In __ We Trust - Part 3 - In Loving Others I Trust
November 24, 2024 • Pastor Zac Elliott • Matthew 5:42–45, 1 John 2:15–17, Luke 16:19–31
This is part 3 of our series, "In __ We Trust," where we examine the things that we wrongly put our trust in and compare them to the God we should trust in. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches about how important it is to live our lives for other people and not for ourselves. Teaching from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, he draws out biblical truth about how we should treat other people. What does it look like when we start loving others?
I value others above myself.
In the parable, the rich man knew Lazarus but never offered to help him. He only ever valued his own comfort and left Lazarus to suffer. As Christians we should value other people more than ourselves, putting their needs first. In humility, we should consider others to be of greater value than ourselves.
I care for others more than my comfort.
It would have been uncomfortable for the rich man to offer care for Lazarus, so he never did. Christians are called to set aside our own selfish desires and put first the good of others. Discomfort should not discourage us from giving comfort to others.
I show kindness to those who are different than me.
This means not only that we are kind to people from different backgrounds, but also to people who disagree with us. According to the bible, we must show love even to our enemies.
My love for others is a mirror of my love for Jesus.
We should be honest about ourselves and ask whether or not we truly love others. If we truly love others, it shows that we truly love Jesus. On the other hand, if we do not love others, it shows that we do not know Jesus at all. Don't be a hypocrite, but instead love God, love others, and tell everyone the good news.
In __ We Trust - Part 2 - In Gratitude I Trust
November 17, 2024 • Pastor Zac Elliott • 2 John 6, Psalm 92:1–2, James 5:14–15, Luke 17:11–19
This is part 2 of our series, "In __ We Trust," where we examine the things that we wrongly put our trust in and compare them to the God we should trust in. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches about the importance of gratitude in our lives. We choose to focus on our ingratitude and negative experiences when we should be grateful and focus on the blessings we have instead.
In Gratitude I Trust
In our story for this message, Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one of the ten return to thank him. While many of us are unfamiliar with leprosy today, in Jesus' day it was a deadly disease. Many of those who contracted leprosy would lose feeling in their limbs, causing any minor wound to become infected. Quite often, lepers lost limbs because of this. Much like sin, leprosy destroys the body from the inside out.
Leprosy and sin have more in common as well. Both are more than skin deep and both infect a whole person. Leprosy caused a person to be cast out of society, while sin, much more seriously, causes people to be cast out of God's kingdom into hell. Both lepers and sinners are essentially dead men walking. Finally, just as the only hope for the lepers was healing through Jesus, the only hope for sinners is salvation through Jesus. What can we learn about showing gratitude from this story?
We can cry out to Jesus, our Master
When we recognize Jesus as Master, we subjugate our sinful desire to reject authority. At its core, sin is rebellion against God, and when we cry out to Jesus as Lord and Master, we put him back in charge.
When we walk in obedience, miracles happen.
We must choose to walk according to what God designed. The lepers were healed when they did what Jesus told them to do. If we ever want to see miracles in our lives, we must walk in the way God laid out for us.
We need a rapid return to gratitude
We should be as quick to show gratitude as the tenth leper was to return to Jesus. Some of us are very quick to show other responses, but how often are we quick to say, "Thank you"?
In God's healing I trust
We must recognize that Jesus is the healer and we should look to him first when we need healing. God might work through modern medicine or doctors or any number of means to heal us, but all good things ultimately come from God. Turn to God first.
In __ We Trust - Part 1 - In my New Life in Christ I trust
November 10, 2024 • Pastor Zac Elliott • Galatians 2:20, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Romans 8:31–39, Colossians 3:1–6, 2 Corinthians 5:17
This is part 1 of our series, "In __ We Trust," where we examine the things that we wrongly put our trust in and compare them to the God we should trust in. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches about the new life we have in Christ, and why that means we shouldn't live in our old life any longer. We start with the question: What does a new life in Christ look like?
We died with Christ - We are alive with Christ - We are raised with Christ
To die with Christ means we die to sin. We are no longer to indulge our sinful desires, but instead we must live a life that is transformed. We have been freed from bondage to slavery, and now we can live for Christ. Just as Christ lives, we can also live with him. Just as Christ has been raised to new life, so, too, are we raised to new life with him.
We are hidden with Christ
Because we are hidden with Christ, we are protected from danger and our salvation is secure. There is nothing that will separate us from the love of God expressed in Christ Jesus. Take heart! If God is for us, then who can be against us?
We are glorified with Christ
A deep mystery of the faith is that just as Christ was glorified, so will we also be glorified. Christ's resurrection is a promise of our own future resurrection. On that day, we will receive glorified bodies free of sin or any blemish. When Jesus returns, he will raise all believers from the dead and restore our bodies to a perfected and glorified state. This is the hope which Christians have eagerly awaited for 2,000 years.
What should you do now?
Because of this, we must strive to put to death all our worldly desires. It is not only that we try to stop sinning, but that we try to purge even our sinful passions. With God's help, we must replace our earthly natures little by little with something that resembles heaven.
How can you defeat your sinful desires this week?
