Come to the Woods!

Put the LIGHT on it!

2011-11-04T11:58:00.004-05:00

This morning, I was hanging out w/ some of my accountability guys. We met before sunrise at an outdoor pavilion behind our church, sitting around a fire, enjoying Christian fellowship & brotherhood - "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Prov. 27:17). It was a great time, a great setting, sharing about our great Savior.

Our conversation turned to the struggles that all of us have with temptation & sin in whatever form that may be most prevalent in our lives.
- How do we deal with this?
- How do we experience an increasing measure of victory in our lives?
- How can we sin less (even though we know we'll never be sinless)?
At the exact time that we were having this discussion, the sun popped over the top of our church building behind us. And at that moment, the Spirit said to me, "THAT'S how you deal with sin. You get it out of the darkness of secrecy & shine the LIGHT on it."

Look at what the Old Testament prophet Isaiah said: "What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their evil deeds in the dark! 'The LORD can't see us,' they say. 'He doesn't know what's going on!'" (Isa. 29:15 NLT)

Look at what Jesus said: "This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is" (John 3:19-21 MSG).

Darkness = sorrow & crisis.

Light = joy & peace.

Darkness = evil.

Light = good.

Darkness = Satan.

Light = Jesus.

Looks to me like the choice is pretty clear.

~Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

"EXPECT OPPOSITION" - Sermon notes from 10/23/11

2011-10-23T15:12:00.003-05:00

“EXPECT OPPOSITION” Neh. 4

INTRO – Whenever God’s work is moving forward, there will be opposition. As we strive to rebuild the walls around our families, there will be opposition. Read a story about a government surveyor who brought his equipment to a farm, called on the farmer, and asked permission to go into one of the fields and take some readings. The farmer objected, fearing that the survey would ultimately result in some highway being built through his land. "I will not give you permission to go into my fields," said the farmer. The surveyor reached into his briefcase & produced an official government document that authorized him to do the survey. "I have the AUTHORITY," he declared, "to enter any field in the entire country to take the necessary readings.” The farmer shrugged, opened the gate, and allowed the surveyor to enter the field. The farmer then promptly marched to the far end of the field, and opened another gate-- which allowed his meanest bull to charge forward into the field! Seeing the bull, the surveyor dropped his equipment and began to run for his life. He could hear the farmer triumphantly shouting after him, "SHOW HIM YOUR PAPERS! SHOW HIM YOUR PAPERS!" (http://www.e-steeple.com/browse-by-topic/O/Opposition.html)

There will be plenty of times in this world when the “bulls” of opposition are going to charge after us, especially when we are striving to move forward in God’s work of rebuilding the walls around our families that are under fire. Satan will continue to charge at us again & again in every way possible. He started in the Garden of Eden w/ Adam & Eve, continued all throughout Biblical history, even tempting Jesus Himself. And his attacks are intensifying as we move closer to the end of time. In her book, Praying God’s Word, Beth Moore says this about Satan: “I believe the answer is the timing of our generation on God’s k’dom calendar. The Word of God clearly teaches us that satanic activity & influence will increase dramatically as the day of Christ’s return draws nearer. Rev. 12:2 says of Satan, ‘He is filled w/ fury, b/c he knows his time is short.’ This Scripture appears in context concerning believers & their war w/ the enemy who is called ‘the accuser of our brothers.’ In others words, Scripture intimates that much of Satan’s fury will directed specifically toward Christians as the clock ticks closer toward Christ’s return. Please understand that Satan knows the Word better than we do. He knows the signs of Christ’s return. He knows every detail characterizing the last generations. He sees the present evidence of 2 Tim. 3:1-5 in our generation w/ clearer vision than we do. Satan is in a time bind; therefore, like the heat of Nebuchadnezzar’s blazing furnace, he’s turning up the heat on every modern-day Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego. As Louis Giglio…says, ‘We’re dead center in the crosshairs of Satan’s weapons.’ So, do we run scared? God forbid! We put on the full armor of God, take our stand, & fight the good fight. Satan’s already been defeated. Most of the power he wields is from pure deception & bluffing. Greater is He who is in us! But we’ve got to learn how to live like the overcomers we are.” (p. 15)

I know that’s a long quote, but I want us to understand why we are dealing w/ so much opposition in these days in which we are living. Satan has been opposing God’s people for a long time, & we need to know how to deal w/ his opposition. And while we know that the Bible tells us in Eph. 6:12 that “our struggle is not against flesh & blood,” we have to have the wisdom to know how to deal with those people who come against us, being used as pawns in Satan’s game plan against us.

Let’s remember that we are God’s people, endowed w/ His power & His authority, blessed w/ His blessings, filled w/ His Spirit, equipped w/ His armor & weapons, & able to stand strong in His strength against any & all opposition that Satan throws against us! As our memory verse for this past week states: Ps. 27:1 – “The Lord is my light & my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

How to handle opposition when it comes:

PRAY – v. 4-5, 9 – There’s that word again! We’ve mentioned it & emphasized it in every message we’ve preached so far in this series of sermons. Must be something to it! Every time Neh & God’s people got to a crisis point, we see them immediately coming to God in prayer. And when the opposition went to a new level as we see here in this chapter, the people went to God in prayer.

Sanballat had already let it be known that he was against this rebuilding project. Back in 2:10, we find the 1st mention of this guy; then again in 2:19; & now here in ch. 4. It’s interesting that Sanballat’s name literally means, “Sin has vivified” or “Sin has been given life.”

And when this sin-living, sin-loving enemy & his crony, Tobiah, come against Neh w/ their taunts & ridicule, Neh doesn’t respond like most of would, or at least, would want to. Most of us would want to introduce Sanballat’s nose to his left ear – in Christian love, of course!

But Neh didn’t retaliate back or get down on their level. Instead, he simply went to God in prayer. Didn’t respond back in the flesh. His response sounds a lot like what Peter said about Jesus in 1 Pet. 2:23: “When they hurled insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats.”

As more & more opposition comes against us & against our families, there is more & more need for us to run to God in prayer. Notice that Neh’s prayer in v. 4-5 basically turns his enemies over to God for God to deal with them. And when you & I face opposition from our enemies, we need to do the same thing.
- Do you have a prayer/accountability partner in your life?
- Do you have some “prayer warriors” whom you know can & will immediately lift you up in prayer when you call upon them?
- Are you consistently building & deepening your own personal prayer life through a daily quiet time?
- Are you involved in the corporate prayer life of your church?

PERSEVERE – v. 6 – After they prayed, the people got back to work. What an awesome display of faith! They didn’t let the opposition disrupt them from doing the work that God had called them to do. They knew it was too important. AND they knew that God had heard their prayer & would work on their behalf against the opposition. So they stayed after it, continuing their work, & making progress as they worked w/ all their heart.

In our day, the opposition to the truths of God’s Word is growing at an unbelievable pace. The attacks against families w/in the Body of Christ are more intense than ever. If there has ever been a time when we as the people of God needed to be working w/ all our heart, it is now! We’ve got to persevere in the work that God has given us to do. Paul said it this way in Gal. 6:9 – “And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint” (AMP).

Author Irving Stone has spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing biographies of some of the most influential people in the world. When he was asked if he found a thread that runs through the lives of exceptional people, he said, “I write about people who sometime in their life...have a vision or dream of something that should be accomplished...and they go to work. They are beaten over the head, knocked down, vilified and for years they get nowhere. But every time they're knocked down they stand up. You cannot destroy these people. And at the end of their lives they've accomplished some modest part of what they set out to do.” (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/perseverance.htm)
There are going to be plenty of times that we get knocked down & seem to be getting nowhere. But, we WILL stand back up & we WILL not be destroyed. We cannot & must not give up! The stakes are too high! The consequences are too grave! Families are under fire everywhere & we must persevere.
- …in prayer – 1 Thess. 5:17 – “Pray w/out ceasing”
- …in our corporate worship of God together w/ other believers – Heb. 10:25 – “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - & all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
- …in our witnessing – Col. 1:28-29 – “We proclaim HIM, admonishing & teaching everyone w/ all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling w/ all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.”
- …in our ministry to each other w/in the family of God – Gal. 6:10 – “…as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Keep going! Keep praying! Keep working! Keep rebuilding the walls!

PARTNER UP – v. 13ff – We’re in this thing together! If we’re going to be able to move forward in rebuilding the walls around our families, we need to partner up w/ those around us. I was talking w/ a church member just this past week who has had an extremely hard week. It was so reassuring to her to know that we, as the Body of Christ, were praying for her & her family, but also partnering up w/ her to walk through this tough chapter in her family’s life right now. That’s the beauty of the Body of Christ!

Notice that Neh brought the people together to make the plan, to assign jobs to certain people, & to encourage & remind them that they serve a “great & awesome” God! Sounds like what we do here as a church. That’s why it’s so important to stay connected to the Body!

And who were they fighting for? Their families – v. 14! If the enemy attacked, the priority would be the defense of the families. Forget about whatever else you are doing at the time & fight for your families!

What a word for us today! Brothers & sisters fighting for each other; parents fighting for their sons & daughters; husbands & wives fighting for each other – Such a huge need in our day & time when so much is coming against the family in every arena of society!

And notice one more thing – v. 19-20. There are times when an attack will happen & we will all need to come together & fight for someone.

"Get to Work" - Sermon notes from 10/16/11

2011-10-17T16:16:00.002-05:00

“GET TO WORK” Neh. 3INTRO – Nov. 19, 2000 – Dedication of new worship centerThis building didn’t just materialize out of nothing. Didn’t just pop up out of the ground. Didn’t float down out of the air & just land here on Siwell Road. Somebody came up with the idea that there needed to be a bigger place of worship for this church. Others started talking about it & praying about it. Many were in favor; there were probably some not in favor. There was a lot of planning, a lot of prayer, a lot of meetings, a lot of fundraising that all happened way in advance. And then somebody stuck a shovel in the ground & the work started. Now here we are worshiping the Lord Jesus in this place.In our study of the book of Neh, we are at that groundbreaking moment. We’ve seen Neh’s gut-wrenching reaction to the news that the walls around Jerusalem were still down. We’ve seen his brokenness & repentance. We’ve seen him go before the king to ask for permission to go to rebuild the walls. We’ve seen him go to Jerusalem & inspect the damage in the city. We’ve seen him respond to some of his opponents & critics. We’ve seen him lay all the groundwork for this major project of rebuilding the walls around the city. And now…it’s time to get to work.This morning, I’m going to take a little different track than what we’ve been on the last couple of weeks. There’s absolutely no doubt that families are under fire & it’s increasing. Just this past week, we’ve prayed with & are walking with families in our church family that are experiencing great struggles in many different areas. The struggles are not going away. The attacks are not stopping. The needs are not decreasing.B/c of this, there is a huge need for us together as a church family to make sure that we are steadfastly focused on God, on His Word, & on His promises of His provisions for us. That’s especially true for us right now during these difficult economic times. It seems that everyone is experiencing some sort of financial struggle, both individual finances, in their businesses, in churches, & in government on every level. The economic downturn that our nation started into back in late 2007 & early 2008. We all became accustomed to hearing news about bailouts, oil prices, home prices, banks failing, job layoffs, difficulty in borrowing money, & stimulus money. And the financial woes & struggles continue in most areas of our economy. I asked several of my fellow pastors, some banker friends, & other people whose opinions on these issues I value this question: If you could boil down the financial conditions that you observe in most people's lives today into 1 sentence, what would you say? Here’s how they responded: READ QUOTESAll of that has affected you & me individually, & it has affected us together as a church family, too. Around this time last year in the middle of the great recession, we together, as a church, stepped out in faith & unanimously adopted an aggressive budget that was based on faith in God & His power to provide for our every need as we trusted Him. But somewhere along the way, I think some of us stopped trusting Him. We together said that we trusted Him. We together voted that we trusted Him. But then we somehow decided that we didn’t trust Him. And now, as we move into the last 3 months of the year, we find ourselves behind in our budget by over $100,000. We’re still paying our bills & keeping our heads barely above water, & we have actually given a little more this year than last year. But, even w/ our staff trying hard to keep expenses down, there have been times that, as one of the pastors I quoted earlier said, “our outflow has exceeded our income.” Just as Neh came to an exciting point in the rebuilding project around Jerusalem, we’ve come to an exciting opportunity together as a church family. Neh was about to launch into an incredible time where he & all those involved in the rebuilding project were going to see just how awesome it was to jump on board & get involved w/ God in a work that was so much bigger than themselves. God had already answered their prayers, had given favor w/ the king, & provided everything that was needed for this job to move forward. Why? NOT b/c it was just another do-it-yourself project that Neh & some of his buds wanted to do. No, the reason that God had gone before them & provided everything they needed was B/C IT WAS HIS WILL THAT THIS JOB GET DONE! This was HIS city. These were HIS people. It was HIS glory that needed to be seen. It was HIS power that would accomplish this great project. So HE would provide everything that was needed to ensure that HIS plan & HIS purposes would be accomplished. And He would do this through HIS people.And the same is true for us. It is HIS will that we carry together out HIS K’dom work & HIS mission here. We are HIS people. It is HIS glory that we are concerned about & that HE is concerned about. And HE will provide all the resources we need to ensure that HIS plan & HIS purposes are accomplished here. And HIS plan is to do this through us, HIS people, working together. So it’s time to step up & get to work!There comes a time to start – v. 1 – Some people suffer from what’s known as “analysis paralysis.” Like someone who has a brand new rifle, goes to the shooting range, puts it up to their shoulder, & says, “Ready…aim…aim…aim…aim…” There comes a time when you have to pull the trigger & take the shot.There are a lot of people who say, “I’ll start tithing when things get better in the economy. But right now, I’ve got to hold on to all the $ I can.” Or maybe you're a student, “I’ll start tithing when I get a real job.” Or, “I’ll start tithing when I’m more mature in my faith.” Or, “I’ll start tithing when I make more $.” Or some folks may just say, “I’m not going to tithe.” If you’re a Christ-follower & a member of this faith family, I want to challenge you to step up & realize that now is the time to start tithing 10% of your gross income to the Lord’s work here at CW. If you’re already tithing, it’s time to start giving an offering over & above your tithe. It is an absolutely amazing act of faith to do this. It is so awesome to trust God in this area & step out in a concrete way & see Him work in our lives. Neh & the others who participated in the rebuilding project didn’t just talk about the project & wish someone would do it – they prayed about it, trusted God, & went to work. And God did something amazing through them. He wants to do the same thing together through you & me.There is a place & a need for everyone – One of my favorite verses in this chapter is v. 12. All throughout this chapter, we read of all of the men working – the high priests, the priests, & all the other men who were doing the work. Then here in this verse, we read of Shallum’s daughters stepping in to repair a section of the wall. Don’t know anything about them, other than they did their part in the work. Then we see in v. 13 that the “residents of Zanoah” joined in rebuilding the Valley Gate & 500 yards of the wall. Again, don’t know anything about them, except that they did their part. So all through this chapter, we see all sorts of people joining in this great work of God to get it done for Him & for His glory. Skilled – unskilled – young – old – men – women – There was a place & a need for everyone.Isn’t it awesome that God can use all of us – that He WANTS to use all of us together – that is His plan! Doesn’t have anything to do w/ your income level, your expertise level, or your level of recognition. Has everything to do w/ your level of faith, your level of trust, & your level of desire to join God in His K’dom work in this world. That’s why tithing is such an awesome spiritual discipline to develop & practice. It places you right in the thick of God’s amazing, life-changing, eternal work in this world!There will be those who won’t help – v. 5 – In this entire chapter of 32 verses, this 1 verse just sticks out like a sore thumb. It doesn’t even seem to fit. Everywhere you look & everyone you see are people joining together in an awesome common cause, working hard together for the glory of the Lord…EXCEPT for these men who “would not put their shoulders to the work…” Just doesn’t make sense, does it? Makes you sad to read it b/c you know they are missing out on being a part of something HUGE! Won’t get this chance again.Sad thing is that there are so many people in our churches today who are choosing not to put their shoulders to the work either. Choosing not to give, not to tithe, not to get involved in the K’dom work of the Church. Not trying to guilt-trip anyone or condemn anyone. But it’s just heartbreaking to think about what they’re missing out on. What’s even more tragic is to think about all the work that goes undone b/c of these who are “Missing in Action.” Read a report that just came out yesterday that said that tithing is at its lowest level in 41 years. People are giving about 2.38% of their income to God’s work today. Report also noted that if Americans Christians had given a 10% tithe, there would have been an additional $172 billion available for the work of God through the Church! (http://www.christianpost.com/news/tithing-hits-record-low-churches-spend-more-to-make-congregants-happy-58237/) THAT’S what happens when we choose not to put our shoulder to the work & join in God’s work by tithing.There is great joy & fulfillment when we are working together – Can you imagine the excitement, the thrill, the camaraderie, the momentum that was building as the people worked all around the city? Everywhere they looked, they could see others working side-by-side, knowing that they were a part of some so significant. That’s the Church! We are here together, side-by-side, working hard together. We worship together, we serve together, we laugh together, we cry together, we do life together.And on Nov. 6, I want to invite us all to join together & trust God together. I want to challenge all of you to join w/ me & all of your brothers & sisters in Christ together in this faith family & give at least a tithe of your income on that day. If you’re already a tither, I challenge you to give an offering above your tithe on that day. We’ve designated that day as our “Trusting God Together Day.” Can you imagine the joy, the excitement, the fulfillment that we together will experience on that day as we see God do something amazing, significant, & life-changing through us on that day?

"INSPECT THE DAMAGE" - Sermon notes from 10/9/11

2011-10-10T17:43:00.000-05:00

“INSPECT THE DAMAGE” Neh. 2

INTRO – After a catastrophe or calamity of some type, we need to inspect the damage. In my work w/ FD, I’ve had to walk through a lot of fire-damaged homes w/ homeowners as they inspected the damage to their homes. This past week, Catherine Turman was involved in a hit-&-run accident on her way to work. Had to get to a safe place where she could pull over & inspect the damage done to her vehicle. Thankfully she was not injured.

Sometimes we don’t want to inspect the damage. We don’t want to have to deal with the tough circumstances that have come into our lives. One time while on a mission trip, little girl walked up to me to give me a hug as we were getting ready to leave. I had on flip-flops. Her tennis shoe kicked the end of my big toe on my right foot, pulling the toenail up. I knew what had happened, but didn’t want to look. I didn’t want to inspect the damage, but I knew I had to.

As we continue in our “Families Under Fire” series, we need to begin inspecting the damage that has been done to our families. We already know that the walls are down. The enemy has attacked – continues to attack - & the walls around our families are down, leaving us unprotected, unguarded, unbalanced, & undone, vulnerable to even more attacks.

Let me share some historical info w/ you about the book of Neh. The book of Nehemiah is historically almost the last book of the Old Testament; only Malachi being written later and that by a only a few years. We have then a description of the state of the Jewish nation only just prior to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, whilst we in our day are living just prior to the second coming of our blessed Lord. There are then surely lessons for ourselves to be learned from a consideration of this book and particularly from the life of the one who is predominant in it.
Just take note of the analogy. Here we have Nehemiah, a faithful man of God, but sadly one of a nation that despite being God's people were in captivity because of their sins and over whom God had had to pronounce the sentence "Lo-Ammi, — not My people" (Hosea 1:9). God had given them up, they were totally unworthy of Him. Now let us consider ourselves. I trust that we would be adjudged faithful disciples of our Lord Jesus, we are members of the Church of God , but what do we see when we look around us today? The Church for whom Christ died is in fragments. There has been wholesale departure from the truth, lukewarmness abounds fitting the description of the Church in Laodicea of which we read in Revelation chapter 3.

In Neh 2, we find Neh taking action in response to the tragedy that has come upon him & God’s people. He goes to the king to ask for permission to go rebuild the walls, & then he goes to Jerusalem to inspect the damage that had been done. As he does this, there are some things we can apply to our lives & our families’ lives in our day to help us as we begin to inspect the damage that has been done to families:

Be prayerful – v. 4b – There you go again, Jon, talking about prayer!” Seems like it comes a lot, doesn’t it? Wonder why? B/C WE BELIEVE IN PRAYER – THE POWER OF PRAYER, THE NEED FOR IT, & THE GOD WHO HEARS IT!
- We believe prayer gives us guidance. – Neh said what may be the quickest prayer in the Bible. He had already been in serious prayer in ch. 1 as he confessed his sin & sin of his people, & cried out to God in brokenness & repentance. Now, as he comes into the presence of the king, he is obviously still showing the signs of his grief b/c the king asked him why he looked so sad. And when the king asked him what he wanted, Neh wisely breathed a quick prayer to God for guidance & wisdom as he responded to the king.
o When we are facing a crisis in our family, we would do well to follow Neh’s example & ask God for His guidance. Isa. 30:21 – “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Like the way NLT reads: “Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go.’”
- We believe prayer moves the hand of God. – Look @ last part of v. 8. 1 Chron. 5, there’s an account of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, & Manasseh in battle against some of their enemies. V. 20 – “They were helped in fighting them, & God handed the Hagrites & all their allies over to them, b/c they cried out to Him during the battle. He answered their prayers, b/c they trusted in Him.”
o Are you crying out to God during the battles you are fighting for your family? His hand is moved when we pray. E.M. Bounds: “Prayer affects men by affecting God. Prayer moves men because it moves God to move men. Prayer influences men by influencing God to influence them. Prayer moves the hand that moves the world.” (http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/bounds/5bb.10597-possibilities/5bb.10597.04.htm)

Be bold – v. 7-8 – Neh boldly moved fwd & asked the king for everything he needed to do the work of rebuilding the walls. His heart was broken; his people were in need; there was a job to do; he had prayed; & now he boldly took the initiative to start the process of rebuilding the walls.

There is a huge need in our day for Christ-followers to step boldly fwd in prayer & in action to start rebuilding the walls around our families.
- Starts in our own individual personal lives as we realize our desperate need for Christ. It starts when we realize that the wall are down b/c of our sin & that we must repent & come back to God.
- Moves into our homes w/ husbands & wives recommitting themselves to honoring God in their marriages.
- Continues w/ parents boldly recommitting themselves to biblical values & principles in rearing their children.
- Church leaders also need to be bold in preaching, teaching, & leading the Body of Christ to minister to families in creative ways.
- All of us together need to be bold in our stance for the things of Christ, & in our stance against anything that damages the walls of God’s protection around the family.
o Gay Marriage – PCUSA just ordained their 1st gay minister
o Personhood
o Pornography & immorality of all types
o Child abuse & neglect
o Poverty
o Illiteracy
o Substance abuse of all kinds

Someone once said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” God’s people need to be bold in our work of rebuilding the walls around the families of our day so that the Gospel will triumph instead of the evil that has triumphed way too much!

Be thorough – v. 11-15 – As we can see in v. 10. There were those who didn’t want to see the revitalization of Jerusalem happen. So to avoid an unwanted confrontation w/ these enemies, Neh set out at night to do a tour around the city to inspect the damage that had been done. As we see in v. 13, he went out through the Valley Gate. Then in v. 15, he came back in through the Valley Gate, completing a thorough circuit of the city. He saw where the damage was, what caused the damage, & was able to make an assessment about what needed to be done.

It’s time for God’s people to do a thorough inspection of the causes of the damaged walls around our families. It’s hard to do this b/c it causes us to have to face harsh realities. Many times, we would rather just stick our heads in the sand & keep pretending that everything’s ok, or that the damage is not as extensive as it really is. A thorough inspection shows us the amount of effort that will be required to rebuild the walls, & too many times, we just don’t want to expend that much energy. We’re too tired. We’ve tried that before. We’ve been down this road before. As hard as it may be, a thorough inspection is exactly what is needed in our lives.

Be honest – v. 17 – After the thorough inspection, Neh made an honest, sobering statement – v. 17. There was no sugarcoating it, no minimizing what he had seen. There was extensive, serious damage, & a lot of work to be done. He didn’t come back to the others & say, “It’s not too bad…coat of paint…little sheetrock work here & there…should be able to knock that out in no time.” No, he was honest about the extent of the damage – “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem is in ruins…[Let’s] rebuild the wall…” (v. 17).

It’s time to be honest about where we are & what has happened to our families. I heard Dr. Johnny Hunt preaching a message about the condition of families. He talked about an atheist who said that when he looks at the American home & its social issues, if we were Gen. Motors, & the same # of our cars were failing early in their life like marriages, we’d have a hard time selling them. (Sermon – “Hope Is Here for the Family” – 4/24/11)

We need to step up like Neh did & say, “You see the trouble we are in. Let’s get to work!”

Be a witness – v. 18-20 – Neh was quick to tell others about how God had been working all along to bring them to this point. Some of the greatest testimonies of God’s power in our lives come in times when there is catastrophe all around us.

"The Walls Are Down" - Sermon - 10/2/11

2011-10-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

“THE WALLS ARE DOWN!” Neh. 1

INTRO – I remember in early 1991 when the US launched its attacks on Baghdad in the 1st Gulf War, Desert Storm. Watched on TV as the skies over Baghdad were filled w/ tracers & rockets. Then out of nowhere, there would be a huge explosion as one of our cruise missile or smart bomb impacted its target & blew up. Couldn’t see the cruise missiles & smart bombs b/c it was nighttime, but could definitely see the effects w/ the fireballs & resulting devastation.

Same true today. Families are under fire in our world today. Sometimes can’t see where the attacks are coming from, but you can definitely see the effects. The most successful attacks that the enemy launches against God’s people today are the attacks on the family.
- Begins before birth w/ the attack of abortion. And the enemy smiles.
- Continues throughout early childhood w/ parents who find themselves too busy, too detached, too engrossed in making a living, or too uncaring to spend adequate time in nurturing their kids to lay a solid, Biblical foundation in their lives that begins while they are still in the crib. And the enemy smiles.
- The attacks move into those critical elementary years when impressionable minds are being molded & shaped & influenced by the messages that they receive through their parents’ words & actions, through other family members, through all forms of media, through video games, through teachers & coaches, & any other of a multitude of ways. And the enemy smiles.
- The assaults intensify as we move into the turbulent years of adolescence. Sometimes parents just give up, abdicating their Biblical responsibilities. Sometime kids move into times of intense rebellion & disrespect. Hollywood screams at them. Musicians sing to them. Friends w/ all sorts of unbiblical, unChristian views & lifestyles pull at them. School activities vie for their time, along w/ athletic teams, dance teams, cheerleading teams, academic teams, musical groups, all causing many students to choose these things over the things of God, all w/ the support of their parents & families. Many make wrong choices related to morality, sexual purity, & righteousness. And the enemy smiles.
- The battle reaches a vicious crescendo as we move into the college & young adult life cycle. During this time, hordes of students walk away from the church, deciding that it is not relevant to their lives, not necessary to their well-being, & just not important enough for them to give it any of their time or attention. By this time, many other students discover whether they really have what they need to be able to take a stand for Christ in an increasingly hostile world. Unfortunately, many of them realize that their faith is inadequate, ineffective, & inept. As they are challenged by others w/ differing views, they can’t defend their beliefs, which leads many of them to become confused, discouraged, & they retreat & become unwilling to engage the world around them & share their faith at all. Others walk away from the small amount of Biblical faith that they have & give into all sorts of divergent & perverse belief systems. Throw the party scene into the mix & the enemy smiles.
- Then adulthood comes & the enemy keeps up his withering bombardment. Marriage vows simply become optional, arbitrary words. Men abandon their biblical mandate to be the courageous spiritual leader of their home, causing extreme confusion & discontentment in their wife’s heart. Wives selfishly push against the leadership of their husband, denigrating him in the eyes of his children & others. Unethical financial & business dealings happen at work. Improper relationships happen way too often in way too many places, including the church. Basically what happens is that lots & lots of Christian adults choose to live according to the flesh rather than according to the Spirit. Instead of showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control, their lives are exemplified by “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, & wild parties” (Gal. 5:19-21 NLT). And the enemy smiles.

In Neh 1, we find Neh weeping & in great distress & grief b/c the walls of the city of Jerusalem were down from the attacks of an enemy army. B’ground: Israel had been a powerful nation under David & Solomon’s reigns. Then b/c of their sin & rebellion, God allowed civil war to erupt & Israel was divided into the northern & southern k’doms. The Assyrians destroyed the northern k’dom & almost destroyed the southern k’dom. Then the Babylonians came in & finished off the south, destroying the Temple in Jerusalem, knocking down the walls of the city, & taking tens of thousands of Jews into captivity. After almost a century of captivity, the Jews returned to Jerusalem, only to find that the city was still in ruins & the walls were still destroyed. This was an extremely dangerous situation. As one commentator stated: “This made the condition of the inhabitants both very despicable under the abiding marks of poverty and slavery, and very dangerous, for their enemies might when they pleased make an easy prey of them.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the OT).

When the walls were down, the city & the people were:
- Unprotected – exposed, vulnerable, powerless
- Unguarded – endangered, defenseless, helpless
- Unbalanced – anxious, distraught, bewildered
- Undone – ruined, troubled, wiped out

The same is true in our families lives today. The walls are down! And we are unprotected, unguarded, unbalanced, & undone. But the difference between us & Neh is that, too often, all we end up doing when we discover the damaged walls is to cry for a little while, wish they were not down, then not do anything about the critical situation. As we will discover as we walk through this great book, Neh didn’t just cry about the walls being down; he took action! This is a call to action to you & to me: THE WALLS ARE DOWN! WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?

There needs to be an IMMEDIATE time of mourning – v. 4 – The news of the walls & gates immediately plunged Neh into a state of grief & mourning which lasted for days. He knew that this was a terrible place for the people to be & a terrible predicament for them to be in. But what brought the strongest brokenness to his heart was the fact that this condition was brought on by his own sinfulness & the sinfulness of his people, the chosen people of God.

Notice that Neh’s brokenness over his sin & his response of fasting & prayer was quick. He didn’t waste time trying to find someone else to blame. He didn’t start pointing fingers & making excuses. He knew that the walls were down b/c he & his people had walked away from God, & the ONLY way to be restored was to get real honest real quick. Leonard Ravenhill – “The world has lost its pwr to blush over its [sin]; the Church has lost her pwr to weep over it.” Neh hadn’t lost his pwr to weep over his sin!

There needs to be an INTENTIONAL turning to God – v. 5-7 – Neh knew that the only hope that he & the people had was to turn to God. Why turn to God at a time like this?
- B/c of His Power – Neh knew that He needed the power that only the “Lord, God of heaven, the great & awesome God” could give to him at such a critical time in his life. Dt. 7:21 – “…the Lord your God is among you & He is a great & awesome God” (NLT). Rich Mullins – “Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above, w/ wisdom p’wr & love, our God is an awesome God!”
- B/c of His Promise – This same great & awesome God will always keep His promises to His people. The word for “keeps” literally means “to hedge about; to protect.” God’s promises are designed to hedge us & surround us w/ His protection. That’s why we need to know & obey His Word.
- B/c of His Passion – Neh also knew that God’s love for His people was deep & passionate. His covenant, His eternal promise w/ us, is a covenant of love that is expressed in His Son, Jesus Christ, & His death on the cross. Heb. 9:15 – “Christ died to rescue those who had sinned & broken the old [covenant]. Now He brings His chosen ones a new [covenant] w/ its guarantee of God’s eternal blessings!” (CEV)
- B/c of His Pardon – Neh said 2 very important words in v. 6: “I confess.” These 2 words, spoken in faith, in humility, from a heart of brokenness get the full attention of God who responds w/ forgiveness & cleansing.

There needs to be a time to IDENTIFY the promises of God – v. 8-9 – As Neh continues processing through what he has heard & what he is experiencing, he begins to remember the promises that God had made to His people. One promise was a warning about disobedience & unfaithfulness – v. 8. The other was a promise of re-gathering & restoration of the people if they repent & begin to obey Him again – v. 9. God promised that there would be consequences for their sin, but He also promised that there would be forgiveness & restoration for their repentance. The 1st sermon Jesus preached when He began His earthly ministry was, “Repent & believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15) James Melvin Washington once prayed, “Sweet Spirit, grant us the faith to resist our resistance to Thee!” (http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/repentancequotes.htm)

There need to be a recognition of the IMPORTANCE of praying to God – v. 10-11 – Neh had a specific request: That God would grant him favor w/ the king so that he could begin rebuilding the walls. Couldn’t just go in & start rebuilding. Had to have king’s permission. But Neh also knew that it would do no good to get an earthly king’s permission if he didn’t seek the will of the King of kings! So he brought his request straight to God. Phil. 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, w/ t’giving, present your requests to God.”

CONCLUSION – The walls are down. Our families’ walls are down.
- Are we weeping over it?
- Are we turning to God?
- Are we remembering the promises of God?
- Are we praying about it?

This sermon series starts today. But more importantly, the rebuilding of the walls around our families starts today!

"TRUSTING GOD BRINGS US PEACE" - Sermon notes from 9/18/11

2011-09-19T15:08:00.001-05:00

“TRUSTING GOD BRINGS US PEACE” Isa. 26:1-15

INTRO – So nice when the experts show up to help us w/ our problems. The Good Guys w/ yellow capes on in TV commercials – guarantee that they’re the experts & will do the best work possible. Entergy crew at FLC after Katrina.

What is the problem you & I are facing? The debilitating lack of peace in our lives. If we truly want peace in our lives, we need to go to the expert, the one who can give us peace, the one who is the author & creator of peace. We need to trust Him. HE WILL KEEP YOU IN HIS PERFECT PEACE!

Keep your mind on Him – v.3 – The main battleground against the lack of peace in our lives is in our mind. Thoughts that won’t stop racing – fears that won’t go away – doubts that won’t decrease – the mind if the battleground. Hard to find “peace of mind” these days.

God promises peace to us when we minds are steadfast, or, as KJV says, when our minds are “stayed” on Him. This word means to lean hard upon, to prop, to be established. On mission trip to Nic a few wks ago, standing in road in village as Emily Alston was sharing Christ w/ an elderly lady. Truck pulled up. Young man got out w/ a young woman who was obviously very sick. Couldn’t stand up by herself. Definitely needed medical attention. Went over to the couple. Couldn’t speak language, but got on one side of her w/ young man on other side, & helped her to medical clinic. She was able to “lean hard” upon the 2 of us in order to get to the place where she could get the help she needed.

Good picture of us leaning hard upon the Lord. We are sick, in desperate need of the peace that only He can bring. Instead of ignoring us, or turning away from us, He comes to us & says, “Lean hard upon me & I’ll give you the peace you need.”

How can we keep our minds “stayed on Him?”

Prepare – We know that the attacks against our peace of mind are coming, so we need to prepare for them. Football team that knows it has to take the field on Friday night or Sat. spends the wk before preparing to face the opposing team. We know that we are going to have to face our opponent, so let’s get ready.

Pray – These verses from Isa. are a song of praise written to God. They are a prayer to Him, proclaiming His faithfulness, celebrating His work in their lives, & declaring their trust in Him. This is exactly what we need to do in our prayer life. We’ve been given the awesome privilege of coming into the presence of Almighty God w/ our praise & our petitions. As Dennis Pethers reminded us on the Mon night of our “Life Encounter” services, prayer must be real, specific, passionate, & persevering. Prayer can change our circumstances, but more importantly, prayer changes us as God responds to the cries of His people.

Ponder the Word – Most important thing we can do is immerse ourselves in the Word before, during, & after those times when peace seems so elusive, when our minds are being attacked by the enemy. Rom. 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” – Our total lives are transformed when our minds are being renewed. How are our minds renewed? Through the steady intake & application of Biblical truth to the situations we find ourselves in. Ps. 119:48 – “My eyes are awake through the night watches that I may meditate on your word.” Listen to what the great pastor Charles Spurgeon said about this verse:

“Before the watchman cried the hour, he was crying to God. He did not need to be informed as to how the hours were flying, for every hour his heart was flying towards heaven. He began the day with prayer, and he continued in prayer through the watches of the day, and the watches of the night. The soldiers changed guard, but David did not change his holy occupation. Specially, however, at night did he keep his eyes open, and drive away sleep, that he might maintain communion with his God. He worshipped on from watch to watch as travellers journey from stage to stage. This had become meat and drink to him. Meditation was the food of his hope, and the solace of his sorrow: the one theme upon which his thoughts ran was that blessed “word” which he continually mentions, and in which his heart rejoices. He preferred study to slumber; and he learned to forego his necessary sleep for much more necessary devotion. It is instructive to find meditation so constantly connected with fervent prayer, it is the fuel which sustains the flame. How rare an article is it in these days.” (The Treasury of David)

Perspective – Have someone to talk to. Get a Godly perspective from someone who is walking w/ God, someone whom you look up to b/c of their relationship w/ Christ. Accountability groups, discipleship relationships, mentoring relationships, Paul-Timothy relationships – all of these are ways for us to get the godly perspective we need in our lives & be able to apply the Word of God to our life situations.

What I just shared w/ you – prepare, pray, ponder the Word, & perspective – is what Life-Time Discipleship will be all about.

Keep your faith in Him – v. 4 – How confident are you in God’s power & ability in your life? The Heb word for “trust” means to “be bold, confident, sure, secure.” One of my favorite verses about boldness in our rel. w/ God is Ps. 138:3 – “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold & stouthearted.” When we are trusting in the Lord who is the “Rock eternal,” our level of boldness in the face of adversity will continue to increase. He is where our strength comes from. He is where our stability comes from. When everything else around us is being shaken, He remains the same. His strength is eternal, continual, perpetual.

What is faith? How important is it in our lives? Faith is the deep, abiding trust that depend on & runs to God when everyone & everything else around us says, “Depend on yourself. Turn to your intellect. Turn to your own resources, your human resources. You can’t see God, so how can you trust Him?”

I read a story of Allied forces sweeping across Germany at the end of World War II, searching farms and houses looking for snipers. At one abandoned house, almost a heap of rubble, searchers with flashlights found their way to the basement. There, on the crumbling wall, a victim of the Holocaust had scratched a Star of David. And beneath it, in rough lettering, the message:
I believe in the sun—even when it does not shine;
I believe in love—even when it is not shown;
I believe in God—even when he does not speak

Keep your walk w/ Him – v. 7-8 – Deer hunters scout out the woods to find the trails where the deer are traveling. If you know what you're for, you can find places in the woods where the grass & brush are worn down from the deer walking through them. You can tell that that is their regular, habitual travel route.

The word for “path” in 1st pt of v. 7 means “a well-trodden road.” The word for “way” in 2nd pt of v. 7 means “a track, a path, a trench.” And then “way” in v. 8 is the same for “a well-trodden road.” I wonder if these words could be used to describe mine & your walk w/ God? Is our walk w/ Him so consistent that it could be called “a well-trodden road” that we travel on daily?

You know the older we get, the more “entrenched” we get in some ways. Sometimes that’s a negative as we get so “sot in our ways” that we unwilling to change at all. I think it’s interesting that the word for “way” carries the idea of a trench b/c there ARE some ways that we ought to be entrenched, & one of these is in our walk w/ God. Not entrenched in that it becomes just something we do out of sheer duty w/ no love, joy, & passion in our hearts. But entrenched b/c we’ve walked w/ God so diligently & passionately that we can’t imagine our lives w/out Him. Can’t imagine not walking in the way of His laws & His Word. We’ve walked this path w/ Him so consistently that we know that sometimes we have to wait for Him, trusting Him & His plans & purposes for our lives.

When a trench is dug, it’s usually to carry water either to or away from somewhere. How cool it that! When God is at work in our lives & we are walking in His ways, He’s doing both of those things: 1) He’s bringing the life-giving water of His Word to us; & 2) He’s carry away the waste water of sin out of our lives. Another good reason to be ENTRENCHED in our walk w/ Him!

Keep your desires for Him – v. 9 – The more we keep our mind on God; the more we renew our mind in His Word; the more we learn to trust Him & actively do trust Him w/ our lives; the more we consistently, passionately, & devotedly walk w/ Him; the more we will “yearn” for Him day & night – “in the night” & “in the morning.” When you are in a passionate love relationship w/ someone, you yearn to be w/ that person. When I’ve gone on away on a mission trip or a conference or a revival or youth camp & Vicki isn’t w/ me, I yearn to be back w/ her b/c of the depth of the love that we have for each other.

This word for “yearn” is a passionate word. It means to have a strong, heavy desire for someone, to covet, to long for, even to lust after. Of course, in the context of this verse, coveting & lusting are not negative things as we know them. But it helps us to see the intensity of the desires that we will have for God as we go deeper in our relationship w/ Him. B/c we know that He will keep us in perfect peace; b/c we know that He is the strong Rock eternal; b/c we know that He humbles those who are prideful & haughty; b/c we know that He makes the way of the righteous smooth – we YEARN for Him!
- Don’t yearn for religion, but yearn for the relationship.
- Don’t yearn for traditions of men, but yearn for the treasure of His love.
- Don’t yearn for earthly possessions, but yearn to be totally & completely possessed by Him!

Keep your humility before Him – v. 12-13 – When we read these 2 verses, we come to understand that we cannot do anything, nor do we have anything apart from God.
- “YOU establish peace for us…”
- “…all that we have accomplished, YOU have done for us.”
Humility means that we understand our complete & utter dependence upon God.

Good illus of this found in movie, Rocky 2. Minutes before the big fight between Rocky & Apollo Creed, Creed sits at the end of his training table, staring fixedly into space, pounding a taped fist into the palm of his other hand. He is absolutely focused inward. For Creed, his Will & his determination is his Absolute. Cut to: Rocky in the men’s room, kneeling, a sink for an altar, head bowed, hands clasped, praying. Rocky knows that doing everything you can is not necessarily enough. Humility before the Eternal Ringside Judge is always wise. And remember: The bell can’t save you.

Miley Cyrus

2011-08-04T14:09:00.004-05:00

So sad, & yet so common these days! A young, up-&-coming, female "evangelical Christian" musical artist who starts out on the wholesome, moral route that garners so many fans from adoring little girls who aspire to be just like her. We think, "Maybe, just maybe, this one will be the one who won't choose the route that the world & the enemy has set up for her."

Sorry...didn't happen. Now that Miley is all grown-up and so "mature," she's decided that she needs to be a voice for the homosexual community who demand that their unscriptural, unnatural, unsupported desire to have their so-called marriages recognized as normal. I'm not sure how she became such an astute biblical scholar who thinks she is able to correctly & carefully exegete the inspired, infallible, living Word of God. How dangerous to flippantly spout off opinions about God's Word & not expect to be held accountable! She has definitely shown her true colors, her true beliefs, & where her true allegiance lies. She has openly shown to all her fans who she truly worships.....and it is NOT the Lord Jesus!

I feel so sorry for all of these female artists who, at some point in their lives, were exposed to the truth of God's Word, & yet, have chosen to walk away from it & pursue all the garbage that the world throws at them. Just think about it: Britney Spears sang at her church in Louisiana when she was a little girl. Katy Perry, who grew up in a Christian home w/ parents who were ministers, recorded her 1st album at the age of 15, a Christian album. Jessica Simpson used to sing at her Baptist church, & her dad was a minister. And there are others.

I'm not judging these people. I'm just observing the fruit of their very public lives. And what I & the rest of the world see are young, beautiful women who, at some point in their lives said that they were "Christians", but are now proudly & unashamedly singing about, acting in, & living out worldly, sinful activities. I know I sound "old-fashioned" & "out of touch with reality." But, the truth is that my heart breaks for them b/c they've been so blinded by the enemy in so many ways. And the REALLY sad reality is that one day this verse will come true in their lives: "It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls" (Mark 8:36 NCV).

So, let's pray for them. Let's add them to our prayer lists. Let's set aside one day a week that we intercede for them by name. All of our ranting & raving against their lifestyles probably won't do much to change them. But we know Someone who can!

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

I know it's July 25...

2011-07-25T17:36:00.002-05:00

...but I want to share with you Charles Spurgeon's Evening Devotional from May 3. God led me to it last night in a time of need. I pray that He will minister to your heart as He did mine. You've got to work through the "thee's", "thou's", & "thy's", but it's good stuff!

“A very present help.”

Psalm 46:1

"Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Believer, thou dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. When thou art in trouble, why dost thou not tell him all thy grief? Has he not a sympathizing heart, and can he not comfort and relieve thee? No, thou art going about to all thy friends, save thy best Friend, and telling thy tale everywhere except into the bosom of thy Lord. Art thou burdened with this day’s sins? Here is a fountain filled with blood: use it, saint, use it. Has a sense of guilt returned upon thee? The pardoning grace of Jesus may be proved again and again. Come to him at once for cleansing. Dost thou deplore thy weakness? He is thy strength: why not lean upon him? Dost thou feel naked? Come hither, soul; put on the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Stand not looking at it, but wear it. Strip off thine own righteousness, and thine own fears too: put on the fair white linen, for it was meant to wear. Dost thou feel thyself sick? Pull the night-bell of prayer, and call up the Beloved Physician! He will give the cordial that will revive thee. Thou art poor, but then thou hast “a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth.” What! wilt thou not go to him, and ask him to give thee of his abundance, when he has given thee this promise, that thou shalt be joint heir with him, and has made over all that he is and all that he has to be thine? There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for his people to make a show-thing of him, and not to use him. He loves to be employed by us. The more burdens we put on his shoulders, the more precious will he be to us." (www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/morneve.d0503pm.html)

How cool to know that we have a Savior who loves us so much, who is with us so closely, & who understands so intimately! Go deep with Him, my brothers & sisters, GO DEEP!

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

God Stuff!

2011-07-21T15:07:00.003-05:00

It's been 3 months to the day since I last posted on the Country Woods blog. Sorry about that!

God's been up to some really cool stuff in the life of the church...people getting saved...lives being changed...marriages being strengthened...you know....GOD STUFF!!!!

I love it when God moves into a situation & turns it around for His glory & our good. It's just what He does b/c of His love for us. And I, for one, am always completely blown away by His love & grace that is shown to me all the time!

There are a lot more people that I know, & I'm sure you know, who need that God-intervention to happen in their lives. Let pray & not give up. Let's love & not let up. Let's reach out & not back up.

I had a friend of mine tell me last week, "You know when you give up on somebody, Jon? When they stop breathing!" I needed that simple, refreshing reminder of the importance of staying involved in someone's life. It renewed my passion for prayer. It encouraged & challenged me to keep looking for the God stuff in the lives of those who are in my life.

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

Jesus died for your "dissipation"

2011-04-21T15:19:00.002-05:00

This morning, I was reading in Luke 21...Jesus talking about end times w/ some of His disciples. Came to verse 34 - "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down w/ dissipation, drunkenness & the anxieties of life..."

"Dissipation" is one of the "Bible words" that you read, maybe gloss over it, think you kind of know what it means, then not think about it again until you read it again in the Bible. Not a word most of us use a lot. So I looked it up - "dissipation": a wasting by misuse; dissolute way of living ("dissolute" means "indifferent to moral restraints; given to immoral or improper conduct; licentious").

How many of us have "dissipated" our lives...wasted our lives...misused our lives? How many of us have been indifferent to moral restraints...given ourselves to immoral & improper conduct...gone beyond the boundaries?

Answer? ALL OF US!!!

- "All have sinned & fall short of the glory of God..."

- "We all like sheep have gone astray..."

- "There is no one righteous, not even one..."

- "All have turned away..."

- "There is no one who does good, no not one..."

- "There is...no one who seeks God..."

When the one & only, one-of-a-kind Son of God hung on the cross, pouring His blood out all over the place, He was doing it for the glory of God, & to take care of our "dissipation" problem. Trust Him...confess Him as Lord...let Him have control...He's so awesome!

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

RADICAL Devotional

2011-04-06T23:21:00.001-05:00

Matthew 13:44 - "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.”

What is knowing Jesus really worth to you RIGHT NOW as you’re reading this? For me, most days this parable in Matthew 13:44 seems more theoretical than real. My heart, more often than not, is focused on the here and now. And left to my flesh unchecked by the Holy Spirit I love money in the bank, I love comfort and convenience, I love approval, and I love good food more than I love Jesus. According to Colossians 3:5, this is idolatry. The daily battle for most of us, I suspect, is found right there, in having the Holy Spirit convict and change our perspective to be awakened to the reality that knowing Jesus is far better than the temporary pleasures provided by the gifts of God.

So, let’s be honest. Do you expect knowing Jesus to be worth more than the rush that comes in buying stock in a company that suddenly triples in value overnight? Think about it...despite what the evil one would like us to believe, He is! We’re simply to be willing to confess to Him (and maybe to trusted others) when we don’t see and experience Jesus in this way and accept the invitation of God in Romans 2:4 that “it’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.”

So . . . what idols need repenting of in your life today? What (or who) do you love more than God? Comfort? Television? Entertainment? Financial Security? If you’ll simply acknowledge these to Him today, “he will cleanse you of sin and forgive you of all unrighteousness” (1 John 1: 8-9) and free you to purse and enjoy the treasure that we have in Jesus.

-Will L.
Worker in East Asia

RADICAL Devotional by Mason Joy

2011-03-16T10:52:00.001-05:00

The book I wish I hadn’t read…

"God created man in his own image. And man, being a gentleman, returned the favor."

We’ve got God figured out.

He fits into the box that we’ve made for Him. He only wants to come out on Sundays and maybe Wednesday – if we’re real religious – and doesn’t want us to talk to Him unless something is going wrong in our lives. He’s mute on issues we deal with daily – unless we’re finding those issues difficult, and then He comes out of the box. He only wants to be in our box and doesn’t think it’s polite for us to take Him out of the box and try to put Him in someone else’s box. And most of all, He does NOT want us to talk about Him in public!! That’s just RUDE!

Is that you? Perhaps not… but it seems that, more often than not, that’s almost exactly how we treat God in our lives. He has a place, but that place is so controlled and hidden that it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between a Christian and an Atheist. We don’t live the Radical life that Jesus called us to, but instead choose to reshape His call into a “comfortable Christianity.” How do we change that? Maybe we begin to change that simply by admitting that it’s true. Like they say; the first step is admitting you have a problem.

David Platt’s book is one I almost wish I never read. I love to read – but Platt got so far in my face that I realized it wasn’t possible to have read his book and keep doing the same ‘ole same ‘ole. As he told the story of the pastor threatening his congregation with missionary work (61-64) I saw too many people that I recognized in that story. One of them looked too much like me. “I can give money… and that means I supported missions but don’t have to actually go. Thank Goodness!!”

But remember this – David Platt hasn’t written anything “new.” His message is the same that was penned by the early church. It’s the message that came from the mouth of the Savior:

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

“GO – and make disciples of all nations…”

So then, it’s not David Platt that’s busy getting in our face, it’s Christ. And that, indeed, is radical.

- Mason Joy, Pastor
East Louisville Baptist Church
Louisville, MS

RADICAL Devotional by Levi Weeks

2011-03-09T11:35:00.001-06:00

Radical or Normal?

Radical is the name of David’s Platt’s new book. The cover of the book itself is orange and on that cover there is a picture of a house turned upside down. The book definitely sticks out to you if you are just browsing a bookstore shelf. I guess some might even say that the ideas inside the book are actually “Radical” as well. But truly and honestly if you have even read a few chapters of the book, then you will see that it is all based on the Word of God.; that these teachings are things that Jesus said and that Jesus calls us to do. So in a sense, the book shouldn’t even be called Radical, but in all reality should be called Normal!

The question is: “Why should we live our lives like this? Why should we radically stop seeking our glory and start seeking Christ’s?” The answer simply is because Jesus Christ is worth it! Christ is worthy of all of our lives, not just our Sunday best, but our everyday best. One of my favorite pieces of scripture is Matthew 13: 44-46 –
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

This passage of scripture shows us the proper reaction when we come into contact with the Almighty Jesus Christ; that we should be willing to sell everything we have joyfully and give everything to Him. And this isn’t something that Christ is telling only the “Super Christians” to do; this is for every single one of us as Christians. Not that all of us will have to sell everything, but that we would be willing to if called to do so.

One point that I love that Mr. Platt brings out is that we cannot afford to stand by and be lukewarm Christians! There are millions of people dying today who have never heard of Christ at all! We as Christians must have an urgency about us to make proclaim Christ’s name to every corner of the Earth!

Levi Weeks
College Student from Monticello, MS

RADICAL Devotional by Joseph Oster

2011-03-08T09:31:00.001-06:00

Let’s get real…………sell everything I have? Take up an instrument of torture? Hate your mom and dad? This isn’t the American gospel! Doesn’t God want us to prosper? Doesn’t He want the best for us? Doesn’t He care about my safety and comfort? He wouldn’t ask me to do anything that would be unsafe would He? My first obligation is to my family right? God wouldn’t ask me to do anything foolish would He? I mean, He gave us a brain to think with, right? Surely He just meant these things to those who He has called to be missionaries?

Matthew 19 - And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" 17And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18Then he said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; 19HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 20The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" 21Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

We must come face to face with a sobering reality……….Jesus is not just talking to a rich young ruler here. He is talking to us!! He is talking to me!! He is talking to you!!

Is it possible that we have created a god to be who we want Him to be? A god who is not demanding whole-hearted devotion for everyone of us? A god who is okay with the fact that we watch more TV or spend more time on the internet than we do in His Word? A god who would not call us to do anything that is uncomfortable nor make huge sacrifices? A god who is comfortable with our materialism and our infatuation with things? A god who really wouldn’t ask us to give up everything?
I believe it’s not only possible, but we have done it. We have created a god who is not the God of the Bible.

I’m afraid we have become the rich young ruler. Jesus has told us to give up everything to follow Him and we have walked away grieving, for WE own much property. When Jesus said in scripture that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven, He was talking about us. We are a people who are self-sufficient, self-relying, self-indulgent and our love for ourselves and our love for “stuff” has blinded us to the reality that Jesus says we must give up everything. Why are we not radical? Why are we not sold out? It’s simply because we have some things in our lives that are not for sale.

- Joseph Oster, Pastor
Leesburg Baptist Church

RADICAL Devotional by John Heiden

2011-03-01T08:01:00.002-06:00

One of the supporting passages for the lesson entitled HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH is Mark 10:17-22. Verse 21 says, “Then Jesus beholding him said unto him, ‘One thing thou lacketh; go thy way, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come and take up your cross and follow me.’”

Even though this young rich man said he kept the last 6 commandments, he didn't mention the first 4 commandments because he knew in his heart he hadn't and couldn't keep them. Especially the first commandment that says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Jesus knew that the rich man’s god was his riches, so if he would ever be able to follow Jesus, he would have to get rid of those riches.

God may never ask you or me to sell everything that we have to follow Him, but His Word is very clear that if we really desire to give Him our hearts so that He will use us in the lives of others, we must slowly but surely turn away from what the world offers and turn to the One who has made everything possible. He loves you and me more than life itself.

Here is what an old man like me has learned:
• Get out of debt as fast as you can.
• Don't buy a new car until you can pay cash for it.
• Cancel all of your credit cards except one, and pay its balance off every month.
• Give up habits that are costing you extra every month.
• Give back to the Lord what He has given you. Trust Him in the area of giving. YOU CAN'T OUTGIVE HIM. That is a promise of God's Word, and God doesn't break promises.
• Finally, be ready to help meet the needs of those who cross your path. They are there for a reason.
-
When your debt is manageable, your focus is on your relationship with the Lord. Then you will be storing up treasure in Heaven.

John Heiden
Adult Sunday School teacher
CWBC

RADICAL Devotional by Jennifer Barksdale

2011-02-26T16:30:00.002-06:00

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4)

“Both our diagnosis of the situation & our conclusion regarding the situation fit nicely into a culture that exalts self-sufficiency, self-esteem, & self-confidence. We already have a fairly high view of our morality, so when we add a superstitious prayer, a subsequent dose of church attendance, & obedience to some of the Bible, we feel pretty sure that we will be all right in the end.” (David Platt, Radical, p. 32)

The point that really stood out to me was in Chapter 2. It was the fact that we cannot see God because of our spiritual blindness. As a Christian, who doesn’t want to see God? That is the end reward to all of this insanity called “life.” With saying that, I have to ask myself, “How do I glorify God during this insanity & not just wait for the reward in the end?” Surely, obeying SOME of the Bible & praying when it’s convenient is not the answer.

Along with this passage from the book, I was forced to ask myself if I’m doing just enough to get to heaven. Many times, the answer is “yes.” God must surely look at me as I do my children – often, daily - & wonder why they did their chores just good enough to get by, & why they are blinded from seeing the reward of just doing it right the first time.

“Dear Lord…Please let me take myself out of the picture & only concentrate on you. Please never let me be so flippant to give you just enough of worship, prayer, & myself. Please know, God, that I don’t want to just be all right in the end. I want to be a sold-out servant to Your Kingdom. Help me see the importance of being sold-out to You & Your Kingdom, & never let me take the importance of praying to the living God for granted. Amen.”

- Jennifer Barksdale
CWBC Member

RADICAL Devotional by Christy Pritchard

2011-02-25T07:16:00.001-06:00

“The plan of Christ is not dependent on having the right programs or hiring the right professionals but on building and being the right people – a community of people – who realize that we are all enabled and equipped to carry out the purpose of God for our lives.” (Pg. 92)

Two and a half years ago, my life “radically” changed. Not only did I get married and move to a new state, but I stepped away from full-time Christian ministry. This didn’t occur because I had a bad experience in ministry, but because I was a brand new wife…who needed to learn how to be a wife. What followed was a bit of confusion in my identity.

For 16 years, I had been “in the ministry.” Now, I really wasn’t sure how I was supposed to fulfill my calling to share God’s glory with the world. For years, I had spent my days (and many nights) speaking Truth into the lives of students on multiple college campuses. I had traveled all over the world telling people that Jesus Christ was their one and only Savior. I even held one of the top positions for student ministry in our state.

And now I was living in a place where no one knew me OR my desire to share God’s love. How could God use me?

Well, He started by reminding me of my favorite parts of ministry – stepping into people’s worlds, journeying with them, and personalizing the Truth of the Gospel with them.

I didn’t need a title to do that. I didn’t need anyone paying me to do that. I didn’t even really need for anyone to KNOW I was doing that. Why? Because that’s just who I was. It was a part of my make-up! You can take the title of “full time ministry” out of the mix, but that didn’t change who I was – a follower of Christ who had been commissioned to carry out “Jesus’ megastrategy.”

So now, I meet with a precious group of high school senior girls every Sunday morning at 8:00. For a year and a half, I’ve had the joy of walking with them, learning God’s Word with them, and allowing them to be a part of my life. And then I do it all over again with a different group that afternoon. Every Monday, I do lunch with a 25–year-old woman who has been a Christian for many years, but is ready to really figure out why God has her on this earth. And usually, there are at least one or two more lunches during the week where some young woman needs someone older to help her figure out who God is or what He may be doing.

Amazingly enough – after two and a half years – I find myself back in full time ministry. Except this time, God and I (and my husband) are the only ones who know about it.

“Disciple making is not about a program or an event but about a relationship. As we share the gospel, we impart life, and this is the essence of making disciples. Sharing the life of Christ.” (Pg. 96)

What part are YOU playing in Christ’s “megastrategy?” Are there people you are intentionally walking life with for the purpose of sharing the Gospel with them?

Christy Pritchard
Christ-follower
Memphis, TN

RADICAL Devotional by Bridget Childs

2011-02-22T16:16:00.003-06:00

CONVENIENCE VS. OBEDIENCE

God used someone in REFRESH to remind me that it’s important to serve God at all times, even when we feel it’s inconvenient. A dear lady in our church told how she was pleading with God to “Please send me!” I was touched by her earnestness to serve God. Yet, at the same time, it made me examine myself.

Are we willing to serve God only when it is convenient? It’s easy to say, “I’ll serve God” when it’s convenient. I can remember a time in my life when I wanted everything in my life to be about glorifying God. We frequently opened our home for Bible studies. Now I worry about whether or not my house is clean and about how much work it’s going to take to get things prepared.

I had some friends that went to church with me who were called to full time missions in Haiti. As our church prayed over them before they left, I remember thinking, “Why won’t you use me like that, Lord?” Of course, my children were small then, and we could have taken them with us. Now two of our children are grown. I have just become a grandmother for the first time. It wouldn’t be as convenient for me to do something like that now.

Many of you may feel the same way. How often do you say, “I’m just too tired to go to church. It’s just not convenient today.” Yet, the Bible clearly states “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 4:25)

What about tithing? You may say, “Oh, I just can’t afford to tithe. I have so many bills and expenses.” Yet, the Scriptures clearly say, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say,‘ In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:8)

What about worshiping God? You may think, “I just don’t feel like it today. I’m mad at so and so. I’m really tired. My body doesn’t feel good, etc.” Again, the Word says, “Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!” (I Chronicles 16:29)

What about when someone has a need and it really interferes with our schedule or plans? Are we willing to forsake our own agenda so that people can be ministered to and Christ may receive glory?

What if God calls us to do something that makes us feel uncomfortable? I have found that it is in these times, I desperately seek God’s help. I know that I cannot do it apart from Him. "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

While God may not be calling us to go to Haiti, He has commanded us to Go. Go to your neighbor, go to the stranger, go to the fatherless, go to the widow. They are all around us. Just go!

It is the time for Christians to decide to live a life of obedience. I WILL not forsake attending church, I WILL tithe, and I WILL worship whether my flesh feels like it or not. I WILL allow God to use me. I want to be a vessel of honor fit for the Master’s use! It may not be convenient to my flesh, but I can assure you that it will be rewarding! To God be the glory!

~Bridget Childs
CWBC Member

RADICAL Devotional by Bart Latner

2011-02-16T09:40:00.001-06:00

"When you have done it to the least of these, you've done it to Me." Jesus

"Thank you, Jesus, for letting me hold YOU in my arms as you lay dying today." Mother Theresa of Calcutta as she would hold the dying lepers in her arms

One day my father, then a minister at FBC Brookhaven, came to me and said, "Bart, I have a job for you. Today a woman came into our office for some help. Her name is Karen and she used to be a prostitute in New Orleans. She has a son named Bryan. I want you to help him. Oh, by the way, he is a Satan worshipper!" With that my father turned around and walked off. But before he was out of the room, he turned to me one last time and said "Son...just love him like Jesus does."

Wow...

The next day at school, I found Bryan (it wasn't too hard. Satan worshippers usually stuck out in the crowd at Brookhaven High School!). There he was in all black clothes, black finger nails, and a pentegram necklace & skull rings on! I introduced myself to Bryan, asked him about himself, and bought him a Coke and chips for recess (it is amazing the barriers that free food breaks down!). We hung out for a couple of minutes just passing the time with a lot of small talk. Bryan was very receptive & nice. Not anything like I expected! The next day at recess I did the same thing..and the next day...and the next day.

As the weeks went by, wherever I went, Bryan went. Wherever I ate, he ate. Wherever Bart was, there you would find Bryan. Within two weeks of being with Bryan everyday, taking him to and from school, to and from Church, and listening to him talk about his life, something amazing happened...Bryan became my friend, and I loved him. I no longer saw Bryan as a Satan worshipper from New Orleans with a prostitute for a mother. I saw my friend Bryan, a young man for whom Christ died...just like me...

One day as I was driving Bryan home from a Church "Afterglow" service he turned to me and said, "Bart, you know, when I was in New Orleans and doing all of that Satan worship stuff, I knew it was wrong. But do you know why I did it? I did it because they were the only ones that accepted me just like I was. NOT ONCE was I ever asked by anybody to ever come with them to Church. None of those folks ever wanted to talk to me...But you talked to me. Thank you."

Accepting people just as they are. Not asking anything from them. Just loving them right there.

Unconditional love. Unconditional acceptance...

Now THAT is RADICAL...

Bart Latner
Christ-follower
Tuscaloosa, AL

RADICAL devotional by Barbara Campbell

2011-02-14T10:37:00.002-06:00

Radical... when most of us hear that word we think big... extreme... In fact, when you look up "radical" in a thesaurus some of the words you find are "militant, far-reaching, zealot, extremist, and fanatic."

When you hear someone talking about living a Radical life, you might think of people like the Lancasters who left the comfort of suburban life to move into inner city Jackson (with their kids!) and live among the poor and homeless... to open their home to addicts and prostitutes... trusting God fully with their lives (www.wewillgo.org). Or maybe you think of a couple who sold their new upscale home and moved into an older smaller home that cost less per month in order to give more to missions. Or how about Nicki and Dick Benz who when most folks would sit back and enjoy retirement began a ministry in their home to women who had been in prison and were headed back into their destructive lifestyle unless someone shared the love of Jesus with them.

Those are Radical people who did Radical things!

What then has God called you to do that is Radical? Are you to sell your house and move... to open your home to someone... to begin a ministry somewhere... only you can know that from spending focused time with Him one on one. But if you are not feeling led to do something BIG at this point, don’t assume the Radical life isn’t for you. It is.

All Christ-Followers are called to lead to a Radical life. One that doesn’t fit the world’s norm. And that begins with one thing.. Obedience! It may seem that God is only calling you to basic things... things which probably won’t get you attention or recognition... provide a meal for a D-Now house, call a Sunday School class member who hasn’t been there in a while, help straighten up the food pantry, serve at a church event, become a greeter on Sunday mornings, visit someone on the hospital list, work in the nursery, participate in FAITH ... none of these seem Radical to us, but they are. All require you to give of yourself... to give your time... and all are acts of obedience and service in response to the Lord.

Don’t sit back and do nothing... waiting for (or maybe fearing!) that BIG Radical “thing” God wants you to do. Start today with being Radically Obedient. Answer whatever He calls you to do with “Yes, Lord!” and then do it.

Complete and Immediate Obedience no matter what the call.. now that is Radical!

"But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him." (1 John 2:5 NLT)

Barbara Campbell
CWBC member

RADICAL devotional by Jim Farrish

2011-02-12T13:43:00.004-06:00

In the first pages of Chapter 3 of Radical, we find ourselves involved in the life of Radan, a fellow disciple of Christ that has an encounter with a witch doctor in Indonesia. The witch doctor believes that he has control or influence over the area and “calls out” Radan for a fight. The flesh of Radan wants to oblige the witch doctor but the Spirit intercedes and reminds Radan that the battle belongs to the Lord and that he, Radan, is not to fight. Soon Radan sees the miraculous power of God and learns that dependency on God is the only way to live the fulfilled life in Christ.

We all face battles in our day to day life, not with witch doctors; but rather learning to be continually dependent on God and not on our own strength in the battles we face daily. We must realize that dependence on God is not just for salvation but is also for all of our life. Remember this scripture, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, but we must be careful not to think that we did the work and God was just catching our back. Had Radan fought and won, he could have been susceptible to the trap of thinking “ I did this for God”. The results – you don’t see God’s awesome power and you fall into the downward spiraling trap called the “Pride of Life”. But when Radan yielded and became dependent, he saw the miraculous power of God; the power of Life and Death.

In another book I am currently reading, I came across this statement that made me stop and reflect upon my life. It said, “Character is the will to do what is right, as defined by God, regardless the cost.” That quickly makes me say “I want Godly character”; just tell me the one, two, three steps so I can do it. But we must remember this can only happen in surrendering to the Lord and being dependent on Him for everything -salvation, teaching, power to live life - everything.

Romans 12: 1-2 NIV “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. Do not be conformed to the image of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test, and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Character is about being conformed to His image, not conforming Him to ours. If we claim to be God’s disciples, and yet our lifestyle reflects values and standards different from God’s, we need to rethink which deity we are really are following - God or god.

I have to ask this accountability question to myself each morning in the mirror “What does my reflection look like?” My response is – "Not good Lord.” And God reminds me we are on a journey of relationship building that will change my character “from the inside out”. I am so grateful that He alone is my judge, and as Hebrews 12: 2-3 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Don’t give up - keep surrendering/ keep relying on Him/ keep yielding to His leadership and the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
“He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it” (Philippians 1:6).

He can do more in a moment of our dependency than we can do in a lifetime of all our efforts.

Jim Farrish
Worship Pastor
CWBC

RADICAL Devotional by Frank Childs

2011-02-10T15:06:00.001-06:00

Do you sometimes feel that the trials in life are overtaking the enjoyment of life? Do you feel that the rewards in life are never as big as you would like them to be? Do you find yourself starting task, yet you never seem to be able to finish it?

I think at times we would all say yes to these questions. I believe as Christians, many of us are sitting around doing nothing rather than walking in the life that Christ intended for us to walk in.

There is a TV show that has been coming on for years called "Survivor." The contestants are people from all walks of life. Some are rich, poor, young and old. These people leave the comforts of their home, family, and friends to compete for a million dollars. During this period, they build relationships with the other contestants. Some relationships are based on lies, while others are built on trust. They deal with the lack of food, sleep, and sometimes there is no shelter. They play all sorts of physical and mental games and must make difficult choices. During the game some contestants get hurt and some simply quit. Most of the players are voted out because they are not well-liked or are weak. Yet, one person will win the prize.

Our walk with God is a lot like this game. Sometimes God may ask us to leave the comforts of our home and family for a season. Are you willing to follow even if it means you may experience pain, hunger and lack of shelter? Do you make relationships based on lies, or are your relationships built on trust. Jesus said that in order to serve Him, we have to follow Him (See John 12:23-26). Hebrews 12:1- 2 states that we see we need to lay down everything that can easily ensnare us and keep our eyes on Jesus. God promised that He would complete the good work He has started in us. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 that He will give us rest, but to obtain this rest we have to be yoked with Him. He who endures will be saved and will receive the crown of life. What greater joy and prize is there than this? Be blessed and be willing to follow Jesus !

Frank Childs
CWBC Member & Adult Sunday School Teacher

RADICAL Devotional by Alyson Wolfe

2011-02-07T09:06:00.002-06:00

Fruitful or Fruitless?

"I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing." ( John 15:5)

Are we fruitful or fruitless?

Jesus tells us that if we remain in him and He in us, we WILL bear MUCH fruit. He did not say we might bear fruit but we WILL. He did not say we will bear little fruit but MUCH fruit. Sounds like a promise to me. So are we bearing fruit? Are we bearing much fruit? If not, could it be that we have not remained in Him? Or could it be that He is not in us? By God’s grace, it takes both remaining in Him and He in us for us to bear fruit.

I heard once that people will be able to tell if we are bearing fruit and specifically what kind of fruit. Think about it. . . if you show me a piece of bark from a tree or show me a vine, I won’t be able to tell you what kind of tree or vine it is. Even if you show me a leaf from a tree or vine, I don’t know that I would be able to tell you what kind it is. But if you show me the fruit, I can tell you exactly what kind of tree or vine it came from. That’s the idea here. The fruit that we produce will show us exactly what tree or vine we are attached to.

Have we failed to produce good fruit? Can someone else see you as the branch and see fruit dangling from your branch?

You may have heard the saying, “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” The picture I see here is of Faith. If by faith, we follow Jesus; if we give up everything to follow Jesus, we will bear MUCH fruit. God tells us to not fear because He promises that He will be with us always, and with Him ALL things are possible. But remember that apart from Him, we cannot do anything.

Father, help us to trust you. Help us to have greater faith and remain in you so that we WILL bear MUCH fruit for your glory!

Alyson Wolfe
Women's Ministry Leader
CWBC

RADICAL devotional by Wanda Tabb

2011-02-01T13:03:00.002-06:00

The picture of Jesus in the gospel is someone-worth losing everything for! The cost of no discipleship is greater for us than the cost of discipleship. God saved us only by HIS grace. It is a gift, and not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Eph. 2:: 4-9 – Look how grace defines us:

- We are spiritually alive: “He gave us life” (v.5);
- We are “seated with Him in the heavenly realms.” (v.6).
- We are connected to God. (v. 6).
- We are like billboards of mercy. (v. 7).
- We are His honored children. (v. 8)

Society can label us as stupid or whatever; but with God’s grace and only His grace we are who God says we are; an honored child!

"God, when I ask the question, 'Are you worth it?' I pray that wherever you lead me, I will follow, and when I tend to follow values and ideas that may be common in our culture, that I will return to You; because you ARE worth it! In your name, Amen."

Wanda Tabb
Children's Minister
CWBC

RADICAL devotional by Keith Duncan (former CWBC staff member)

2011-01-29T09:25:00.001-06:00

Two years ago I began a new discipline that I had never, ever attempted or even considered. I began the discipline of training to run a marathon. A marathon was something that only "radical" people did. I had become good friends with Mark and Robin Simpson of Marathon Makeover and their enthusiasm for completing a marathon was contagious. It did not matter to them that I was not a runner or that I had no desire to run. They wanted me to join what they were involved in and were passionately pursuing. So I began. I did not begin with running 26.2 miles (the distance of a marathon), nor did I begin with running 13.1 miles (the distance of a half-marathon). I began with walking. I thought at the time "walking?" I walk everyday. How is this going to help me run a marathon?  

What I came to find out that as I spent the first few weeks walking, I was building up my stamina and muscles to be able to begin running. I was still not running 26.2 miles though. I was on the path to running a marathon though. I learned that running like following Jesus was a process. There are days that everything clicks and I feel good. Then there are days that I just don't understand what happened and why I am struggling. It was during the group training that I heard Robin say, "When you wake up and feel good, come to the group run, the group needs you. When you wake up and feel terrible, come to the group run, you need the group."  

I followed the plan that Mark and Robin set out for the participants to do and completed a half and full marathon. I have since moved to Florida and have begun using some of the same training to help others complete their own "radical" event of running a marathon. The "Radical" Christ-Follower is someone who throws caution to the wind and runs the race as set before them and helps others begin their own race. Being radical is to learn from others, live in community with others and then invest in others like Paul did. In Acts 20 Paul states, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace."

  What about you? Are you surrounding yourself with "Radical" people?   

Keith Duncan 
Connections Pastor
 Church @ The Springs  

RADICAL devotional by Janice Muse

2011-01-26T13:45:00.001-06:00

Radical Devotion - Discipleship

Where has this Radical Study taken me?

First, I considered where I had been. I questioned, “Had I spent the last 54 years as a believer out of the will of God, according to David Platt?” After all, I had been a Christian since age eight. I don’t think there were many services or ministries of my local church I had not been present and/or serving in some way. What I concluded was, I did not care what David Platt thought, but I DID care what God thought. I felt my defense mechanism coming forth to rescue me, from what? Myself? I once thought I was an Idealist; then, due to life circumstances, became a Realist.

Then second, I contemplated where am I right now in my relationship with my Father, Savior-Jesus Christ, and am I experiencing the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in my life? Self-evaluation is good I suppose, but what really matters is what God thinks about me. I recognized my inability to examine myself without the illumination of truth brought only by the Holy Spirit. Oswald Chambers says, “We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. He explains things to us, as we are able to understand them. We can be used by God only after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But, when God gets us alone over them they will be clear (Mark 4:34).” (My Utmost for His Highest)

So here I am with The Penetrating Word of God (Heb. 4:12). Henry Blackaby says, “When God’s Word speaks to you it is always for a purpose. We should pray as the psalmist did: “Search me, O God and know my heart” (Ps. 139:23). Always make the connection between your life and what God is saying to you through His word. Make a habit of taking every word from God seriously, knowing it is able to judge your heart and mind.” (Experiencing God Day-by-Day)

Thirdly, after the piercing effect of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit is confirming truths and revealing life-changes that may need to be made and maybe even sacrifices that will be SO WORTH IT for His plans. I don’t know how the day-to-day will play out, but I do know that when we follow Him, all that is needed will be provided. Obeying…Is that what you call “Radical?” If so, I must not be a realist after all, because I’m having “Radical” tendencies.

Oswald Chambers – “We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with HIM. Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.” (My Utmost for His Highest)

Janice B. Muse
CWBC Member & Adult Sunday School teacher

RADICAL Devotional by Vicki Daniels

2011-01-24T08:56:00.002-06:00

Radical Devotional
Vicki Daniels

FREE TO GIVE

1 Tim. 6 – “Give generously, abundantly, and sacrificially…” (pg. 131, Radical)

This spoke to me personally. I knew of a woman who was trying to start over with her life, but had nothing. I realized that God has blessed me with so much that I take for granted. I cleaned out my closets, prayed for her, and knew that God would bless her with these things. Amazingly, it blessed me more that it blessed her. I really heard God speaking to me because I had heard Him and obeyed. I gave because my heart felt the joy of helping someone in need.

About a month later, someone blessed my family in the same way by giving to us to help meet some needs that we had. This truly blessed my heart, and I know EXACTLY what “Free to Give” means.

“Thank you, God…I give you all the glory!”

Vicki Daniels
CWBC Member
Hangs out a lot with the Senior Pastor! :)

RADICAL ministry.......

2011-01-21T14:16:00.005-06:00

If you are going to live your life in obedience to the commands of Christ.....if you are going to minister to "the least of these".....if you are going to flesh out in your everyday life what you are reading in Platt's Radical.....if you are going to love as Christ loves us.....if.....if.....if.....

...Then...

Expect to be inconvenienced

Expect to be misunderstood

Expect to be mistreated

Expect to be misinterpreted

Expect to be disappointed

Expect to be dumped on

Expect to be taken advantage of

BUT.........DO IT! In the name of Christ, for the glory of God, & by the power of the Holy Spirit, please do it.

Hundreds...no, thousands...no, millions...no, billions of people need for you to do it, Christ-follower. Do it to advance His Kingdom. Do it to bless others. Do it to show unconditional love to others. Do it for the joy that comes from obeying Jesus. Do it to grow in maturity & humility. Do it because you have been given much, which means that much is required of you. Do it because the Church is the agent that is charged with the responsibility of doing it. DO IT!

Ministering to others is like trying to save a drowning person. Sometimes, even as you are trying to pull them to safety, they push you under in their frantic panic. Sometimes you die in the process. But you can't just stand there & watch them go under. So do it.

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

RADICAL Devotional by Don Warren

2011-01-19T08:21:00.001-06:00

Radical Devotional

There is a man named Mark Savage who calls himself a “minimalist.” I have been following his blog because I aspire to do some of what he has accomplished in his life. He says that he wants people to free themselves to focus on what really matters in life. He quit his job as an ad agency exec and got rid of over 3,000 of his things so that he could live and work from anywhere. He only kept 100 of his belongings to free himself of the anchors that bound him.

Mark’s blog is not written from a Christian perspective but has much of what David Platt tells us the Bible teaches. Mark Savage writes, “Rightness. Certainty. Joy. The rightness of life being as it should be. The certainty of knowing it. The joy that naturally follows from rightness joined with certainty. These are the things I felt.”

David Platt encourages us to find where true security and safety are found in this world. The rightness, certainty, and joy that Mark Savage mentions can be found in scripture if we look for them. In Galatians 5 we see the fruit of the Spirit:

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (NIV 2010)

So the rightness that Mark Savage speaks of can be equated to the Christian’s faith we see in scripture. Our certainty is like the peace of Christ that passes all understanding. And joy is the unconditional byproduct that we experience as a child of God.

What really matters in your life? If we truly give over everything to Christ and find the fruit of the Spirit, we will enjoy this life and will be a blessing to others.

Don Warren
CWBC Member & Sunday School teacher

RADICAL Devotional by Sara Daniels (Jon's mama)

2011-01-16T15:31:00.001-06:00

Devotional: n: a religious exercise or practice other than the regular corporate worship of a congregation...characterized by ardent love.

“Well, Here we go Lord. I pray you find this acceptable. I am wondering if you are sitting there on Your throne of Grace smiling at all of us trying desperately to find ways to "flesh out" our ardent love for You. Do you really want us to just act justly toward our fellow man, to love mercy extended in Your Name , and to walk humbly with You ? But Lord, what if….??????? they don't deserve these acts of compassion? What if….?? Lord! What do I do then? Well, I might________________________________________. Will that be alright with You, Lord?”

Sara Daniels, a pilgrim looking for the way......

RADICAL Devotional by Corey Wolfe

2011-01-12T14:14:00.002-06:00

This is too much!

I have too much to lose in this deal. I love my family, my home, my church, and even my circumstances. "God, I really am comfortable with the way things are. I don’t adjust well to unfamiliar situations. I don’t normally take on a lot of risk. I have made some plans. Would it be too much for me to think about this for a little while? I really do love you and I am so thankful that you have very freely given me life and the hope of Heaven. For now, I would like to see how this might work in someone else’s life. So, for now, please accept my halfhearted worship, my dutiful church attendance, and my closed-fist tithe (you only require 10%...right?). Bless me and give me more. After all, it would be so much easier for me to let go of more if my abundance meant I wouldn’t really be missing it."

CONFESSION…I have been here. I dare say that you have as well. While we are hanging on to breadcrumbs, God wants the entire loaf. Not only that He would have my loaf, but that I would give it to Him because He is my life’s pursuit. He is worth it. He has made my future secure. My life is but a vapor that is here today and gone tomorrow. So God, my loaf isn’t all that fresh and it may even be a little molded, but it is not mine anymore. Thank you Lord for being the keeper of my loaf.

ps…in looking back over this short devotional, the root of this problem is more apparent. Here they are: I, my, and me. Do you know those guys? These are the ones that are normally sitting on the throne in our lives. These guys have gotta go. More of Him and less of them! OR a step further…ALL of Him and none of them!

Corey Wolfe
Minister of Discipleship & Evangelism
CWBC

RADICAL devotional by Daniel Teague

2011-01-07T10:36:00.000-06:00

worth it all.

have you ever thought about the cost of following Christ? and, after that do you think it is worth it?

let's think about it. the cost of following Jesus was tough, and for the most part was unrealistic for most people. who would want to deny their family? (Luke 14:26) or risk not having the comforts of their basic needs? (Matthew 8:19-20) or forfeit all their possessions? (John 18:14-25) or love the people you want to hate? (Matthew 5:43-44) or carry an item of pain, suffering, and death? (Matthew 16:24)

this all seems foolish doesnt it? but this IS what Christ calls us to as believers of the Gospel. not just part of the time, or when we want to do them. and if we make that mistake Jesus tells us that we dont deserve to be his disciples. the Eleven disciples (excluding Judas Iscariot) understood this full well. Jesus didnt have to convince these people to follow Him. He simply told them to "Follow me" and they did. they dropped the things they were doing, left their families behind, forfeited the comfort of their homes, and followed Him. and to even look at this deeper, these were fishermen and tax collectors; men of low occupational standard, as well as, respectable age (some were young-possibly 17-25). and as time went on, looking in John 6, disciples from all over joined Jesus, or wanted to, but when Jesus told them the cost of following Him, they turned and went back to what the were comfortable with. then something very unique happened in scripture:

"From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him. Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, 'You don't want to go away too, do you?' Simon Peter answered, 'Lord who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God!" John 6:66-69 (HCSB)

notice what Peter said. he says that they would have nothing to go back to. and they WANTED to continue following Him. wow. thats devotion. thats dedication. thats love. they trusted that Christ was worth sacrificing everything to follow, and they didnt want to go back to their "normal" way of life. they understood the cost of following Christ. and it is really shown after Christ's ascension when most of them take a martyr's death. they gave up their lives to follow Christ. literally. and that is a beautiful picture of what it means to be His disciple. it's crazy, i know, but i believe it's worth it.

one final thought. Francis Chan in his book, Forgotten God, states:

"Nowhere in scripture do I see “balanced life with a little bit of God added in” as an ideal for us to emulate. Yet when I look at our churches this is exactly what I see: a lot of people who have added Jesus to their lives. People who have in a sense asked Him to join them on their life journey and follow them wherever they feel they should go, rather than following Him as we are commanded. The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our lives and keep on as we did before. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is not someone we can just call on when we want a little extra power in our lives. Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us, He died and rose again so that we could forget everything else and follow Him to the cross, to true Life."

with that said, is it worth it to you?
________________________________________

Now around every corner
And up every mountain
I'm not looking for crowns
Or the water from fountains
I'm desperate in seeking, frantic believing
That the sight of Your face
Is all that I need
I will say to You

It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this
-Worth It All (Rita Springer)

"Have You Considered the Cost?" - Sermon 1/2/11

2011-01-02T14:12:00.001-06:00

“HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THE COST?” Luke 14:25-33

INTRO – What does it mean to consider the cost? Just finished up the Christmas holidays. Many of us had to consider the cost – what would it take to purchase the gifts we needed to buy? What did we need to do to be able to make those purchases & accomplish our purpose? Had to ask some tough questions sometimes – Do we really need this? Is there a better way to spend our money? Is this gift going to be the right one for the right person?

Jesus made it clear that those who desired to truly follow Him as His disciple must be committed to a life of radical commitment & obedience. They had to consider the cost. It was not something that could be entered into halfheartedly. It was not something that could be taken lightly. It was not something that could be accomplished w/out significant soul-searching, life-evaluation, & self-denial & sacrifice.

Here as we launch another new year of our lives, we must ask ourselves if we have considered the cost of what it means to truly follow Jesus Christ. Many of us have a personal relationship w/ Jesus Christ. We’ve placed our faith in Him to save us & have come into the family of God. Our salvation is sure, our home in heaven is secure, & our eternity will endure. We have been saved by grace & grace alone through faith & faith alone. And now, as Paul wrote in Rom. 8:38-39: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NLT)
- Jesus made it clear that our eternal security is a reality in John 10:27-29: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
- We also stand on the truth John 5:24 – “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” (NLT)
- We also stand on the truth of John 6:37-40 – “…those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” (NLT)

It would be wise for all of us to take time here on this 1st Lord’s Day of the New Year & take stock of our position in Christ.
- Do you know for sure that you have a relationship w/ Him?
- What are you basing that on?
- Is there ongoing & growing evidence in your life that you have a relationship w/ Him?
- As I heard someone once say, “If you were put on trial for your Christianity, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Look at Luke 14:23. God is very concerned that we come IN & have a relationship w/ Him. He is eminently concerned w/ our salvation. Otherwise, He would not have made such a huge sacrifice by sending His Son to die for us. When we read Luke 14:23, we can see that God wants His house to be full. He shows that He is concerned about quantity, the number of people He wants to be saved. He shows that 2 Pet. 3:9 is true: “The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised—the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.” (NCV) He wants lost people to respond to His invitation to come into His house, into His family, into an everlasting relationship w/ Him. That’s why we do FAITH, go on mission trips, adopt the Chechen people, give out evang. bracelets, & any other way that we can spread the Gospel. It’s serious business & a dangerous thing for someone to make excuses & reject the invitation of God when it comes to them. The excuses that were given in v. 16-20 basically boiled down to, “I have something better to do.”

But, God is not only interested in quantity; He’s also interested in quality. He doesn’t want us to simply make sure that we “have our fire insurance paid up.” He wants us to take His call to follow Christ seriously. When it comes to personal discipleship, He wants only those who are willing to pay the price.

Let me ask you 3 questions:

FIRST QUESTION – DO WE GET IT? Go back to our passage for today. Jesus spoke these words to the growing crowd of followers. Many in that crowd were there simply b/c they wanted to see miracles, or to be given some food. Others thought that He was going to overthrow the Roman gov’t. They were expecting the wrong things & following for the wrong reasons. And we do the same thing today.

Saw an ad sometime this past year for the television channel, TV Land, that said, “2010: The Year of Feels Good.” TV Land shows the classics: Andy Griffith, Hogan’s Heroes, Beverly Hillbillies, Gunsmoke. There are a lot of people who are following Jesus looking for the “feels good.”
- We want the security, the safety, the prosperity.
- We want it to be the way things used to be when everyone went to church on Sundays, wearing their Sunday best; when all the stores, movie theatres, & bars were closed on Sundays; & going to church was just the right thing to do, just like in Mayberry.
- We want everything to feel good in our world & in our lives, & maybe if we do this Christian thing, it will help.

Compare that w/ Jesus saying in v. 26, “If anyone comes to me & does not hate his father & mother, wife & children, his brothers & sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” Know what the Greek word for “hate” means? To hate, the pursue w/ hatred, to detest. I think we can agree that He didn’t mean for us to actually hate these people in our lives. But we must agree that He IS saying that our love & devotion to Him MUST supercede every other earthly relationship that we have. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, the first call that every Christian experiences is “the call to abandon the attachments of this world…When Christ calls a man, he bids him come & die.”

When Jesus says, “…anyone who does not carry his cross & follow me cannot be my disciple,” He is saying, “Come & die” – die to sin, die to yourself, die to this world - & live for me alone.

Do we get it? In a world that screams, “You need more – more stuff, more toys, more things, more space, more money, more power, more security, more popularity, more thrills, more partying, more comfort,” Jesus says, “…give up everything.”

SECOND QUESTION – IS IT WORTH IT? Jesus gave 2 short parables – earthly stories w/ heavenly meanings – to help his listeners understand the importance of counting the cost. A wise builder will be careful to estimate the costs involved in his building project, & the wise king will be careful to evaluate his preparedness before going to war.
- If I start this, can I complete it?
- Do I have the necessary resources to accomplish this?
- Is it worth it?

When it comes to following Christ, we must ask ourselves these same questions. But the answer to all of these questions is a resounding YES b/c it’s all about God, HIS K’dom, HIS purposes, HIS work, HIS mission for us, HIS glory!
- If I start this, can I complete it? – Phil. 1:6 – “…being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” MSG – “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.”
- Do I have the necessary resources to accomplish this? When Jesus sent out His disciples in Matt. 10, He told them, “Do not take any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff…When they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time, you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (v. 9-10, 19-20) 2 Pet. 2:3 – “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” (NLT)
- Is it worth it? Matt. 16:26-27 – “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” Matt. 9:36-38 – “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Platt – “While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives to proclaiming the k’dom of God, literally billions in need of the gospel remain in the dark” (Radical, p. 14). 57,000 – 4.5 billion

THIRD QUESTION – AM I READY FOR IT? Our memory verse for this week is v. 33 – “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Is that the position of your heart & life? Are you ready to make that kind of commitment today for this new year, for this time RADICAL study in our church, for the rest of your life on earth? You & I must count the cost.

Oswald Chambers – “The conditions of d’ship given to us by our Lord in v. 26, 27, & 33 mean that the men & women He is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are those in whom He has done everything. ‘If anyone comes to me & does not hate his father & mother, wife & children, brothers & sisters, &, yes, even his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.’ This verse teaches us that the only men & women our Lord will use in His building enterprises are those who love Him personally, passionately, & w/ great devotion – those who a love for Him that goes far beyond any of the closest relationships on earth. The conditions are strict, but they are glorious!”

Jesus is here.

2010-12-25T00:17:00.000-06:00

...'nuff said.

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

He Has Come...(and He's coming again!)

2010-12-24T10:12:00.002-06:00

I just got off the Fox News website, & now I feel kinda nauseated. Stories today include one about our Vice President making comments about his view that gay marriage will soon be the accepted norm in the US; another about a man right here in Mississippi who killed his wife, 2 small boys, & then himself; another about the START Treaty between the US & Russia that has to do w/ each nation keeping just enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world about a hundred times, as opposed to 200 times (my stats on that may be a little off, but you get the picture); & another about a Brett Favre's alleged sexual misconduct w/ a female reporter. How's that for some uplifting Christmas Eve news?

Truth is that things are not much different today as they were that first Christmas Eve. No, nuclear weapons had not yet been invented, & cell phones that could be used to send lewd pics were not around. But sin was still rampant in the world in huge ways. The Roman empire was bullying people into submission all over the place; people were being abused & killed; immorality was commonplace...it was a sick, sick world, just like today.

It's no wonder that God, in His sovereignty, saw the need to send "a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." The coming of this Savior didn't stop all the sinful people from doing sinful things (can I get a witness?). But the coming of the Savior did provide all the sinful people in the world the opportunity to get off the fast track to hell (Jesus called it "the broad road") & get on the path that leads to heaven. You don't make that move by trying to be "good for goodness sake," or being more religious, or putting more change in the Salvation Army Red Kettle than the guy in front you as you go into the mall. You make that move by simply & completely putting your faith in the One whose name is JESUS! He came to Bethlehem 2000 years ago so that you could come to Him today. And if you come to Him today & trust Him to be the LORD (the boss, master) of your life, you'll be ready when He comes again, just like He promised He would.

There was one story on Fox News that caused me to smile today. It was about a Border Collie named Chaser who has learned over 1,000 words, more than any other animal has ever learned. That makes him the top dog in the world.

As much I like dogs, & even more specifically Border Collies (I have one myself), Jesus didn't come to save dogs - He came to save YOU & ME! Even if Chaser was able to learn to recognize the name "Jesus," it would change anything for him.

But, today, if YOU recognize the name "JESUS," & realize that He is the only hope for your life, BIG changes will come to you! Today, you can have the greatest gift anyone can receive - the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ! Call out to Him today - tell Him that you know you can't save yourself, any more than Chaser can be saved - confess to Him that you have sinned & turned away from Him - & that you want Him to save you today. What an awesome Christmas you will have!!!

Merry CHRISTmas, friend.

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

Destroying Churches

2010-12-14T13:30:00.005-06:00

I just read an article from Voice of the Martyrs that a Bible school was recently destroyed by a force of 500 Vietnamese police officers, soldiers, & fire personnel. Bulldozers were used to make sure the job was completely done. The Mennonite pastor who runs the school was arrested and, according to some witnesses, beaten.

When I read these kinds of articles, my heart grows so heavy for a number of reasons. Of course, it grieves with those brothers & sisters who are directly affected by these dastardly acts. But it also grieves for those of us who live in the relative ease & safety of the Western world & worship in a Western church. I grieve because I think we just don't get it sometimes.

The truth is that there are a lot of churches in the Western world that are being destroyed, only in a different, sadder way. When a church in the Western world is destroyed, it is usually not the physical structure that is torn down & demolished. Most churches that I know of that have been destroyed in our comfortable world are blown apart by selfishness, sinful power struggles, & shameful pursuits of our own personal preferences. Western churches are destroyed when...

- ...we don't worship the way that some people think we "ought" to worship...
- ...we don't let our preachers preach on subjects that are considered "taboo" because they cause us to feel "uncomfortable"...
- ...we stop allowing sinful, broken, hurting people that are different from us to come into "our church" & bare their souls in ways that are "improper"...
- ...we stop expecting Christ-followers to actually give sacrificially...
- ...we quit challenging leaders to lead by serving so that Jesus might increase as they decrease...
- ...we allow pride, power, & politics weave their way into our decisions...
- ...we stop listening to the words of Jesus & start listening to the words of our critics, fans, & ourselves...

I actually think we might be better off if we actually had to be concerned about our churches being destroyed by the government, terrorists, or some other outside enemy. I believe then we would get rid of the petty stuff & hang on to the priceless stuff.

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

Today...

2010-12-02T12:47:00.005-06:00

Here's a list (not exhaustive) of what has happened today in a somewhat normal day:

- Woke up about 6:00 AM

- Made Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee in my French Press

- Spent some time in prayer

- Wrote an entry on Caring Bridge for a young cousin of mine who is having surgery today

- Got called out with fire department to a car wreck

- Went to grocery store to get salad fixings for staff Christmas lunch

- Got to office & spent some time w/ a good friend

- Ate lunch w/ church staff (love those guys!)

- Listened to some good Christmas music on my Itunes while writing this blog

.......and through it all, God was with me.

That's what "Immanuel" is all about....remember? "...the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isa. 7:14 in good old King Jimmy!)

He is with us...always...everywhere...anywhere...in the midst of anything & everything...good times...bad times...times when you feel really good about your relationship with Him...times when you feel like a complete failure in your relationship with Him...

I LOVE the FACT that He is IMMANUEL!!!

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

Thankful for the Pigs!

2010-11-24T20:15:00.006-06:00

An honest farmer was asked to dine with a gentleman, and there asked a blessing at table as he was accustomed to do at home. His host said jeeringly, "That is old-fashioned; it is not customary nowadays for well-educated people to pray at table." The farmer answered that with him it was customary, but that some of his household never prayed over their food. "Ah, then," said the gentleman, "they are sensible and enlightened. Who are they?" The farmer answered, "They are my pigs." (Christian Herald)

You and I need to be careful that we don't find ourselves in the same category as the pigs in the farmer's household. God's goodness, faithfulness, grace, mercy, sustaining presence and power, provision, strength, love......the list goes on because HE goes on. He's unchanging, undeniable, unmatched, unequalled, unlimited, unbelievable....but believe it....believe HIM! There's no way to completely explain Him or completely understand Him, but He completely loves you and completely saves you when you come to Him in faith. He's completely worthy of our worship, our adoration, our praise, and our devotion and obedience. He's completely complete!

There are lots and lots and lots of reasons to thank Him, lots of blessings, lots of touches in our lives. There's no way that we can adequately express our gratitude to Him and for Him. But Thanksgiving is a great opportunity for us to do our best to focus on as many of those reasons as we can think of. Of course, we need to do that all throughout the year, too, but for right now, at this time of year, we have the opportunity to rise above the din of the voices of the world and pronounce the true reasons for thanks.

So many "well-educated," "sensible and enlightened" people these days say that we who follow Christ are deluded, deceived, and just plain dumb. But, you know what? That's OK. In fact, we ought to thank God for them, too, because their comments and observations just make us that much more aware and amazed that the one true God of all the universe chooses to hang out with us. WOW! Thanks, God!

So, get out of the pigpen, and out of your small, easily explained world, and get lost in the wonder of an extremely huge, yet extremely personal God calling out to you, desiring to fellowship with you. Be thankful...be grateful...be appreciative...be humbled...be changed...and worship Him.

"Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts." (Andrew Murray)

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

"Thankful for the Holy Spirit" - Sermon - 11/21/10

2010-11-21T15:23:00.003-06:00

“THANKFUL FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT” Rom. 8:18-27

INTRO – What an awesome day for us to be together! So many things for us to be thankful for in our personal lives, in our families’ lives, & in our church’s life. Asked question on FB to find out what people were thankful for: Top 3: Jesus/salvation, family, & friends.

As I look back over this past year in our church, I see story after story of God’s hand at work in the lives of His people.
o 260+ people saved during our mission trip to Nic. Many of our members had the opportunity to lead people to Christ. For some, this was their 1st time to witness to someone.
o His healing & sustaining power in those whose lives were interrupted by serious health issues – Therese Kersh, Jay Buynar, Ava Turman
o Awesome revival services in Aug. w/ Sammy Nuckolls
o 9 people saved in this past semester of FAITH as we continue to use this strategy to train more & more of our people to share the Gospel.
o CW has more members right now than ever in its history – have had 100+ join our church this year!
o Our children’s ministry & our student ministry continue to be strong, impacting the lives of kids & families in our community.
o We had our 1st successful season w/ Brilla Soccer.
o The Country Oaks Mission is poised to launch in the next few weeks.
o Our music ministry consistently provides some of the best worship music in the metro area.
o Our SS classes provide some of the best Bible teaching to our members. Also provide some of the best loving ministry to members during times of need.
o REFRESH has become one of the highlights of each week as 100 or so gather each Wed evening for serious prayer, fellowship, worship, & Bible teaching.
o Established a relationship w/ Tim Dortch & Hispaniola Mountain Ministries for mission work in the DR & Haiti.
o About to launch into RADICAL study after the 1st of year. Hundreds of our members reading the book right now.

There are so many things for us to be thankful for as we think about our God.
- His mighty power at work as the God of all creation.
- His amazing grace at work in salvation through the work of Christ on the cross.
- His victory over death & the grave through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
- His promise of the imminent return of Christ for His Bride, the Church.
- His perfect, infallible, inerrant Word, given to us through the Bible.
- And today, our focus is on being thankful for the Holy Spirit.

As there are many things for us to be thankful for today, there are so many things that discourage us and drag us down in our world today. Many of us today are battling against discouragement, despair, and despondency today to different reasons.
- Some are struggling financially
- Some are struggling in their family relationships. Holidays tend to shine a spotlight on those struggles.
- Some are struggling w/ job issues, either not having a job, or having problems in their present job.
- Some are struggling w/ an ongoing, persistent sin issue. Seems that no matter how hard you struggle against it, you find yourself falling right back into the same trap. Satan comes against you again & again w/ the same “sin that so easily entangles you.”
- Some are struggling w/ your faith. You are having a hard time believing some of the things that you read in the Bible. Or you’re not reading your Bible, not spending time in the Word, not deepening your prayer life, not serving the Lord through His Church.
- Some are just struggling w/ worry & anxiety over the condition of the world & our society.
- Some are struggling w/ health issues, or age-related issues with yourself, your spouse, or parents.
- Some are struggling b/c this is the 1st year that you are going to be w/out a loved one during the holidays. Grief is still heavy.

Here’s the good news: Even as we struggle, we have the Holy Spirit to help us. We can be thankful today for the Holy Spirit Whom Jesus sent to us to give us the strength, endurance, wisdom, & comfort we need to make it through our struggles. And not just make it, but to be victorious in our struggles.

BE THANKFUL FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT B/C HE SAVES US WHEN WE ARE UNWORTHY – v. 23

The HS shows us our sinfulness, our need for a saving relationship w/ Jesus Christ. He convicts of our sin. He reveals the truth to us about who we are, what our dreadful, desperate, dead condition is. He reveals the truth to us about who Jesus Christ is, what He did for us when He died on the cross & rose from the grave. He empowers us to respond in obedience to the call of God upon our lives.

And then, as v. 23 show us, we experience “the firstfruits of the Spirit” in our lives. That means that He sets us apart for all eternity, to live for God while we are here on this earth, & then to go to heaven when we die. The Spirit gives us a little glimpse of the blessings of heaven, as they hymnwriter said, a “foretaste of glory divine.” We know we are not worthy b/c the Spirit has already shown us our sinfulness. But He also tells us that the best is yet to come! We groan b/c we still see the effects of sin in our lives. We know that there is a better day coming when all of this will be over b/c the Spirit has saved us & let us have a taste of how good it is going to be.

BE THANKFUL FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT B/C HE STRENGTHENS US WHEN WE ARE WEAK – v. 26a

We are going to suffer – v. 18. We are going to groan – v. 23. No doubt about that. All of creation is groaning like a woman about to give birth – v. 22. Lots of pain. Lots of struggle. Lots of hard work. But the end result is joyful. It’s all worth it.

All of creation groaning b/c, right now, things are hard. We groan b/c we see so much pain everywhere we look, & many times, it directly affects us. Top 4 news articles on Foxnews.com this AM: Man who killed woman & her 2 children; police in Utah looking for man who shot a park ranger; an Air Force pilot killed in crash in AK; & terrorists plans for blowing up US-bound cargo planes. Death, disease, hardships, sin, persecution. Cholera killing people left & right in Haiti right now. Open season has been declared on Christians in many countries. Cancer seems to be rampant. Murders happen in Jackson nearly every day. Immorality seeps into every place. Drug abuse everywhere. Fear of terrorist attacks. There’s a lot of bad stuff that goes on every day everywhere. The world is a tough place to live.

We are going to have times when we are weak – v. 26a. We will experience physical weakness due to age, health issues, degenerative conditions. We will also experience weakness in our soul, times when we feel like we are going to go under; times when the temptations are going to scream at us; times when our faith is going to falter, when we’re not going to understand why we or our loved ones are going through such major trials.

And yet, even in those times of extreme weakness, we can be thankful b/c we have the Scriptural guarantee that the Holy Spirit will be w/ us to strengthen us, to help us when we are weak.

For the Holy Spirit to help us when we are weak is not like somebody saying, “Let me give you a hand.” It means that He steps in full force; He takes hold of our struggles, grabs hold of our lives; fully embraces us; & never lets go. Simply put, it means that God steps into our pain & our weakness w/ His healing & His strength. That’s something to be thankful for!

BE THANKFUL FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT B/C HE SPEAKS FOR US WHEN WE ARE SPEECHLESS – v. 26b

Sometimes our pain & our struggles are so great that we simply cannot pray, or we do not know what to pray. Our minds are exhausted. Our wills are depleted. We just don’t have any more words to use to express what’s going on in our lives.

Be thankful! Why? B/c just as the Holy Spirit moves in w/ His strength when we have no more strength, He moves in w/ His words when we have no more words. We don’t know what those words are b/c they are “groans that words cannot express.” Just as Isa. 55 tells us that we cannot comprehend God’s ways & thoughts, we cannot comprehend the Spirit’s words. They are His words spoken to God the Father on our behalf.

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

How Are You Feeling Today?

2010-11-19T14:46:00.000-06:00

As I write this article, I am at home on a beautiful Friday morning. They sky is cloudless, the breeze is blowing, and birds are singing in the trees on the fence line in my backyard.

But, I’m also not feeling too sporty this morning. I don’t really know what it is…maybe a little “bug.” I ran a low-grade fever last night and just feel sort of listless right now…not deathly ill…just out of sorts and “blah.”

Isn’t this how it is in many of our lives spiritually? Things all around us seem to be wonderful, but inside, we are not well. We may not be committing blatant, open immorality, but the “low-grade” fever of sin in our hearts is sapping our strength and spiritual vitality.

There’s no doubt that God is still in the healing business. Many times, He performs miraculous physical healings in people’s bodies. That is a powerful testimony to His sovereignty.

He also is still in the “spiritual” healing business. When we come to Him in our brokenness, bringing our failures, our folly, and our flippant attitudes toward sin to Him in confession and repentance, He hears, heals, and hands us His “Doctor’s Report” that reads, “Completely healed through Jesus Christ.” He’s an awesome God, isn’t He?

You know what? I think I’m feeling better…

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

It's Not Too Late!

2010-11-13T10:18:00.002-06:00

Ever been late for an appointment? Most of us have experienced that. You know...that sinking feeling that comes over you when you realize that you were supposed to be somewhere at a certain time on a certain day and YOU AIN'T THERE! Once, I was on a golf course playing a round of golf (if you saw me play, you wouldn't call it "playing golf!"). My cell phone rang and the groom of a wedding I was supposed to be doing AT THAT EXACT TIME was on the other end of the line, asking me where I was! Fortunately, it was a small wedding in a home with just a few friends and family members, and they took it well. In fact, when I screeched around the corner to pull in the driveway at the home, all of the groomsmen were out in the front yard simulating a golf swing!

Right now, I can assuredly tell you that there is one appointment that you need to make, and you DON'T want to be late. That's the appointment that you have to encounter Jesus Christ in a real, life-changing way. You need to make this appointment now! Don't wait...trust Him now to save you and give you the gift of eternal life. He'll keep HIS appointment...you need to keep YOUR appointment!

Some of you have already made that initial appointment with Christ. But, you've not been keeping your daily appointment with Him. How long has it been since you got your Bible out and read it? How long has it been since you prayed (more than a quick blessing over your lunch or supper!)? How long has it been since you quieted your life down long enough to hear Him speak to you about some of the stuff that is going on in your world? Again...He'll keep HIS appointment...you need to keep YOUR appointment!

It's not too late...to start your new life with Jesus!

It's not too late...to renew your walk with Jesus!

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

"Love one another..."

2010-10-18T15:19:00.004-05:00

How are you doing in the love department? How's your love life? Not talking about a romantic love, or a puppy love thing. I'm talking about the real love that is shared between brothers & sisters in Christ within the family of God. This is IMPORTANT stuff! The world is watching us all the time to see how we are doing in this area.

1 John 4:7-8 are some great verses: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (NIV) I love the way that THE MESSAGE puts verse 8: "The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love..."

Bottom line is this: If you belong to the Church, the Body of Christ, the Family of God, you have an awesome privilege & responsibility to joyfully love those who are also in the Church with you. I'm not JUST talking about your local church, though that is extremely important. The exciting thing is that you GET to love other brothers & sisters in Christ who are in the remotest parts of the world; or who are just across the street from you; or who live on your street; or who live on a street in Moscow, Russia; or who live in a mansion in an affluent suburb; or who live in a mud hut in the coffee country in the mountains of Nicaragua; or........(you fill in the blank).

The love of God is so HUGE because our God is so HUGE! His love for us is staggering, & it is staggering to try to comprehend how He calls us to show that love to others. But isn't it amazing that we GET to do this!!!

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

The "S.P.A.C.E." Principle

2010-10-14T11:22:00.003-05:00

Do you sometimes struggle with applying the Bible to your life? You hear your pastor say, "You've got to read your Bible," and you know it's important. You totally agree with what the late President Ronald Reagan once said about the Bible: "Within the covers of one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems that face us today--if only we would read and believe." It's just that sometimes it seems like you read it, but don't know what to do with what you've read.

Here's a simple plan that you can use as you read your Bible each day. It's called the "S.P.A.C.E. Principle." I believe it will help you.

As you read the Word, use the word "SPACE" to ask yourself these questions about the Scriptures:

- Is there a Sin for me to confess?

- Is there a Promise for me to claim?

- Is there an Attitude for me to change?

- Is there a Command for me to obey?

- Is there an Example for me to follow?

That's it - the "S.P.A.C.E. Principle!" These questions will stir your mind and your heart as you listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to you as He answers these questions in your spirit. Then you will continue growing in your love for Christ, your desire to serve Him and glorify Him, and in your commitment to His Kingdom work in this world.

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

The Gospel...

2010-09-14T09:37:00.002-05:00

God created you.

God loves you.

God wants to have a relationship with you.

You can be saved.

You cannot save yourself.

Jesus is the only way to be saved.

Call out to Him now.

"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I cannot save myself. You can save me. I confess you as the Lord, the Boss, the Master of my life. Help me now to live for you for the rest of my earthly life. Thank you for saving me."

Amen.

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

Why Fast & Pray?

2010-08-18T10:30:00.002-05:00

Well, the quick answer is that we do it out of obedience because it is something that our Lord expected us to do. In Matt. 6, Jesus said, "...WHEN you pray..." (v. 5), and "WHEN you fast..." (v. 16). He didn't say, "IF you pray..." or "IF you fast..."

In addition, the need for fasting in our society is highlighted by our constant, insatiable desire for anything & everything to satisfy OUR wants & OUR selfish pursuits. Fasting is one way to make a deliberate, conscious effort to say "NO" to things that we think we absolutely have to have. It is a distinct denial that leads to divine delight as it heightens our awareness of our need for God & strengthens our intimacy with Him.

Believers are strengthened & encouraged when they participate in fasting in a corporate manner. Although we are not to make a show of our fasting, there seems to be "strength in numbers" when the Church declares a day or period of fasting for the family of God to participate in. No one is forced to participate, but all are encouraged to seek the Lord & see if He leads them to take part. There are so many things that splinter & fragment churches these days, & to come together for a day of fasting & prayer is a strong unifying act.

Some people may fast from food for a period of time (1 meal, 1 day, etc.). Others may choose to fast from other influences (TV, Internet, Facebook, reading books other than the Bible, etc.). Whatever type of fast is chosen, use the time for God's glory & purposes. Seek Him through the reading of Scripture, prayer, memorization & meditation of Scripture, personal & corporate worship. Trust & believe that He is going to speak to you...Listen...Respond...Repent...Obey...Be revived...

Here's a great resource for you to check out: http://www.ccci.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/personal-guide-to-fasting/index.htm.

~ Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

"How to Live for God" - Sermon, Aug. 8, 2010

2010-08-08T15:37:00.002-05:00

“HOW TO LIVE FOR GOD” Col. 3:1-17

INTRO – Ever heard of the series of books “For Dummies?” It is a series of books written by different authors that are basic “how-to” books on over 1700 different topics. The basic ideas for this series, better known as “the Dummies’ Way” are:
* Explanations in plain English
* "Get in, get out" information
* Icons and other navigational aids
* Tear-out cheat sheet
* Top ten lists
* A dash of humor and fun

You’ll find book written on everything from:
- Mexican cooking to menopause
- Hermit crabs to hockey
- Scuba diving to sex (3 editions of the sex for dummies book)
- OCD to organic chemistry
- Gardening to genetics
- Macbook to making candles
- PC’s to poker

You name it, there’s probably to book written on it in the “for dummies” list. And, yes, there is a book entitled, “Christianity for Dummies.” Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that anyone here necessarily needs that book, or fits that category. The book is actually a pretty good, very basic theology book, which would be great for a new Christian, or someone who is asking questions about being a Christian.

Truth of the matter is that we all have, at times, felt like dummies when it comes to our Christian walk.
- Maybe you’ve felt like a dummy when you give in to that same old sin time & time again.
- Maybe you’ve felt like a dummy when your child asks you a question about the Bible that you can’t answer.
- Maybe you’ve felt like a dummy when the Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons show up at your door.

But let me be very clear about something: IF YOU BELONG TO CHRIST, YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT A DUMMY!!! Don’t let the enemy try to convince you otherwise.
- Sure, we can all battle harder against sin in our lives.
- We can all study the Bible more so we can answer our kids’ questions.
- We can all prepare ourselves better to be able to defend our faith more effectively against those who are spreading a false gospel.

But you are definitely not a dummy! In fact, when you look at the Word of God, you will see the exact opposite. You will see that, if you belong to Christ, you:
- Appointed by God – John 15:16
- Alive with Christ – Gal. 2:20
- Beautiful – Isa. 61:10
- Belong to God – John 17:9
- Bold & confident – Eph. 3:12
- Cared for by God – 1 Pet. 5:7
- Citizen of heaven – Phil. 3:20
- Have every good thing – Philemon 6
- Friend of God & a fruit-bearer for Him – John 15
- Helped by God – Isa. 44:2
- An instrument for noble purposes – 2 Tim. 2:21
- Near to God, never forsaken, a new creation w/ new life & a new self who has no condemnation, no fear, who is no longer an enemy of God or a slave to sin, who has not been given a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, & a sound mind w/ self-control.

Someone who is all of these things & so much more is definitely not a dummy!!! No dummy would be concerned w/ how to live for God.

Col. 3 gives us some great pointers on how to live for God. Let’s take the 4 paragraphs from v. 1-17 & discover 4 applications for us to utilize in living for God:

MAKE UP YOUR MIND – v. 1-4

Living for God means that we will seek the things above, the things of God. We will think about them all the time, meditating on them, striving to understand them so we can put them into practice in our lives.

Word talks about importance of our minds in several different places:
- Rom. 8:5-6 – “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
- Rom. 12:2 – “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
- 2 Cor. 10:3-5 – “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

One of the most important things we can do to live for God is to guard those things that go into our mind. Just as we are careful not to digest things into our physical bodies that will harm us, so we should also be careful not to digest things into our minds that will harm us. Nic trip – constantly guarding against eating things that will make us sick.

“Earthly things” constantly vie for our attention, constantly calling out to us to get us to focus our mind’s attention on them. Impure things, unhealthy things, sinful things, selfish things, rebellious things, worrisome things – anything that would cause to stop thinking about the things of God. And these things come to us in many different forms – all forms of media (TV, Internet, radio, ipods, cell phones), relationships, things people say to us, experiences we have. The enemy is a master at placing distractions at every opportunity.

This is why it is so important for us to spend time w/ God on a daily basis, having our quiet times, getting into the Word, getting His Word into us, renewing our minds, transforming our minds, preparing our minds for the battles & distractions that will await us each day. “[An] essential component to the Christian life is a growing one-on-one relationship w/ the Lord…A common ingredient in the lives of mature Christians is a private, daily encounter w/ God, often called a quiet time or devotional time.” (Wagner, Christianity for Dummies, p. 245) Choose a place, choose a time, choose a plan, & get after it.

KEEP TAKING OUT THE TRASH – v. 5-11

How often do you take out the trash? Once a week or more. Don’t just take it out one time then never again. Constant, regular practice. Garbage truck comes every Friday b/c there is a constant need to get rid of the garbage that we accumulate. In the US, that’s about 230 million tons of trash per year, or about 4.6 lbs. of trash per person per day.

There is an ongoing need in our lives to keep taking out the trash. We are in the process of becoming like Christ, but we are certainly not there yet. We still have to deal w/ our “earthly nature,” our sin nature, which constantly battles against the things of God. Gal. 5:17 speaks to this: “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”

Some of the trash is obvious & stinks terribly: “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, & greed, which is idolatry.” No doubt that our world is consumed w/ these things. We must constantly guard against these things, & if they are in our lives, we need to get that trash out of our lives immediately.

Some of the trash is not so obvious, and IN OUR OPINION, doesn’t smell so bad: “anger, rage, malice, slander, & filthy language…Do not lie to each other…” These are some of the things that we tend to make excuses for: “Well, that’s just the way I am.” “Can’t help it if I’ve got a short fuse.” “Can’t seem to do anything about my cussing.” “If you worked in an environment like I work in, you’d cuss, too.” “I don’t lie that much. It’s just on my income tax return. It’s just a little white lie.” G. Campbell Morgan: “Sins in good standing.” Wiersbe: “We are so accustomed to anger, critical attitudes, lying, and coarse humor among believers that we are no longer upset or convicted about these sins. We would be shocked to see a church member commit some sensual sin, but we will watch him lose his temper in a business meeting and call it “righteous indignation.”

Verse 11 speaks to the sin of prejudice & divisiveness. If another person is a child of God, Christ is in them, just as Christ is in you. All of these things are garbage that must constantly be removed from our lives. 2 Cor. 2:15 says that we are to be “the aroma of Christ” in the world. But we’re going to have a hard time having the aroma of Christ if our lives are filled a bunch of stinking garbage. Keep taking it out! IN YOUR QT EACH DAY, confess your sins – YOUR TRASH – to God. Repent! Get it out & get away from it!

PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON – v. 12-14

Getting rid of the garbage in our lives is like stripping off nasty, stinking, contaminated clothing. And after we do that, we need to put some other clothes back on. And in these verses we see the “garments of grace” that we need to put on b/c we are “God’s chosen people, holy & dearly loved.”

Just as each day IN YOUR QUIET TIME, you need to put on the armor of God from Eph. 6, you need to put on the garments of grace: “Father, today, by the power of your Spirit, who is at work in my life, I put on your compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, & love.” Make this a part of your daily QT, which is all the more reason to have your daily QT.

HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE – v. 15-17

3 times in 3 verses, P says to be thankful. Of all people in the world, we, as Christ-followers should live w/ a constant attitude of gratitude.
• We have the peace of Christ – be thankful!
• We have the body of Christ, the Church – be thankful!
• We have the Word of Christ, the Bible – be thankful!
• We have the privilege of singing His praises – be thankful!
• We have the privilege of living for Him, serving Him – be thankful!

The more time you spend w/ Him, the more you will see Him at work in your life, the more you will hear Him speak to your heart, the more you will desire to grow in Him & glorify Him, the more you will want to live for Him.

CONCLUSION – So, how are you doing in living for God?

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

"Gotta Have Faith"

2010-06-10T09:47:00.003-05:00

No, I'm not encouraging you to go back to the '80's & listen to George Michael (although I do enjoy some good '80's rock & roll!). What I am encouraging you to do is TRUST GOD MORE THAN YOU DO RIGHT NOW.

There's a verse in Hebrews that haunts me. It's Hebrews 11:6, & it simply says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." How many times has my life & my level of faith been unpleasing to God? What about the church that I pastor? Are we corporately pleasing God? Or are we functioning out of our abilities, rather than trusting God for His provisions?

I heard someone just last night tell me how much "fun" it was for her & her husband to give to the Lord over & above their tithe (10% of their income) & see how He was going to continue to bless them & provide for them. I guess why the Scriptures tell us that God loves a "cheerful" (translated, "hilarious") giver!

Faith - "Forsaking All, I Trust Him." Do I really? Do you really? Do we really?

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

FINAL STOP ON THE ROMAN ROAD - Rom. 10:13 (preached 5/30/10)

2010-06-03T14:08:00.002-05:00

“FINAL STOP ON THE ROMAN ROAD” Rom. 10:13

INTRO – KJV – “…whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Memorized it in KJV. Reminds me of John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER –

Last Sun., went to Eagle Rock. Took Sarah Brown, Logan Hilton, & Jennifer Cooper. Stopped in Tuscaloosa to pick up Bart Latner to help me drive & keep me awake. Mon. night, he & I talking & sharing together. Had been talking about Rom. 10:13. Stepped outside onto porch. Rain coming down. God clearly spoke to me – “This is your sermon.”

Rain falling on everything there. Next morning, sun shining brighter, air cleaner, breeze more refreshing, everything seemed to be made new.

God wants us to know that the same thing is true w/ His love, His grace, His mercy, His Spirit. God is raining down on us today. His Spirit is present w/ us. And, if you want Him or need Him to rain on you, He will. All you’ve got to do is step out in faith, believe, & call out to Him. Whosoever needs Him is gets Him. And whosoever gets Him gets ALL of Him.
- The man at Jackson Square that Chris told us about.
- The co-worker that Janet told us about.
- The bartender that Fred told us about.

This is the core truth that we have been teaching all month long as we’ve walked down this Roman Road together.
- We are ALL sinners.
- We are ALL messed up & bound for hell outside of Christ.
- We are ALL unworthy of His free gift of eternal life.
- We are ALL in need of the cleansing that is ours b/c of His death on the cross.
- We are ALL lost w/out Christ until we confess that Jesus is Lord & believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER –

Whosoever needs Him gets Him when they call out to Him, & they get ALL of Him. We don’t just get the things of Christ – WE GET CHRIST! We don’t just get the gifts of the Holy Spirit – WE GET THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Many of us just want God to do some “stuff” for us.
- Just want Him to make things better for us.
- Make our marriage better
- Make our kids better
- Make our jobs better
- Make our bank accts. better
- Make our problems better
- Make our church better
- Make our country better, our economy better

God doesn’t save just part of you. He doesn’t just touch some areas of your life & leave the others alone. He doesn’t just deal w/ some of your “stuff” & leave the rest of your “stuff” alone. When you call on the name of the Lord to save you, He saves you completely, fully, totally, miraculously, powerfully. He saves ALL of you. He now owns ALL of you. He now loves ALL of you. His grace touches ALL of you. His Spirit envelops ALL of you. That’s for “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord.”

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER –
- The man & woman who ate some forbidden fruit & lost everything
- The king who lusted after a beautiful woman who was not his wife, had sex w/ her, conceived a child w/ her, & had her husband killed
- A wicked city who heard the message of hope from a prophet who had been in the belly of a fish
- The rebellious son who demanded his part of his father’s inheritance, went off to a far country & blew it on gambling & prostitutes
- The vertically-challenged tax-collector who was hated by everyone b/c of his dishonesty
- The religious leader who came to Jesus in the night wanting to know if He was for real
- The disciple who cursed & denied Jesus
- The paralytic sitting at the door to the temple begging for money when 2 apostles walked by
- The man who was persecuting the Church & was on the way to continue his persecution when He encountered Christ
- A thief hanging on a cross next to His Savior

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER
- An 8 y/o boy at a Bill Glass crusade at Delta State University
- A little girl sitting in her daddy’s lap
- An adult man who, as a result of his father’s death, realizes that he’s not saved
- A teenager at Eagle Rock
- A senior adult in the waning years of their life
- An African-American teenager at a pizza party at a white church in Brookhaven, MS

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER
- An African-American gang member living in the inner city
- An affluent family living in the suburbs
- A middle-income family living in Byram
- A patriotic flag-flying veteran
- A flag-burning protester
- A homeless guy walking the streets & living in the rescue mission
- The President of the United States living in the White House
- An illegal immigrant
- A prostitute working on a street corner
- A businessman working in a high-rise office building
- An unwed mother
- A soccer mom driving an SUV

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER
- The crack addict
- The porn addict
- The food addict
- The alcohol addict
- The sex addict
- The TV addict
- The popularity addict

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER
- The man who is sitting in a hotel room right now w/ a gun in his hand wondering why his life is so screwed up
- The woman who is sitting in her kitchen right now wondering why her husband left her
- The teenager sitting in his bedroom right now wondering why so many other teenagers make fun of him all the time
- The senior adult widow sitting on her porch right now wondering why her kids never call or come by
- The girl sitting in her apt right now reliving the day she had an abortion

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER
- The abused wife; The husband who abuses her
- The family whose son was murdered; The murderer
- The wife whose husband was killed in action in Iraq; The terrorist who killed him
- The person who has been led astray by a false teacher; The false teacher

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER
- The Baptist – Southern Bapt; American Bapt; Missionary Bapt; Independent Bapt; Primitive Bapt; Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Bapt
- The Methodist
- The Presbyterian
- The Pentecostal
- The Lutheran
- The Episcopalian
- The Catholic
- The Jew
- The Muslim
- The Buddhist
- The agnostic
- The atheist

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER
- The cheater, liar, gossiper, murderer, coveter, adulterer, homosexual
- The prideful, arrogant, spiteful, rebellious
- The one who spreads seeds of dissension in the church, the one who refuses to reconcile w/ someone else, the one who is being eaten up w/ bitterness & unforgiveness
- The good person, the upstanding citizen, the award-winning athlete, the smartest scholar, the talented musician, the Hollywood star, the humble, behind-the-scenes, unassuming person
- The quiet one who lets people run over them; the loud one who runs over everybody

WHOSOEVER MEANS WHOSOEVER
- You
- Me
- Today
- Right now
- Right here

"Fourth Stop on the Roman Road" - Romans 10:9 (preached May 23, 2010)

2010-05-27T16:55:00.002-05:00

“FOURTH STOP ON THE ROMAN ROAD” Rom. 10:9

INTRO – As we move to the 4th stop on the Roman Road today during our Day or Praise, we come to this important aspect of our salvation experience, found in Rom. 10:9. Today, we will see what OUR part is in the salvation process. Thus far, we have established biblical facts & theological truths that the Spirit uses to move us to the place where we are today. The Roman Rd begins at Rom. 3:23 (say it). The Spirit uses this verse to remind us that we are ALL unworthy of the gift of salvation b/c we are ALL sinners. It then moves to 6:23 (say it). The Spirit uses this verse to teach us that if we continue in a life of sin w/out Christ, the only thing that awaits us is death – total, spiritual separation from God. Then last week, the Rom. Rd. took us to 5:8 (say it). The Spirit uses this verse to bring to light the truth that the unconditional love of God is absolutely astounding, amazing, & absolutely awesome, shown by the fact that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” Now what? The Rom. Rd. brings us to 10:9. Say it w/ me.

The verse says, “…if you confess w/ your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’…” – THIS IS WHAT I MUST SAY TO BE SAVED.

The choir sang, “Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, God is love, love has come for us all.” The word “confess” is such an important word in the Christian’s vocabulary. It simply & clearly means “to declare the same thing.”

There are probably some fans of the Law & Order TV show here today. One of our favorite TV shows. Getting a confession from a criminal is a integral part of every episode. There are always those scenes in the show where the suspect is brought into the interrogation room for questioning. Finally, after intense questioning & examination of the facts, many times the criminal will confess. In other words, he will say the same thing as the police detectives are saying. He will confess by agreeing with what they are saying. He will declare his guilt.

For us to declare w/ our mouths, “Jesus is Lord,” is a huge statement. People have died a martyr’s death over this statement. It is a statement that means that we have a new master, a new king, a new boss of our lives. WE are no longer on the throne of our lives; JESUS is on the throne of our lives. We don’t own our lives now; He owns us now. We don’t decide which direction to go; He decides what direction our lives will go in now. He instructs & commands us now. He leads us now. We declare w/ our mouths that JESUS IS LORD!

The verse says, “…and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead…” – THIS IS WHAT I MUST BELIEVE TO BE SAVED.

The fact that God raised Jesus from the dead is proof that He is Lord. Lord over life & Lord over death. A true heart belief in this truth is as necessary to salvation as the confession that He is Lord.

A heart belief is a whole person belief. It is belief w/ every fiber of your being. It is belief on which you stake your life, build your future, & change your world. It is belief that drives you to change your way of thinking, your way of talking, & your way of living. It is belief that makes you take risks you wouldn’t normally take, talk to people you wouldn’t normally talk to, & sacrifice in ways you wouldn’t normally sacrifice. It’s not just an intellectual response to biblical facts; it is a response w/ your whole person.

The godly Presbyterian preacher, Robert Murray McCheyne, was passing out tracts one day and handed one to a well-dressed lady. She gave him a haughty look and said, “Sir, you must not know who I am!” In his kind way, McCheyne replied, “Madam, there is coming a day of judgment, and on that day it will not make any difference who you are!”

Friends, what WILL make a difference on that day is what you have said & what you have believed.

The verse says, “…you will be saved.” – THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

It’s as simple, as profound, as wonderful, as amazing, as unbelievable, as stupefying, as mind-blowing, as clear & concise as that – YOU WILL BE SAVED.
- Saved from an eternity w/out God in a very real place called hell.
- Saved from total, complete, utter misery in this life as you wander aimlessly w/ no direction, no future, no joy, no hope, nothing to look forward to.
- Saved for the joy of everlasting life in heaven.
- Saved for the undeserved privilege of serving God while still alive here on earth, enjoying His abundant life, filled w/ the presence & power of the Holy Spirit.

YOU WILL BE SAVED!
- When the massive heart attack or stroke happens, you will be saved.
- When the car accident or the hunting accident happens, you will be saved.
- When the cancer finally wins, you will be saved.
- When the aneurysm happens, you will be saved.
- When God allows some other sickness ends your earthly life, you will be saved.
- When you slip away quietly in your sleep as an elderly saint, you will be saved.
- When you die long before anyone thought it was your time, you will be saved.

You can LIVE in confidence, w/out fear, w/out dread, w/out uncertainty, knowing that YOU WILL BE SAVED. You can say as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Tim. 4: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day …” Brother or sister, REJOICE B/C YOU WILL BE SAVED!

Finally, THIS IS HOW I MUST LIVE.

In response to the amazing things that He has done for me & given to me, out of a heart of the deepest thankfulness, in complete humility, recognizing that I have done absolutely nothing to deserve the salvation that He has freely given to me, my response can only be to follow Him all the days of my life until He comes again or takes me home, whichever comes first.
- I must listen to Him.
- I must learn from Him.
- I must live like Him & for Him.
- And I have the privilege of doing this for the rest of my life.

THIS IS HOW I MUST LIVE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. AND TODAY IS DAY 1 OF THE REST OF MY LIFE.

What do you need to do today? What needs to happen on your Day 1?
- Do you need to be saved? Will you “Confess that Jesus is Lord, & believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead?”
- Or do you need to repent of the fact that you have taken your salvation too lightly & not lived your life in a way that shows your heartfelt gratitude for what God has

"Third Stop on the Roman Road" - Romans 6:23 (preached 5/16/10)

2010-05-20T12:42:00.002-05:00

“THIRD STOP ON THE ROMAN ROAD” Romans 5:8

INTRO – Sarah Brown’s rap – God’s love is absolutely amazing! There’s nothing in the world that compares to it. There’s no way we can completely comprehend it, completely describe it, or completely appreciate it. In his beautiful prayer in Eph. 3, Paul prayed this for the Ephesian believers: “…I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

This verse, Rom. 5:8, is the 3rd stop on the Roman Road to salvation. So far, we have stopped at Rom. 3:23 – say it w/ me – then Rom. 6:23 – say it w/ me - & now Rom. 5:8 – say it w/ me. This is our church’s memory verse this week.

The Gospel is such good news. Word “gospel” actually means good news. Why is it such good news?
- First, it is good news b/c we are all sinners – there’s no dodging that truth, denying that truth, or dignity in that truth. We are all desperately depraved & desperately in need of a Savior.
- Secondly, it is good news b/c eternal death & separation from God is the payment we will receive for living a life of sin outside of Christ. That is an absolute from the Word of God that will never change.

We need some good news in our world today. It’s hard to find any good news these days b/c of the rampant increase of sin everywhere in our world.
- Video surfaced this week of Miley Cyrus doing a lap dance w/ a 40 yr-old man
- NFL stars Ben Roethlisberger & Lawrence Taylor both involved in perverted sexual encounters
- Father arrested for beating his 4 yr-old son to death then mutilating the child’s face & teeth w/ a hammer to try to keep the police from identifying the child. And that was after he had burned the child in a bathtub of scalding water.

These types of news reports just make you sick, don’t they? Sin continues to ravage individuals, families, communities, churches, & nations. We definitely hear enough bad news every day.

That’s why it is so awesome to be able to stand up today & say, “But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The love of God is so refreshing in the midst of the craziness of the world in which we live.

Hymnwriter Frederick Lehman wrote these words in 1917 to try to express the depth of the love of God:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,  And were the skies of parchment made,  Were every stalk on earth a quill,  And every man a scribe by trade,  To write the love of God above  Would drain the ocean dry.  Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!  How measureless and strong!  It shall for evermore endure,  The saints' and angels' song.

When we look at Rom. 5:8, the 3rd stop on the Rom. Rd., I want to make this one statement about what we see in this powerful verses: We see an unbelievable demonstration for an undeserving people by an unparalleled Savior.

An unbelievable demonstration

Whenever you see the transitional words “But God” at the beginning of a verse, you know that something very significant is about to follow.
- Peter in Acts 2:23-24 – “This man [Jesus] was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[a] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”
- Paul in Acts 13:29-30 – “When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead…”
- Paul wrote in Eph. 2:4-5 – “But God, being rich in mercy, b/c of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together w/ Christ.” (NAS)

When someone is demonstrating something, they are trying to prove something, or show that something is valid, or that it is useful. Or they are trying to show how something works or operates.
- Demonstrators in Thailand right now
- Lots of people watch Food Network or HGTV to see demonstrations of how to cook a certain way or do a certain job
- A man gets down on one knee & gives a woman a diamond ring as a demonstration of his love for her

God’s demonstration of His agape love for us is absolutely unbelievable. If you back up 1 verse, Paul makes a statement to that effect in v. 7. This type of demonstration of love in the human world is extremely rare, nearly nonexistent. Would be like asking you to leave your family, your job, your dreams, hopes, & future, & go to Parchman & be executed in the place of the most vile, wicked person who had kidnapped, raped, tortured, & murdered a child. Just not going to happen.

“BUT GOD…” did just that. The demonstration of the love that He has for us is totally beyond our comprehension. You might think you’re a pretty good person & somewhere deep in the recesses of your mind, the thought that you might sort of deserve this act of love. But truth is that the Scripture says that if you’ve broken one commandment, you’ve broken them all, & you are headed to hell. You better be glad that there’s a “but God” in the Bible!

For an undeserving people

If there were one thing that would solve most problems in the church today, it would be for us to stop thinking that we deserve something. Many of the problems that surface w/in churches today are due in large part to people believing that they deserve some sort of special treatment, some sort of special standing, or some sort of special privileges.

When we consider what the Scriptures say, we’ll much less likely to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Rom. 12:3 – “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are.”

Rom. 5:8 says “While we were still sinners…” Word for “sinners” means a person who is “devoted to sin,” a person who is not free from sin, a person who is preeminently sinful & especially wicked, a person who is a heathen. THAT’S US! That ought to help us realize that we definitely don’t need to think that we are better than we really are, & that we are definitely an undeserving people.

Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman told of a distinguished minister, Dr. Howard, from Australia who preached very strongly on the subject of sin. After the service, one of the church officers came to counsel with him in the study. "Dr. Howard," he said, "we don't want you to talk as openly as you do about man's guilt and corruption, because if our boys and girls hear you discussing that subject they will more easily become sinners. Call it a mistake if you will, but do not speak so plainly about sin. "The minister took down a small bottle and showing it to the visitor said, "You see that label? It says strychnine -- and underneath in bold, red letters the word 'Poison!' Do you know, man, what you are asking me to do? You are suggesting that I change the label. Suppose I do, and paste over it the words, 'Essence of Peppermint'; don't you see what might happen? Someone would use it, not knowing the danger involved, and would certainly die. So it is, too, with the matter of sin. The milder you make your label, the more dangerous you make your poison!" (www.sermonillustrations.com)

David said in Ps. 51:3-4 – “I know my transgressions & my sin is always before me. Against you & you alone have I sinned & done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak & justified when you judge.” Job said in Job 42:5-6 – “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself & repent in dust & ashes.” It is only by God’s amazing grace – His giving to us that which we do not deserve – that you & I have the possibility of knowing Him, being saved by Him, living for Him, & going to heaven to live w/ Him. We are an undeserving people!

An unbelievable demonstration for an undeserving people BY AN UNPARALLELED SAVIOR.

2 parallel lines run on together. One no different than the other. Same distance apart. Same in every way.

There is no one like Jesus. No one you can put next to Him to run beside Him as a parallel Savior. There is no one like Jesus.

- He’s completely able, completely adequate, the answer, the ascended one, the author & finisher of our faith.
- He’s beautiful & was before all things, the beginning & the end, the beloved Son of God, our blessed hope, the Bridegroom who is coming soon, the Bright & Morning Star.
- He’s the Captain of the Lord’s host, the chief cornerstone, the chief shepherd, the choice & precious son of man & Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord who is coming again as the Commander of the army of the Lord, the cover for our sin.
- He’s our deliverer, the desire of nations, the despised & rejected suffering servant who died & lives again, the door.
- He’s the eternal one whose name is the everlasting name, the exalted one, the excellent one, the expected one.
- He’s faithful & true, the first & the last, the foundation stone, & the friend of sinners, full of grace & truth.
- He’s the gift of God, the glorious Lord, the glory of Israel, the good shepherd, the great high priest.
- He’s the head of the church & the head of every man, the Holy one of God, our hope.
- He’s the image of God, Immanuel, Immortal, incarnate, incorruptible, infinite, & our Intercessor at the right hand of the throne of God.
- He’s coming back as the Judge of all the earth.
- He’s the keeper of our souls, the king eternal, the king of glory, the king of Israel, the king of kings.
- He’s the lamb of God, the light of the world, the lion of Judah, the living bread, the Lord of all, & the lover of my soul.
- He’s magnificent, majestic, the man of sorrows who was marred, pierced, stricken, rejected.
- He was nailed to a cross w/ the name above all names.
- He’s the obedient Son, the offering for sin, the only begotten Son of God, the overcomer.
- He’s the patient, perfect, powerful Promise of God, the Prince of Peace.
- He’s the quieter of storms.
- He’s the ransom, the redeemer & our redemption, the rescuer who restores our souls, the risen Lord, the ruler of all.
- He’s our salvation, our sanctuary, our sanctifier, the satisfaction of God’s plan, the sinless scapegoat, the sufficient sun of righteousness.
- He’s the true light, the truth.
- He’s the unchanging, unending upright one.
- He’s the victorious warrior, our vindicator.
- He’s the way, the Word of God & the word of life.
- He’s yesterday & forever the same.
- He’s Zion’s righteous King.

THERE’S NO ONE LIKE JESUS!!!

"Second Stop on the Roman Road" - Romans 6:23 (preached 5/9/10)

2010-05-20T12:31:00.002-05:00

“SECOND STOP ON THE ROMAN ROAD” Rom. 6:23

INTRO – I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the loving God, who was born of the promise to a virgin named Mary.

I believe in the love Mary gave her son, that caused her to follow him in his ministry and stand by his cross as he died.

I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children, they bear. It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside. It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.

I believe that this love, even at its best, is only a shadow of the love of God, a dark reflection of all that we can expect of him, both in this life and the next.

And I believe that one of the most beautiful sights in the world is a mother who lets this greater love flow through her to her child, blessing the world with the tenderness of her touch and the tears of her joy. (John Killinger)

We honor our mothers today, who are, so many times, so instrumental in the spiritual development of their children. Mamas are some of our most serious prayer warriors, praying for their children through times of joy & times of despair. They choose not to give up on prodigal kids when everybody else has walked away. They are some of our most dedicated church members, getting themselves ready for church at the same time that they are getting kids dressed, breakfast fixed, & getting plans for lunch going.

I love the way one pastor opened a sermon on Mother’s Day:

“This is a Mothers’ Day sermon. I’m preaching without apology and with appreciation for that time—honored institution without the benefit of which we wouldn’t be here!
Every Mother’s Day sermon I’ve run across starts with an explanation —— this one’s no exception. As ministers, we’re reminded not to get too sentimental about motherhood because:
(a) for some, motherhood is an accident, and not always a welcome one; (b) for some, biological motherhood isn’t possible;  (c) for some, mothers weren’t all that nice; (d) for some, motherhood under the very best of circumstances is still less than abed of roses and a primrose path.
So, with all those qualifications, why bother with Mothers’ Day at all? I’ll tell you why —— because for all its stumbling blocks, pitfalls and broken dreams, for all the soiled diapers, soiled wallpaper and spoiled plans, we’re talking about a beautiful ideal, a natural part of God’s creative plan to bring love and caring to light. Motherhood is a constant demand for the gift of love and caring.”

Moms provide such an important part of the teaching that their kids need to learn about & grow to love God. So many moms have had the privilege of leading their own sons & daughters to faith in Christ. B/c of this, moms need to be equipped so that they will be ready to share when that opportunity comes.

So we continue w/ our series on the Roman Road w/ the 2nd stop on the road – Rom. 6:23 – say it w/ me – our memory vs. for this week. Last wk’s vs. – Rom. 3:23 – say it w/ me.

Rom. 6:23 contains 2 absolutes, one that pertains to death, & the other that pertains to life.

1st ABSOLUTE: THE PAYMENT OF DEATH

Read some interesting epitaphs on grave markers: Memory of an accident in a Uniontown, Pennsylvania cemetery: “Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake, Stepped on the gas Instead of the brake.”

In a Georgia cemetery: "I told you I was sick!"

In a Ribbesford, England, cemetery: “The children of Israel wanted bread And the Lord sent them manna, Old clerk Wallace wanted a wife, And the Devil sent him Anna.”

On a grave from the 1880's in Nantucket, Massachusetts: “Under the sod and under the trees Lies the body of Jonathan Pease. He is not here, there's only the pod: Pease shelled out and went to God.”

We might chuckle a little when we read these, but death is certainly no laughing matter. There are folks here today who are struggling a bit b/c this day reminds them that their mother is no longer here. Or moms who hurt on this day b/c they’ve suffered the loss of a child.

The Gk word for death is thanatos – carries connotation of the misery that accompanies the loss of life. It’s not just physical death that Paul is talking about here, but the spiritual separation that comes when a person has rejected Christ as their Lord & Savior. Def says, “the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell; the miserable state of the wicked dead in hell.” (Thayer’s) It’s one thing to grieve the loss of a loved one who has died & gone into the presence of God. It’s a totally different thing to experience the deep grief that comes when someone has died outside of Christ & has gone into the deep darkness & agony of hell.

Nearly everyone here works hard for the $ they make. When I was a high school senior in 1982, I worked in the shoe dept. at Jay’s Dept. Store. Got paid $3.35/hr – minimum wage back then. That was the amt of $ I received for doing that job to earn $ to put gas in my 1975 Pontiac Lemans so I could cruise around Cleveland on the weekends. It was the wage that was paid to me for my job performance. I worked & I deserved to be paid that amt of $. As the saying goes, “An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.” Couldn’t wait for payday!

Unfortunately, there are millions of people in our nation today who are working hard to get them to that final payday. But what they will be paid is not what they think they deserve. Most think that b/c they’ve lived a good life, they will be paid w/ a home in heaven. The wages that we will all be paid for living a life apart from Christ is death, that eternal separation from God. Some of you may remember the Smith-Barney commercial w/ actor John Houseman – “We make $ the old-fashioned way. We EARN it.” That’s how we receive our payment for a life that is lived for ourselves alone, a life that is lived in rebellion to the commands of God, a life that is never “born again.” How do we receive our payment of death? We EARN it. John MacArthur – “Spiritual death is earned. It is the just & rightful compensation for a life that is characterized by sin, which is every life apart from God.” (Romans 1-8, p. 352) Every choice we make outside of Christ is just another step toward that final payday.

Dr. R.G. Lee was pastor of the Bellevue BC in Memphis from 1927-1960. His most famous sermon, “Payday Someday.” Preached it 1st in 1919, & over 1000 times after that. In one of the most haunting parts of the sermon, Dr. Lee tells of being called to a New Orleans hospital, to the death bed of a young man who identified himself only as "The Chief of the Kangaroo Court."

Dr. Lee said, "In a place by itself, somewhat removed from all other cots and beds, lay a young man about nineteen or twenty years of age — big of frame, though the ravages of disease had brought a slenderness. "As kindly as I could, I spoke, saying 'Hello.'

"'Howdy do?' he answered in a voice that was a discourteous and furious snarl — more like the voice of a mad wolf than the voice of a rational man.
"'Is there something I can do for you?' I asked as kindly as I could speak. "'No. Nothing! Not a thing. Nothin' 'tall! — unless you throw my body to the buzzards when I am dead — if the buzzards will have it!' he said, with half a shout and with a sort of fierce resentment that made me wonder why he had ever sent for me.

"Then his voice lost some of the snarl — and he spoke again. 'I sent for you, sir, because I want you to tell these young fellows here something for me. I sent for you because I know you go up and down the land and talk to many young people. And I want you to tell ‘em, and tell ‘em every chance you get, that the Devil pays only in counterfeit money.'

"Oh! I wish I could tell all men and women and all boys and girls everywhere to believe the truth that Satan always pays in counterfeit money, that all his pearls are paste pearls, that the nectar he offers is poisoned through and through. Oh, that men would learn the truth and be warned by the truth that if they eat the Devil's corn, he will choke them with the cob.

"I stayed with this young man nearly two hours. Occasionally he spoke. There was a desperate earnestness in the young man's voice as he looked at me with wild eyes where terror was enthroned. I felt his hand clutch at mine as a drowning man would grab for a rope. I held his hand. I heard the raucous gurgle in his throat. Then he became quiet — like a forest when the cyclone is long gone. The Devil had paid the young man off in counterfeit money."

This is the absolute that Rom. 6:23 teaches – the payment of death.

2nd ABSOLUTE – THE PRESENT OF LIFE.

Interesting that Paul uses the words “FREE gift.” By definition, a present is free. It’s not a gift if it’s not free. But Paul wanted to make sure that none of us would underestimate the magnitude of God’s grace.

Def. of grace – God giving to us that which we do not deserve. Already said that we DESERVE death, & that’s what we will be paid if we live a life apart from Christ & die w/out Him. But God (WHAT WONDERFUL WORDS!) GIVES us LIFE – eternal life, everlasting life, abundant life, Spirit-filled life, purpose-filled life, joy-filled life, meaningful life. He GIVES us life. We don’t EARN it like Smith-Barney. We don’t DESERVE it, like the $ we make from working hard. He GIVES it to us as a free gift.

Moms love to give their kids gifts. Love seeing their children’s faces light up on Christmas morning, or birthdays, or graduations, or just any ordinary day. Give gifts simply b/c they love their kids & want to bless them in some small way.

If you mothers love to give your children presents, how much more does God love to give to us the most awesome present of all – LIFE! And He will give it to anyone, anywhere, at any time who calls out to Him.

"First Stop on the Roman Road" - Romans 3:23 (preached 5/2/10)

2010-05-06T16:04:00.002-05:00

“FIRST STOP ON THE ROMAN ROAD” Rom. 3:23

INTRO – Most of us have probably heard of the Roman Road. If not, let me tell what we are talking about. The Roman Road is a way that you can share the Gospel w/ someone. Not the only way, but one that many people use. Not everyone uses the exact same verses, but they are all from the book of Romans. I use 5 verses from Romans which we are memorizing throughout the month of May as our church memory verses. And throughout the month of May, I will be preaching through each of these verses individually to help us understand them better so that we can be more effective in our witnessing efforts, & grow in our understanding of the wonderful truths of God’s Word.

Jennifer Knapp is a 4-time Dove Award winning Christian musician who has recently announced that she is a homosexual & has been in a longtime same-sex relationship. This past week, I read an interview in Christianity Today where Jennifer said that she was “…not capable of getting into the theological argument as to whether or not we should or shouldn't allow homosexuals within our church. There's a spirit that overrides that for me, and what I've been gravitating to in Christ and why I became a Christian in the first place.”

While this sermon is not a message about homosexuality, the point that I want to make is that EVERY Christian must be able to articulate their faith & their core beliefs about their relationship w/ Jesus Christ. We must be “capable of getting into a theological argument” in a positive way. It’s not enough for us to just read a little verse here & there whenever we feel like we need a little boost. It’s not enough to just read our Open Windows & not strive to dig deeper into the Word & its powerful life-changing truths. I’m not saying that you have to be a seminary professor or Bible scholar. But I am saying that there’s simply no place for a Christ-follower to just shrug his/her shoulders & say, “I don’t understand the Bible & I’m not going to try to understand it.”

What if I told you that you have $100 million waiting for you to pick up at a very remote, “hard to get to” location in the middle of Idaho. There’s no doubt that the $ is there. There’s no doubt that the $ is yours. You just have to get there & pick it up. Here are the detailed instructions & directions to the $. What would you do? You would pore over those instructions & directions until you knew them like the back of your hand. You would talk to people who lived in the area, people who had visited there, maybe even hire an expert guide. In fact, you would become an expert on how to get to this place where your treasure is. You would sacrifice other less-important things in order to have the time necessary to study, prepare, & get on the journey to get your treasure. You wouldn’t allow anything to deter you, distract you, or derail you. You would protect those instructions w/ all your might. And you wouldn’t stop until you got your treasure.

Why aren’t we that diligent & persistent in our study of God’s Word, which gives us the instructions & directions to our “treasure” as Christ-followers? Matt. 13:44-46 - “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (NLT)

As I read that interview & then watched her Larry King interview, I was so amazed & so saddened at how shallow her answers were to questions that were asked of her about her faith, her understanding of Scripture, her rel. w/ Christ. She also said in the CT interview: “The struggle I've been through—and I don't know if I will ever be fully out of it—is feeling like I have to justify my faith or the decisions that I've made to choose to love who I choose to love.”

As a Christian, you & I DO have to “justify” our faith. The word “justify” means “to show to be just or right; to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded.” (www.dictionary.com) If we believe this stuff, then we must be able to show why we believe it, to justify our beliefs, why we believe it’s right, it’s the Truth. We must be able to defend it & uphold it as “well-grounded.” We can’t just shirk this responsibility b/c we just don’t want to do it, or b/c it doesn’t fit w/ the way WE want to live our lives, which is why I believe so many do not get serious about studying God’s Word.

Bottom line for Jennifer is that she is “the happiest she has ever been” (CT interview). In her words, she’s “…just a normal human being who's dealing with normal everyday life scenarios. As a Christian, I'm doing that as best as I can.”

While there is a hint of truth in the things she has said & is saying these days, it’s simply not enough for us as Christ-followers to be “just a normal human being dealing w/ normal everyday life scenarios.” We are called to live AB-normal lives, going against the flow, against the powerful currents of our world, against the things this world is teaching us, against the ways this world is tempting us. The world tells us that being happy is the most important thing we can strive for. The world tells us that there are no absolutes, no absolute right, no absolute wrong.

But GOD tells us in His perfect, inerrant Word that there are absolutes by which we must live our lives, no matter what our “feelings” are, or what we think will make us happy. And one of those foundational absolute truths is that WE ARE ALL SINNERS. 4 facts about this truth:

There’s no dodging it – “all”

When the Bible says “all,” it means “all.” Gk. word – “each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything.”
- “We are all breathing right now.”
- “We are all here right now.”
- “We are all going to die one day.”

Rom. 3:9-12 – “…Jews & Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Ecc. 7:29 – “But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.” (NLT)

“Something has gone terribly wrong. And everyone knows it. The Bible reveals that God created this world in a perfect state & upon the creation of man & woman, God declared His entire creation, ‘very good.’ This intended state of perfect beauty in all things is described in the OT as ‘shalom.’ Even those who do not believe in the Bible persist in longing for a shalom on the earth, b/c deep down in God’s image bearers there is a faint echo of Eden & how things are supposed to be.

Yet, not matter how much $ we spend, how many elections we hold, how many organizations we start, how many blogs we write, how many complaints we air, how many tears we cry, or how many wars we wage, boredom, annoyances, miseries, fears, tragedies, suffering, injustice, evil, sickness, pain, & death continue unabated. Why? The fall.” (Mark Driscoll & Terry Breshears, Doctrine, p. 145)

There’s no denying it – “have sinned”

Gk. – hamartano – “to be w/out a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken; to miss or wander from the path of righteousness & honor, to do or go wrong.”

"What's wrong with the world?" a newspaper editorial once asked. G.K. Chesterton wrote in reply, "I am."

Like Chesterton, we all have all missed the mark & wandered from the path. We may be able to paint the outside of our lives to look good. But inside, we are all filled w/ all sorts of wrong stuff – pride, lust, apathy, laziness, covetousness, envy, jealousy, anger, hate, wrong motives, hidden agendas, selfishness, bitterness, pettiness, or anything else that I didn’t name that you are guilty of.

Matt/ 23:25 – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” It’s there in all of us, & there’s no denying it.

There’s no dignity in it – “fallen short”

To fall short means “to be left behind in a race & fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end. To fail to become a partaker; to be inferior in power, influence, & rank; to fail; to be in want of; to lack.”

Through Jesus Christ, God has given each of us the opportunity to experience His glory in our lives. We can know for sure that there is a condition & position of total blessedness awaiting us if we know Christ as our Lord & Savior.

Radio personality Paul Harvey tells the story of how an Eskimo kills a wolf. The account is grisly, yet it offers fresh insight into the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin. "First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another, until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood. "Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder the wolf licks the blade in the arctic night.
So great becomes his craving for blood that the wolf does not notice the razor-sharp sting of the naked blade on his own tongue, nor does he recognize the instant at which his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his OWN warm blood. His carnivorous appetite just craves more--until the dawn finds him dead in the snow!"

But there’s direction out of it! – v. 24-25

"LOST OR SAVED?" - Celebration Weekend Sunday Morning Message - 4/18/10

2010-04-22T15:57:00.002-05:00

“LOST OR SAVED”

INTRO – “Amber Alert”

Criteria for issuing an Amber Alert:
• Law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place.
• The child is at risk of serious injury or death.
• There is sufficient descriptive information of child, captor, or captor's vehicle to issue an alert.
• The child must be 17 years old or younger.

There are not many things that are scarier & sadder than an abducted child, or a missing child, or a lost child. See pictures on bulletin boards at Wal-Mart, on store windows, on the back of 18-wheelers. Heart goes out to them, to their families. A righteous anger swells within our hearts for those who have committed such a despicable crime. The sadness that wells up inside us when a child is lost is overwhelming.
• Families torn apart.
• Overwhelming grief
• Despair & confusion
• Helplessness
• Feel like situation is hopeless
• Do whatever is necessary to get the child back; to find the lost child.

The word “lost” has such heavy consequences. About 2 mos. after Katrina hit, went to NOBTS by myself. Cleaned out apts. for 3 days. So sad to throw away the personal belongings of so many families who had to evacuate the campus. Baby pics. Family photos. Clothes. Toys. Tons of food. Those families lost so much. So many other people in NO & along MS Gulf Coast lost so much.

Listen to these statements:
• “We lost the championship game.”
• “We lost a patient today.”
• “I lost a friend this week.”
• “We lost our house in a fire.”
• “I lost my retirement when the economy tanked.”
• “I lost my job.”
• “Our company lost a major contract.”
• “Haiti lost over 200,000 people in the earthquake.”

Just saying those sentences brings a sense of dread & gloom & despair. There’s a sadness-laden finality to those statements. Don’t like saying them. Don’t like thinking them. Don’t like realizing that they could be true of us or of someone we love.

But what is worse than any of those statements or any of those world situations or life circumstances, is to hear someone say, “My dad is lost.” – “My mom is lost.” – “My best friend is lost.” – “My son/daughter is lost.” – Or even, “I am lost” - & know that they are talking about being spiritually lost.

To be lost is to be in a pitiful condition.

“lost; lose” - apollumi
Thayer Definition:
1) to destroy
1a) to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin
1b) render useless
1c) to kill
1d) to declare that one must be put to death
1e) metaphorically to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell
1f) to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed

It’s true. To be lost is to be in a pitiful condition, but it doesn’t have to be a permanent condition. Why? 3 reasons:

1. Lost people matter to God
2. Lost people move the heart of God
3. Lost people must come to God

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE LOST? TO BE SAVED?
Get your note sheet & write these words down the side of the paper: LOST & SAVED:

L – Lifeless
• 1 Jn. 5:12 – “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life.”
• John 3:36 – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for G’s wrath remains on him.”
O – Outside
• Rev. 22:12-15 – “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is w/ me, & I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha & the Omega, the First & the Last, the Beginning & the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life & may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters & everyone who loves & practices falsehood.”
S – Slave
• John 8:35 – “…a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.”
• Rom. 6:6-7 – “…we know that our old (unrenewed) self was crucified w/ him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – b/c anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”
T – Trapped
• Gal. 5:19-21 – “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

SAVED – sōzō
Thayer Definition:
1) to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction
1a) one (from injury or peril)
1a1) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health
1b1) to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue

Acts 2:21 – “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Rom. 10:13 – “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

S – Set free
• John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
A – Absolved
• Def. – to free from guilt or blame or their consequences; to set free or release; to grant pardon for
• Heb. 10:22 – “…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
V – Victorious
• 1 Cor. 15:50-57
E – Eternal life
• John 10:27-29 – “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.”
• Rom. 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of G is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• 1 John 2:25 – “This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!”
• Jude 1:21 – “Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
D – Direction
• Lk. 5:31-32 – “Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
• Repentance = change in direction

Now do this: Listen carefully: Circle the one that you want to be true of you today. Now circle the one that IS true to you today. Did you circle the same one? If not, then right now, call out to Jesus to save you! WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT TO BE? WHICH DO YOU WANT TO BE TRUE OF YOU TODAY?

CHECK YOUR DASHBOARD!

2010-03-18T16:53:00.001-05:00

CHECK YOUR DASHBOARD! The dashboard of your car has many important displays, each designed to give you essential information. This information helps you operate your car safely and efficiently.

Sometimes, we choose to ignore some of the gauges and lights that might be visible on our dashboard. When we do that, we can damage our cars, or place ourselves in a dangerous situation when our car breaks down. Ignoring the gauges and warning lights can be a costly mistake with long-lasting consequences.

QUESTION: How long has it been since you checked your spiritual dashboard? Are there some warning lights that are flashing, but that you are choosing to ignore?
- Maybe there’s a light that is flashing to warn you that your service to God is running out.
- Maybe there’s a light that is flashing to warn you that your giving of your tithes and offerings is weak.
- Maybe there’s a light that is flashing to warn you that your faith in God is draining down.
- Maybe there’s a light that is flashing to warn you that you are getting dangerously close to some sin or addiction.
- Maybe there’s a light that is flashing to warn you that you have a relationship with another brother or sister in Christ that in need of repair.

You and I can choose to ignore the warning lights that the Spirit shows us out of His love for us. When we do that, the consequences can be costly, painful, and long-lasting.

Let’s stop, pull into the Master Mechanic’s shop, and let Him repair us and make us brand-new. The Church MUST be the place where we can go for that repair work to be done.

Jon Daniels - Senior Pastor

"Hello. My Name is Jesus." - Sermon #1

2010-03-07T17:45:00.001-06:00

“I’M GOD & I’M MAN” John 1:1-18

INTRO – Name tags – Sometimes, people feel like they don’t know others very well.
- Perceived as a big church
- New members joining regularly
- Get in our little circle & become oblivious to those around us
- Sometimes the busyness of our lives causes us to not take time to get to know others
- Importance of SS

Name tags just a small way to be introduced to someone. Makes conversation easier. Can start there & begin building a relationship. Find out more about the person – likes, dislikes, family, job, hobbies, fears, dreams, etc.

Begin series today entitled, “Hello: My Name is Jesus.” Going to spend the next several weeks getting to know Him better. If it’s important for us to take the time to get to know others around us here in the church, how much more important is it that we take the time to get to know the one who is the Head of the Church!
- Just as we get in our little circles & become oblivious to those around us, we can get in our own little world & become oblivious to the work of Jesus around us.
- Just as we can get busy & not take the time to get to know others, we can get busy & not take the time to get to know Jesus better.

It is so important that we continue to grow in our knowledge of who Jesus is. We need to know what the Bible teaches about Him.
- Need to understand the OT prophecies about Him & how they were fulfilled in His life & ministry.
- Need to understand what the 4 Gospels say about Him, how they teach us about His earthly life & ministry – about His teachings, His healings, His followers, His persecutors, His suffering, death, resurrection, & ascension.
- Need to understand what the book of Acts teaches about how the Church got started in obedience to His commands & His commission – how His apostles preached about Him, stood strong for Him, were persecuted & died for Him.
- Need to understand how Paul’s letters & the rest of the NT taught the depths of His love, His power, His purity, His holiness, & how His followers must live their lives.
- Need to understand what Jesus Himself said about His 2nd coming, & how the Revelation & others NT books point to His 2nd coming & our need to be prepared for that time, & our need to work hard until that time.

Jesus is the true & better Adam who passed the test in the garden & whose obedience is imputed to us.
Jesus is the true & better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood that cries out, not for our condemnation but for acquittal.
Jesus is the true & better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable & familiar & go out into the void to create a crew people of God.
Jesus is the true & better Isaac who was not just offered up by His father on the mount, but was truly sacrificed for us.
Jesus is the true & better Joseph, who, at the right hand of the King, forgives those who betrayed Him & sold Him, & uses His new power to save them.
Jesus is the true & better Moses who stands in the gap between the people & God, & who mediates a new covenant.
Jesus is the true & better Rock of Moses who, struck w/ the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.
Jesus is the true & better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for & saves His foolish friends.
Jesus is the true & better David, whose victory becomes His people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.
Jesus is the true & better Esther who left His ultimate & heavenly palace, & who didn’t just risk His life but gave it to save His people.
Jesus is the true & better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.
Jesus is the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us.
Jesus is the real temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.
(Tim Keller, “Preaching the Gospel,” Revive, p. 4)

But, it’s not enough for us just to know the facts about Jesus & have a great intellectual knowledge about Him: We must come to the place in our lives where we fully, completely, & radically trust Him as our Lord, realizing that, as He said, He truly is the only Way, Truth, & Life, & that no one can come to God unless they come through Him. Our head knowledge must become our heart knowledge. Our knowledge of the facts must be transformed into a leap of faith that changes us for all eternity. Intellectual knowledge may cause us to be a little more moral, a little more religious, but it won’t effect the internal change that moves us from death to life, from darkness to light, from being bound for hell to being bound for heaven. Only the One named Jesus who is 100% God & 100% man can do that. We must understand, as theologian Wayne Grudem clearly states, that “Jesus Christ was fully God & fully man in one person, & will be so forever” (Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 529). And although in this life, we will never fully understand this foundational, essential truth, we must wrestle with it, contemplate it, meditate on it, & accept it on faith.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS HUMANITY – v. 9-14

I hope v. 14 sounds familiar to you. It was our church memory verse the week of Feb. 14. Look at your Bible & say it w/ me if you have the NIV. This verse is one of the most important verses in the Bible that teaches the truth of God taking on human form. This is called the incarnation. And of all the Gospels, John emphasizes this the most. John is the most concerned w/ the centrality of the Person of Christ. For John, the activity of Christ is not understandable apart from the fact that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, & God Himself, as v. 1 tells us.

In v. 14, John insists that Christ is truly human. And in other places in His Gospel, he tells us that Jesus was tired and thirsty (4:6, 7); He wept (11:35); He was troubled in spirit (12:27; 13:21); and He died (19:30). It all started w/ His birth to a virgin which shows us that salvation ultimately must come from the Lord, that it can never come through human effort, but must be the work of God Himself. It can only be the supernatural work of God, just as the conception & birth of Jesus was.

Without becoming less than God (cf. Phil. 2:5–11), Jesus took upon Himself complete human nature. At His incarnation, God did not become man; He became God-Man. The word translated “became” in v. 14 means “to come into existence; to appear in history; to come upon a stage.” The word translated “made His dwelling among us” means literally “pitched His tent” or “tabernacled among us.” Through Jesus, God came upon the stage of human history as the God-Man & pitched His tent right in the midst of us. He had a human body, a human mind that “increased in wisdom” (Lk. 2:52). He had a human soul that became “troubled” & anxious right before His arrest & crucifixion. He experienced deep sorrow & grief. He “was astonished” at the faith of the centurion in Matt. 8:10. He faced severe temptations, not just in the wilderness, but all throughout His life. Heb. 4:15 tells us that He was “tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was w/out sin.”

ILL. – I read about a grandfather who found his grandson jumping up and down in his playpen, crying at the top of his voice. When Johnnie saw his grandfather, he reached up his little chubby hands and said, “Out, Gramps, out.”

It was only natural for the grandfather to reach down to lift him out of his predicament, but as he did the mother of the child stepped up and said “No, Johnnie, you are being punished—so you must stay in.”

The grandfather was at a loss to know what to do. The child’s tears and chubby hands reached deep into his heart. But the mother’s firmness in correcting her son must not be taken lightly. But love found a way. The grandfather could not take the grandson out of the playpen, so he climbed in with him. That is what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us. In leaving heaven for earth, He climbed in with us. “The Word was made flesh, and made His dwelling among us.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS DEITY – v. 1

A biblical understanding of Jesus is not complete w/out affirming the truth that not only was He completely human, He was also completely divine – 100% man/100% God.

Most of the time, when you read the word “God” or “theos” in Scripture, it is referring to God the Father. But there are several places where this word is also used to refer to Jesus.
- John 1:1
- John 1:18
- Thomas – John 20:28 – “My Lord & my God!”
- Paul – Rom. 9:5 – “…Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!”
- Peter in his salutation in 2 Pet. 1:1 – “To those who through the righteousness of our God & Savior Jesus Christ…”

In all of these passages, the word “God” is used in the strong sense to refer to the One God who is the Creator of heaven & earth, ruler of all. We also remember Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus when he wrote, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; & the gov’t. will be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called, ‘Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God…” (Isa. 9:6).

Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that Jesus is God in flesh, but that He was Michael the archangel who became a man. They deny the deity of Jesus. Their Bible, the New World Translation, alters John 1:1 to read, “the word was A god.” This is wrong for several reasons. But the simple truth is that the Greek literally reads, “God was the Word.” (www.carm.org) Jesus was & is THE God, not A god, not a LESSER god. He was & is & forever will be God.
- He showed that through His omnipotence – His divine power that calmed the sea w/ just a word; His feeding of the 4,000 & the 5,000; changed the water into wine; His power & authority over the demons; & the many times He healed people, & even brought the dead back to life.
- He showed that through His omniscience – His divine knowledge of everything. He knew people’s thoughts. John 2:25 – “He did not need man’s testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.”
- He showed that through His authority & sovereignty, authority possessed only by God. He had the power to forgive sins. The OT prophets declared, “Thus says the Lord,” but Jesus could state, “But I say to you…”
- He showed that through His immortality. John 10:17-18 – “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down & authority to take it up again.” Heb. 7:16 states that Jesus has “an indestructible life.”
- He showed that through His worthiness to be worshipped, something that is reserved for God alone. Phil. 2:9-11.

THE IMPORTANCE FOR US TODAY

What difference does this truth make for us today?
- B/c Jesus was 100% man, He was able to die in our place & pay the penalty for our sins. He became a man b/c He came to save man.
- B/c Jesus was 100% God. He was able to die in our place & pay the penalty for our sins. Only someone who is infinite God could bear the full penalty for all of our sins.
- B/c Jesus was 100% man, He was able to be our perfect example to follow. 1 John 2:6 – “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
- B/c Jesus was 100% God, He was able to live the perfect life for us to follow.

“The best way to send an idea,” said scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, “is to wrap it up in a person.” The theological word for all of that is incarnation, meaning “in the flesh.” Jesus was the incarnation of God. Jesus was the way that God sent His “idea” to humanity; there was and is no better way! One of the early church fathers whose name was Ignatius explained that “by the Incarnation, God broke His silence.” Less scholarly as an explanation but equally to the point was the remark of a little girl who said, “Some people couldn’t hear God’s inside whisper and so He sent Jesus to tell them out loud.”

NEW SERMON SERIES - "Hello. My Name is Jesus."

2010-03-07T16:57:00.002-06:00

I got the idea from another sermon series that I found on www.lifeway.com. I really liked the idea of using the "name tag" concept. Going to spend the next 6 weeks talking about some of the foundational truths of who Jesus is, based on Scriptures from the Gospel of John. Here are the sermon topics:

March

7 “I’m God & I’m Man” – John 1:1-18

14 “I’m the Bread of Life & the Light of the World” – John 6:25-40; 8:12

21 “I’m the Way, the Truth, & the Life” – John 14:1-7

28 “I’m the Lamb of God” – John 19:17-30

April

4 “I’m Victorious!” – John 20:1-18

11 “I'm Coming Back” – John 21:15-25

My thanks to Pastor Rick Ezell for his sermon series by the same name on Lifeway's website.

IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS!!!

Jon Daniels - Senior Pastor

"What Make a Great Church?" series - sermon #4

2010-03-03T17:15:00.003-06:00

“A GREAT MISSION” 1 John 5:11-13

INTRO – When you think about someone being on a mission, what comes to your mind?
- Military
- NASA
- “Mission Impossible”
- Mission trip
- Maybe this comes to some of your mind (Blues Bros. vid)

Here are some definitions of the word “mission” from the dictionary:
- a permanent diplomatic establishment abroad; embassy; legation.
- Military. an operational task, usually assigned by a higher headquarters:
- Aerospace. an operation designed to carry out the goals of a specific program
- an assigned or self-imposed duty or task; calling; vocation.
- a sending or being sent for some duty or purpose.

As we conclude this “What Makes a Church Great” series, we are going to talk seriously about the great mission that we have been given.
- Already determined that a great church must have a great God. And we do – the one, true, living God, who gives us life eternal & abundant – life that is full of love; that focuses on the things that are important to God, ; that values f’ship w/ God & w/ others; & that never ends.
- Already discovered that we have as a great church, we have a great msg. to share – a msg. that leads us out of darkness into light; out of deception into truth; & out of despair into joy.
- Already defined that as a great church, we must have a great love – God’s great, unconditional love that describes us, defines us, drives us, & delivers us.

And, now, we will consider the great mission that we have been given.

Pastor Steve May preached sermon – “What Makes a Great Church” – a dynamic church possesses an atmosphere in which God is free to move; grabs the attention of outsiders; opens its doors to everyone; & proclaims the msg. of salvation. Made this statement: “The church has an evangelistic mission, & if we’re not saving souls, we’re simply not doing our job.” (www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/outlines/whatmakesagreatchurch.html)

As a church, we have a mission. As the definitions said at the beginning of this msg.:
- Our mission is a permanent establishment in which we represent our God to a lost world, here in our community & wherever we go in the world.
- Our mission is an operational task, assigned to us by a higher HQ – the HIGHEST HQ – God Himself through Jesus when He gave us the Great Commission.
- Our mission is an operation designed to carry out God’s goals that we find in His Word – the goals of sharing His love, His Gospel, building up His Church.
- Our mission is a calling from God that is placed on ALL of us.
- We have been sent & are being sent even now to carry out His purposes in our mission.

We cannot shirk it, shun it, or shake it. It is THE MOST IMPORTANT MISSION IN THE WORLD! The work we do as a church is the most important work in the world! The message that we proclaim is the most important message in the world! QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY: WILL YOU ACCEPT YOUR MISSION?

People on a mission know what their job is.

So, what’s our job on this great mission? As we look at v. 11-12, we can understand what our mission is. We need to give a testimony that God has given us eternal life through Jesus. That’s our mission. That’s our job.

Interesting that word for “testimony” is same as “witness” in Acts 1:8. And that is the word for “martyr.” And the word for “given” can be defined as “commission.” So, God has commissioned us w/ His gift of eternal life that we might give a testimony about, or that we might witness about Him, or that we might even give our life for Him. He’s given everything to us that we might give everything back to Him.

People on a mission know what their job is. When is the last time you “did your job” – the last time you told someone what God has done for you?

People on a mission know where they are going.

NASA moon missions. Astronauts knew when rocket left launching pad exactly where they were headed. Soldiers in Iraq & Afghanistan know exactly where they are going when they leave the safety of their base & head out into enemy territory. Olympic athletes knew where they were going. Jake & Elwood knew where they were going on their “mission from God.”

Scott O’Grady – mission to rescue him behind enemy lines.

Where are we going on this great mission that are on? 5:19 – We are going into a world that is under the control of the evil one. We are going into enemy territory to rescue those held captive. It is not an easy mission. Not a safe mission. Not a cheap mission. It’s hard – dangerous – costly.

People on a mission know why they are doing what they are doing.

Today, US & Canada face-off in gold medal hockey match. In February 1980, the U.S. Olympic hockey team slipped its foot into a glass slipper and walked away with a gold medal at Lake Placid, New York. Those collegians had shocked the world by upsetting the powerful Soviet team, and then they grabbed the championship from Finland while the crowd chanted, "U.S.A.!" Before his team's victory over the Soviet Union which advanced them to the finals, the coach of the U.S. hockey team told his players, "You are born to be a player. You are meant to be here at this time. This is your moment."

“Why are we doing this?” Good question b/c it drives us back to what our purpose is all about as Christ-followers & as a church. Can I put to you as simply as I know how? LOST PEOPLE GO TO HELL. V. 12 says it as plainly as it can be said.

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.
C. S. Lewis

Meaning of word “has” – can have the connotation of wearing something. If you have Jesus, you are wearing Him – you are wearing life. If you don’t have Him – if you aren’t wearing Him – you are wearing death.

Also means to hold fast to, or to cling to, adhere to. Tsunami videos – people clinging to anything so that they would not be swept away. Hold fast to Jesus, cling to Him, & you are holding fast to life.

Also means to own or possess. If you possess Jesus, you possess life.

THIS IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO! “The glory of God, and, as our only means to glorifying Him, the salvation of human souls, is the real business of life.” (C.S. Lewis)

People on a mission are driven to complete the mission – no matter the cost.

John wanted his readers to “know” that they possessed eternal life. He was driven to tell them that, to write this letter to them so they could have the truths of God to stand on.

We must complete this great mission!
- It takes FAITH in a great God!
- It takes UNDERSTANDING of a great message!
- It takes COMMITMENT to a great love!

"What Makes a Church Great?" series - Sermon #3

2010-02-21T17:06:00.001-06:00

“A GREAT LOVE” 1 John 4:7-12

INTRO – I love pizza. I love coffee. I love being a firefighter. I love the Andy Griffith Show. I love Thursday night Family Nights. I love Lake Tiak O’Khata. I love 1114 Lamar Street in Cleveland, MS. I love the beach. I love watching college football. I love going to major league baseball games. I love playing the piano & singing. I love Scooby Doo. And I love this video! (ukulele kid)

How easily & sometimes flippantly we use the word “love.” How many of us can easily say that we love this & we love that…but how many of us can truly say that we love God?

How much do you love God? How much do you love His Church? How much do you love others? How much do you love those who do not love you? How much do you love? What does it truly mean to love God, to love His Church, & to love others? Is it more than loving pizza, hunting, shopping, or Scooby Doo? Or is it just something that we add to our list of the things that we already love?

These are questions that we as Christ-followers must answer. Must wrestle w/ these. It’s easy to love those who love you, those who are pleasant to be around, those who are like you. Jesus Himself once said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them” (Lk. 6:32).

Loving God has always been central His relationship w/ His people. The OT Jewish statement known as the Shema is found in Dt. 4. Verses 4-5: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God w/ all your heart & w/ all your soul & w/ all your strength.” This became a central statement of faith for the people of God, affirming the necessity of entering into & living in an ongoing love relationship w/ God. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He answered w/ the Shema. It is obvious from Scripture that love for God is an absolute necessity:
- Dt. 11:1 – “Love the Lord your God & keep His requirements, His decrees, His laws & His commands always.”
- Josh. 22:5 – “…be very careful to keep the commandment…that Moses…gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him, & to serve Him w/ all your heart & all your soul.”
- Ps. 18:1 – “I love you, O Lord, my strength…”
- Jer. 31:3 – “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you w/ an everlasting love; I have drawn you w/ lovingkindness.”
- La. 3:22 – “B/c of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.”
- Lam. 3:31-32 – “…men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love.”
- Daniel began his prayer in Dan. 9 w/ these words: “O Lord, the great & awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love w/ all those who love Him & obey His commands…”

And these verses are just a tiny portion of the abundance of Scriptures that speak to God’s love for us & our need to love Him & love others in obedience to Him.

As we continue w/ our “What Make a Church Great” series here in 1 John, we can readily see that there is a huge need for a GREAT LOVE if we are to be the great church that God desires & requires that we be. “Love” is one of the primary themes of all of John’s writings. His writings magnify the significance of love as forcefully and fully as any other writings. John’s writings account for only one tenth of the New Testament but provide one third of the references to love. The greatest verse on the love of God is found in John’s Gospel & was our 1st memory verse for 2010 – John 3:16.

Here in 1 John, love is mentioned some 26 times in these 5 short chapters. Every time the word “ love” is used, it is the Gk word agape or a version of that word – “unconditional love”, the love that is God’s love. It’s the love that T. E. McCully had. You see, T.E. McCully was the father of Ed McCully, one of the missionaries slain by hostile Indians in Ecuador. One night shortly after his son was killed, T.E. McCully prayed, “Lord, let me live long enough to see those fellows who killed our boys saved that I may throw my arms around them and tell them I love them because they love my Christ.” That’s agape love. That’s the love that we are to have & show.

We used to sing a little chorus w/ the kids that said, “It’s love that makes the world go ‘round.” I would say that the truth for our understanding today is that it is love that truly makes the church go ‘round, functioning in the way that honors & glorifies God the most, & impacts the world the most. It’s only as we grow deeper in our love for God that we will be the Christ-followers that we are called to be. It’s only as we grow deeper in our love for each other w/in the church that we will show the world what it truly means to be a Christ-follower. It’s only as we grow deeper in our love for those who are not yet Christ-folowers that we will be able to minister to them, to meet their needs, & to share the Gospel w/ them. Someone once said, “The world will not care what we know until they know we care.” We absolutely must grow in love, never growing stale, never growing stagnant, never growing stubborn. To be a great church, serving a great God, sharing a great message, we must have a great love.

LOVE DESCRIBES US – v. 7a

John used a word to describe us right at the beginning of verse 7. The Gk word for “dear friends” is agapetos, meaning “beloved, esteemed, worthy of love.” The world does not know how – in fact, cannot love w/ agape love. It is a distinctly Christian love. It is not just natural affection that we have for each other; it is a supernatural fruit of the Spirit. It is a matter of the will rather than feeling. And it perfectly describes who we are to be as Christ-followers.

LOVE DEFINES US – v. 7b-8

How would you define a Christian? Someone who believes in God, lives by His Word, has accepted Jesus as his/her personal Savior? Good answer. Love needs to be a part of that definition, too.

When a person comes to know Christ, the things that they love change. The way that they love changes. The people that they love change. It’s interesting to see the order of the words in v. 7. John doesn’t say, “Everyone who has been born of God loves.” He says, “Everyone who loves has been born of God & knows God.” It’s love that defines those who have been born again, those who have a deep, intimate understanding of God. Love defines our relationship w/ God. If you don’t love – agape – you don’t know God.

ILL. – During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not, faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp. When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands. Then they came together.
Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?" "We were just one," he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.
When love prevails among believers, especially in times of strong disagreement, it presents to the world an indisputable mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ. It defines a true Christ-follower to the world.

LOVE DRIVES US – v. 11-12

Different things drive different people. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve watched the world’s greatest athletes compete in the Winter Olympics – all driven by their desire to stand on the top podium & receive gold medal for their achievements. Some people driven by desire for achievement – for power – for money – for acceptance – for security.

Many people are driven by desire FOR love, but as Christ-followers, we are driven by our love for God which motivates us to obey Him & honor Him w/ our lives. Look back to ch. 2:3-6. In 2 Cor. 5, P talks about the importance of witnessing to others, & says in v. 14 that the love of Christ “compels us.” That awesome Gk word means “to hold together, to press on every side – like a city under siege, like a ship going through a strait that forces it into a narrow channel, like a cow forced into a chute so the farmer can administer medication; to hold fast like a prisoner; to urge.” That’s what the love of God does to us – It drives us forward in our walk w/ Christ, holding us & pressing in on us to move us to obedience. In a sense, we are imprisoned by His love, which is a good thing.

When HIS love is driving us, we will sacrifice whatever is necessary to share His love w/ others. When HIS love is driving us, we’ll give our $, we’ll give our time, we’ll give our energy, we’ll give whatever is necessary to move His K’dom fwd in this world.

LOVE DELIVERS US – v. 9-10

God sent Jesus into the world to save us, to deliver us from our sins, to deliver us from the reality of a Christless eternity in hell into a Christ-filled eternity in heaven. That’s why Jesus came as the “atoning sacrifice” – the “propitiation” – for our sins. He paid the price that you & I should have paid. God loved you a long time before you ever loved Him. And when we “live through Him,” we are REALLY living! We are enjoying real life, true life, active, blessed, endless life, full of vigor, full of power. That’s what the love of God does for us when we trust Christ as our Lord & Savior.

Vice Grips

2010-02-18T14:08:00.002-06:00

I don't to be vice grips!

There is nothing wrong w/ them, they come in handy when you need a tool.
They loosen bolts, tighten pipe, & will tighten screws.
They are useful, they do a job when other tools cannot be found.

But.......they are not the best tool for the job.

Wrenches are designed to fit nuts & bolts.
Pipe wrenches are made to tightly grip pipe.
Screwdrivers are designed to tighten screws.

Many people in our churches are vice grips.
They are useful b/c the person made for the job cannot be found.
They do a needed job.
This is not fair to them b/c it keeps them from discovering what they are designed to do,
And they are not the best tool for the job.

I will do what is needed, but I pray that the Holy Spirit will teach me to use the gifts He has given me for the purpose in which He designed them to be used.
And.....that others in the church will do the same until there are:

NO VICE GRIPS REQUIRED.

(Written by Kevin Smith, deacon & Sunday School teacher at Country Woods)

"What Makes a Church Great?" series - Sermon #2

2010-02-16T10:50:00.002-06:00

“A GREAT MESSAGE” 1 John 1:5-2:2

INTRO – Don’t you love to hear messages like these:
- When the doctor says, “Your mother came through the surgery just fine,” or “The tumor is not cancer.”
- When the boss says, “The company is giving you a promotion & a raise.”
- When the college recruiter says, “Your son has been awarded a full scholarship.”
- When the police officer says, “I’m going to let you go w/ a warning this time.”
- When the teacher says, “You’ve passed the test.”
- When the sportscaster says, “The New Orleans Saints have won the Super Bowl.”

We all like to hear messages like these messages of good news. And today, all across the country, people will be sharing messages of love & affection for each other as they celebrate Valentines Day. Like I heard about Corey & Allison Wolfe. Here on this Val. Day, all of Allison’s friends were getting flowers, cards, & boxes of chocolates, & Corey had not gotten her anything. Allison found herself starved for affection, longing to know that she was loved & appreciated. Finally, at her wit’s end, she blurted out to Corey, “Corey, why don’t you ever tell me that you love me?” Corey responded, “Allison, when we got married I told you that I loved you, & if I ever change my mind, I’ll let you know.”

That’s not really the BEST way to express love to someone you truly love. The Apostle Paul told us the BEST way in 1 Cor. 13. You just read these verses this week in your “40 Days of Bible Reading” plan, but listen to these words again (read 1 Cor. 13).

What a great message of love, not just romantic love like many are thinking about today, but of God’s perfect, unending, unwavering, unconditional love for all of us. And that’s one of the major truths that is found in 1 John, that God is love. It’s been said that “love does not define God, but that God defines love.” (Wiersbe, p. 515). Last week, in our first message in this “What Makes a Church Great” series, we talked about our great God, & that love is one of the key ingredients that He gives to His Church to make it a great church.
- I want you to love this great church b/c you love the great God of this church.
- …to serve this great church b/c you are serving…
- …to talk about this great church b/c you are talking about…

I don’t want you to miss out on what God is doing & is going to do in this great church. Heard of 3 preachers talking about a problem they were having w/ bats in their churches.
- One – “I took my shotgun into church, tried to shoot them, just blew holes in ceiling, still have bats.”
- 2nd – “Caught all the bats, drove 50 miles away, let them go, by the time I got back to church, they were already back in the church.”
- 3rd – “Solved my problem. Gathered all the bats up, baptized them & put them on the church membership rolls, & haven’t seen them since!”

I don’t want you to be like those bats! I want you to be on fire for the Lord b/c of all that He is doing in your life, in the lives of those around you, & in this church. A growing number of people in this church are fervently praying for God to restore our passion for Him & our love for Him in this church. This past Wed. night, 100 of us gathered in the choir room for REFRESH & prayed for a renewed passion for God, a renewed love for Jesus & each other, a renewed commitment to His Church, & a renewed desire to see the lost saved & to see the saved grow. You come join us this Wed. at 6:15 in choir room for REFRESH.

Today, in our 2nd message in this series, we consider the GREAT MESSAGE that our great God has given to us to make a great church. A great church knows, loves, & serves our great God. And a great church has a great message to share. John said, “This is the msg. we have heard & declare to you…” Word for “message” means “promise, a promised blessing.” Word for “declare” – “to announce or make known; to report back, to bring glad tidings.” Church, we have a promise from God – the promise of His blessings – that we get to announce & make known in our community & around the world. What is this great message? Watch this video & be reminded (Cross video).

3 expressions of this great message:

It’s a msg that leads us out of darkness into light – 1:5b-7

Hundreds of yrs before John wrote these words, OT prophet Isa said, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” W/out Christ, w/out the promised Messiah, there would be no light. The people would continue to walk in their spiritual ignorance, in their wickedness. And that walk always ends in hell. As John said, we can CLAIM that we are walking in the light & have a rel w/ God. There are people everywhere who CLAIM that they have a rel w/ God. But to make that claim & then continue to walk in the spiritual darkness of continual, habitual sin, shows that it’s all a lie.

Our great msg. is this: Walk w/ God & He will lead you out of your darkness. But He doesn’t just lead you out of darkness. He leads you into His light. In fact, His light leads you in the direction you need to go in life to live the full, meaningful, abundant life that Jesus offers. Ps. 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light for my path.” To walk in the light means that we are making progress in our walk w/ Christ. Means that He has completely cleansed us of our sins, like a leper cleansed of his leprosy. Means that He has set us apart to love Him & serve Him. Means that we are making the most of every opportunity that He is giving us to love Him, serve Him, worship Him, & obey Him.

It’s a msg that leads us out of deception into truth – 1:8, 10

We have an enemy, a strong & powerful enemy, who will stop at nothing to “steal, kill, & destroy” you. One of his main ways of working against us is through deception & lies. Jesus was talking about Satan one time & said in John 8:44, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, b/c he is a liar & the father of lies.”

One of his deceptive lies is to try to get us to minimize the magnitude of sin & its consequences. “Don’t make such a big deal about it. There are a lot of people who are a lot worse than you. He’s not talking about you. You’re doing a lot better than a bunch of other folks. Just don’t do the really BIG sins, or at least don’t get caught.” Living like that proves that you don’t truly understand the truth of God that says:
- “All have sinned & fall short of the glory of God.”
- “There is no one who is righteous, not even one…no one who seeks God.”

Our great msg. is this: We are great sinners who are in desperate need of a great Savior! Word for “truth” is “aletheia” & is talking about OUR truth. Not just truth as we might tell our kids not to lie, but tell the truth. “Truth” here is THE truth about God, about Jesus, about God’s purpose for our lives, the truth of the Gospel, the unchanging, unalterable, unmovable truth that Truth is a Person & His name is Jesus, & “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which they must be saved,” (Acts 4:12) & “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven & on earth & under the earth, & every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11). THAT’S a great msg!

It’s a msg that leads us out of despair into joy – 1:9-2:2

This is one awesome verse! Let me do a little word study w/ you:
- “confess” – homologeo – to say the same thing, to agree w/, to concede; not to deny – to admit/declare one’s self guilty of what one is accused of
- “sins” – hamartia – to miss the mark, to err, be mistaken – to miss or wander from the path of uprightness & honor; an offense, a violation of the divine law in thought or in act
- “forgive” – aphiemi – to send away, to expire, to let go, let alone, to disregard, to omit, to leave – to go to another place, to depart, to depart from one & to leave him to himself so that all mutual claims are abandoned, to go away leaving something behind, to leave one by not taking him as a companion, abandon, leave destitute.
- “purify” – katharizo – to make clean – a leper, to cleanse by curing. To free from the defilement of sins & faults. To purify from wickedness. To free from guilt of sin. To consecrate & dedicate.

Our great msg is this: YOU DON’T HAVE TO STAY IN THE DESPAIR OF YOUR SIN ANY LONGER! When you confess your sins – “Yes, I agree w/ God, I concede that I have sinned, I don’t deny it any longer, I admit that I am guilty of my sins – I have missed the mark, I have erred, I have wandered from God’s path of honor, I have committed an offense against Him, I have violated His law…”, then He forgives you – He sends your sins away from you, they expire, He lets them go, lets them alone, disregards them, omits them & leaves them, they go to another place, they depart from you & no longer have any claim on you, they go away from you & leave you behind, they are no longer your companion, they abandon you, & leave you destitute which is the PERFECT place for you to be b/c that’s when you realize that Jesus is your only Hope! And once your sins are gone away like that, then God purifies you, cleanses you – makes you clean, cures you of the leprosy of your sin, frees you from the defilement of your sins, purifies you from your wiekedness, frees your from the guilt of your sins, & then consecrates you, or sets you apart & dedicates you to serve Him & honor Him & glorify Him w/ your life. Hallelujah! What a message!!!

"What Makes a Church Great?" series - Sermon #1

2010-02-08T15:40:00.001-06:00

“A GREAT GOD” 1 John 1:1-4

INTRO – Think about your life for a moment. What have been some of the greatest moments of your life? Turn to person next to you & tell them a couple of the greatest moments of your life.
- Day you came to know Christ
- Driver’s license
- HS graduation/college graduation
- Engagement/Marriage
- Birth of child/grandchild
- Special trip/vacation/memory/family tradition
- First time you led someone to Christ

What made those moments so great? They were special b/c:
- They impacted & imprinted your life in a powerful way
- They touched the lives of those you care for
- They redirected your life in a positive way
- They were important times of change, rites of passage
- They were moments that were filled w/ joy, fulfillment, & purpose

You still want to talk about them. They still move you. Some of you may even have a tear in your eye right now as you think about & relive some of those moments. Your life will never be the same. Your family’s lives will never be the same. Your future was altered & changed b/c of some of those moments & those experiences. When you experience something in your life that can be described as “great,” it usually affects you in a powerful way.

Think about how often we use the word “great”:
- a great cup of coffee
- a great movie
- a great song
- a great vacation
- a great ballgame
- a great friend
- a great employee
- a great husband…wife…son…daughter

How about “This is a great church?” This morning, I’m beginning a series of messages entitled, “What Make a Church Great?” I want so badly for us to be able to say, “This is a great church!” Maybe you feel that we can already say that, & I believe that, too. But, just as we thought about all those great moments in our lives, & what made those moments so special, I want CWBC to be great for all those same reasons:
- Impact & imprint your life in a powerful way
- Touch the lives of those you care for
- Redirect your life in positive way
- Important times of change in your life
- Moments filled w/ joy, fulfillment, & purpose

I want you to want to talk about this great church…be moved by this great church…have a tear in your eye when you think about & relive some of the moments you’ve had in this great church…your life will never be the same…family’s life never be the same…future was altered & changed b/c of what you’ve experienced in this great church…be affected in a powerful way in this great church.

Pretty tall order, huh? Pretty big dream, huh? Pretty challenging vision, huh? Yes, it would be a tall order, big dream, & challenging vision IF it all depended on OUR ability to make it happen, on OUR intellect to figure it all out, OUR resources to bring it to pass. But, it doesn’t it! In fact, if we are doing it in our own strength, our own power, our own intellect, & w/ our own resources, we will fall flat on our faces. And, most especially, if we are doing it for our own glory, we will fail miserably, & we should! B/c the first thing that makes a church great is A GREAT GOD! And not just A great God…but THE great God.

The apostle John wrote to the Christian community in his day to combat some false teaching that was being spread concerning who Jesus Christ was & who God was. These false teachers were teaching that God did not have any interest in the lives of people. Much like the idols that the psalmist wrote about in Ps. 115:4-8. We memorized Ps. 115:3 a couple of weeks ago – “Our God is heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.” But then, the psalmist talked about the futility of false gods in v. 4-8.

What’s he saying? He’s clearly saying that false gods have no life. There simply is no life in them, nor is there any life coming from them, nor can they give any life to anyone who worships them. Those who do worship them are like them – dead, lifeless, useless, meaningless.

But our Great God is a God of life! 1 Jn 1:1-4 tells us about the life that He offers to us through Jesus who is the Word of life. This life is eternal life, everlasting life, abundant life, awesome life. It’s a life of fellowship w/ God, w/ Jesus, w/ our fellow brothers & sisters in Christ, through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. It’s a life of joy! The word for “life” is “zoe” – “the absolute fullness of life, which belongs to God…life real & genuine, a life active & vigorous, devoted to God…” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)

This is our great God. He’s the God of life, who is life, who gives life, who empowers life, who blesses life. And any church that is a great church knows, understands, & longs for this great God to pour out His life in all its fullness. A great church is full of the life that only God can give.

Using the word “LIFE,” let’s look at 4 things that will be found in a great church that is full of the life that our great God gives:

LOVE – Of course, if we are going to talk about God & talk about His church, we must talk about love. One of the main emphases in 1 John is that God is love. 1 John 4:8 & 16 make that simple, clear, profound statement – God is love.

But, if we back up one verse to 1 John 4:7, we discover that b/c God is love & b/c we are His people, we are to be people who love one another. Then as we move throughout the rest of chapter 4, we see verses that challenge us to be people who love:
- v. 11
- v. 16
- v. 19-21

Love can’t be something we just talk about; it must be something we show & do. 1 John 3:18 – “Dear children, let us not love w/ words & tongue, but w/ actions & in truth.”

A great church will be a church that loves b/c God is love.

IMPORTANT – A great church will understand that the things that are important to God should be important to us. As we look at 1 John, we can see some of the things that are important to God:
- Proclamation – v. 1-3
- Purity – v. 6-9; 2:15-16
- Purposeful living – 5:2-3a - OBEDIENCE
- Prayer – 5:14-15

FELLOWSHIP – v. 3, 7a – “KOINONIA” – This is a uniquely Christian word. Means participation, to share together, community. To fellowship together is not just to have some punch & cookies, or cake & coffee. Fellowship means you share life together.
- Good times, bad times
- Joys, sorrows
- Meet needs of one another
o Spiritual
o Social
o Financial
o Emotional

One of best places this happens is in Sunday School! I’ve seen & experienced classes coming together to do all of the things that encompass the true meaning of f’ship. Acts 2:42 – “The devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching & to f’ship, to the breaking of bread & to prayer.” When you f’ship together, you care deeply for one another. You meet each others’ needs. You love each other. You study the Word together & then strive to put it into practice. You hold each other accountable to the Word. You pray fervently for one another. I’ve seen ALL of these things happening in SS classes all across this church. A great church fellowships w/ our Great God & w/ each other.

ETERNITY – v. 2; 5:11-12 – A great church that is infused w/ the life of our Great God lives in this life now, but looks toward eternity.

"WE'VE GOT TO PRAY...WE GET TO PRAY"

2010-02-04T10:32:00.001-06:00

REFRESH – 2/3/10

"If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith" (Martin Luther)

“…the condition of a Church may be very accurately gauged by its Prayer Meetings. If the spirit of prayer is not with the people, the minister may preach like an angel, but he cannot expect success. If there is not the spirit of prayer in a Church there may be wealth, there may be talent, there may be a measure of effort, there may be an extensive machinery, but the Lord is not there. It is a sure evidence of the Presence of God that men pray as the rising of the thermometer is an evidence of the increase of the temperature. If God is near a Church it must pray. And if He is not there, one of the first tokens of His absence will be slothfulness in prayer.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“After we had some Sunday night times of prayer around the altar, when people got into the habit of calling on the Lord, our attendance grew to 50 or 60. But I knew God wanted to do much more…and He would, if we provided good soil in which He could work. I was tired of the escapist mentality I had witnessed since childhood – always glorifying what God did way back in some revival, or else passionately predicting ‘to coming great move of God’ just ahead. The truth is, I knew there were countless churches across the city and the nation that had not baptized a hundred truly converted sinners in a year, and most not in several years. Any growth came simply through transfers from one church to another. NYC was a hard mission field, but transfer growth is not what God had in mind for us.

What we needed was a fresh wind and fresh fire. We needed the HS to transform the desperate lives of people all around us. Alcohol and heroin dominated the neighborhood; LSD was also a problem, & cocaine was starting its wicked rise. Prostitutes were working a couple of street corners w/in 3 blocks of the church. Urban decay had clearly set in. Anybody who could make any money was trying to get away from our area.” (Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire)

“Prayer changes the world: it makes good things happen b/c it gets God’s will done & thus brings down His best blessings. This is the msg of the Old & New Testaments, as well as the experience of God’s people throughout the ages. The God of the Scriptures has great blessings in store for His people, but He has so planned it that those blessings can only be released by the prayers of His people.” (Douglas Kelly, If God Already Knows, Why Pray?)

1. Start w/ yourself – “Have mercy on me, O God…Wash away all my iniquity…cleanse me from my sin…Create in me a pure heart…Restore to me the joy of your salvation…” (Ps. 51)

2. Pray for person sitting next to you – “…far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you…” (1 Sam. 12:23)

3. Pray for this church…other churches in Byram…other churches in Jackson Metro area – “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for ALL OF YOU (the church), I aways pray w/ joy b/c of your PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL from the 1st day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:3-6)

4. Pray for our community – “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, b/c they were harassed & helpless, like sheep w/out a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36)

5. Pray for our state…our nation – “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession & t’giving be made for everyone – for kings & all those in authority…” (1 Tim. 2:1-2)

6. Pray for our world – “Declare His glory among the nations…” (Ps. 96:3)
- “…the nations will know that I am the Lord…” (Ezek. 36:23)
- “’I will shake all nations, & the desired of all nations will come, & I will fill this house w/ glory,’ declares the Lord.” (Hag. 2:7)
- “…make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19)

A Barometer for Spiritual Growth

2010-01-28T09:57:00.002-06:00

I recently read an article that was written by Dr. Charles Stanley regarding spiritual growth. We all need to be challenged to stay faithful in our ongoing growth as a Christ-follower. 2 Peter 3:14 tells us to "be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless & blameless." Diligence in our pursuit of Christ is necessary for us to live a life of holiness, righteousness, & purity. Augustine said, "You have made us for yourself, & our hearts are restless until they rest in you." These "spiritual signposts" can help us evaluate our spiritual growth & keep us moving forward in Christlikeness.

SPIRITUAL SIGNPOSTS:

- Do you have a hunger to know God more?

- Do you have a desire to know the truth of the Word?

- Do you have an increasing awareness of your sinfulness?

- Do you respond quickly to sin in confession & repentance?

- Are you finding yourself experiencing joy in the midst of intense spiritual battles?

- Is there a growing understanding that trials & temptations are opportunities for growth?

- Do you view service to God as an honor & joy, not a burden?

- Is your faith growing so that you are asking God for bigger things?

- Are you more eager to share Christ with others?

- Do you have an earnest desire to give to the Lord's work?

- Are you giving priority to your personal devotional life?

This list of "signpost" questions are not a report card or checklist. They are simply a type of measuring instrument - a barometer to measure change in your spiritual life. Keep this list handy in your Bible or journal & refer back to it occasionally, asking God, "Is this true of me right now, Lord?" May we all be changing & growing, becoming more like Jesus, bringing honor to Him, obeying Him, & letting the glory of God shine through our lives!

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

God help Haiti...

2010-01-14T15:30:00.005-06:00

Suffering...Sickness...Death...Disease...Calamity...Trouble...Pain...Grief...Heartache...Loss...Fear...Terror...Panic......

All of these are words that could be used to accurately describe the conditions in the country of Haiti right now in the aftermath of the awful earthquake that struck there this week. This country, which was already in an incredibly dire poverty situation, has completely collapsed in every sense of that word. I'm not sure that they will ever be able to recover from this catastrophe. The Body of Christ will certainly have to step in a big way to show the love and compassion of Christ, and provide for their needs as we are commanded to do by Jesus in Matthew 25.

The words at the beginning of this blog can also be used to describe the conditions that people in your own neighborhood and community live in every day. And that's right here in the most prosperous nation on earth. Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti, and rightfully so. But, do our hearts go out to our neighbors here in our own backyard?

- To the single mom trying to provide for her kids...
- To the family who just found out that Dad has been laid off...
- To the child who cries himself to sleep because his folks are fighting AGAIN tonight...
- To the homeless man holding the cardboard sign at the top of the ramp when you get off the interstate...
- To the teenage girl silently suffering from an eating disorder...
- To the recovering alcoholic who is looking for a real friend in the church...
- To the college student who is addicted to internet porn and doesn't know who to talk to about it...
- To the senior adult man who has no family left to care for him...

CHURCH - NOW is the time for us to love as Jesus loved, serve as Jesus served, give as Jesus gave, and obey as Jesus obeyed. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

A great verse for the New Year...

2009-12-31T11:41:00.002-06:00

Nahum is a tiny book in the Old Testament written by one of the Minor Prophets to the people of God to remind them that God was in control, no matter what the outward circumstances looked like. Sound like something YOU need to hear today, too? With all the upheaval in our world right now, it is good to know that our God, the ONE, TRUE, LIVING GOD, is completely sovereign, completely faithful, completely just, and that we are completely HIS!

The 7th verse in chapter 1 caught my attention today as the Spirit spoke His truth into my heart. It reads: "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him..." Wouldn't it be great to live with that unalterable truth firmly established in your heart and life? Why not commit that verse to memory today, meditate on it, and apply it to your life as you move into a new year?

We don't know what awaits us in the weeks and months of this new year. But we do KNOW and BELIEVE and TRUST that our God is GOOD, that He is a REFUGE for us, and that He CARES DEEPLY & PASSIONATELY FOR US! That's enough for me.

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

Christmastime is here...

2009-12-24T16:10:00.002-06:00

We are about 45 minutes away from our Christmas Eve Lord's Supper service, the first that this church has had in a few years. I'm really looking forward to spending this time of intimate, sweet worship w/ my church family.

It's interesting to have the Lord's Supper on Christmas Eve, the celebration of Christ's birth. After all, isn't the Lord's Supper a remembrance of His death & not His birth? Seems kind of somber and strange to focus on death when it's a time of birth.

But the life-changing truth for the world to know is that this little child of Bethlehem was headed toward a cruel Roman cross from the very moment He was born...in fact, He was headed toward that cross before time ever began. It was the sovereign plan in the heart of God all along for our Savior to pay the price for our sins so that we could have an eternal relationship with God. He was destined to die so that we might live. And He lives now so that we might one day live with Him forever!

When the family of God gathers around the table to celebrate and remember Jesus' sacrificial death, we do so in love, in faith, in joy, and in retrospection. We gather on common ground, no one any more deserving than anyone else, no one any more worthy than any one else. The richest person stands next to the poorest; the healthiest next to the one who is most ill; the one who struggles with hate beside the one who loves easily. Our Lord Jesus is the Savior of us all. He died for us all. He lives for us all. He loves us all.

"Thank you, Jesus, for coming to us, living among us, ministering to us, suffering and dying for us, and living in us. What an awesome Christmas gift your love is!"

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

"Pastors Are People, Too" - Great article!

2009-12-01T16:20:00.002-06:00

I read this article today, & thought I would share it w/ you.
**********************************************************************

Pastors Are People Too
True Confessions from the other side of the pulpit.

by Craig Groeschel

In seminary, my professor warned our class of future pastors that one day, people would be watching us. Everywhere. All the time. Church members, he said, want to believe that their pastor is always connected intimately with God, his marriage is always strong, his faith never wavers-that his life is practically perfect.

No pressure.

He told us, "Dress like a pastor. Sound like a pastor. Look like a pastor." I listened intently and proceeded to follow his advice with exacting obedience. Over the next few years, I honed my ministerial skills at my first church. With practice, pastoral words began flowing out of me. I learned what to say and what not to say. People began to call me an "up 'n comer," a pastor who'd rise quickly through the ranks and on to a bigger church. From the outside, everything looked good.

But God doesn't look at the outside.

To your average church member, I looked like most other pastors. Calm. Confident. Godly. But on the inside, I felt phony. How did it happen? After only a few years playing the part, I had to face the brutal truth: I had become a full-time minister—and a part-time follower of Christ.

And I hated myself.

Many pastors I talk with can relate. (So do many non-pastors.) Don't get me wrong—they love Jesus, or they wouldn't have surrendered to the call of ministry. But as one of my mentors says, "Without knowing it, the way we pastors do God's work often destroys God's work in us." Instead of studying God's word to know Him better, we study to preach. Instead of growing in our private prayer life, we often craft our prayers as public orations to be heard. Instead of living to please Jesus, we start living to please people.

Dropping the Pose

I had to get honest. I reluctantly admitted to myself that I was not a pastor first, but a regular, scared, insecure, everyday guy. And if Jesus really loved me as I was (I knew He did), then why should I go on trying to be someone I wasn't?

All week long I agonized. I prayed as I hadn't prayed in months. "God, should I reveal my heart to the church? What if they reject me? Talk bad about me? Fire me?" I swallowed hard. Then I ventured a step further: "Is this what You want me to do?"
Sunday inevitably arrived, and I walked to the pulpit uncharacteristically unprepared—with not one written note. My palpitating heart held my only preparation. Throat dry and nervous beyond description, I stared at 200 very committed churchgoers. They politely stared back.

Silence.

Finally I spoke. "My relationship with God is not what it should be." My voice quivered with each syllable. No one moved.

I plunged ahead. "I've confessed this to God, but I'm now going to confess it to you: I've become a full-time minister—and a part-time follower of Christ."

You could have heard a communion wafer snap.

The message that Sunday was unembellished: no humor, no quotes. No clever slogans, no points all starting with the same letter. But it was true—authentic. I held nothing back.

And in the middle of my talk, something started to happen, something new. God made Himself known.

The reality of His presence is hard to describe, but it's even harder to miss. Some people cried quietly in their seats. Others sobbed openly—not so much for my sins, but for their own. Before I had finished my confession, many gathered at the altar to repent alongside me.

As the tears and words flowed, God's peace replaced my fear. His assurance pushed away my doubts; His power invaded my weakness. In that moment, Jesus became as real to me as He'd ever been. He was with me, and I knew He was pleased. I felt the affirmation of those words any servant of God longs to hear: "Well done."

Getting Real

Everything changed. I became a full-time follower of Christ who also happened to be a pastor. No more make-believe. No posing. No playing games. From that moment on, I would be real. Raw, even, if necessary. Authentic.

Or nothing at all.

But I can't do it alone—I need my church. Likewise, your pastor needs you more than you know. You need to realize that many of us are insecure. We're often scared—and lonely. We battle temptations, too, and (believe it or not) sometimes we even sin, falsely believing in some deceptive escape or another. We don't take much time off, and lots of us feel guilty when we do. Our families frequently suffer, as can our relationship with Christ.

And that's why your pastor needs your prayers. Your support. Your grace. Your encouragement. Your friendship. Your desire to understand.

So share with your pastor what God is doing in your life, and be willing to listen. Treat your pastor as a real, live human being—someone just like you, who's trying to follow Jesus. It's one of the best gifts you can give.
************************************************************************************

Wow! I'm there!

Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

"WHAT JESUS SAYS ABOUT JUDGING" - Sermon notes from 11/15/09

2009-11-20T15:06:00.000-06:00

“WHAT JESUS SAYS ABOUT JUDGING” Matt. 7:1-6

INTRO – One of 1970’s comedian Flip Wilson’s famous sayings was, “Here comes the judge!” Sammy Davis, Jr., also used this saying on the old “Laugh In” show back in the day.

Sometimes, this saying is true in our lives. It’s sad, but sometimes others may look at us and say, “Here comes the judge” when we place ourselves in a position of unfair, critical judgment over the lives of others. Jesus had some strong words for us when we do this.

George Barna once said that Matt. 7:1, “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” was one of the most well known verses in the Bible, right behind “God helps those who help themselves.” Unfortunately, it is usually misinterpreted, just as those who think that “God helps those who help themselves” is really a Bible verse. “God helps those…” is NOT in the Bible. “Judge not, lest ye be judged” is, so we need to understand what it means for our lives today.

Let’s look at 3 effects of judging.

I. THE EFFECTS OF WRONG JUDGING – v. 1-2

The wrong judging that Jesus condemned here was the type of judging that the Pharisees were guilty of – playing God & never considering that there would come a day when they would be judged by God. Jesus was strongly condemning a critical, condemning spirit of judgment that is in direct opposition to the heart of love that we as Christ-followers are to have toward others.

There are several meanings of the word that Jesus uses for “judge” in verse 1-2. Let’s consider how we might find ourselves in these circumstances & the effects that might come from our decision to wrongly judge others:

“to separate…to pick out, select, choose” – Ever been the last one picked to be on a sports team when you were a kid? Remember how that felt? What happens when we as Christ-followers pass judgment on others, giving them the feeling that we are separating ourselves from them, that we really don’t want them on our “team”? It’s a terrible thing to feel that you are unwanted.

“to approve, esteem, to prefer” – What happens when we as Christ-followers judge others & show preferential treatment to some & not to others? Is this the way that Jesus would have us treat others?

“to be of opinion, deem, think” – How often do we as Christ-followers unfairly pass judgment on someone that causes us to develop a wrong opinion about them, to think of them in a negative way, even though we might not truly know them? And how often do we share our opinion w/ others in a way that causes them to think negatively about that person, too?

“to determine, resolve, decree” – Have we ever been guilty of wrongly judging a person, determining that we will not have a relationship w/ them, resolving that we will not associate w/ them, although we may not truly know them, their background, their family history, or anything else substantial about them?

“to rule, govern” – Have we ever been guilty of judging a person, placing ourselves in a perceived position of superiority over that person as if we could rule or govern them in some way?

II. THE EFFECTS OF RIGHT JUDGING – Matt. 18:15-17; Gal. 6:1

Let me be clear about one thing: I am not saying that we are never to judge. I am not saying that we have to be so tolerant & politically correct that we just lay down & accept any lifestyle, any sin, anything that a person might be doing that is contrary to God’s Word. For instance, our gov’t. is moving us in this direction at a frightening pace as more & more states pass laws legalizing gay marriages. Our president has gone on record as saying that there will come a day when the marriage of 2 women or 2 men will be just as precious & just as accepted as that of a man & woman. Some denominations have caved in & accepted, even endorsed, this blatantly wrong, sinful lifestyle. Our college campuses & even our high school & middle school campuses are becoming more & more accepting of this lifestyle. I read just last week of a man who was fired from his job b/c he and a woman got in a discussion about this matter, & he stated that he believed that gay marriage was wrong.

Most of the time when we hear this verse quoted, it is by someone who is living in a sinful manner & is trying to deflect the attention away from what they are doing & how they are living. This person will quote this verse in desperation in a feeble, faulty attempt to get the spotlight of God’s Spirit & the piercing truth of His Word refocused off of their life. Jesus clearly said these words in John 3:19-20: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light b/c their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

Jesus did not forbid us to judge others. What He did forbid was wrong, false judgment of others. The right judging that we are to do is a necessary process in the Christian life. Phil. 1:9-10 tells us that judgment, knowledge, discernment, & insight are extremely important for us to grow & mature in our walk w/ Christ – “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more & more in knowledge & depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best & may be pure & blameless until the day of Christ.”

There is definitely a place in the Church for right judgment against sin. The Scriptures strongly support this right judgment. Jesus gave us a process to follow in judging & confronting sin in the life of another brother or sister in Christ. Look @ Matt. 18:15-17. Open, blatant sin in the life of a Christ-follower is so hurtful. It hurts the person who is involved in the sin, their family & friends, & the Body of Christ as a whole. It damages the reputation of God, diminishes His glory, & drags His name through the mud. The purity of the Church is compromised. The truth of our message is undercut in the eyes of the lost world.

The goal of this right judgment of sin is always repentance & restoration of the wayward brother or sister. Gal. 6:1 – “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently…” The word for “restore” refers to the process a doctor uses to set a bone or remove a tumor. Both of these processes are necessary for the health & well-being of the patient, but should be done as gently as possible & under the right circumstances & in the right way. To do them in the wrong way could lead to further damage & possibly permanently harm the patient’s body.

Same is true in the Body of Christ. To wrongly judge the person is to judge them w/ a critical, condemnatory, self-righteous attitude w/ a view toward punishment. This kind of judgment pushes the person farther away from the Lord & away from the Church, away from those who can help them the most. Wrong judgment is like a doctor attempting to cut out a tumor when he has not looked at any x-rays, knows nothing about the patient’s history, & does it w/out anesthesia.

Right judgment of sin is done out of a broken heart of love toward the one who is caught in the trap of sin. It is done out of a heart of humility & understanding that we, too, could be caught in the same sin if we are not vigilant. It is done w/ a view toward the person’s restoration, to lead the person back into a close, intimate walk w/ Christ & back into the full fellowship of the Church. Looking back @ the process that Jesus gave us in Matt. 18, if, at any time, the person repents of their sin, the process stops & the restoration begins.

III. THE EFFECTS OF JUDGING OURSELVES – v. 3-5

Isn’t that a ridiculous illustration? The idea of a man w/ a 2X4 sticking out of his own eye trying to get a speck of dirt out of another man’s eye is just crazy. But that’s exactly why Jesus used such a ludicrous illustration. For us to try to judge the sin in other people’s lives w/out first judging the sin in our own lives is just as crazy as a man w/ a piece of lumber sticking out of his eye trying to get the speck of dirt out of the other man’s eye. This is what the Pharisees were doing in Jesus’ day. They saw the sin in other people’s lives, & were quick to point them out, but refused to look at the sin in their own lives.

Why are our eyes so sensitive? Why is that when we do get just a bit of dirt, a small piece of grass, or an eyelash in our eye, it drives us crazy until we get it out? I asked one our doctors this question. It’s b/c the most critical areas of our bodies are the most sensitive. The areas of our bodies that are critical to our ongoing survival are the areas that are the most sensitive. For instance, our tongue & lips are extremely sensitive b/c they are necessary for us to be able to taste whether or not our food is bad. Our eyes are so sensitive b/c to lose our eyesight would put us at a severe, distinct disadvantage, compromising our ability to survive.

We ought to be hyper-sensitive to the sin in our own lives, whether it’s a speck of dirt or a 2X4. We must judge ourselves continually, examining our hearts, our motives, our actions, our thoughts, our relationships. We may never be perfect, but that is our ultimate goal that we strive for as we mature in our faith. Jesus had just told the people in Matt. 5:48 – “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect,” meaning “Be complete, be mature, be the sons & daughters of God you know you are supposed to be.” And when we miss that speck or that 2X4 in our lives, we need to be open to the loving judgment & correction that may come from a concerned brother or sister in Christ. That is why it is so important for us to have those people in our lives who see our blind spots, hold us accountable, asking tough questions about the hidden areas of our lives, lovingly demanding honest answers, & helping us keep our walk w/ Christ strong.

Judge yourself. Allow others to judge you. Invite others to judge you. The effect will be a deepening, maturing, fulfilling Spirit-filled life that brings glory to God & points others toward Jesus!

CONCLUSION – Remember the Flip Wilson illustration I started with? “Here comes the judge!” Well, let me tell you that there is one more point that I need to tell you about, one more effect of judgment that you need to be aware of.

THE EFFECTS OF GOD’S ETERNAL JUDGMENT – Rev. 20:11-15 – Listen closely: “11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Right now is the time for YOU to JUDGE YOURSELF. First, judge yourself to determine if you have ever truly trusted Jesus as your Lord & Savior. If not, NOW IS THE TIME! If you have already done that, then judge yourself & see where the Spirit convicts you sin in your life & DEAL W/ IT TODAY!!!

"WASTED WORRY" - Sermon notes from 11/1/09

2009-11-02T15:41:00.001-06:00

“WASTED WORRY” Matt. 6:25-34

INTRO – Ever heard some of these church bulletin & announcement bloopers:
- Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
- "Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands."
- For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
- At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
- This evening at 7 pm there will be a hymn sing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
- The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
- Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.
- A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
- Don’t let worry kill you. Let the church help.

We joke & make light of worry. Read of one man who told his friend, “I have a mountain of credit card debt, I’ve lost my job, my car is being repossessed, & our house is in foreclosure, but I’m not worried about it.” “Not worried about it??” “No, I’ve hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying for me, & that way I don’t have to think about it.” “That’s great! How much does he charge for his services?” “$50,000 a year.” “$50,000 a year? Where are you going to get that kind of money?” “I don’t know. I’ll let him worry about that.”

But worry is really not a laughing matter. Worry, anxiety, discouragement, frustration, disillusionment, stress – all of these are major concerns in many people’s lives, & are all things that are addressed by the Word of God in many different places. “Stress & worry break us down. They are the unseen source of our headaches, backaches, heartaches, & belly aches. They produce everything from obesity to obscenity, from constipation to diarrhea, & from impatience to impotence. They give us knotted stomachs, sleepless nights, high blood pressure, low morale. They make our tempers short & our nights long. They cause indigestion, irritation, chest pain, & muscle strain. One doctor said, ‘You do not get stomach ulcers from what you eat, but from what is eating you.’”

When we consider what the Scriptures say about worry & anxiety, we see that it is something that God really wants us to deal with in our lives. It is not something that we need to take lightly or just brush off as not that big of a deal.
- In the passage we are considering today, Jesus uses the word “worry” or a form of it 6 times.
- On several different occasions, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid” or “Fear not.”
- Paul said in Phil. 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything…”
- Peter picked up on this same exhortation when he said in 1 Pet. 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on Him b/c He cares for you.”

And although most of us, if not all of us, have to deal w/ anxiety & worry in some form or fashion, the Lord makes it abundantly clear to us, both explicitly & implicitly, that worry is a sin that we must battle against in the power & strength that we have through the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. Gal. 5 lists the fruit of the Spirit that EVERY Christ-follower has in his/her life. The 3rd one listed is PEACE. In the passage I mentioned above from Phil. 4, Paul goes on to say in v. 7 that the “peace of God will guard your hearts & minds in Christ Jesus.” We all remember that when the Lord gave the prophecy to Isaiah concerning Jesus coming into the world, He clearly said that the coming Messiah would be called the “Prince of Peace.” It is time for us as Christ-followers to realize that time spent worrying is wasted time, time that could be & should be in much more God-honoring, Christ-exalting pursuits. It is wasted worry.

Let’s consider these 3 items concerning worry:

THE CLEAR COMMAND – v. 25, 31, 34

When I have the privilege of leading someone to Christ, one of the 1st things I tell them is that now the rest of their life needs to be lived in obedience to Jesus. Beginning w/ following in obedience in believers’ baptism as Joe did this AM, our lives are to be a series of decisions of obedience to the Lord. This is what it means to be a disciple of the Lord. We learn from Him through studying the Word – reading it, studying it, hearing it preached & taught, memorizing it. As the Spirit works in us, speaking to us, teaching us, convicting us, & convincing us of the truth, we then respond in obedience. When we don’t, we sin, falling out of fellowship w/ God, moving away from Him, grieving His Spirit, quenching His ongoing work in our lives, bringing His reputation down, causing His glory to diminish in our lives & in His Church.

The clear command that Jesus gives us in these verses is simply this: Do not worry. Not, “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s not that big a deal,” like we might say to someone when they forget to do something. His words here are a clear command from His mouth to our ears & to our souls – Do not worry! As Jerry Bridges wrote in an article on worry & anxiety, “When you or I say to someone, ‘Don’t be anxious,’ or, ‘Don’t be afraid,’ we are simply trying to encourage the person or admonish them in a helpful way. But when Jesus…says to us, ‘Don’t be anxious,’ the words have the force of a moral command. Or to say it more explicitly, ANXIETY IS SIN.” (DJ, April 2008)

Jesus doesn’t just give flippant commands that are optional for you & me in our pursuit to be His disciple. His commands are given for a purpose – to bring honor & glory to God. To fall into the sin of worry & anxiety is to say w/ our lives that our God is not big enough to meet our needs, or that He is not loving enough to take care of His kids. It says that down deep, we really don’t trust God, & that our circumstances are too big for Him to handle. Bishop Fulton Sheen – “Worry is a form of atheism, for it betrays a lack of faith & trust in God.”

THE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS – v. 25b, 26b, 27, 28, 30

In the span of 5 verses, Jesus asked 5 questions. Look at them w/ me. Why did He ask these questions? To clarify 2 things: 1) that it is senseless & sinful to waste our time worrying; & 2) to state clearly that God is totally in control, totally dependable, totally loving, & totally trustworthy.

It’s crazy for us to worry so much when we have a loving Heavenly Father who is so faithful & so able to meet every need we have. The word “worry” comes from an old German word meaning to strangle or choke. That’s exactly what worry does to us as it mentally, spiritually, & emotionally strangles us. It chokes off the joy of the Christian life from us. It chokes out the promises of God from our mind. We may try to dress it up by calling it something else – a concern, burden, cross to bear – but the results are the same, & those results do not glorify God.

Jesus wants to clarify to us that our contentment & cause for living is found in God & only in God – His ownership, His control, & His provision of everything we possess & will ever need. He owns everything in the entire universe. 1 Chron. 29:11 – “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness & the power & the glory & the majesty & the splendor, for everything in heaven & earth is yours.” He controls everything. 1 Chron. 29:12 – “Wealth & honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength & power to exalt & give strength to all.” He provides everything. In Gen. 22, God tested Abraham’s faith by telling him to take his son, Isaac, up on the mountain & sacrifice him as an offering to the Lord. Abraham obeyed & took Isaac up on the mountain. As Abraham was about to kill Isaac w/ a knife, God stopped him & provided a ram instead. Gen. 22:14 – “So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.” And guess what? He still is providing!

THE CURE FOR WORRY – v. 33

The cause of worry is seeking after the things of this world. Our anxiety level grows & goes higher when our attention is focused on our circumstances & situations. But the cure for worry is to focus our attention on the things of God’s K’dom & His righteousness.

The word for “seek” means to seek in order to find, to aim at, to strive for, to crave. The word for “first” means first in rank, influence, honor, chief, principal. Can you truly say that the thing that you are aiming at or striving for or craving more than anything else in this world is a right relationship w/ God? That IS the cure for worry. Verse 33 could be interpreted this way: “Rather than seeking & worrying about food, drink, & clothing like unbelievers do, focus your attention & hopes on the things of the Lord & He will take care of all your needs.” This means that the priority of priorities for us as Christ-followers is to seek first the things of God.

To seek first His Kingdom is to seek first His will, His rule, & His authority. It means that we pour our lives out for His work, His ministry, giving ourselves unselfishly in obedience to Him & in service to Him. It means that you stand out on the church parking lot on Halloween night letting kids hit you w/ marshmallows, or doing a cake walk, or painting faces so that the light of Christ might shine through you to a child or a family in need. It means that you coach an Upward soccer team on a soggy field b/c you love God, love His Church, & want to be used by Him. It means that you sacrifice vacation time in order to go on a mission trip or be a chaperone to youth camp or kids’ camp in order to share the love of Christ w/ those in need. It means that you give up a weeknight that you could be home watching TV in order to go out w/ a FAITH team to share Christ in our community. Mark Williams. It means that you give 10% of your income to the Lord in order to support your church’s mission in this community & world. It means that you are more concerned about building God’s Kingdom than you are about building your kingdom, & you show that concern by getting actively involved in service to God.

To seek first His righteousness is to desire to be right w/ God more than anything in this world. Matt. 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” The person who is seeking after anything other than this is an empty person. Seek after the things of the world & you are guaranteed nothing but worry, anxiety, & a life of emptiness & despair. Seek after the things of G w/ a passionate desire to be right w/ Him which begins w/ a personal relationship to Jesus Christ as Lord, & you are guaranteed that He will meet every need you have b/c of His great love for you.

CONCLUSION – What are you worried about today? How are you dealing w/ it? Are you trying to work it all out on your own, depending on your resources & your abilities?

Instead of spending so much time & energy on worry & anxiety, why don’t you make a commitment today to seek 1st the things of God? Maybe you’ve never begun seeking God b/c you’ve never truly placed your faith in Jesus. Your faith is still in yourself, & I will tell you, I would be worried if that is where your faith is!

Quit wasting the time that God has given you on this earth worrying, & start investing that time in HIS work, HIS K’dom, seeking after HIS glory & HIS righteousness.

"What's In Your Wallet?" - Sermon notes from 10/25/09

2009-10-27T10:22:00.001-05:00

“WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET?” Matt. 6:19-24

INTRO – Quiz on advertising slogans. How did you do?

Let’s focus on that last one. In fact, that’s the title of the message this morning. This is not a tithing sermon. Not necessarily a stewardship sermon. It’s LORDSHIP sermon – a DISCIPLESHIP sermon - a LIFESTYLE sermon. “What’s in your wallet?” – cash, credit cards, pictures, business cards, club membership cards, extra car key, receipts? But the truth is that for many of us, our lives are in our wallet. Our love is in our wallet. Our Lord is in our wallet.

So much of our lives seems to be controlled by our material possessions, our bank accounts, our checkbooks, & our wallets. A Gallup poll back in Feb. showed that over 40% of adults age 18-59 are worried about money with the highest percentage being those age 40-49. I wonder if those percentages would be higher now?

Whether it’s in our personal lives or in the corporate life of this church, we can often find ourselves making decisions based solely on financial concerns & our present financial position. We work hard to make money. We worry about whether or not we have enough money, & most of the time we don’t think we do. We wonder if we’ll have enough money to live on when we retire. We wish we had more money. We want our kids & grandkids to have plenty of money. It consumes much of our time, energy, attention, & life. It causes friction in marriages, causes stress in churches, & causes us to lose sleep. Someone once said that money can’t buy you happiness, but a lot of people would like the chance to prove it for themselves.

Jesus had a lot to say about money & material possessions. Jesus talked a great deal about money. Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of 10 verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money.
- The rich young ruler in Lk. 18 missed out on the possibility of eternal life b/c his life was mastered by money.
- He spoke about paying taxes & tithing when He said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, & to God what is God’s” (Mt. 22:21).
- In Mk. 12, He clearly spoke about the importance of sacrificial giving & the motives behind our giving when He commented on the widow who gave her 2 mites, all she had, as an offering. “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has just put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.” (Lk. 12:43-44)

And in our passage for today, Jesus addresses our treasures & the influence that they can have over our lives. I want to make 3 statements for us to consider today:

Where you store your treasures determines whether or not you keep your treasures – v. 19-20

In most towns & cities, some of the nicest buildings in town are bank buildings – stately, majestic, white columns, clock towers, marble floors, dark wood paneling, chandeliers. I wonder if the reason that they are so nice is b/c we believe that our money deserves the finest environment & the greatest protection that can be provided.

The word for “treasure” here can mean the place where valuable things are kept – “the place where good & precious things are collected & laid up.” Or it can mean the actual items that are laid up.

If the treasures that we are most concerned about are material possessions, earthly belongings, or bank accounts, we will constantly be worried about whether or not those things or those account balances are safe. And there is absolutely no guarantee whatsoever that they will be. There is always the chance of loss, the risk of destruction, the opportunity for thieves to steal. Earthly possessions can be damaged & destroyed. The homes in this time were made of clay or loose stones, so it was relatively easy to break into them, & thieves regularly did so. Modern-day thieves are constantly looking for ways to steal others’ possessions, whether breaking into your car, home, business, or those who commit online crimes & identity theft. No matter what we do or where we keep our possessions, they are never truly safe from corruption, destruction, loss, & theft. Earthly treasures are stored in earthly places, & there is no absolute safety anywhere on earth.

Jesus said for us to “store up treasures in heaven” & we won’t have to worry about losing them, or that they will be damaged, destroyed, or stolen. What does it mean for us to store up treasures in heaven? It means to use ALL THAT WE HAVE for the glory of God. “It means to ‘hang loose’ when it comes to the material things of life. It also means measuring life by the true riches of the k’dom & not by the false riches of this world.” (Wiersbe, p. 28)

The giving of our tithes & offerings is a way that we store up riches in heaven. When we willingly, obediently turn loose of at least 10% of our income & give it back to God, He takes it, uses it for His glory & for His K’dom work in this world, while storing up treasures in heaven for you.

Storing up treasures in heaven is also accomplished through bringing others to Christ and all acts of obedience to God. That “treasure” is the eternal value of whatever we accomplish on earth. Acts of obedience to God, laid up in heaven, are not susceptible to decay, destruction, or theft. Nothing can affect or change them; they are eternal. (Life Application Bible Commentary) Serving God through the ministry of His Church – sharing Christ w/ your neighbor, co-worker, friend, or stranger – going on a mission trip – helping w/ Upward Soccer – teaching a SS class – being actively involved in your church – all these are ways that you are storing treasures up in heaven, treasures that you will never lose. “When our time, energy, & possessions are used to serve others & to further the Lord’s work, they build up heavenly resources that are completely free from destruction or theft.” (MacArthur, p. 411)

Where you look determines whether you live in darkness or light – v. 22-23

As I was studying this week, I wondered why Jesus would make a statement about our eyes right in the middle of talking about our material possessions & treasures. Here’s what He clearly old me: “Our lives are ruled & controlled so much by what we see as opposed to what we KNOW to be true IN SPITE of what we see.” Driving when He told me this. Had to write it down at a stop light in Clinton when He spoke to me.

2 Cor. 5:7 – “We walk by faith & not by sight.” And yet, for many of us, that simply is not true. We are consumed by what we see all around us. We live in fear, in stress, in depression, in discouragement, in bitterness, in pride, in anxiety, all b/c we live by sight & not by faith, exactly opposite of what the Bible says. “Our lives are ruled & controlled so much by what we see as opposed to what we KNOW to be true IN SPITE of what we see.”

Living by sight & not by faith brings the darkness that Jesus was talking about in v. 23. The word that Jesus used for “bad” means “full of annoyances & hardships; pressed & harassed; full of peril to Christian faith & steadfastness.” When we are walking by sight & not by faith, that is exactly what we will see all the time. We will see the annoyances & hardships. We’ll find ourselves constantly pressed & harassed. Our Christian faith & steadfastness will suffer & grow weak & puny. Our eyes & our lives will grow spiritually dark. We’ll stop growing. Our joy will diminish. We’ll become calloused & jaded by all the circumstances of life, & we’ll infect others w/ our bad attitudes, our bitter outlook on life. We’ll become selfish & act in immature ways. Our lives will be wide open to further brutal attacks from the enemy once we open this door to him. He will heap more & more darkness into our lives, overwhelming us at every place in our lives.

But we don’t have to live that way. Living by faith, trusting God w/ everything in our lives & in every aspect of our lives, brings His light into our lives. In v. 22, the KJV says, “If thine eye by single.” This means that your eyes are fulfilling their purpose, & that purpose is to stay focused on Jesus Christ. Jesus said it this way in Mt. 6:33: “But seek first the K of G & His righteousness…” When our eyes & our lives are focused on Him, when we are walking by faith, we will KNOW & EXPERIENCE His amazing work in our lives. He will meet every need that we have. He will bless us in unimaginable ways. He will overwhelm us w/ His joy & His presence. He will speak clearly to us. He will open doors for us. He will use us in His K’dom work, bringing others to Him, ministering to others through us. His light will flood into our lives & spill over into the lives of those around us. Instead of being bitter & calloused, we will be tender & sensitive to the needs of those around us. Instead of wondering who is going to do the work of the Lord, we will willingly & joyfully do it. As we walk by faith & His light shines in us, we will cheerfully give at least 10% of our income to the Lord, & actually enjoying doing so. In fact, we’ll find ourselves wanting to give more as He blesses us b/c that’s what Mal. 3:10 tells us He will do when we tithe: “…see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven & pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” How many of you could use that much blessing today? As His light shines in our lives, He will show us ways that He wants to use us, & show us those who need His touch through us. The joy of the Lord will be your strength as you walk by faith & not by sight.

Whoever or whatever is your master determines whether you love or hate God – v. 24

Strong words from Jesus. We serve our masters. We are slaves to our masters. Bottom line: You will serve & be enslaved to money, or you will serve & be enslaved to God. You will be owned by money, or owned by God. You will be controlled by money, or be controlled by God.

“Wait a minute, Jon. I don’t really hate God if I love money, do I?” Word for hate means to detest or despise. Here’s the test for you. When a preacher preached on money, what’s your inner response? “All they want at that church is MY money. All they talk about is money. All they’re worried about is MY money.” Good chance that you despise God if this is what you think. You despise the fact that YOUR money really isn’t YOUR money after all, & that the preacher actually has the right & the responsibility to point that out to you & teach you in this area. You despise the fact that deep down you know this is true, but b/c you are owned, controlled, & mastered by money, you don’t want to hear it, & you certainly don’t want to obey it. Bottom line: You hate God.

If on the other hand, God is your Master, Owner, & Controller, you have a growing understanding of the fact that everything you have belongs to Him, that you are only a manager of His resources. You are experiencing the truth that you truly can’t outgive Him, that when you tithe & give your offerings to Him, He turns them right back around to you & blesses your socks off, which you then in turn give right back to Him out of gratitude & love for Him. 2 Cor. 9:7 says “God loves a cheerful giver.” “Cheerful” means “hilarious.” That’s the kind of giver you are. You are owned by God, mastered by God, controlled by God, enslaved to God, & you love every minute of it, & every aspect of it.

KEY VERSE – v. 21 – Thought I left it out?

“heart” – kardia – the center of all physical & spiritual life
- The soul & mind, as it is the fountain & seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors
- The center of the understanding…the seat of intelligence
- The center of the will & character

"Change is..."

2009-09-30T22:34:00.002-05:00

Most people complete the above statement by saying, "Change is difficult." While that may be true much of the time, we must understand that change is necessary for life to continue. Just like an acorn must change so that the oak tree can grow, or the tadpole must change to become a frog, so, too, must we change in order to become all that God intends for us to be. Jesus said, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 18:3). That sounds like a pretty tall order for a grown, mature adult. But Jesus makes it crystal clear. Change must happen in order for Him to work in our lives and in order for us to be a part of His work!

How are YOU changing? How are you becoming like a little child? Kids trust more, have more fun, imagine more, play more, are more uninhibited, and learn more. Seems to me like we "mature" adults need to take some lessons from our more "immature" friends. Watch the kids around you and try to emulate them. Sounds nuts, doesn't it? Jesus had a tendency to lean that way..."Come, follow me"..."Take up your cross"..."Get out of the boat"..."Father, forgive them"..."Become like a little child"...

Let's head to the playground!

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

Update...

2009-09-27T14:39:00.002-05:00

The Muslim prayer rally on Capitol Hill this past Friday that was supposed to have 50,000 in attendance ended up only having about 2,000 in attendance. The 40 or so Christ-followers who gathered at Country Woods Baptist Church at noon on Friday prayed for the salvation of those who were in Washington, that they would see that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way, Truth, & Life, and that NO ONE comes to the Father except through Him. We prayed for the Light of Christ to shine in their hearts that have been darkened by the evil one. There was no political agenda...simply people who love Jesus crying out to Him on behalf of those who don't know Him...YET.

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

It's time to pray......

2009-09-24T11:24:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow (Sept. 25), there is supposed to be a large gathering of Muslims on Capitol Hill in Washington for a prayer rally. Organizers believe there is the potential to have 50,000+ adherents to Islam participating in this event. We live in a nation where there is freedom to gather for these types of purposes, no matter what a person's belief system is.

I agree with the Muslims on one thing: It IS time to pray! But here's the MAJOR difference: It is time for the One True Church, the Body of Christ, the followers of Jesus Christ to pray fervently, passionately, frequently, properly, individually, & corporately to the One, True, Living God of all the Universe who sent His One & only, one-of-a-kind Son to be our Savior & Messiah - God, the Son - whose name is Jesus. I am not talking about a little "God is great, God is good..." blessing that is blurted out in a half-hearted, faithless fashion before digging into our meal in a gluttonous way. I am not talking about "saying your prayers" before you go to bed at night, which usually end up with us falling asleep before we say "Amen."

I am talking about the people of God crying out to Him in desperation for His glory to fall, for His salvation to come to those whose eyes have been blinded by the one who is the great deceiver, for His power to fill His Church that we may worship, serve, obey, & love Him in ways we have never done before. I am talking about the disciples of Jesus Christ humbling ourselves before Him, recognizing our inadequacies, our utter dependence upon Him, needing our hearts to be broken before Him. I am talking about the TRUE Church doing some TRUE praying the way that the TRUE Word of God says that we should do...not in a prideful, arrogant, "we're better than you" way; but in a broken, intense, life-changing, life-altering kind of way.

My heart breaks for the potential thousands of people who will gather tomorrow, actually believing that their prayers are being heard by their god. My heart breaks for the millions in this nation who do not know WHO to pray to because they don't know Jesus, the One who has taught us how to pray. My heart breaks for the billions in the world who are still walking in spiritual darkness & death because they have not said YES to Jesus.

So...Church...let us pray!!!

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

The S.P.A.C.E. Principle

2009-09-18T16:54:00.003-05:00

When studying a verse or passage of Scripture, use the "S.P.A.C.E." Principle. Ask yourself these questions:

- Is there a Sin for me to confess?
- Is there a Promise for me to claim?
- Is there an Attitude for me to change?
- Is there a Command for me to obey?
- Is there an Example for me to follow?

Let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart as you study the Word of God!

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor

"THE WARRIOR'S ARMOR"

2009-08-18T09:01:00.002-05:00

“THE WARRIOR’S ARMOR” Eph. 6:10-18

INTRO – By now, I hope you realize that we are in a war. The battle rages all around us, & there’s no neutral ground. This is serious business, & we all need to be prepared.

“…the war has been declared. The enemy has already made a preemptive strike; sinful desires already ‘war against your soul’ (1 Pet. 2:11). We simply need to be awakened by faith to engage in a counterattack.
- Be careful then how you live. (Eph. 5:15)
- Put on the full armor of God. (Eph. 6:11)
- Prepare your minds for action. (1 Pet. 1:13)
- Make every effort. (2 Pet. 1:5)
- Be self-controlled & alert. (1 Pet. 5:8)
These are battle cries, & Scripture is full of them. But unlike our old conception of warfare, where battle lines are clear & times of battle can almost be predicted, this is modern warfare in which you are not always sure where the enemy lurks. It is guerrilla warfare. There are strategically placed snipers. You let down your guard for a moment & the village you though was safe suddenly opens fire on you.” (Edward Welch, Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, p. 226)

Our enemy is not playing around, & you & I must be playing around either. One of the reasons why so many Christians are being taken down by the enemy is b/c we are not taking him seriously, we’re not taking our Savior seriously, & we’re not taking our commitment to Jesus seriously. Our daily quiet times are hit & miss w/ more miss than hit. Our commitment to the church is based on whether or not we can fit it into our schedule, or is determined by what sport season it is. Our depth of understanding of Scripture is shallow & sickly. Our passion for worship of God & service to God is missing in action. Instead of understanding that we are in a war, we think & live like we are on a vacation.

“There is something about war that sharpens the senses, especially when the enemy constantly hides. Issues of life & death will do that. You hear a twig snap or the rustling of leaves & you are in attack mode. Someone coughs & you are ready to pull the trigger. Even after days of little or no sleep, war keeps us vigilant.

The problem is that as Christians, we often forget we are in a war. Or worse, we don’t even know there is a war. Unlike most warfare, where at least we know that there is an enemy somewhere, spiritual warfare tends to be especially covert. No one is getting shot & many people…seem to be managing their lives fairly well. It all looks like business as usual. Add to this the fact that we actually LIKE the enemy, & it is easy to understand why many of act as though we are on a vacation.” (Welch, p. 226-227)

Hopefully, on this Sunday when most of the summer vacations are over, we can also come to a powerful understanding that our spiritual vacations are over, too. I’m not saying that there isn’t joy in the Christian life, or that we can’t or shouldn’t have any fun. But what I am saying is that if & when we determine that we are going to take a break from our relationship w/ Christ for a period of time – even if that period of time is only a moment – we immediately expose ourselves to enemy fire.
- That one moment when we decide to flirt just a little bit.
- That one moment when we decide to click on that website.
- That one moment when we decide to engage in just a little gossip.
- That one moment when we decide to let our temper go out of control.
- That one moment when we decide to say NO to an opportunity to serve the Lord when we know He is saying YES.
- That one moment when we decide to spend more $ when we know we are already not tithing as we should.

That one moment, that one compromise, that one indulgence can open the door for the enemy to come flooding into your life, into your family’s life, into your church’s life w/ consequences that will sometimes last a lifetime. We have to understand who our enemy is & how dreadfully dangerous it is to give in to him in any way and @ any time.
- The god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4); ruler of the k’dom of the air (Ep. 2:2); roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8); the thief who steals, kills, & destroys (John 10:10)
- Identified as the great dragon, the vile one, the tempter, the accuser, the spirit working in the son of disobedience, murderer, liar, father of lies
- 52X called Satan – the adversary who attacks, accuses, resists
- 35X called the devil – the accuser, slanderer

Let’s declare today that OUR VACATIONS ARE OVER! We are going to “stand strong in the Lord & in His mighty power.” We are going to “put on the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes.” This is the ONLY way we can stand up against the enemy & his attacks & temptations. And God in His infinite wisdom & in His amazing love & grace has provided us w/ everything we need to stand strong in Him.

HE’S GIVEN US THE BELT OF TRUTH – Satan is a liar, which means that we must stand in truth against him. A Roman soldier wore 1 of 3 belts: a wide apron-type belt that protected his lower abdomen; a colored sash that indicated his rank; or a sword belt that was buckled on in preparation for battle. If a Roman soldier was walking down street, you could tell by his belt whether or not he was on duty. Tight belt – on duty. Loose belt – off duty. How many of us have loose belts today?

The belt held everything together. Pull up tunic & tuck in belt when fighting so he wouldn’t trip & fall. Knowing the truth & living by the truth are absolutely essential in winning our spiritual battles. Living a life of integrity & truthfulness is absolutely important. How many lives have been destroyed b/c of lies & dishonesty? Think about David & Bathsheba. Buckle the belt of truth on tightly.

HE’S GIVEN US THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – Made of metal plates, or chains. Covered body from neck to the waist, both front & back. Symbolizes our righteousness in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:21 – “G made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is our positional righteousness.

Also refers to our practical righteousness, daily living out the Christian life. Eph. 5:1-2. The breastplate protected all of the vital organs. Our righteousness in Christ and the righteous lives we live b/c of who we are in Christ protect us from Satan’s attacks on our heart. Prov. 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

One of Satan’s tactics that he uses against us is to remind of us our past sins, even though we’ve been forgiven of them. Keep your breastplate of righteousness in place & remind Satan of the truth that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1) b/c we’ve been made right w/ God through His death, burial, & resurrection.

And we’ve got to keep living it out, walking in righteousness & holiness & purity. Look @ Eph 4:17-24. Then look @ 4:26-27 & see how sin in the life of a believer gives Satan a place of occupation, an opportunity, a foothold. When we move the breastplate of righteousness aside by giving in to temptation, we give Satan a base of operation in our lives. Dangerous!!! Keep the breastplate in place!!! You ARE righteous, so LIVE a righteous life!!!

HE’S GIVEN US THE SHOES OF THE GOSPEL – Soldiers sandals had hobnails in them to keep him from losing his footing. Can’t fight very well when you’re lying on your back. Very vulnerable position!

Couple of different thoughts on these shoes. One is that as Rom. 10:15 says, “How can they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” We need to be working hard to share the Gospel w/ a lost & dying world (FAITH!!!). Wiersbe: “The most victorious Christian is a witnessing Christian.”

Another way of considering these shoes has to do w/ the need for us to be at peace w/ God. The word for “readiness” reminds us that we must be prepared for battle by standing on a firm foundation. You & I will be ready for battle when we are at peace w/ God, and, as much as is possible, at peace w/ others. When I’m at peace, I’m ready to stand against the enemy’s accusations.

I don’t think it’s either/or. It’s both/and! Be at peace w/ God & w/ others, AND share the Gospel!!!

HE’S GIVEN US THE SHIELD OF FAITH – Roman soldiers carried a wooden shield that was about 4 ft X 2 ft. Covered w/ tough leather. Could be interlocked w/ other soldiers’ shields & form a solid wall as they marched together into battle.

Satan will constantly shoot his flaming arrows at us – his lies, blasphemous thoughts, hateful thoughts, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealous thoughts, insecurity, lustful thoughts, prideful, arrogant thoughts, wrong agendas, etc. By living out a life of FAITH – Forsaking All I Trust Him – we will extinguish these arrows. We’ll destroy these thoughts. If we don’t extinguish them, they will set us ablaze & may burn others in the process. 2 Cor. 10:5 – “We demolish arguments & every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, & we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

HE’S GIVEN US THE HELMET OF SALVATION – Satan’s main battlefield is our mind. He defeated Eve by planting thoughts of doubt & uncertainty about God. He defeated David by planting thoughts of lust & deceit. He defeated Samson by planting thoughts of immorality & pride. He defeated Peter by planting thoughts of denial & fear. And he will defeat you & me w/ all of these same thoughts & more.

That’s why we must put on the helmet of salvation & protect our mind w/ the assurance of our salvation & the confidence that our salvation brings. To put on this helmet is to know w/ absolute certainty that you belong to Christ & are a member of His family forever. It is to know & embrace your position in Christ. Even when the enemy seems to have the upper hand, remember that Jesus will always lead in you in ultimate triumph & that nothing will ever separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus!

Not enough just to “get saved.” Must grow in your salvation. Heb. 6:1 tells us to “go on to maturity.” Protect your mind by filling it w/ the Word of God, & the things of God. Col. 3:2 – “Set your mind on things above not on earthly things.” Rom. 12:2 – “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Hear it – Read it – Study it – Memorize it – Meditate on it – Apply it! Which leads to the last part of the armor…

HE’S GIVEN US THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT – The Word of God – Short sword used in close hand-to-hand combat. Like a dagger. Word here is “rhema” – the spoken word of God. Tells us that we must be diligent students of the written Word of God so that when the battle rages the fiercest, the Holy Spirit will speak a word to us reminding us of the truths that will help us to stand strong.

"BE CAREFUL!"

2009-08-11T10:25:00.001-05:00

“BE CAREFUL!” Eph. 5:15-17

INTRO – Today, we continue w/ our series on “This Means War!” Let me remind you of some of the truths we’ve looked at over the course of our study: 1) WE WIN! 2) Fathers – Be a follower; faithful; fierce; filled. 3) The Warrior’s Worship. 4) Freedom – The Warrior’s Goal. 5) God’s Got a Plan!

Remember the TV show “Hill Street Blues” that aired in the mid-80’s? Each episode started w/ a roll call of police officers in a room at the Hill Street Precinct. At the end of the roll call & whatever announcements that Sgt. Phil Esterhaus needed to make, he would always say, “Let’s be careful out there” as he dismissed the police officers.

The sgt.’s concern for his officers was b/c he knew that they were going into harm’s way. He knew that they would face some dangerous situations that would require them to be able to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. He knew that their skills as police officers would be put to the test b/c they were going to have to face the enemy forces, criminals who were breaking laws, bringing pain, heartache, difficulty, & destruction on others. He knew these things b/c he had been there, facing his own share of criminals. He knew this b/c of the knowledge he had from his training & his own personal experiences.

About 1900 yrs before the 1st episode of Hill St. Blues ever aired, Paul had some similar concerns for the believers in Ephesus. Paul knew that the Eph Christians were going to have to face some dangerous situations & a dangerous enemy who would do anything to defeat them, to destroy them, & to damage their testimony & witness. He knew that they would be put to the test daily & would need the constant supply of the wisdom & power of God to be able to stand against this enemy who was more wicked than any criminal on any street or in any back alley. He knew that this enemy’s criminal plan is to “steal, kill, & destroy” the Church in any way that he possibly could. P knew that this enemy is a liar & the father of lies, that he is a murderer, a thief, a deceiver, & can masquerade in many different disguises, even as an angel of light. P knew that this enemy was a master at intimidation, challenging weak Christians in their faith, lying to them about who they were in Christ, striving to convince them they had no hope, no strength, no ability against him & all his criminal forces. He knew that this enemy has a whole mafia of demons who work at his command, carrying out his attacks & assaults w/ lightning fast accuracy on any Christian who lets down his guard even for a moment. He knew that this enemy knew how to destroy individual Christians, male & female, young & old; how to destroy marriages & families; how to destroy churches; & how to destroy entire nations. He knew that this enemy meant business, & would not relent, back down, or stop his terrible onslaught against these Christ-followers until Jesus returned & put an end to him once & for all. P knew this from his own personal experience, & from the training & spiritual insight that the Holy Spirit had given to him. And for all of these reasons, he said to these believers, “BE CAREFUL HOW YOU LIVE!”

What did P mean when he said, “Be very careful how you live”? NKJV – “See then that you walk circumspectly…” What does this mean? Word means “diligently, accurately, exactly.” It means “looking around.”
- NAS – “Be careful how you walk…”
- MSG – “So watch you step. Use your head.”
- AMP – “Look carefully then how you walk…”
- HCSB – “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk…”

When you back up & look at v. 14, you can see that P seems to be saying, “Don’t walk in your sleep! Get your eyes open! Wake up!” Way too many of us are spiritual sleepwalkers! Warren Wiersbe – “It is sad to see many professed Christians ‘drift’ through life like sleepwalkers, who never really make the most of opportunities to live for Christ & serve Him.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 47)

If anybody needs be careful how he/she is walking, it’s a soldier. If there is anyone who needs to make sure that they are walking diligently, accurately, & exactly while they are looking around, it’s a soldier. He has to be constantly on the alert, always vigilant, always on the lookout for any sign of the enemy, any movement that would give away the enemy’s position, any warning of an impending attack, so he can be ready to defend himself & his fellow soldiers when the attack comes.

Sometimes the enemy’s attack is a direct frontal assault, when he tries to take down as many people as he can. These attacks seem to come out of nowhere, when we least expect them to come, & are intense times of struggle & combat. Sometimes feels like he’s hitting us w/ atomic bombs! Families experience this type of attack. Churches experience this type of attack. May come after revival services! It is all-out war, w/ Satan using as many different weapons as he can against us, firing away relentlessly, lobbing round after round, bomb after bomb. It is during these kinds of attacks that we must fall to our knees in prayer, running to the One who is our Defender, our Fortress, our Stronghold. Ps. 24:8 – “Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong & mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!” 2 Chron. 32:7-8 - "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles."

We need to be careful how we are walking & living so that we can be ready when these intense times of direct spiritual warfare come. Need to be walking w/ Christ daily – QT, Bible study, prayer, Scripture memory & meditation – all necessary ADVANCE preparations for the impending attack. The attack WILL come! Not a matter of IF, but WHEN. Like Sammy talked about throughout the revival, constantly keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus as we run the race is so important so we will be ready when the attacks come. That’s living wisely, not foolishly. To live “as unwise” & “foolish” is to take our eyes off Jesus, to get off the path He wants us to be on, & to make choices that are just plain stupid! MacArthur – “Biblically, a fool is not so named b/c of intellectual limits, but b/c of unbelief and the consequent abominable deeds. He lives apart from G and against G’s law, and can’t comprehend the truth or his true condition. Certainly believers are to avoid behaving like fools.” (The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1812)

There is another reason that soldiers must be careful how they walk – LANDMINES! You & I have come to learn about these terrible devices over the last few years as our soldiers have fought in Iraq & Afghanistan. IED’s – Improvised Explosive Devices. These weapons have killed more of our soldiers than direct attacks from enemy forces. Grandson of member of MBC killed when his Humvee ran over landmine early on in Iraq War. These explosive devices are buried in the ground & are detonated either when someone steps on them or a vehicle drives over them, or by some sort of remote control mechanism. When they go off, they have catastrophic consequences, doing terrible damage & inflicting terrible injury & death to those who are hit.

Charles Stanley – Landmines in the Path of the Believer – Identifies several hidden landmines that the enemy uses to inflict great harm to Christians & to the Body of Christ.

“Many people mistakenly think that Satan uses obvious means to draw us off course. However, his most devastating weapons of warfare are barely visible. They lay hidden below the surface of our spiritual landscape. Yet when we move in their direction, they explode beneath us, inflicting deep heartache, sorrow, and brokenness. Sometimes the injury seems beyond repair, but it never is when God is involved.

Over the past few years, we have learned about the powerful brute force of one of the most devastating weapons of warfare--a landmine. A short time ago, many of us never would have thought to list this device as one of the most destructive on a battlefield, but it is. When a veteran speaks of going to war, our minds immediately fill with images of agile aircraft flying at top speed, combat troops outfitted with the latest technology for battle, and tanks--not the kind that once rolled noisily over the landscape of foreign countries, but fastmoving fortresses built to penetrate enemy lines and conquer advancing adversaries.

It is hard to imagine a single piece of metal, which may be no larger than two feet by two feet, having the ability to destroy such military might, but this is exactly what a landmine does. It annihilates whatever is nearby, and the slightest pressure can detonate it.

By the time a landmine is uncovered, it is usually too late to get out of the way.When I think about this, I am reminded why this weapon of warfare is so effective. Its stealthy appearance is sinister and deadly. Just as there are physical landmines placed along pathways and roadsides and out in open fields, Satan strategically places landmines in the path of every believer. There is no such thing as a clear, straight path without landmines. Each day, we face the threat of stepping on a spiritual landmine and suffering the sorrow and devastation this brings.

When we step on one of the enemy's landmines, the explosion that follows usually has an adverse effect on our relationships with God and with others, as well as our personal testimony. It also alters the way we operate in life.We miss out on the joy of experiencing God's richest blessings. We need to make a clear distinction between the landmines on a real battlefield and the ones that Satan plants along our way. They explode beneath us as a result of our fallen world. Others are landmines that the enemy strategically places with an express desire to inflict deep harm on us as believers. If we are not sensitive to the Lord's warning, we can get off course and confront destruction.” (Introduction, Landmines in the Path of the Believer)

- Pride
- Jealousy & Envy
- Insecurity
- Compromise
- Unforgiveness
- Sexual Sin
- Laziness
- Disappointment
- Fear

CONCLUSION - You & I have such awesome opportunities to serve Christ presented to us every day. We constantly come in contact w/ hurting people who need a touch from us. We encounter needy people who need for us to reach out to them w/ compassion & kindness. We know people who need for us to share Christ w/ them before it’s too late. We find people who are discouraged & beaten down & need for us to come alongside them & hold them up in their hour of need. We know people who need for us to pray for them, interceding before the Father, standing in their shoes before Him pleading w/ Him to move in their lives. Everywhere we go, everywhere we look, even here today, there are people who need for you & me to be Jesus to them.

But if we are walking through life w/ our spiritual eyes closed, we will miss these people, & we’ll miss the opportunity to be used by Jesus in their lives. It’s time for many of us to wake up & get busy serving Jesus!

"God's Battle Plan"

2009-07-27T11:25:00.003-05:00

“GOD’S BATTLE PLAN” Eph. 1:3-14

INTRO – “Didn’t you preach on this passage last week?” That’s one of the amazing things about the W of G! It is so rich w/ such amazing, life-changing truths, that we can study the same passage 2 weeks in a row & find more truth that we didn’t find last week. Like panning for gold in a river. Reach down into the river, scoop up some of the sand & water, swirl it around until all that’s left are the bits of gold in the pan. Then you reach back down into the same river, gather some more of the sand, & repeat the process to find more gold.

Part of what we do each week as we gather here is the mine the depths of the treasure of God’s Word & find the gold that is there on every page. Ps. 119:14-16 – “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts & consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” We can come back to the same place in the river, reach down into the same spot in the river, & mine more gold out as His Spirit leads us & teaches us. How awesome & wonderful & amazing is His Word!

So we continue today with “This Means War” with this one point today: God has a plan. Always has had a plan. He only has 1 plan. No plan B. Only Plan A. He has never changed His plan. Never had another plan. Never changed His plan. It’s an eternal plan; a perfect plan; a personal plan; a battle plan!

One of my seminary professors wrote a book entitled, Thinking About God. Let’s do that for a minute. “Theology is thinking about God, not just learning about God. Learning is merely taking in information about a subject; thinking includes an appreciation of the importance of the subject. Learning is assimilation; thinking is reflection.” (Fisher Humphries, p. 13) So let’s think about Him, meditating on Him, pondering on Him, even though He is incomprehensible. There’s no way that we can grasp the knowledge of Him. But on the other hand, He is knowable. He reveals Himself to us through His Word, through His Son, through His Spirit, & through His creation, so that we can know Him. There’s no way that we can know EVERTHING about Him, but we can know Him. Deut. 29:29: “The secret things belong to the Lord, but the things revealed belong to us & to our children forever, that we may follow all the ways of this law.”

Think about Him: He is completely God. He has never been surprised @ something that has happened in our lives or in history. He has never been caught off guard. He has never tried to sneak something in or pull a fast one on us in any way. He is Sovereign over all creation & over all our lives – completely in control, completely able, completely faithful, completely trustworthy – He is completely God. He is totally complete in Himself. He needs nothing. He is completely God. He is complete in all knowledge. He is complete in all grace, all mercy, all justice, all wisdom, all power. He is completely good, completely holy, completely consistent, completely compassionate. He is completely unchanging, completely patient, completely righteous, completely truthful. He is completely God.

He is completely majestic, totally & completely worthy of all praise & adoration of every creature that has ever been created or will be created. He is completely God, King of kings & Lord of lords. As the pastor at Michael Jackson concluded in his prayer: “Now the king of pop must bow a knee to the King of kings.” One pastor put it this way: “MJ may have been bigger than life, but he was not bigger than his Creator. He may have been adored by millions, but the Lord of lords is adored by countless more. He may have created the moonwalk, but God created the moon. This is no offense to Michael; it’s simply true of every human being. No one compares to the majesty of our God & one day all of us, from the least to the greatest, will bow a knee to the One to whom eternal praise is due.” (Todd Catteau, Park Ave. Church of Christ, Denison, TX)

As Rich Mullins wrote, “Our God is an awesome God!” He is completely God. And this wonderful, awesome, complete God has a plan, a battle plan for us to follow. I'm absolutely sure that the greatest warriors of all time were successful & victorious b/c they had a battle plan that had been thoroughly thought out & accurately carried out. From George Washington to Robert E. Lee to Dwight D. Eisenhower to Norman Schwartzkopf, warriors know the importance of a battle plan.

B/c our God is infinitely wise, He, too, knows the importance of the battle plan, HIS battle plan. And He gives us His battle plan in our passage in Ephesians 1:3-14.

As you look at these verses, there are several words that have very similar meanings & are repeated. Whenever you see an idea or a word repeated in Scripture, usually good to pay attention. Means that God wants us to get it!
- Book of 1 John – “love.” Also – “that you may know” – assurance of salvation
- 1 Cor. 13 – “love”
- Psalms – “praise”
- Psalm 119 – the statutes, precepts, Word of God
- Proverbs – wisdom
- In Gospels – Jesus mentioned K of G, hell, & $ more than anything else.

Here in Eph. 1, we see these words: 1) “predestined” – 2) “pleasure/purpose” – 3) “will.” Verses 5, 9, 11. What do these words mean? They tell us that God has a plan, a plan that has been in place “before the creation of the world” (v. 4). It’s not a haphazard plan, but a plan that is rooted & established in His infinite wisdom & unconditional love. It is not an arbitrary plan, but a clear, concise, loving, just plan. Sometimes, these words scare us, confuse us, even anger us, even when we know & understand that they are clearly found in the W of G. The problem is that we haven’t taken the time to try to understand them. So let’s try to do that now.

“predestined” (v. 5, 11) – We hear this word & immediately our defenses go up. We think Calvinism. For some of us, that means we strap on our Biblical bazooka & get ready to fight. This is for Calvinists & those who are not Calvinists. It’s time to fight! Most of the time, the reason we want to fight is b/c we really don’t know what the word means. It’s a lightning rod.
- Some people have the idea that this means that if there is someone here who truly wants to be saved, they cannot do so. Wrong!
- Others have the idea that is means that since people are predestined, then we don’t need to witness or send missionaries out. Wrong!

It seems to me that there are a lot of people today, even w/in our SBC, who are more concerned about winning the theological argument than they are about winning people to Christ. They are more concerned about their intellectual & theological prowess than they are about their lost neighbor or co-worker. They spend large amounts of time blogging against those who don’t see things just the way they do, time that could be spent in obedience to the Great Commission. It’s not about being a Calvinist, an Armenian, a pre-millennial dispensationalist, or any other title you might want to assume. It is about being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ who diligently studies the Word & passionately strives to apply it to our lives.

The word “predestined” means to have a pre-determined plan, or to decide beforehand. When we teach fire prevention to grade-school kids, we tell them that they need to have a plan in place to get out of the house if it’s on fire. It’s a pre-determined plan that is laid out before the fire happens. God has had a pre-determined plan for our salvation in place before the foundation of the world. Adam & Eve’s sin didn’t catch Him by surprise – “Oh no, look @ what they did. What are we doing to do now?” No, God’s pre-determined plan has always been that He would choose us to be in an eternal relationship w/ Him. He has decreed from all eternity that He would adopt – another word that refers to HIS choosing us – us into His eternal family. A few weeks ago when I began this series, I repeatedly & emphatically stated, “WE WIN!” If God chooses you to be on His team, don’t you think that’s the winning team??? What a great plan!

“pleasure” (NIV & KJV)/ “purpose” (ESV) (v. 5, 9, 11) – This word refers to God’s choice, His “kind intention” (NASB), His desire for us. God, the huge, amazing God that we thought about as we began this message DESIRES to be in relationship with you! It brings Him great “pleasure” to choose you. It is His “purpose” to choose you. His heart burns for you, longing to have a relationship w/ you so that you might know Him & so that you will serve Him. He loves His children, wants to give to His children, & wants to be glorified through His children. Listen to this verse from Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good PLEASURE to give you the kingdom.” Is there anything that could give Him more pleasure than for Him to choose to freely give us the gift of eternal life? Is there any greater reason to glorify Him than to know that He has chosen to adopt you, not b/c of anything you have done to merit it, or anything that you have given to earn it – it is simply & completely & totally by His grace & for His glory! What a glorious plan!

“will” (v. 5, 9, 11) – Let’s put one more layer on top of God’s plan for us. His will is His plan, & His plan is His will. His will is what He has decided or determined will be done. It is what HE chooses to do, what HE is inclined to do, what HE is pleased to do, what HE desires to do. His will is for you to be in a relationship w/ Him. B/c of that, He calls to you, inviting you, drawing you, urging you to trust Christ alone for your salvation. 2 Pet. 2:9: “The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.” (AMP) It certainly doesn’t give Him pleasure to know that there will be those who will not repent & turn to Him b/c it is His desire for us to be saved, to accept His choosing of us, to respond to His love & His offer of grace. His will is always best, always for our good, & always for His glory! What a grand plan!

CONCLUSION – D-Day, June 6, 1944 – massive Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe – They had the plan. Knew what to do. Had spent months planning & building up the forces. There would be massive naval & aerial bombardment, thousands of paratroopers, & a huge landing force on the beaches of Normandy. But when to implement the plan? Weather had been great in month of May, but June turned sour. Attack was planned for June 5, but terrible weather. Gen. Eisenhower’s weather expert predicted a slight break in the weather. Decision was made to go for it. THAT was the time to implement the plan. If they had not implemented the plan at that time, good chance that the direction & outcome of that battle, & possibly the entire war would have gone in another direction – in the WRONG direction w/ disastrous results. We could have lost everything. May not be living in our freedom today. Life in our world could be totally different.

This could be your D-Day. My D-Day was March 18, 1973. Discovered that this week as I searched the Internet for Bill Glass. As of today, I’ve been a Christ-follower for 13,265 days. The plan for my salvation, my adoption into the family of God had been in place since before the beginning of time. And on March 18, 1973, as God’s Spirit tugged on my heart, I got with the plan!

- Jon Daniels, Senior Pastor