Created to live in Community August 9, 2020 The story is told of a social scientist who lived in a remote African village for a while, studying the habits and culture of the people of the tribe. The time came for him to leave. The day before he was to return home, he put together a gift basket filled with delicious fruits from around the region and wrapped it in a ribbon. He placed the basket under a tree and then he gathered up the children in the village. He drew a line in the dirt, looked at the children, and said, “When I tell you to start, run to the tree and whoever gets there first will win the basket of the fruit.” When he told them to run, they all took each other’s hands and ran together to the tree. Then they sat together around the basket and enjoyed their treat as a group. The anthropologist was shocked. He asked why they would all go together when one of them could have won all the fruits for themselves? A young girl looked up at him and said, “How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?” [Pause] There’s a word for this type of thinking in Africa. It’s called “Ubuntu,” and it means, “I am because we are.” [Use hand gestures to illustrate “I” and “we”] The people of Africa understand that we were created to live in community. It’s not about us. It’s about God and others. Even children understand and live out and find their identity through this concept. It is a Biblical one. It was God’s idea first. It’s how we’re supposed to shape our lives. God never intended for any of us to live the Christian life alone. Please don’t check out right now. Hang in there if you’re online too. At the mention of the word “community,” most of you are going to smile at me, with a certain amount of tolerance, (thank you for that), and then hope I’ll change the subject. Because of our misunderstanding of the word “community,” we may even think we’ll be asked to sell everything, move to a farm, or leave our fertilized lawns of the suburbs and move into an inner city to help in soup kitchens! While none of that may actually be a bad idea, it’s not the point. Because we misunderstand the idea of community, we tend to prefer not to think of it at all. This morning I want to invite you to drop all preconceived ideas of community and consider, together, the importance of what it means for our lives right now. We’re created to live in community. “How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?” This doesn’t mean we all need to be sad, it means let’s lift each other up to be happy! Right now, more than ever, we must engage in spiritual warfare, and other healthy practices, to overcome the sadness which is pervasive in our country! Right now we must recognize that we are in a spiritual battle for our very lives! There is a terrible plague sweeping our country right now and it’s not just a virus. It’s fear. It’s isolationism. It’s fierce independence to the point of causing personal harm. It’s rebellion. It’s discouragement. It’s hopelessness. It’s confusion. Do you recognize that these are not qualities of the Kingdom of God?! Do you recognize that we are in a battle against spiritual forces of evil? Hear the battle cry! Don’t retreat! Join hands with the other soldiers in God’s army and stand firm! Ephesians 6:10-13 addresses this very issue. Let’s read those words together now. [Read Ephesians 6:10-13] “Be strong in the Lord.” Fight off that lie from the enemy about fear. “For we are NOT given a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind!” (2 Tim 1:7) Stomp on that fear! Say… no more! I’m going out! I’m wearing a mask. I’m using hand sanitizer. I’m socially distancing. I will no longer live in fear. I am needed in the battle! Paul reminds us in Ephesians to “be strong in the Lord” AND in “His mighty power.” (6:10) There’s nothing He can’t handle. Whatever it is you’re worried about, give it to Him! [Throne room scene with Jesus… leaning against Him… literally handing Him the things or people you’re concerned about…] Paul says “get dressed” for battle. Put on the armor of God.(vs 14-17) GO THRU THE PIECES: breastplate - right relationship: get close/stay close; belt - TRUTH - throw out the lies!; Feet/peace - peace,America or dissension stirrer?! SHIELDS OF FAITH! Grow your faith and trust in God! Helmet - saved? Lifestyle show it?, Sword. Be in the Word daily. He says put on the full armor, not just some of it, SO THAT you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes! They’re happening whether we like it or not. So let’s do something about it! Paul says “take your stand!” What’s the opposite of that? NOT taking your stand. We will get through this. And we will be stronger. Together. Ephraim Tumusiime, from DOVE Uganda, emailed Larry & LaVerne Kreider with these words: “Our eyes are fixed on Him, the author and finisher of our faith. We believe something good is going to happen for His glory out of all the confusion on the earth.” We agree. Do you agree? In spite of all the confusion, and everything else, swirling around us right now, don’t you believe God can cause something marvelous to happen for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His Kingdom?! And, oh yes, we also looked at this Hebrews verse recently! (“Hear what the Spirit is saying across the earth!”) In fact, let’s refresh our souls with Hebrews 12:1-3 this morning: [Have Troy of someone on the Praise Team read it…] [*SoP Bulletin for today!] Remember Genesis, and Joseph? The younger brother who was sold into slavery, only to emerge 13 years later as second in command in Egypt?! When finally reunited with those same brothers, he could have been vindictive and revengeful and a lot of other things. Instead, he wept. He forgave. And he told them, “Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” (45:5) Throughout the Bible we read of how God works to turn people and situations totally around. Do not despair with what is going on around us! God is in charge and His people need to prevail! Live for Him! And others! We are created to live in community. And not in fear! Many of you are familiar with the story of Elijah in I Kings 18 when he stood up to the prophets of Baal, on Mt. Carmel. He thought he was the only one of the Lord’s prophets left. And there were 450 of them. And another 400 prophets of another false god, Asherah. They were all a part of the evil queen, Jezebel’s, entourage. Fast forward. Elijah calls down fire from heaven and shows the people gathered there how our God is real and alive and powerful and theirs’ were not. Then the false prophets were killed. After that, with “the power of the Lord,” Elijah ran the six miles back to the town of Jezreel in northern Israel. He wanted to give King Ahab one last chance to turn from his sin before joining Jezebel in Jezreel. He also prayed in rain after earlier praying in drought. He was an empowered man of God, no doubt. But something astounding happens in this story which is always a surprise. This mighty man of God becomes depressed! And scared! And even suicidal! Jezebel, the very definition of arrogance and evil and rebellion, she becomes enraged about the death of her prophets. They were there to help perpetuate her kingdom. Her supporters were now eliminated. Her pride and authority destroyed. And the money she had invested in them now lost. So she sends a death threat to Elijah that this time tomorrow he’ll be dead too! And then we read, “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.” (I Kings 19:3) Next, it says, “He came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. “I’ve had enough, Lord,” he said “Take my life…” Suicide. CUTTING Wow. What a shocker. This fearless, faith filled, empowered mover and shaker for God is afraid and wants to die. “But God…” doesn’t leave him there like that. An angel comes and ministers to him. A couple of times. then Elijah goes forty days and forty nights onward to Mt. Horeb. (over 200 miles) You may remember that’s where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. And God says to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (Notice he calls him by name. He will us, too, if you’ll make the time to just sit in His Presence and listen. He’ll call you nicknames too.) I Kings 19:9 Isaiah replies that he’s tried his best, but the people have rejected God, and rebelled, and he’s the only one left and he’s on the wanted list too. Then God speaks to Elijah in a gentle whisper. When we stop being so “busy,” and we step back from the noise and activity of our busy lives, and listen quietly, and humbly, (the opposite of the strident and loud and pushy and rebellious attitude of Jezebel, I might add… and that spirit can be in a woman or a man…) God gave him further guidance. He also told him he wasn’t alone. And, in fact, there were another “seven thousand in Israel” who were still loyal to Him. (:18) Right now there is a spirit of Jezebel over our country. There are also spirits of fear, depression, chaos and confusion which are not of the Lord! We need everyone in the church, and all the churches together throughout our land, and throughout the world, to be fighting this spiritual battle! We’ve been given the tools. And we are stronger, together! Pray, people, pray! Make a regular time to engage in the battle! Raise a Hallelujah! Put on your armor daily! And get in the Word! Draw close and stay close to Christ! Keep,redirecting your eyes to Him! And draw closer to others who love Him too! We are created to live in community. We are a body of Christ, together. Romans 12:5 says “so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Do you think of yourself as belonging to the rest of us? Do we think of me, and the others, as belonging to you? If not, let’s begin to do so. The Bible is filled with “each other” language. God wants us to live this faith life with each other. Not alone. Not in isolation. Not in stubborn independence but in loving interdependence. Like the children running for the basket of fruit, hand-in-hand. Together, they retrieve and share the fruit. Together, we are the army of God, in full armor, ready to fight. Standing firm! (And living for our “commanding officer,” that’s Jesus, more than anyone else!) With “one another.” Here’s just a few of the “one another” verses. Won’t you work on memorizing just one this coming week? “Love one another…” (John 13:34) “Be devoted to one another in brotherly (and sisterly) love…” (Romans 12:10) “Honor one another about yourselves.” (Also Romans 12:10) “Instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14) “Be kind and compassionate to one another.” (Ephesians 4:32) And “Forgive one another…” (Ephesians 4:32) To avoid thinking about community simply because we misunderstand it will deprive us of one of God’s greatest gifts. Community is the world as God wants it to be. It is the gift of a rich and challenging life together, one that we need and can receive with joy. Christian community is simply sharing a common life in Christ. It moves us beyond the self-interested isolation of private lives. The biblical ideal of community challenges us to commit ourselves to life together as the people of God. The Bible has a rich history of showing us what this looks like. In the Old Testament, God carved out for Himself a people who would be His covenant people. He would be their God. They would be His people. When they were lined up with Him, things were good. When they were not, things were bad. In the New testament, we see a model of Christian community with the church at Jerusalem. They weren’t perfect, but they were sharing the faith life together. Acts 2:42 says “They devoted, (or, Greek, “steadfastly continued,”) themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Bible study), and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” They knew they were created to live in community. They studied the Bible together. They shared meals together. They shared in the Lord’s Supper together. And they prayed together. Finally, there was the New Testament church. Again, they did not always have it all together. But they shared life together. And they had the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Jesus told us in Matthew 18: 20 “For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.” Community is life-giving and essential to following Christ. We spoke about how the definition of holiness can be simply looked at as “more of God.” Holiness is essential to being in relationship with God, just as being in community is essential to successfully living as a follower of Christ. We need each other. We need each other to encourage us. To instruct us. To hold us accountable. To share Godly wisdom. To support us. To calm us down. To rev us up. To celebrate with. To mourn and grieve, at times. To play with. To pray with. To impart peace to us. To help us relax and be patient. To help us choose good over bad. To be gentle with us. To build and grow our faith. To humble us. And to help us with God’s self-control. Most of all, however, we get to enjoy true, deep love. We can trust one another. We can count on one another. We are truly loved. Community is life-giving and essential to following Christ. Right now, we need it more than ever! Right now, our country needs it more than ever! Together, we can fight this spiritual battle and win! Together, we can overcome all the chaos and confusion and move steadily forward in the power and the strength of the Lord, with the full armor of God, and stand firm! {Wizard of Oz analogy… and the final victory of the wicked witch… together!} Prayer In other words, what satan meant for evil, God made for good. Keep that in mind. God is at work even when it doesn’t look like it! We must trust. We must not give up or give in. We must fight. And we must fight together! The whole body of Christ needs to be armed!
After three months of self-isolating and live-streaming from home, my husband and I were among many of the people of our church who were delighted to receive the call from the school that we could begin meeting in person as a church once more! That was the beginning of June. That was also the beginning of a sermon series entitled “On the Other Side of the Divine Reset.” Because of the covid-19 virus, there was no doubt that life became different for all of us secondary to the pandemic. Some of us learned to slow down. Some learned to spend more time with family and friends. Some have become more creative. Some more technically skilled. Some have learned to cook. Some are spending less money. Some are exercising more and even getting to know their neighbors. Many are learning how to conquer fear, worry and anxiety. Then there was the rise in social issues and protests and unemployment and politics and more and more division throughout our country. Our messages in June included finding joy and strength through God’s Presence; Looking at life as if it was “the first day of the rest of our life,’” and knowing Christ and His Word to be essential for the peace which comes from that. We also had an important message from Mike Shannon on Father’s Day; and we looked at the importance of Spiritual Parenting. We thought things would be better by July. They were not. So we have continued to “reset.” What does life look like after the pandemic? We don’t know yet. We’re not there yet. The “new normal” is still yet to be seen. Or is it possible that we’re in it already? “The bubble burst.” And maybe that’s a good thing. We’re praying for an Awakening in our country, and throughout the world, towards God. We’re praying for Revival in our churches. So the next set of sermons was entitled “Still Resetting.” As we watched our land torn apart, we realized the healing has to come from us! We’re still resetting our hearts and our lives to adjust to what’s happening all around us. The Church, the people of God, the followers of Christ have to rise up and lead the way with hope and encouragement. “Heal our Land” was July 4th’s message with 2 Chron 7:14 as a heart’s cry to all of us “If MY people, who are called by MY name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” This theme carried over to next week’s message about our true citizenship being in Heaven. Our ultimate identity is that of citizens of the Kingdom of God. As Kingdom people, it is up to us to be helping others through this difficult time in sharing the love of Christ. “Hands” was the message addressing this topic, with a little help from the story of the Good Samaritan. Then John Smith gave us a powerful message on the importance and power of our praise! Last week we wrapped up “Good Sam Part II” and are watching ourselves closely to make sure we don’t fall into “the priest or the Levite” trap when someone around us is hurting - looking the other way instead of rolling up our sleeves and helping. I imagine many of us have had an opportunity this past week to share God’s love in some small way if we were willing to see the need and meet it. Now it’s August. Not only are we still dealing with covid-19, but we also get a visit from a little hurricane named “ee sah ee as,” “Isaias.” (This is a great opportunity to learn the Spanish/Portuguese form of the name Isaiah!) So guess what? The “Divine Reset” isn’t finished! We’re still resetting! What is it God would have us do? What is it we’re missing?! My question to you this morning, is, how are you responding to everything? Has all of this driven you closer to God? Are you more boldly declaring your belief in and love for Jesus Christ more than ever? Are you asking for more of God’s Holy Spirit? Are you walking in peace and no fear despite everything swirling around you? Or are you running the other way? In fact, have you been running the other way for a while? This morning we have a divine invitation from God to draw close to Him and stay there. This morning we have the opportunity to truly and honestly examine ourselves and leave behind whatever is keeping us from living empowered, holy lives. This morning we will share in the Lord’s supper and receive a fresh infusion of the life-giving blood of Jesus Christ. Prepare yourselves. Get rid of all distractions. Open your hearts. Open your minds. Receive a fresh infusion of the Holy Spirit today! [Pray] 2 Timothy 1:9 says “He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.” When we choose to believe in Jesus the Christ, we know our souls are saved. When we choose to be baptized to tell the world we belong to Him, we know we’re “sealed with a deposit.” When we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit we know it is Him at work within us. But none of it stops there. It’s only the starting point. Last week at an elders meeting someone said, “You can be related to God, or you can be in relationship with God.” {Repeat if led…} Are you just related to God? You believe in Him but you’re not living for Him? Just like some distant relative to whom you’re related. You may have family connection, but never see, or talk with, or do anything with that relative? Or are you in a relationship, where you talk with each other frequently, you share life together, you do things together? God invites us to be in relationship with Him through Christ. We all have a calling. We all have something God has prepared for us ahead of time to do for Him. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are called to a life of purpose, and a life of holiness. And notice this is all God’s work. We don’t have to do a thing, except line up our lives with His and let Him do it. Perhaps we can begin to prepare ourselves for Holy Communion this morning by asking the Lord to help us to fully surrender to Him. Perhaps we can ask His Holy Spirit to help us move forward in holiness. If we want to be with Him, live for Him, walk on this earth in His power, we must also live holy lives. For most believers, the thought of holiness brings up a lot of mixed emotions. Mostly, it’s a mystery. But there is no word which better captures the splendor of who God is and the destination to which He has called us, than holiness. The word itself is simple, if you think about it. The ending, “ness,” means full of. And holy equals God! So holiness is simply being full of God! Yes. He has called us to be holy. I Peter talks a lot about how we are now “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, (that’s God’s Kingdom), and “God’s special possession.” (2:9) I Peter 1:15 says, “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” God can’t be with us if we aren’t holy! The call to pursue holiness is an invitation to experience the blessings and joys of intimacy with God, to be free from the weight and the burden of sin, and to become all He created us to be. [Repeat!] Please. Seek intimacy with God. Be free from the weights and burdens and “everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1) Today is the day to break free from all of that once and for all. The opposite of sin and death is LIFE. Paul writes his last letter from a cold dungeon, in chains, to his beloved spiritual son Timothy, and to us, and says this is “in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 1:10 Paul kept that vision to the last. Despite what was going on around him HE KNEW who was the author of LIFE. He knew who was ultimately in charge. We do not have to walk in any fear or worry or anxiety at all regarding viruses or pandemics or hurricanes or anything else that threatens us because we know “the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.” In my private Bible reading, lately, I’ve been in the book of Ezekiel. Towards the end, God gives Ezekiel the vision of the temple, and the priesthood being restored. Remember, according to Peter, we’re the priests, now. Those who belong to Christ, the ultimate high priest, are His holy people now. The point of the temple was holiness. In all He does, God is holy, perfect and blameless. There is no trace of evil or sin in Him. And, yes, just as God is holy, so we are to be holy. Us. We. If we do not understand the basic concept of holiness, we will never progress very far in our Christian growth. But it’s never too late! Decide it’s what you want and He’ll show you the way. Others who love Him can help us too! And there are practical steps we can take… Here’s the goal: “People are holy when they are devoted to God and separated from sin!” Start with being devoted to God. Decide to put Him first. Talk to Him. (Prayer) Worship Him. (Z88.3 radio; Pandora Hillsong/Bethel music radio; Sirius XM The Message; Amazon music name whichever contemporary Christian artist/music you can think of; UTube; Dappy T Keys instrumental worship music…) Read His word. Take notes. Write down your thoughts. Write down what you hear about Him. Recently I was thinking about how sometimes people seem like they’re interested in God, you think they’re going to make it for the long haul, and then they fizzle out and next thing you know they’re not even around anymore. Then, there are those who come along who you never expected would be passionate about and hungry for God and they become your most committed and devoted followers of Christ! In thinking about this, I was reminded of the parable of the four soils. You remember the story. It’s found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. In Luke 8:4-15. A farmer goes out and tosses seed for planting. The first set of seeds hits hard ground. It gets trampled on. Birds eat it up. Next, seed falls on rocky ground. The plants shoot up, but they wither away because they have no moisture. The third toss falls among thorns. The plants, again, grow up, but the thorns and weeds grow up with it and choke out the life of the plants. Finally, the fourth set of seeds fall on good soil. The plants grow. They flourish. They do so well they even produce crops a hundred more than were sown. Jesus unpacked this parable for His disciples and described it this way: The seed is the Word of God. The first group hear, but the devil comes and snatches it away from their hearts. They do not believe. They are not saved. The second set, on the rocky ground, hear it and receive it with joy. But they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing, they fall away. Third set - thorns. These fine folks hear and receive but get all choked up from life’s worries, riches and pleasures. They do not mature. But then, finally, the seed on good soil stands for those with “a noble and good heart.” These followers hear the Word, retain it, and persevere. And there is much spiritual fruit in their lives. Which one are you? If one of the first three, it’s never to late to turn it around! You can become the good soil. It occurs to me that walking in holiness is a solution to all three! If you’re on the hard path and you decide to believe and walk in holiness, the devil can have nothing to do with you because he can have nothing to do with holiness! If you’ve been without roots, again, holiness will give you the roots and the security and the assurance that you belong to Christ and no one can take that away from you! (Romans 8:31-38) As you face testing, you won’t fall away now because you know “in whom you have believed!” In fact, 2 Timothy 2:19 tells us “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm.” No matter what is going on around us right now, God is a solid foundation which will stand firm no matter what! “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isiah 54:10 2 Tim 2:19 also tells us, “The Lord knows those who are His.” Are you His? If so, let’s live like it?! If not, let this be the day this changes! Won’t you please “fan into flame the gift of God which is within you?” (2 Tim 1:7) 2 Tim 2:19 also ends with “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” That would mean turning towards holiness. Today let’s get to work on doing just this. Today let’s get some blood. Most people are, frankly, grossed out by real blood. When you work in the medical field you get used to it. And, most of us understand that, without blood, there is no life. We need blood to live. There is no greater symbol of life than blood; blood keeps us alive. This is why it’s so important to understand that we are cleansed and made holy, and made truly alive by the blood of Jesus Christ! Let’s look closely at Hebrews 9:11-14 to get a better understand of this. [Read Hebrews 9:11-14] Though you know Christ, you may believe that you have to work hard to make yourself good enough for God. But rules and rituals have never cleaned people’s hearts. By Jesus’ blood alone, we: 1) have our consciences cleaned; 2) we are freed from death’s sting and can live to serve God; and 3) we are freed from sin’s power. If we’re carrying a load of guild because we are finding we can’t be good enough for God, (and we can’t!); take another look at Jesus’ death and what it means for you! Choose to believe. Choose to receive. It’s not about what we do, it’s about what He’s already done! Christ can heal your conscience and deliver you from the frustration of trying to earn God’s favor. Bring your guilt-ridden life to Christ, confess your inability to clean up your own conscience, ask Him to forgive you. So here’s what we’re going to do. Before you ever receive the elements here, or at home, this morning, take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin within your life. Then confess it to Him. Now this is very important. This is not about others’ sin. It’s yours. It’s not about your spouses anger, or excuses, it’s yours! It’s not about what someone else said or did, it’s what you have said or done. (Or thought about...) If you’re doing this with another person, and that’s healthy too, (James 5:16) don’t sideline it to anyone else. It’s yours’ to own and get rid of. Avoid sharing unnecessary details of the sinful action itself. It’s enough to know that you are convicted of gossiping about someone else—without repeating the gossip! Or that you spoke harshly to your spouse—without repeating the insult you uttered to him or her. Too much detail isn’t helpful or necessary in most cases. Let’s allow God’s Holy Spirit to gently convict us, then let’s confess the sin and get rid of it, then let’s get connected once more to our loving Savior who’s already done everything needed to move us forward into more holiness. Conviction. Confession. Cleansing. Connection. With this will come more peace and more power. At the end of his life, Moses summarized everything for his people one last time. Essentially he said to them, “Today, I put before you will you Life, or death? Blessings, or curses?” Won’t you choose Life? Holiness? More of God? Transition to Holy Communion... PERSONAL MINISTRY AT HOME TOO!
Good morning and welcome once again to our online viewers, and those who will be watching the video later. And a special hello to our viewers out of state and country! May the Holy Spirit speak to your heart as you join us in worship and receive a message from God’s Word today. May you have peace. May you grow more in loving God and loving others. Today we pick up Part 2 of the message from July 12 entitled “Hands.” God works through our hands. Today we’ll visit the second part of the story known as “the Good Samaritan” and see how our hands can bring hope and healing to others. You can be looking up Luke 10:30-37. Last week, one of our elders, John Smith, brought us a powerful message about the importance and power of praising God. Psalm 22:3 tells us God is “enthroned” in the praises of His people. When we are praising Him, together, He is in our midst! John shared that praise and worship is being rediscovered right now in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. Praise is a powerful weapon, and in case you haven’t noticed, we are in a spiritual battle. It is our hope you will grow in worshiping and praising God and be more ready more often to shout out some praise and activate the power of God! John gave us powerful Biblical illustrations of how God worked through battle cries praising God which resulted in victory! What battles are you fighting that He can help you overcome? Perhaps fear, worry and anxiety. Praise it away! Not only are you tapping into the resources of Heaven, but you’re putting your mind on Him, instead of the problems around you, which is good mental and spiritual health too. Jesus told the lawyer questioning Him in Luke 10:25 that if he would focus on loving God and loving others, first and foremost, he would “live.” The lawyer couldn’t leave it there. He asked Jesus who “the others,” or “neighbors,” were. This, then, led to Jesus’ teaching known as “the good Samaritan.” Let’s pick up the story in Luke 10:30-37. [Read] [Pray] The road going down from Jerusalem to Jericho would have been known to Jesus’ listeners as a dangerous place. Because of the climate of the area, warm, moist air comes across Israel from the Mediterranean sea until it reaches the elevated ridge on which Jerusalem is situated. The range there squeezes out all the moisture, leaving the land to the east of Jerusalem dry and arid. So anyone walking from Jerusalem to Jericho goes down in elevation and leaves a semi-dry area for a totally barren and parched one. The trip between Jerusalem and Jericho would have been about 18 miles. In that distance, travelers would descend about half a mile. Most of those 18 miles would be in desert-like conditions. The road between the two was a major thoroughfare for trading caravans, military personnel, and the pilgrims who visited Jerusalem several times a year. Because of the isolated terrain, people on this road were easy targets for bandits, who would find plenty of good hiding places and escape routes into the desert where they would not be pursued. Someone robbed and beaten on this road would be especially vulnerable because there would be no food or water to find along the path and recover with. No shelter from the elements. The victim would be utterly exposed and isolated - desperate for help. Anyone coming upon such a victim would not have been able to easily avoid them. At some points, the road is so narrow, a passerby would have literally had to stop over their body. So Jesus tells the story of a man who was attacked by robbers. They “Inflicted wounds on him,” the original language says, and stripped him. They must have wanted his clothes, among anything else he might have had on him. They left him half dead. A priest just happened to be going down the same road. Oh thank goodness! Help has arrived. Yes? No. The priest, a man who knew that Deuteronomic law about loving God and loving people, as well as he knew his own name, went out of his way, all right. He went out of his way to avoid the man and “passed by on the other side.” Well then, thank goodness, an even more holy guy, a Levite, the one of the twelve tribes of Israel set aside to attend to the house and things and presence of God, he came along to the same place. He also saw the injured and half-dead man. But, unfortunately, just like the priest, he “passed by on the other side.” Things are not looking good for the probably now dying man lying injured on the road. Then we see the word “But.” Contrast. Good! In contrast to the earlier two people leaving him there, something different is coming. Verse 33 says “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was. And, unlike the other two, when he saw him he had compassion on him! Just like our Heavenly Father. Just like Jesus. He “had compassion on him.” The Bible is full of Scriptures telling us our God is a God of compassion. He expects His children to be like Him in this way too. Psalm 86:15 says, “But You Lord are a compassionate and gracious God...” Jesus makes a point of identifying the one who showed compassion as a Samaritan. You see, the lawyer would have been a Jew, and a deep hatred existed between Jews and Samaritans. The Jews saw themselves as pure descendants of Abraham, while the Samaritans were a mixed race produced when Jews from the northern kingdom intermarried with other people after Israel’s exile. Not only did the Samaritan, the one judged to be below the others, the one treated unfairly by others all the time, the one people were unfairly prejudiced against, the Samaritan not only stopped when the other two did not, but he helped. And he helped generously and sacrificially. Again, just like our Father. Just like Jesus. He gave of his resources and he gave of his time. He took the time to bandage his wounds. That couldn’t have been fun. It was most likely messy, too. Probably didn’t smell good, either. And then he gave of his very own precious oil and wine, which had been for his own personal refreshment. Instead, they were used on the other, for cleaning the wounds and soothing inflammation. Dont miss the symbolism of these two elements too: the wine stands for the blood of Christ, and the oil, the Holy Spirit. I invite you to do your own Google search and study on the significance and power of oil, throughout the Bible. It’s very important. Meanwhile, in our story, in sharing such lavish acts of love, this good Samaritan, or good Sam, is sharing the very presence of God. Then, he puts the man on his own donkey. Again, a sacrificial act. He walks the rest of the way. And even then, he brings him to an inn and takes care of him! He could have just dropped him off and left him. But, he stays. He’s fully present. The next day he does leave, but not before giving money to the innkeeper to continue to care for the injured man. He left not one, but two “denari.” That amount of money would have been equivalent to not just one, but two full days of pay. He also said he would return. He was making and keeping a commitment. He was man of honor and of his word. He also offered ahead of time to reimburse any additional expenses. Let’s be people who keep their word. Let’s not make promises we don’t keep. Let’s be people others can count on. So. Not only was Good Sam kind and compassionate and thoughtful, he was fully present. He was committed. He was sacrificial. He was generous. He had integrity. He was the presence of God. Can we become more like him? And yet, he was the one they were all prejudiced against? Can we become less like the priest and the Levite? Who are we judging? Or who are we prejudiced against? Who do we say or think or post less than kind things about? Of whom are we afraid? The “good Jews” went way out of their way to avoid Samaria because they didn’t want to have to go into “those neighborhoods” or see “those people.” They were afraid of them. It has been said people fear what they don’t understand, and it is true. We continue to strive for no prejudice and increased unity as a nation in the midst of great division. It is up to the people of God to pave the way! Watch and listen to one of our earlier videos entitled “Bridge Builders,” if you haven’t already, and ask God where it is you might need to change. You probably already know. But the Holy Spirit has a marvelous way of gently putting the thought into our minds. Lord, when and where have I been the priest, or the Levite, and NOT stopped to help. Like the Good Samaritan. Then ask Him what’s one small next step to take to move forward in the other direction. In response to the lawyer’s question to Jesus of “who is my neighbor,” Jesus challenged him to include those he previously thought “unlovable.” He showed him someone he had previously judged was actually the better person of the three. As people of faith, as Christians, we must stop judging. It’s not just Christians, either. It’s human nature. It’s insecurity. It makes people feel better about themselves to put others down. The more secure we become in who we are in Christ, the less we do this. Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:2,3 to “… make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” We spoke of this a couple of weeks ago. Are we truly able to look at another and think of them as more valuable than ourselves? It helps to think this way with negotiating everyday life. It brings more peace. It brings more joy. And it brings more love. Don’t do it in an unhealthy way. Maintain personal healthy boundaries. Always seek God’s guidance in every situation. He’s always there and He’s always listening. All you have to do is ask. But, yes. We are called to be like Good Sam. He certainly thought more of the needs of the injured man at that moment, and the rest of the day, and the next day too, than of his own needs. Jesus asks the expert in the law, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” To this law expert, the one person of the three least likely to act correctly would have been the Samaritan. In fact, you’ll notice he did not even use the word “Samaritan,” (though Jesus did!) in answer to Jesus’ question. His attitude betrayed his lack of the very thing that he had earlier said the law commanded - love. He simply responded with, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus then told him, “Go and do likewise.”{Woman framed for adultery + similar words from Jesus afterwards... teaching and then APPLICATION...} So, which one are we? If we come across an injured and half-dead person of the opposite political party, or opposite beliefs, do we cross the street? Or do we help? What about another race? Or age group? Or someone on the other side of whatever issues we let ourselves get so worked up about? Have you ever noticed how when we do get all worked up, it usually is not of God? After some cooling down time, and then perhaps even prayer and worship and personal Bible study time the next day, we gradually begin to hear from God again and He helps us not go down that path we would have the day before. It’s always a better outcome. James (the brother Jesus) tells us in 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” It’s interesting. James must have known about the story of the Good Samaritan, because he also tells us to do what the Word of God says. Let’s look at James 1:19-20 “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” Don’t miss this. It’s important to get our anger out it healthy ways. God gave us the emotion of anger. But it does not grow us spiritually. It does not make us more like Christ. Experience it. Own it. And then get rid of it. There’s a lot out there right now that may be making you angry. So here are five steps the Bible says we can take to help us take control of our anger: 1) Acknowledge your anger. 2) Set your will to forgive whatever or whoever is making you feel angry. 3) Pray for forgiveness. 4) Ask God to help you deal with your angry feelings. If you’re not exercising, this is one way to help. Start taking walks in the early morning. Or as our Tues. grp discussed last week, there’s usually a breeze around 5pm… Or swim. Or bike. Just do something physical at some point to get the physical stress out of your body. 5) And then refuse to keep thinking about the offense. Instead, think of God. And others. The rest of the earlier passage from James goes on to say, “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (:21,22) The Passion Translation puts it like this: “So this is why we abandon everything morally impure and all forms of wicked conduct. Instead, with a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us.” “Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let His Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!” Ah, what a lovely image. Let our lives take the Presence of God within us and pour it out of our lives like beautiful poetry which uplifts and inspires the lives of others around us. A world full of God-praisers, of Jesus-lovers, of Holy Spirit vessels using their hands along with their hearts to bring healing and hope to an injured and beat up world around them. That priest and that Levite probably knew all the Scriptures by heart. But they did not apply them. Let’s not be them. {Funny story about the “dead guy” in the golf cart if led…} Let’s be Good Sam. Pray.
Citizenship July 5, 2020 If you’ve ever been out of the country, especially for a long time, it is sweet relief to arrive at the airport, go through customs, and see a portrait of the current president of the United States of America hanging on the wall of the hallway through which you’ll have to pass. It doesn’t matter who it is. It’s the elected president of your country. Seeing this photograph is an indicator you’re one step closer to being back in the country where you reside and make your home. The longer you’ve been away, the sweeter it is to see the face of that national leader, because he represents the fact that you are a citizen of the country he leads. To be a citizen of a country is a privilege we probably take for granted. If we’re born into a country and choose to make it our primary residency, we don’t have to do much to be a citizen. We just need our birth certificate. Or passport. For some, however, they have to show a certificate of citizenship, or a certificate of naturalization. For many, it may take years, or even decades, to become a citizen of our country. There are people who are in our church and in our communities right now who worked very hard for a very long time to obtain the right to be called a citizen of the United States. They are to be commended. They have to first meet certain criteria. Then start the application process. Then interviews. Then pass English and civics tests. Then, after all of that, they can finally take an oath of allegiance and become a citizen. Congratulations to everyone who has completed all of this and become a citizen of our country. We are blessed to have you. Just for fun, I invite you to look up the basic civics test questions and see how many answers you might get right. For example, Do you know who the 13 original states were? (N.H., Mass., R.I., Conn., N.Y., N.J., Penn., Del., Mary., Virginia, N.C., S.C., Georgia) And here’s a tricky one: What did the Declaration of Independence do? a) announced our independence from Great Britain b) declared our independence c) said that the United States is free Correct answer: b. It is a “declaration,” after all. So. Happy Birthday America. We are 244 years old now. On July 4, 1776, we declared our independence and became free from Great Britain. We officially became the United States of America. It is this birthday of our country that we celebrate every 4th of July. And, yes, to become free and continue to be free has cost us many lives throughout many wars. It is good for us to take time and be grateful. After Sept 11, 2001, we came together in a mighty way in response to terrorist attacks. Lee Greenwood’s song “I’m proud to be an American” still echoes in the hearts of everyone who went through that tense time. Now we’re in another tense time. And yes it’s good for everyone in our country to stop and be thankful we get to live here. We enjoy many privileges many people throughout the rest of the world do not. We have clean, running water; access to good medical care; garbage and sewage services; sturdy homes and abundant food. And freedom to express our various point of view. National patriotism is a beautiful and important thing. But it must not be the most important thing. We live in a free country. We need to not take that for granted. And as Christians we live in freedom from sin and death through Jesus Christ. In Galatians 5:13, Paul writes, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. Use your freedom to serve one another humbly in love.” When we believers lose the motivation of love, we become critical of others. We stop looking for good in them, and see only their faults. (Don’t forget, everyone is made in God’s image.” Genesis 1:27.) Soon we lose our unity. On this 4th of July weekend, let’s resolve to continue to strive to love. Not judge. And do our part to make us truly a United States of America. Let’s build people up. Not tear them down. You see, though we are indeed citizens of this country, if we call ourselves Christians, or followers of Christ, we have another citizenship which needs to be our highest priority. This is from where we derive our identity. As much as we may love our country, that is not our main identifier. And neither is whether we’re male or female. Old or young. Black or white or Asian or Hispanic. From N.Y. or W.Va. It’s not our job that defines us. Or anything else. The most important identifier of you and I and anyone watching this video who calls themselves a child of God is that we belong to His Kingdom! Priscilla Shirer says “God did not come to take sides, but to take over!” Paul states it very clearly in Philippians 4:20 “But our citizenship is in Heaven.” Paul is telling the Christians at Philippi this, in contrast to “setting our minds on earthly things.” Our ultimate and total and highest priority is our Heavenly citizenship! It is living out Heaven’s interest on earth and leading lives worthy of Heavenly citizenship. How would we do today if we were given a civics test on the Kingdom of God? Do we know the Leader? Do we spend time with Him? Do we read His Word, the Bible? Do we know it in our guts and by heart? Do we pray and stay in close communion with Him, our Leader? Do we go to His throne room every morning and await our orders from Him for how we will live out the gift of the rest of the day He has given us? How are we doing at living out His two most important directives to us: Love Him. Love others? Paul gives us inspiring instruction in the book of Philippians on how to live and grow as a good citizen of the Kingdom of God. The definition of a citizen is the status of a person recognized as a member belonging to that place. Do we have enough evidence in our lives to be recognized as a citizen of Heaven? In Philippians chapter 3, Paul gets wound up about how passionate he is to give everything he’s got to live 100 percent and then some for Christ. After five stirring verses, he proclaims with passion the words for all of us to live by, as the most successful citizens of Heaven anyone’s ever seen. Hear these words with me this morning, and memorize them too. Hide them in your heart. Live them out loud: Let’s look together at Philippians 3:12-14: Paul writes “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus.” The goal is to win the prize. The prize is the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. He has a call for each and every one of our lives. And finding and living for that call will bring us the greatest peace and the greatest joy and the greatest identity we can ever hope for. Paul is throwing out the challenge to truly live as a citizen of God. Throughout chapter 3, there is much tenderness and affection, along with his appeals, to persuade Christians to devote themselves to answering the call of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Philippians knew Paul well, and they couldn’t help but feel his passion for them to make this their top priority. Paul says his goal is to: a) know Christ, b) to be like Christ, and to c) be all Christ has in mind for him. [Pray over everyone that we, too, will be all that Christ has in mind for us!] Let’s determine this week to do at least one thing to get to know Christ better. Read His words from His Word. (The Bible) Talk to Him. (Prayer) Listen quietly and hear what He might say back to you. It’s ok if you think it’ just your mind speaking. It might be Him. Listen to and enter into worship music that helps you center on Him. And then there’s the second goal, to be like Christ. Again, His Word, the Bible, tells us what He was like. His Spirit living within us, the Holy Spirit, will continually direct us to be more like Him too. If we are willing. Someone with Christlikeness is a person who has qualities like Jesus Christ. Some examples include being kind, forgiving, sincere, caring and compassionate. In Matthew 9:36 we’re told “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion…” Matthew 14:14 says “He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” In Matthew 15:32, just before the big feeding of thousands, He said to His first citizens, His disciples, “I have compassion for these people.” Paul was someone who went from having zero compassion for Christians, and in fact hunting them down to kill them, to turning it totally around to the point of giving his life for them, just as His, and our, Savior did. In pressing on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Jesus Christ, Paul says I’m not there yet. And I’m certainly not where I want to be. But, by golly, I’m gonna give it everything I have! [How about us?!] This goal of Paul is to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all Christ has in mind for him absorbs all of Paul’s energy. [Does it, ours?!] With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and get rid of anything that distracts us from being effective Christians. Our vision statement is to be comprised of “fully devoted followers of Christ…” Not halfhearted. Not lukewarm. But passionate. Fully devoted. People whose primary identity is that they are a citizen of Heaven. So what’s that one thing which might be holding us back from keeping this foremost in our minds and in our lives? [Pause…] What’s one change we can make this week to move closer to the goal to press on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus in our lives? We can blame busy schedules or too many demands from too many others, but we are ultimately the ones responsible for our schedules, and what we say yes to, and when we say no to the demands of others. Let’s start putting God first. Let’s carve out time to be alone with Him to begin with. God will direct us if we ask Him and if we let Him and He will give us His strength to persevere. 2 Cor. 12:9, 10 “His strength is made perfect in our weakness.” When we just don’t think we can do it, He will give us His strength to be able to accomplish His purpose. Ask Him for direction. Constantly. He will give it. And yes, perseverance, not giving up, is key. Janet Sauder is a member of the Dove International Apostolic Council. She and her husband give oversight to DOVE churches and leaders in Canada, India, South Africa and the USA. She wrote a recent article about not giving up. Her and her husband were youth ministry leaders for many years. She says people have often asked them for advice on how to lead a successful youth group. The first thing that comes to her mind, she says, is: “Don’t quit!” They have seen the fruit of not giving up. Many youth they shepherded are now serving our Lord and the Body of Christ at large. But it didn’t happen quickly. At the end of her article she says, “Only you will know exactly what the Lord is asking you to do or to persist with!” “The world’s amazing game changers persisted. They stayed the course. They didn’t get mad, bitter, disillusioned or quit, but took one day at a time.” She ends with these words: “Be obedient to what God is telling you to do; God will give you the stamina and renew your vision as you pursue His purposes with all your heart.” Let’s be the very best citizens of the very best Kingdom that we can be! “Following Christ is not for the fainthearted.” (Lindsay Gray, U.R.) So what helps us persevere in this citizenship? Or when we are discouraged or feel far from God? Here are three things that will help: 1) Look back over your own experiences of persistence. Remember how God has guided you through tough times before. 2) Look for signs of God’s Presence. They are all around us all the time if we will only take the time and open our eyes to see. 3) Hold on to the hope of new and continually renewed life in Christ! As citizens of God’s country, of Heaven, of identity as a follower of Christ, we are encouraged to stand firm. Paul writes in Philippians 4:1 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! Dear friends, let us rise up and find our identity, our purpose, and our life as beloved and empowered citizens of the Kingdom of God. The number one thing Jesus talked about is the Kingdom of God. And we get to be a part of it. {“Altar call… if led…} Let’s encourage one another to press on. Persevere. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Live the abundant life He has for us. Encourage everyone you meet. Share life. Keep finding and offering hope. And love one another deeply. That’s what Kingdom citizens do. Let us pray. Transition to Holy Communion…
Once upon a time there were two towns. They were very close to one another and shared many things in common. Members of the same family lived in both towns. There was food and craft specialties which one town happily shared with the other. Together they often entered friendly competitions against larger towns from other regions, and won. There was unity between the two. There was goodness. Peace. Joy. And love. Then one day a terrible thing happened and some from one town accused some from the other town of being the ones responsible for the bad thing that happened. Soon more people from each town began to speak mean and hateful things to the other. The two towns quit sharing. They quit working together. There was suspicion now. And division. Discord. Fear. And hate. A big wall was finally built to permanently divide the two towns. The hostility continued to fester to the point where the people of the first town began throwing nasty things over the wall into the midst of the other town. They threw things like their trash and rotten food and broken glass. They wanted to hurt the others. Meanwhile, just as the second town began to prepare to throw even more garbage and nastier things back over the wall to the other side, a wise voice shouted, “Stop!” The wise person among them went on to ask, “are we no better than that?” What we throw over the wall, we become. Instead of throwing over even nastier garbage, and more rotten food, and not just glass but sharp metal and other hurtful objects too, they were asked, “what if we did something different?” What if, instead of nastiness, we threw over beauty? What if we threw over fresh, delicious fruit they might enjoy? What if we threw over our most beautiful flowers, and perhaps even some of our loveliest jewels? The people grumbled among themselves for a while but then became intrigued with taking the first step towards eventual healing and reconciliation. They started with a few flowers. No response. Then they tossed over some large, firm, fresh ripe strawberries. Still no response. So then the wealthiest among them rounded up their favorite jewels and tossed sparkling emeralds, rubies and lovely stones of all colors over the wall. Still no response. Some time passed. Then one day, the most beautiful flowers anyone had ever seen came sailing over their wall. Next was the freshest and tastiest fruit. And then more beautiful jewelry than they even knew existed. The doors opened up within the wall and the people walked into the arms of one another from both sides. They spoke with and listened to each other. They apologized. They sought forgiveness. They wept with regret over the harshness of the past and the hardness of their hearts. They became united once again. They were as one, yet again. And the wall came down, never to be rebuilt again. They resolved that no division would ever come between them again. Their land was finally healed. I heard this story several years ago and have never forgotten it. As I hear people cry out for God to heal our land, I think of this story. As I read the FB posts, and hear the conversations from many different voices and many different points of view, I think of this story. When are we going to quit hurling more trash over the wall to the other side, and try sending a few flowers, instead? And as I hear the cry for healing for our land, I think of 2 Chronicles 7:14. In it, God says, “If MY people who are called by MY name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from THEIR wicked ways,” then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Four things. Not other people. Not “the other side.” But us. God’s people. People who call themselves Christians, or followers of Christ. God says don’t even think about, let alone speak it or post, others’ “wicked ways,” but look at your own heart! With our thoughts and our words and our posts, are we building unity? Or adding to division? When this Scripture was written, Solomon had just finished the temple of the Lord. Earlier, (chapter 6) he had asked the Lord to make provisions for the people when they sinned. Today our provision is Jesus Christ. Through belief in Him we find forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life. But God’s answer to Solomon still applies today as well. God’s four conditions for forgiveness from 2 Chronicles 7:14 are: 1) Humble yourself by admitting your sins. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you if you can’t figure them out yourself. Basically sin is whatever has separated you from God or other people. And there is nothing that is so bad that God can’t forgive it.. You’ll feel so much freer once you’ve confessed and gotten rid of and been forgiven for sin. 2) Pray to God asking for forgiveness. Tell Him about it. Get it off your shoulders. 3) Seek God continually. Abide in Him, Jesus told us to do this in John 15! Make God your dwelling place! Set up a figurative tent in your living room, or your back porch when it’s cooler, or your front yard, and meet with Him on a regular basis there. Get so used to His Presence that you can’t wait to get back into it and you’re reluctant to leave it. Let His Presence be the sanctuary you run to, especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed, or anxious, or fearful. In Ezekiel 37:26, 27 God is giving encouragement and a future promise and He says, “I will put my sanctuary among them forever…” and “My dwelling place will be with them…” Have you ever meditated on the fact that Jesus is our “sanctuary?” And the very Presence of God through His Holy Spirit dwelling within us is a promise of God come true. There are additional implications from this, but for now I just want you to know that God has called us “for such a time as this,” to yes, bring healing to this land. And it starts with us! You need to also know that “to those God calls, He equips!” 4) The fourth component in this verse from 2 Chronicles is turning from our own sinful behavior. Or “wicked ways.” And don’t think you don’t have some. As we are in Christ and slowly becoming more like Him, we’re a lot better than we used to be, but we’re still not there yet! Just ask those who know you best! Examine yourselves! Humble yourself. And give yourself a little test: With each person you see for the rest of the day, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, as yourself honestly if you think of yourself as “better than others?” If/when you find the answer to be “yes,” ask God to forgive you and try looking at them with a different lens. The lens of humility. Paul expected it of the early church and God expects it of us. [READ IT FROM THE BIBLE] Philippians 2:1-3 says “Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves…” Think of others as better than yourself. There’s that humility thing again, too. Lord have mercy on our arrogance! Especially when we don’t even see it! Two weeks ago we looked closely at Micah 6:8. Do you remember what it says? “He has shown you, oh man, (or, people), what is good. And what does the Lord require of you,” (notice it doesn’t say “suggest,” but REQUIRE) but to ACT JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD.” So what are some ways we can demonstrate humility in our lives? We’ve already heard a few suggestions. Actually begin to practice looking at people and thinking of them as more valuable than yourself! Now if you already struggle with low self-esteem, this won’t be a problem for you. But I’d also like to invite you to quit putting yourself down. Raise yourself up as God has created you and He doesn’t make any junk! Also, Jesus is the ultimate King. And if you belong to Him, you’re royalty. So stand tall. (Lift chin, shoulders back, stomach in…) Because of whose you are you are of great worth, but try not to think of yourself as better than others. Actually, it is usually those with the most insecurities and who are the most arrogant. Let’s get rid of the insecurities along with the arrogance. And being offended, easily, while we’re at it. In her latest book, “Chasing Vines,” renowned author and speaker Beth Moore says nothing about our existence is accidental! We were planned, and planted, for this moment in time! Acts 17:26 says “From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history…” At the end of Acts 17, Paul is in Athens, Greece. He’s in the “Areopagus,” explaining “the One True God” to people who were religious, but did not yet know God. In our society today, God is still unknown. What if the people of God were to rise up during these scary and uncertain times and show such love, such hope, such humility to such an extent that it would bring healing to our land and draw people to Christ?! There are FB posts of acts of love bringing unity throughout our land as people wash the feet of each other and take food and water to groups earlier thought of as “enemies.” What if we overcame hatred with love? What if we defeated the devil and his currently effective ploy of division? In Revelation 12 the devil is called “the accuser of our brothers and sisters.” People! Who do you think is accusing one side to the other? Who do you think stands to benefit most from more division in this country? As Will Ford III says, it is a diabolical plot of the enemy to categorize and stereotype each other. Let’s become aware of it and put a stop to it! Remember the verse that says “a house divided against itself cannot stand?” (Matthew 12:25) Let’s not give division one more ounce of energy, and instead, start trying to find ways to build unity! Take time to smile and say hello and ask someone of another race, or political party, or a non-mask wearer if you’re a mask wearer, how they’re doing? God believes that we can do this! We can overcome division and grow unity! And by the way, did you notice you can’t have “community” without “unity?” (Thank you Sharon Moore) People of God who were created for this very moment in time, be courageous! Stand up for unity. Don’t let the devil have his way one second more with the division he’s delighted to have created. Look at all the division in our country right now! Please don’t contribute another thought towards it! There’s racial division, economic division, societal division, mask-wearers versus non-mask-wearers division, old vs young, and then of course Republican vs Democrats division. Why don’t you join me in praying for an epiphany for President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to decide to reconcile and become good friends and overcome all the damage and hostility and so much more that has occurred! Would’n that be a miracle?! Can you imagine how powerful it would be if they worked together instead of in opposition to one another?! Quit calling her the devil and saying you hate him. (Yes, both sides say things that true followers of Christ do not say. You can’t have the Spirit of God dwelling within you and think and speak like that.) In Ezekiel 35, Edom is told they will reap the consequences of “ancient hostilities” towards God’s people. The Lord also says He has heard “all the contemptible things” said against Israel. Let’s not be people who hold on to any “ancient hostilities.” This is a time to revisit the narratives we’ve been taught or told ourselves. Prejudice isn’t born. It’s taught. What if the sky isn’t falling, Chicken Little, or Chicken Licken, but is instead being reshaped to be more like it’s Creator? A wise friend of mine said she used to ask people when hiring an employee how they felt about change. If they said they hated change, or something along those lines, she knew they would not get the job. Because in her line of work, there was constant change. In our lives right now, there’s a lot of change. Instead of fighting it and bucking it and commiserating over what used to be “the good ole days,” (and were they? Really?) how about adopting a teachable spirit? How about choosing to believe that “change is growth?” Instead of being the mouse at the beginning of the book entitled “Who moved my cheese?!” Your cheese might actually end up in a better place. The Kingdom of God is made up of all the faces of the world. If we don’t have friends who look different from us it’s past time to make friendships with others. You might be surprised to find we’re all the same underneath it all. If we’re walking around all fearful and defensive and uptight, we are not walking in humility. When we walk in humility we walk in peace. Think about it. People who are kind and loving and humble have an air of grace around them. Yes, God’s grace. They are pleasant to be around. People who are the opposite of that, however, are not someone you want to be around. “Perfect love casts out fear.” (I John 4:18) My wise adult son said right now we’re living in “a culture of fear.” He’s right. People are afraid of a lot of things. They’re afraid of people who look different from them who they’ve never bothered to get to know. They’re afraid of law enforcement losing control and they’re even afraid we are going to lose our country. Lose our country? To what? To whom? Other people who live in and love their country too? Well, you might say, they don’t ... who are we to ever say what another person thinks? Only God can judge. Not us. As people of God, we are not to judge others and we are not to be afraid! People of God quit being afraid! Quit becoming more entrenched in your own personal narrative instead of asking God, just what might You be up to? Lord, what do I need to learn? How do I need to change? Will Ford III is the Director of Marketplace Leadership at Christ for the Nations. He says the body of Christ is rising up during the storm! Instead of being Chicken Little running around alarming everyone around and declaring “the sky is falling… the sky is falling…” the moral to the story is not to be a “chicken little,” but instead, to have courage. Do not say we’re going to lose our country and you hate the opposing political party and they are the devil. God’s people do not speak like that. Where is your trust that God is Sovereign? He’s the One who’s ultimately in charge and He knows what’s going on. And here’s an even more astounding thought, He knew it would be like this right here, right now, for you and for me and He chose us to be born and to live “for such a time as this!” He wants us to be bridge builders and agents of reconciliation. People of God this is the time to have courage! To speak life, not death. To speak unity, not division. “The Lord is causing the church to come alive in the midst of the storm!” Instead of giving in to the lies from our mutual enemy, the devil, to hate others, try seeking God more. Do you pray as much as you post on FB? Are you reading God’s word for every fearful thought with which you’re struggling? I’ve heard the various theories out there about conspiracy and political motivations behind everything. What happened to keeping our eyes on Christ and listening only to His voice. “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This comes from Joshua 24:15. This is also the same man who God told to “Be strong and courageous.” And “Do not be afraid.” And “do not be discouraged.” And, don’t miss this, this was also the same man who spent a lot of time in the Presence of God! Will you please challenge yourself and any other believers you know demonstrating fear or discouragement to, instead, demonstrate God’s strength; courage, no fear, and encouragement! Let us be the people of God who usher in His healing for this land! And, finally, 2 Chronicles 4:16-17 tells us not to lose heart! And Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for He who promised is faithful.” Let us pray...
Father’s Day 2020 Good morning and welcome once more to Cross Creek Community Church. We especially welcome our online friends who will be replaying this video. May you experience the Presence of God along with us, and feel free to interact on our page with your comments too. We’ll follow up on them afterwards. You can also start a “watch party,” and include your friends as well. Be sure and “follow us” so you can receive our notifications. We’re glad you’ve joined us. Now I have a serious question for all of us: “What does your favorite shirt look like?” Think about it. It’s an especially good question for Father’s Day because sometimes some dads are known to… well… sorta wear the same shirt… repeatedly? What does your favorite shirt look like? Our favorite shirts get worn a lot, to the point of getting worn out over time. And yet there’s always something very comforting about those shirts. As we get to know our Heavenly Father more, His Presence wraps around us like a soft and familiar piece of clothing. It becomes more and more comfortable as well. He will still lead us into situations far out of our comfort zones, so He can continue to grow us and minister to others, but He is our Comforter. And so much more. Perhaps this Father’s Day we can take some time today to tell Yahweh, the Lord our God, just what we appreciate about Him. He is always there for us. He loves us more than anyone else ever has or will. He fights our battles for us. He sets us free. He forgives us. He gives us purpose. He gives us strength. He gives us courage. He gives us love. John wrote in I John 4:9,10 “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” Jesus came from the Father to give us life. Let’s enjoy that life today as we love on God, and each other. Happy Father’s Day Heavenly Father. Psalm 19 tells us “The Heavens declare the glory of God.” So do we. It is my hope today that you will enter into a new and deeper relationship with your Abba, Daddy. No one loves you like He does. Romans 8:14, 15 tells us: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Elsewhere, John cries out in I John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!” {Let us pray…} And now hear the words from Larry Kreider, the leader of Dove International, with whom we’re in partnership: This is Father’s Day weekend when we celebrate the gift of fatherhood. Godly fathers are a true gift to us. Some of us have had amazing fathers, while others grew up with painful experiences associated with their fathers. You may never have known your father, but because of the transforming power of Jesus Christ, our men have the privilege of modeling healthy fatherhood for the next generation and for the generations to come. It’s not too late to start. May we never forget, every man and woman is called by God to become a spiritual father or mother. Paul the apostle tells us in I Corinthains 4:15-16, “… You do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” Paul became a spiritual father and calls us to do the same. Let’s take a moment this weekend to thank our fathers, both natural and spiritual. Then take Paul’s admonition seriously; become a spiritual father or mother to those the Lord has placed in your life. I so appreciate the prayers, wisdom, love and support from our Dove spiritual fathers and mothers. May they feel loved and honored this weekend. I also appreciate the fathers of this church, this body of Christ called Cross Creek Community Church. We will have a special blessing over the men of our church and those watching online too after the message. Meanwhile, this morning we have a special treat. Our youngest Elder, Michael Shannon, will be sharing from His life about how he moved through an extremely stressful time determined to trust in our Heavenly Father. And how it’s all turned out… Let’s invite him up to share with us now…
BridgeBuilders June 14, 2020 Good morning and welcome to Cross Creek Community Church once again. We especially welcome our online friends and those who will be replaying our worship service later. We invite you to follow us on Facebook too. So today is Sunday, June 14, 2020. We are living in a very stressful time in the history of our country. If you’ve been feeling stressed the last few days, or weeks, or months, please know that you are not alone. It is a very challenging time. I want to ask you a “serious” question this morning: What was your least favorite food as a child? Do you still hate it or do you love it now? I’ll give you an example: liver. And I still hate it. (And have actually never eaten it again since childhood… especially after I went through nursing school and learned what livers do!) Now your turn… {Allow responses from congregation} Here’s another one: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? I heard one recently for marriage: “Be nice.” How about you? {Allow responses from congregation} Today I want to invite you to become a bridgebuilder. If you think about it, bridge builders are essential workers. If you’ve ever come up to a creek, or river, or body of water that was too high to walk through, you sure looked around for a bridge to help you cross. As you’ve driven around, you’ve been glad for bridges that could float you effortlessly over larger bodies of water. And if you’ve ever driven in Africa, you know that sometimes there is no bridge where you sure wish there would have been. You, especially, have a great appreciation for bridges! The church is the body of Christ, and the body of Christ needs to be made up of bridge builders! This past Wednesday, our three different Zoom groups were studying the first book of Timothy in the New Testament, (which was actually a letter Paul wrote to Timothy). In the third chapter, the qualifications for church elders and leaders is listed. It was important information for all of us to go over, together, of what is expected of our leaders, and also to give us all guidelines for which to strive as we become closer to, and more like Christ. One of our participants pointed out one of the application footnotes for one of the verses. It said with these characteristics we can all be bridge builders. None of us are perfect, and we all have a long way yet to go. But whether you are a leader or not, if you are a follower of Christ the world needs you to be a bridge builder. Over 3,000 years ago there was a man named Micah. He was a prophet in the Old Testament who was calling people to return to their roots and live as people of God who worshiped and obeyed Him. God gave him guidelines too. He summed up what is asked of us, by God, in a classic Bible verse which comes from Micah 6:8. It says, “He has shown you, oh man, (or, people), what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” [Let us pray… Help us to open up to hear You, Lord; Soften our hard hearts; Loosen our stiff necks…] As we’ve watched the events of the last few weeks unfold, this verse keeps going through my head. What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen a lot of injustice, a great lack of mercy, and not a whole lot of walking humbly with God or anyone else. I think we can do much better than this. In fact, this could become a “transformative moment” in our time. If we let it! The first week after George Floyd was killed by a law enforcement officer’s knee on his neck, for over 8 minutes,which essentially suffocated him, I posted a very thoughtful video by TD Jakes. I shared it from the page of a dear friend who I love in Christ and respect very much. As I said in my FB postthatbday, regardless of what you think of Bishop Jakes, or where you stand on these issues, you were invited to take the time to watch the 40+ minute video. This is a man who is the same age as my husband and I and has been in ministry for decades and has seen a few things. There was much wisdom in what he had to say, along with a very empowered prayer at the end. One of the things he said that I especially liked was, “the people you think are so right just may not be as right as you think; and the people you think are so wrong just may not be a wrong as you think.” I’ve also always had a special place in my heart for TDJakes because his voice was part of God’s call on my life to become a pastor. {Story of calling and the timing w/nursing dept., them NOT lining me up first time in years… Rachel and I watching TD while waiting to go pick up son/brother from band camp…} I’ve always loved the black or African American community and used to call myself a “black woman in a white woman’s body.” (My twin sister Rev Dr Joyce Nki from Kenya can attest to that…but that’s another story.) Over the years, however, I began to see how offensive it was for me to say that. I have not idea what it is like to be a black person in America. And I sure don’t know what it’s like to be a black man in America. If you are watching this and you are not either, I invite you to consider this for a moment. I was at a pastors workshop one time where there was a very elegant, intelligent compelling speaker who was a black pastor and consultant. He shared with us how he had to talk to his teenage son, who was going to get his learner’s permit soon, about preparing to be pulled over, and come out of it alive. What to do. What not to do. Now, before I go any further, let me emphasize that this is not in any way, shape or form, any kind of message disrespecting law enforcement. It’s the complete opposite. This is a message saying black lives matter, blue lives matter, and all lives matter. That’s the point. Our God is the God of LIFE. Jesus overcame death when He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God, and is actually praying for us! All life is precious to Him and needs to be to us, too. Yes! Romans 8:34 says “Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” We’ve got Him on our side, so let me tell you today, that yes, this is indeed a very stressful time, but Jesus Christ is praying for us! “Nothing is impossible with God!” (Luke 1:37) And through Christ, we can be “overcomers!” Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But, take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We can overcome prejudice! On all sides! We can overcome fear! And anxiety! And stress! We can build bridges and bring peace and what satan has meant for evil God can make for good! (Genesis 45…) I had coffee with someone this past week who is of a younger generation and she said, “the bubble over our country has burst.” Yes. I agree. The bubble has burst and this is a good and healthy thing. Yes it’s hard. Yes its stressful. Yes there’s people on both sides of it all who are not handling it well or doing the right things. But it’s long past time for the bubble of racial prejudice in this country to burst! And people of God, Christians, for Heaven’s sake, need to be leading the way in bringing in the Kingdom of God. And by the way, older people, please don’t say the problem is with the young people. The problem may just be with us. And also people of older generations have been blaming people of younger generations for the world’s problems for centuries. Let’s put a stop to that now, too, once and for all. I LOVE that our church is very intergenerational. We have all ages. From babies to 90 yr olds. And life is meant to be shared that way. All generations. Living and learning from one another. Yes younger people need to learn from older. But older also need to learn from younger. Don’t forget the Kingdom of God is made up of all the faces of the world! Old and young. “Red and yellow, black and white. We are ALL precious in His sight.” I don’t know what it’s like to experience prejudice as a black or brown or Asian or Hispanic person. But I do know what it’s like to experience prejudice as a woman pastor in the south! Now, again, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not putting down the South. I love the South. And I’m part of a mixed marriage - my husband is from New York and I’m from West Virginia. So, believe me, we both are very familiar with the pros and cons of both areas. But as a woman pastor I know that feeling of being looked down upon, not good enough, not belonging here, etc., that black people in America have been made to feel for hundreds of years. Actually since they were brought over as enslaved people from elsewhere. My husband and I were facetiming my dear mother-in-law in NY, recently. She’s an exceptional woman who has been self-isolating since March! Alone! And with such grace! And learning and using Zoom. Etc. And at 90 years old! We were discussing the current situation and how we’ve not really ever been able to know what it’s like to live as a black American. And she said her bishop said white privilege versus life as a minority in our country is like “traveling through life with an EZ Pass.” It’s true. It’s past time to share the Pass. Even if you’re white and you’ve struggled and you do struggle, and I’m not saying you don’t have problems and challenges too. We all do. What I am saying is that there are doors open to you that are not open to others. And it’s time we all do something about it. Especially if we say we belong to God and are followers of Christ. There is simply no room for any prejudice or hate or bitterness or resentment or unforgiveness or fear of other people we don’t know in our hearts if we are in Christ. A few weeks back I quoted the verse from Galatians 3:28 which says, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” A wise Dove leader also had that quote in a blog he wrote recently. But he ended it with… “IF you’re in Christ.” People who are not living for God don’t have the same covenant relationship that we do. We are His children and we need to imitate our Daddy. And that’s the point. We who are in Christ must be leading the way to overcome racial prejudice and help make this country a better, more equitable, place! Perhaps for the first time in over 400 years everything that’s happening now can actually move the tide forward to help us all look at each other with a little more mercy and humility! Psalm 133:1 says “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” Living in unity doesn’t mean we’ll agree on everything. But we can agree to “love God and love one another.” (The first and second greatest commandments according to Jesus.) Matthew 22:37-39. Especially as God’s people. We’ve been through a lot. Before the pandemic started there were increasingly common mass shootings. Then the pandemic. Economic instability. How many people unemployed?! Let’s help with that too… handing out food when able… checking on our neighbors to see how they’re doing… Help people have things to do. And then George Floyd’s death, and others before him, and it’s like the pressure cooker lid blew off the country! Two months of quarantining and the injustice of his death just pushed the country past boiling point. But, again, I want to encourage you that this is not bad. In fact, this can be very good. No. We don’t want looting. Or violence. Or rioting. And yes, we need law enforcement. And as TD Jakes said in his video, there are so many good people who put their lives on the line every day for all of us to protect us. One, or more, bad cop(s) doesn’t mean they’re all that way. They’re not! And we are grateful for them and need to keep them in prayer and reach out to them right now too with all the additional stress they’re going through in an already stressful job. But there needs to be some changes. And the people of God need to be the people of God. And while I’m at it let me ask you to please be especially tender and gentle and patient with the elderly people in your life. This has been hardest on them than perhaps anyone. They are struggling with isolation and seclusion and fear. They’ve lived through great depressions and drought and other disease epidemics and world wars and are tough and wise but they’ve never seen their country like it is right now. Reach out to them. Smile at them (behind your mask) at the super market. Hold their doors. Move out of the way to let them pass. Give them a call. Send them a card. Let them know they matter. All lives matter. Same with anyone who looks different from you in skin color! {BJ’s store conversation…} And same with Asians too! There’s been prejudice towards our asian neighbors because of the covid-19 virus coming from China. Please go out of your way to be kind and friendly and thoughtful to them too. It’s been a difficult time for so many. Hebrews 13:1-3 says, “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” We must love. We must be hospitable. We must quit looking only after our own interests and care about others. And notice that last verse. For those who are mistreated, we must respond to them with love and empathy and attempt some understanding as if it were us. Right now we are hearing a LOT of voices! Everyone has to shout over the next one to make their opinions known! Wouldn’t it be nice, instead, if someone was to say, “What do you think?” Instead of bulldozing us over with what they believe?! Wouldn’t it be nice if WE said, “What do you think?” Instead of having to tell them what we think? During this dark time, let’s do what Paul suggested to Christians struggling through persecution and murders and great stress. He told them to “Shine like stars in the universe.” (Philippians 2:15) Let’s overcome the darkness. The confusion. The fear. The anxiety. Shut out all the other voices. (Turn off the TV, Facebook, Etc.) Tune in to the One True Voice - the voice of God. Read His Word. Listen to music worshipping Him. Love Him. Love others. And be a Bridge Builder. Now. Here are some practical applications for you to try: 1) Do some honest, prayerful, self-examination. Carve out a quiet time and space where it’s just you and God, and ask His Holy Spirit to bring to mind any prejudice you may have. You probably already know what that might be. Or maybe not? He’ll show you. And unlike how hard we can be on ourselves and others, He usually does His convicting in a gentle way. Be honest. With yourself and with Him. Where have you been hurt by others who don’t look like you? Who have you hurt? 2) This is extremely important: Confess it to Him. Ask for forgiveness. Ask for healing. He will do it. You will be set free and also empowered. 3) Here’s the hardest part. Make a new friend. Pray for God to bring in or raise up someone who doesn’t look like you to begin to have a friendship or relationship with. You can do this. We can do this. After all, God’s already told us what to do: Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with our God. After all, “Jesus Loves the Little Children. All the Children of the World…” [Transition to Mike S praying…]
God’s Presence brings Joy. God’s Joy brings Strength. Sunday, June 7, 2020 During our recent experience of more time at home, I read a lot. There’s a Christian fiction book I read about a young woman who lived in Egypt and went through the nine plagues described in the book of Exodus, and eventually traveled with God’s people through the Red Sea. This was, of course, about 3500 yrs. ago. The main character in the novel, Kiya, started out not being a believer. Like many of us before Christ, she believed in other things. As the story unfolds, she becomes friends with a Hebrew girl who saves the life of her and her family. They all walk through the miraculous frozen sea away from four hundred years of slavery and Pharoah’s army and begin a new life on the other side. Through her friend, Shira, she learns more and more about God, or Yahweh. (Note to selves: develop relationships with non-believers, at God’s direction, to then be able to lead them to Christ.) Along the way, though journey of the book, she comes to believe in Yahweh herself. With all of her heart. She becomes a fully devoted follower. (Our vision statement: Fully devoted followers of Christ impacting communities for God.) There is a scene in this book which has stayed with me. It is from Exodus 19. It is when Moses leads the people, to stand together, at the foot of Mt. Sinai, or “The Mountain of God.” The Cloud that had shimmered and changed shape and color and led them by day through the desert now hovered above the summit of the mountain. It grew in size. It became darker. It thundered loudly and flashed lightning. All who wanted to be included and willing to follow The Lord’s commands were about to take part in a covenant ceremony with Yahweh. They had spent three days washing, preparing, and making new garments. They were ready. A Heavenly trumpet blasted, and kept blasting. Everyone fell to their knees, or on their faces. “Mt. Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.” (Exodus 19:18, 19) {Pause for a moment if led…} An earthquake shook the valley, rattling the mountains. Everyone was on their knees or their faces, pleading with God for mercy, or crying. There was no getting up. The weight of the force was immense. The sins of each one of the people came to their minds as were washed clean of every thought word or action contrary to the ways of God they had ever committed. Then came the healing and the hope. Yahweh spoke and the words were musical. A song far more beautiful than words could describe. And there was a fragrance. The sweetest and loveliest smell ever to be imagined. Some of us have experienced that weight upon us when we’re in the Lord’s presence. Some of us have smelled a sweet fragrance and looked around for someone else entering the room with perfume, and there is no one else. Then the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and all the rest faded away. Long minutes passed before the people began coming to their feet and moving off toward their tents. Slowly. Thoughtfully. In silent wonder. People had been healed. People had been filled with ecstasy. People were walking in joy. They had been in the Presence of God. This scene from the book from Exodus, chapter 19 has stayed in my mind because we are a church who has always said, from the beginning, that we must be a Presence Based Church. I believe as we come back from “The Divine Reset,” we are coming back into a higher level. We are going deeper with God. An Elevation worship song, (As it is in Heaven) begins with the words, “The atmosphere is changing now…” I believe this is happening with us and with Dove and with all the true believers around us, and throughout the world. If you recall the proclamation from Pentecost Sunday, (Last week?!) we prayed together for the Holy Spirit to revive us! Like the covenant people in Exodus, we agreed to humble ourselves, pray, and seek Yahweh’s face and turn from our own wicked ways. (2 Chron. 7:14) We prayed for enlightenment. We received God’s promise to pour out His Spirit on everyone. We prayed for boldness and signs and wonders through the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. (Acts 4:29, 30.) As we seek more of God’s Presence more often, we will experience these things. It’s sad that, fourteen chapters later, in Exodus, many of the same people who vowed their love and their lives forever to Yahweh, instead, turned back to their old, familiar, false gods of Egypt and even persuaded Moses’ own brother Aaron to take their gold jewelry and melt it into a golden calf which they worshiped. Yes! Moses had gone back up on the mountain, with Joshua by his side, I might add, and stayed there for forty days. It was while he was gone the people rebelled. Moses came back down from the mountain and found many of the people drunk and partying and worshiping the golden calf. He was furious! He was enraged! He threw the 10 commandment tablets to the ground and broke them! (As John Smith said, he was actually the first one to break the 10 commandments!) Anyway, if you know the story, (and if you don’t, PLEASE, read the book of Exodus!), what followed was terrible. Those who took part in the rebellion had to be killed, and everyone was struck with a plague. Imagine how heartsick Moses must have been. And Joshua. And imagine how heartsick and disappointed the Lord was. The very people He had created and saved and shaped for Himself, had betrayed HIm. He told Moses to go ahead and pack up and head on up towards the Promised Land, but He wasn’t going with them anymore. Moses went off to meet with God privately on a regular basis. He pitched a tent outside the camp, some distance away, and called it “the tent of meeting.” It’s where He met with God. We’re told in Exodus 33 “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” We’re also told “Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” (:11) Have you ever thought about that before? Joshua remained in the Presence of God. Often. And as long as He could. Once you get a taste of that you want more. And if you’ve read the book of Joshua, (and if you haven’t, READ IT!), then you know that God worked through Him in powerful ways to conquer (most of) the Promised Land! Did you ever think about the fact it took years of preparation before he was able to do this? The most important part of his preparation was spending time with God and in His Presence. Beloved family, honored guests, I’m here today to invite you to continue to spend time in God’s Presence. Right now we’re experiencing a great deal of turmoil in our country with all the protests and riots from last week. Before this, we’ve just gone through three months of a pandemic. And now there’s also a tropical storm and we’re in hurricane season and there were even tornado watches out last night. It almost feels like it might be the end days, doesn’t it?! Well, it just might be. And if so, I want to encourage you this morning not to be dismayed, but, instead, to be filled with joy! Yes! Joy! In the midst of uncertainty and uneasiness and turmoil and fear… we can be the people of God who are not uncertain. Or uneasy. Or in turmoil. Or in fear! As the country moves towards more racial equality, (there is no prejudice in the Kingdom of God), and the pandemic recedes, the people of God have got to lead the way to binging in a new day with calm. And balance. And hope. And joy. Because, you see, it is being in His Presence that brings true joy. You cannot find it anywhere else. And, it is His Joy which brings Strength! Just ask Joshua! Last week a very close and dear friend sent me a podcast to watch from a site entitled “His Inscriptions.” This particular session was entitled “Trade Your Trials for Joy!” (Check it out on UTube.) In it, Deborah Perkins says part of the blessing of this period of lockdown has been the intimacy many have experienced with God. She said, as we leave this time, we don’t have to leave this place of abiding, or living with, Him! She said He’s preparing us for the battle. And yes, things are rough! And yes we need to be bold and stand up and speak out against things that aren’t right. The Lord also told her “those who love my Presence will have a continual feast of joy.” And it is this joy which gives us “enduring strength.” Do you feel weak? Do you feel depressed? You need strength. You need joy. You can find it in spending time in God’s Presence! Carve out time to spend with Him on a regular basis. Have a place and a time you meet with Him regularly. In other words, where’s YOUR “tent of meeting?” It can be a rocking chair in the morning for 30 minutes, or an hour, or two. Surrounded by worship music. With a Bible, and a journal nearby to write down inspiring Scriptures or words from God or even questions you may have. The point is, get to know God. And get to know Him better. Hang out with Him! Develop that tent of meeting to have such a lingering feeling of His Presence you can’t wait to go back there! In God’s Presence is where you’ll feel your cares, anger, concerns and everything else melt away. It is here you’ll receive hope. And comfort if you need it. Encouragement. Love. David, another one who knew God well and spent a lot of time in His Presence, wrote the words to Psalm 16:11 which say, “In Your Presence is fullness of joy.” It’s in the Bible! In God’s actual presence is where you will find joy. And not just a little bit. But fullness of it! In her podcast, Deborah reminded us there are scenes in the New Testament where joy emerges in contrast to the evil coming against the believers. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are in prison. They’re not complaining or bemoaning their situation. “Around midnight,” we read, “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (:25) Long story short, an earthquake just happens to occur, the prison doors fly open, and they are set free! The jailer’s about to kill himself, Paul says “stop,” jailer receives Christ, and is saved. He brings in his family, and they too, believe in Christ and are saved, and also baptized, and then at the end of this story in verse 34 it says, “he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God…” Back up nine chapters. Steven, our first Christian martyr, is being stoned to death. Stephen fit the criteria for leadership over daily food distribution, as one of seven men “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” (:4) He was known to be “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” (:5) He was also known as a man “full of God’s grace and power,” and he “performed great wonders and signs among the people.” 6:8 May we also be known as someone “full of the Spirit and wisdom; full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; and full of God’s grace and power.” And yes, as we prayed the Day of Pentecost prayer, “performing great signs and wonders among the people.” Not for our glory, but God’s. Not point to us, but Jesus. So anyway, opposition arose as it always does. The Jewish leaders had a mockery of a trial. They ask him if the trumped up charges are true, and he gives them a review of Jewish history which shows God’s faithfulness and sovereignty. He winds up his speech by calling his accusers “stiff-necked” and hard-hearted. And he accuses them of murdering the Messiah. Jesus the Christ. “The Righteous One.” At this they are furious and even “gnash their teeth.” But Stephen. He has joy. Yes. In the midst of this tense scene, he’s still filled with the Holy Spirit. He’s still staying close to God. He says, “Look, I see heaven opening and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (:56) At this they go crazy and rush him, drag him out of the city, and begin to stone him to death. Even then, he cries out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (:60.) Yes, like Jesus. He had extraordinary emotional strength to be able to do what he did. He remained plugged into His Light source until the very end. Yes, dear friends, we are in a war. And yes, it’s a dark time. But God has given us everything we need for such a time as this! Do NOT be discouraged. Do not allow yourself to dwell there should you slip into it! Fight it! Wrench your eyes off of whatever is taking you there, and put them on Jesus, instead! Wake up to the reality of His Presence in your life! Get into the Word! In Exodus 33:15, Moses essentially said, “If Your Presence, Yahweh, doesn’t go with us, we don’t even want to go.” Thankfully, God said “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” There is rest in the Presence of God. There is peace in abiding in His Holy Spirit. Are you tired? Do you need rest? Do you need peace? Spend time with God. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would come after He left and be with us forever. (John 14:16) And later on in that chapter He said, “Peace, I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (:27) In His Presence is fullness of joy. Peace. And joy. As we transition from the end of this message to Prayer and then Holy Communion, hear these words from Hebrews 10:19-25 [Read] [Turn over to Marty…]
