Abraham Lincoln experienced many defeats and terrible losses in his life before becoming our most beloved President. He understood repeated failure and suffering up close. In light of that he said: “How we handle success is a greater challenge to our character than how we handle defeat or failure.” Indeed. God dedicates a whole chapter to the deadliness of success to a life in Deuteronomy 8—the dilemma of our pride and apathy toward God when He blesses us. Few handle it well. This weekend we are going to take a first look at Moses in Hebrews 11, a man raised in affluence, luxury, opportunity and early successes—who still maintained as his primary life mission his submission to the living God against all odds. Even when it meant turning his back on all of it. How did he do it?
Can I Trust God? Can God Trust Me?
Part 6 - Making The Hard Choices
February 19, 2017 • Richard Fredericks, Ph.D.
Can I Trust God? Can God Trust Me?
March 26, 2017 • Richard Fredericks, Ph.D.
Lord Acton hit the nail on the head: “Power corrupts…and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Moses was right in Deuteronomy 8, when he explained why the LORD often has to hold back from blessing us the way He desires: “You may well say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this prosperity for me… then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God!” Jesus never said: “Take up your mirror and follow Me.” We have finished our gallery of ordinary heroes who became extraordinary by their obedient trust in God and answered ‘yes’ to the question: Can God be trusted? In our last message in our series on Hebrews 11 we turn to the deeper issue: Can God trust me? What person can be trusted by God with meaningful or powerful gifts in her/his life?
Can I Trust God? Can God Trust Me?
March 19, 2017 • Richard Fredericks, Ph.D.
In comfortable, consumer-oriented North America, land of individualistic self-fulfillment and endless upward mobility, the Biblical perspective on suffering is out of sync. This weekend we will explore the “Why?” question in the lives of some of God’s greatest champions of faith, when He did not rescue them from suffering or hardship. Especially, of course, His Son. We will wrestle with making character and effectiveness in God’s Kingdom higher priorities than comfort and ease as life’s great goals. Read ahead in Hebrews 11:35-39 in preparation for our study of “When Faith doesn’t Stop Suffering.”
Can I Trust God? Can God Trust Me?
March 12, 2017 • Richard Fredericks, Ph.D.
Weakness. No one wants to be accused of it. No one wants to be in a position of weakness. Every culture honors its winners and sidelines its losers, exalts the strong and despises the weak. But not God. He despises our pride, not our weakness. He brings down the mighty from their high places and lifts up the humble. His specialty is turning those who are seen as weak into His most powerful servants by their trust in Him. This weekend we explore Hebrews 11:32-35 and a gallery of men and women whose "weakness was turned to strength" as they acted in obedience to the God.