did they apply to God’s

people thousands of years ago, but it is a different world

today? We know so much more than they did back then,

after all.

In biblical times it was often thought that every bad thing

that happened to a believer happened because they or

their parent or family or village committed sin. Jesus

dismissed this belief to a degree when he was asked

about a man who was born blind. In John Chapter 9 we

see this situation. Jesus’ answer was this.

John 9:3 (NIV)

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this

happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

I cite this example because in reality the majority of

things that happen to us in life is a direct result of the

choices we make but not every one of them. When we see

bad things happening in our lives more times than not,

we can look at a choice we made that brought it on. One

pastor once said this very simple statement, “Choose to

sin, choose to suffer.” Yes, it is true. Some things happen

we just do not understand and may never understand in

this life. However, let’s get back to the title of today’s

message, No Excuses.

If we believe God gave Moses those very detailed rules or

laws, why did He do it? There are a couple of reasons but

the main one was because God created us and know

what is best for us. If we were capable of obeying all of

them, we would live an incredibly happy, healthy life. But

because sin entered the world with Adam and Eve, it is

simply impossible to obey them all. Satan is alive and

well and still tricking and deceiving even the godliest men

and women. That is why our salvation, our victory is in

what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

I had hoped to wrap up our look at the church and society

and what we as God’s people are to do in this modern

world today, but I apologize, it is going to take one more

Sunday. We are going to stop here this morning and look

next Sunday at what it all means to you me and God’s

church in today’s world. Can we live a “no excuses life”?

When we look at God’s word and how we are to apply it to

our lives, what does that really mean? I pray the Holy

Spirit will give us those answers as we seek to serve God

and be His arms, feet, hands, ears, voice and heart to a

world he wants to have fellowship with.

Pastor Larry

Sermon and Announcements for July 9

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

July 9, 2023

What About Us?

Colossians 3:1-10

We began a couple of week ago looking at Jude’s

concern for the churches. Jude saw there were those

trying to distort, dilute and in some way, do away with the

message Jesus and the apostles had given them.

Last week we took a look at the 10 Commandments that

had been given to Moses. We saw that Jesus had seemed

to state the 10 Commandments should still be viewed as

an important guide for all of God’s people. Jude seemed

to say the same thing. As we wrapped things up last

week, I felt the Lord asking you and me whether we

believe these commandments as well as the other laws

still apply in the churches and in our lives today.

Today we read what was said to the Colossians by Paul

about sin and the victory we have in Jesus. In verse 5

Paul says we should, “Put to death whatever belongs to

your earthly nature.” As we read that list most of most, if

not all of us probably thought this one isn’t a problem

and this one is no problem and so on. Were there any that

made you say, “Well I don’t see what the big deal about

that is?”

As we look at the list Paul was inspired to warn the

Colossians about, I noticed that virtually everyone of

them could be tied to the last 6 of the 10 commandments,

which also means that they also have to do with all of the

10 Commandments when you get down to it. In verse 10

we are reminded that if we have truly received Jesus

Christ as our Savior we should be growing in the love and

knowledge of God. Jude in his concern was talking to all

the churches here, on this occasion Paul is just talking to

the Colossians. In both cases the concern is not about

unbelievers, it is for those who are believers.

As we look at all we have read the past couple of weeks,

what does it mean to the church today? We could go

back to Exodus and Leviticus and read more detailed

laws or rules for living God gave to Moses to pass on to

the people. These laws, though they were given

thousands of years ago, address many of the issues the

church and the world face today. So, should we be

concerned about any of these “laws”, these rules for

living today?

After all, in Romans, Chapter 5, verse 21 and 22 we read,

“The Law was added so that the trespass might increase.

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so

that just as sin reigned in death so also grace might reign

thru righteousness to bring eternal life thru Jesus Christ

our Lord.”

As we see the concern by Paul, by Jude and the fact that

during Jesus’ ministry he believed the Law still had

meaning, what does any of this mean for us today? Do we

believe the 10 Commandments are exactly what they have

been called? Or do we view them as the

10 suggestions? Or the 10 thoughts to consider. Does

God still want the church today to use these 10 as an

essential guide to the heart of God? It is not easy or fun

to talk about sin for any of us. If we believe the Bible is

still the book that leads the church and all to believe to

salvation. We are forced to face the fact stated in

Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short of the

glory of God.”

For very personal reasons some sins highlighted in

scripture are more difficult for us to deal with and

acknowledge than others. We are going to spend one

more Sunday on the subject. I pray the Holy Spirit will

direct our look at this most difficult subject. What does

God expect of you and me, His church today? Do these

laws matter still today or in an ever-changing world have

they become outdated?

Next week we will look at some of the specific social

issues facing this nation and the church today. I pray the

Lord, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, will help us

understand just what it means to be a follower of Christ

and a child of God today. It does not matter what I say or I

think. It doesn’t matter what you think about these things.

What matters is what God expects of us and what he

thinks should be guiding us. I am looking forward to what

the Lord is going to do through you and me right here in

Cerro Gord. May we each come next week with open

hearts and open minds to see what the Lord has in store

for us.

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Tuesdays 9:30 Bible Study

Sunday School 9:00

July 26 Full Board—6:15 executive committee; 7:00

commissions; 7:30 board

July 28, 29 Town rummage sales

July 31-Aug 4 VBS at Methodist Church

Aug 5 CUIC ice cream social

Needed: Children’s message volunteers. Sign up in back.

Madalyn Metzger, who grew up in the Springfield church, was

consecrated as the 2024 Moderator of Annual Conference.

BVS is celebrating 75 years. A new book is out to

commemorate this outstanding organization.

Donation Box: AC bills

First Sundays: food donations for food banks

Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362

Keep in Your Prayers

Kenny Blair family; family of Valeria Martin; Pam and Tom; Carolyn Fansler; Iva Traughber Brunner; Nora Hanaver; 

Todd Henricks; Jonah Martina; Jan Bower; Larry Traxler; Michelle

West; Michelle’s mom; Carolyn Hirsch; Eli Brunner; Nancy

Fansler; Joe Waltz; Doug Larrick; Ron & Kathleen Petersen;

Debbie Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Tina Wilhelm; Mindy Sawyer;

Carl and Wilma Cable; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline

Young; Kim Lehmann; Doug Fansler; Shawn Cain; Robert

Cripe; Mayo & Darlene Hanaver; Patty Cripe; Stacie Warren;

Nancy Gorrell; many unspoken requests; healthcare workers

and first responders; victims of disasters; victims of shootings;

shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine

Military and Other Services and their families

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for Camp Emmaus as it also

celebrates its 75 th year and all the campers and workers.

July 2 Sermon and Announcements

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

July 2, 2023

Back to the Basics

Do these still apply?

Exodus 20:1-17

This morning I am going to refer back to some of what we

read last week in Jude. In the 3 rd verse of Jude we read

how he had planned on sending a letter to the church

about their shared salvation. Kind of a letter to pump

them up and help them to keep moving forward. However,

just like John, Jude became away that there were people

distorting the word of God and Jesus’ message about

righteousness and how to achieve true salvation. So Jude

changed his letter to bring the churches back to the

basics.

I would like to read again from the commentary to show

what is meant in verse 3 of de as he explains the

importance of this letter. Jude explains the important

relationship between correct doctrine and true faith.

Loving God means obeying Jesus. The truth of the Bible

must not be compromised because it gives us the real

facts about Jesus and salvation. The Bible is inspired by

God and should never be twisted or manipulated. When it

is we can become confused over right and wrong and

lose sight of the only path that leads to eternal life. Before

writing about salvation then, Jude felt he had to set his

readers on the right track, calling them back to the basics

of their faith. Then the way to salvation would be clearer.

The 4 th verse of Jude explains exactly what is happening

in the churches. It says, continuing from verse 3, “I say

this because some ungodly people have wormed their

way into your churches, saying God’s marvelous grace

allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of

such people have denied our only master and Lord,

Jesus Christ." What brought such concern to Jude was

false teachers were teaching that Christians could do

whatever they liked without fear of God’s punishment.

In chapter 6 of Romans Paul voiced the same concerns.

He went as far as to say in the final verse of chapter 6,

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal

life in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Before we go over and look

again at the 10 commandments I would like to share with

you about what Jesus said about the laws and how

important he felt they were.

In Matthew 5, verse 17 and 18 Jesus says this, “Do not

think that I have come to abolish the law and the

prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill

them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth

disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of

the pen, will by any means disappear from the law until

everything is accomplished.”

So, we see not only what Jude was saying about what

Jesus taught and about God’s word, we see Jesus went

as far as to say that until heaven and earth disappear not

the least of what is written will disappear. The law has

always been considered to be contained in the first five

books of the Bible (the Old Testament). So when Jesus

was talking about the law he meant all the things

discussed in the history of those five books, which are

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Numbers.

So, with that setting the stage, let us take another look at

what we call The Ten Commandments. Basically, the first

4 commandments have to do with what God sees as our

relationship, honor and respect for him. The last 6 have to

do with our relationship with one another. All ten taken

together will show how much we love and respect the

Lord, not just by how we treat the first 4 commandments,

but also how we treated the people God has put in our

lives.

The first 2 commandments are closely tied together. The

1 st simply states, “You shall have no gods before me.”

There is a very simple message to this commandment.

God knows he is the only true God and there is no point

in believing there is any other God to honor. The 2 nd

commandment warns that in spite of what I just told you

in the first commandment some of you may still be

tempted to make other gods to worship.

At the time Moses was given these laws by God they had

just come out of Egypt. Egypt had many gods including

the Pharoah who himself thought of himself as a god.

God didn’t want his people confused by what they had

lived in and seen for their whole lives in Egypt. Once

again God felt it necessary to bring his people back to the

basics, especially since they would soon be ruling

themselves in the new land God was leading them to.

In the 2 nd commandment God warns about making idols

from things the true creator of all things had created. God

also then warns that he is a jealous God punishing those

who ignore this commandment to the 3 rd and 4 th

generation but blessing those who keep this

commandment to a thousand generations. The 3 rd

commandment being about misusing the name of God.

The King James version warns of taking the Lord’s name

in vain. We should only use God’s name in ways to glorify

him, never carelessly or in ways that do not show respect

to God.

The 4 th commandment talks of respect for the Sabbath. At

this time, it meant Saturday, the last day of the week. The

way to remember the Sabbath as God wants us to is to

have a day of rest and reflection on God’s goodness and

mercy. This was to apply to everyone in one’s household,

including servants.

Once again, these first 4 commandments have to do with

how we relate directly with God. The next 6 have to do

with our relationship with our fellow man or with one

another. The 5 th commandment has to do with our

relationship with our parents; it is also a commandment

with a promise. “Honor your father and mother and I,

God, will grant you a long life in the land I am about to

give you.” The 6th commandment, “Do not commit

murder." Pretty simple and straightforward. What is meant

by murder is an intentional, unjustified taking of another

person’s life. The 7 th commandment has to do with

marriage between a man and a woman. God expects men

and women to be faithful to one another. The 8 th

commandment, “Do not steal.” Once again pretty simple.

God never believes stealing cannot be justified for any

reason. The 9 th commandment, “Do not give false

testimony.” This may have meant in a court type setting,

but basically God is saying it is never good to lie. The 10 th

and final commandment is, “Thou shall not covet.” God

then explains several examples of what he means. God

knows if people are more worried and obsessed with

what others have than being content with what you do

have you will never be happy. And it could lead you to do

things that will cause you to sin against your fellow man

and that is sinning against God.

So, do these apply to us today? Were these given only to

God’s people so they would get on the right track after

leaving Egypt. Over 1,000 years after God gave these to

Moses Jesus stated they were still in effect. After Jesus

ascending back to the Father, John and Jude were

warning the people what Jesus said about God’s word

was still important to apply to your life.

Here we are 2000 years after John and Jude wrote to the

churches, does their warnings still apply to the church

today? These 10 commandments are an overview of what

God gave Moves later in Exodus and in the book of

Leviticus in much more detail. The warnings John and

Jude gave were to the churches, not to unbelievers. They

knew before the church can make a difference n

unbelievers’ lives the church need to honor and respect

God and His word.

Does the church believe the 10 commandments and all

the laws given to Moses by God have purpose and

meaning today? What do you and I believe?

Annual Conference begins Tuesday. What does our

denomination believe about these laws and Jesus’ words

about these laws? Is Satan and this world shaping what

we believe as a church or is the word of God?

Next week we will get into the details a bit more before we

try to come up with that answer.

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

NO Bible Study this week

Sunday School 9:00

July 4-8 Annual Conference in Cincinnati

July 26 Full Board (note date change)

July 31-Aug 4 VBS at Methodist Church

Offering plates are in the back of the sanctuary. Thank you for

your continued giving!

Donation Box: AC bills

First Sundays: food donations for food banks

Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362

Keep in Your Prayers

Carolyn Fansler; Iva Traughber Brunner; Nora Hanaver; Todd

Henricks; Jonah Martina; Jan Bower; Larry Traxler; Michelle

West; Michelle’s mom; Carolyn Hirsch; Eli Brunner; Nancy

Fansler; Joe Waltz; Doug Larrick; Ron & Kathleen Petersen;

Debbie Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Tina Wilhelm; Mindy Sawyer;

Carl and Wilma Cable; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline

Young; Kim Lehmann; Doug Fansler; Shawn Cain; Robert

Cripe; Mayo & Darlene Hanaver; Patty Cripe; Stacie Warren;

Nancy Gorrell; many unspoken requests; healthcare workers

and first responders; victims of disasters; victims of shootings;

shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine

Military and Other Services and their families

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for Annual Conference and the

work of delegates, officers, and Standing Committee. Also pray

for safe traveling for all who attend.