Revealed: The Names, Qualities, and Character of God Pt 4

Jehovah-rophe 

Isaiah 6:9-10 
And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Exodus 15:22-27
Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

1 Peter 2:24-25
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Revelation 22:1-5
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Jehovah-nissi

Exodus 17:8-16
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Romans 8:31-39
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Second City Church: Revealed Sermon Series 2017

Revealed: The Names, Qualities, and Character of God Pt 3

Adonai

Genesis 15:1-6
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Isaiah 6:1-10
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Jehovah-jireh

Genesis 22:1-19
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the thirdday Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

John 1:29-31
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Revelation 5:5-14
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Second City Church: Revealed Sermon Series 2017

Revealed: The Names, Qualities, and Character of God Pt 2

The first recorded language in which we have God reveal Himself is Hebrew. This is the language from which these names are transliterated.

Elohim

Translated in our English Bibles most times as "God."

The opening statement of Scripture begins with Elohim.  "In the beginning, God..." is the word Elohim here.

Not the most frequently cited term for the deity, but it occurs 2,570 times.

His Qualities

The derivation of the name is thought to come from two possible sources, one which points to God's:

Power (derived from the shorter Hebrew word El which means mighty, strong or prominent).

The other possible source of Elohim's derivation is which implies an important aspect of His nature which speaks of:

His Character

Covenant (derived from Alah which means to declare or swear).  This speaks of the right of the omnipotent being to establish designated and defined relationship with His creation, the basis of which is His authority as the sovereign Creator. 

He fulfills the covenant Himself (Genesis 15).

Many scholars believe that the plural in the name Elohim points to the Trinity, even as a singular pronoun or adjective was used to describe Him. 

This speaks of the unity in the Godhead as well as the person and purpose of Jesus.

Jehovah

Translated in our English Bibles most times as capitalized "the LORD."

*Most frequently used name of God in the OT, utilized 6823 times beginning in Genesis 2 where it is combined with Elohim.  YHWH transliteration which Jews after the destruction of the temple in 70AD used.

From the Hebrew verb havah which means "to be" or "being.

His Qualities

This means that He is the self-existent one, without beginning or end.  He is eternal and is the possessor of essential life with a permanent, unchanging existence.  The word translated "He" when relating to God is strikingly similar to the Hebrew havah, the word for being.

"The most noted Jewish commentator of the Middle Ages, Moses Maimonides, said with regard to this name (Jehovah): "All the names of God that occur in Scripture are derived from His works except one, and that is Jehovah; and this is called the plain name, because it teaches plainly and unequivocally of the substance of God."  Another has said: "In the name Jehovah, the personality of the Supreme is distinctly expressed. It is everywhere a proper name denoting the person of God, and Him only...Elohim....denoting usually the Supreme.  The Hebrew may say the Elohim, the true God, in opposition to all false gods; but he never says the Jehovah, for Jehovah is the name of the true God only.  He says again and again, my God or my Elohim, but never my Jehovah, for when he says my God he means Jehovah.  He speaks of the God (Elohim) of Israel but never of the Jehovah of Israel, for there is no other Jehovah.  He speaks of the living God, but never of the living Jehovah, for he cannot conceive of Jehovah as other than living."
- Nathan Stone, The Names of God

This is the name God used of Himself when He revealed Himself to Moses in the deliverance that He would bring about for Israel.

Exodus 3:13-17
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

"Elohim is the general name of God concerned with the creation and preservation of the world, that is, His works.  As Jehovah, He is the God of revelation in the expression of Himself in His essential moral and spiritual attributes.  But He is especially, as Jehovah, the God of revelation to Israel."
- Nathan Stone, The Names of God

John 8:51-59
Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

El-Shaddai

Translated in our English Bibles most times as "God Almighty."

Exodus 6:2-4
God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.

The name was revealed to Abraham and Sarah as God gave the promise of overcoming the natural death in their bodies and produced a supernatural lineage beginning with their son Isaac.  It had an even greater connection to the concept of God's self- and all-sufficiency - meaning that He is the one who nourishes, supplies and satisfies us fully as at a nursing mother's breast.

Genesis 17:1-8
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Because of our sin, we are brought to the end of ourselves and must rely on Jesus' sinless life and sacrificial death on the cross to be reconciled to God.  It through His resurrection from the dead and forthcoming return that our El Shaddai will satisfy us with eternal life, purpose, and hope. 

Second City Church: Revealed Sermon Series 2017

Revealed: The Names, Qualities, and Character of God

An Introduction

- Nathan Stone, The Names of God

Psalm 138:1-8 
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

What's in a Name?

2 "you have exalted above all things your name and your word"

1) God is self-revealing. 
It is important how someone identifies themselves so that you might know who they are and how to relate to them. 

Throughout Scripture, we have historical accounts of God revealing Himself by certain names (through which gives us a picture of His personal qualities and reputation on which He wants us to stake our hopes) and word (through which He gives us promises on which we build our lives based on His character). 

2) God's qualities give you a foundation through which you relate to Him.

It answers the questions:

What do I do? 
1-2a "I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods, I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple" 

Why? - God possesses the qualities of steadfast love and faithfulness

3) God's character gives you a foundation to which you respond to Him and others in the midst of life's circumstances. 

3 "On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased."

Psalm 138:4-6
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

The gospel is found in all of His words 

7 "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. "

The right hand was known as a source of strength, deliverance, a form of rescue.  Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross to show us His strength through the weakness of dying that our sin might be atoned for and we might be forgiven through repentance and faith in His name.  

1 Corinthians 1:22-25 
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The Most Important Name

The most important name through which God revealed Himself is the name of Jesus (which means the Lord saves and comes with the reputation of Christ's necessary sinless life, sacrificial death on the cross for our sins and triumphant resurrection from the dead to provide eternal life). There is no knowing God without this penultimate revelation of His Son who encompasses all of His qualities and expresses all of His character. 

Matthew 1:21-23 
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” which means, God with us.

Yeshua/Jesus - He will save his people from their sins
Immanuel - God with us 

John 14:8-9 
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 17:1-5 
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

John 17:6-19
“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Through that same faithfulness, God fulfills His purpose for our lives. 

Psalm 138:8
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Second City Church: Revealed Sermon Series 2017

Freedom

Dominican Republic Update

What an amazing first day! We were able to enjoy an authentic Dominican breakfast as a team before heading to Pastor Pive's.  Once we arrived, he was able to tell his story, give updates and explain the way the feeding program works. It was an amazing experience for us as a team to be able to walk the neighborhood, meet families and feed over 200 children. A couple hours later we were blessed to see children sitting in on their own children's service at Casa Belen. The children are amazing.  Tomorrow we start VBS with the kids . We are ending the night with worship as a team. We have grown so much as a family already.
 
You can follow (some of) our photos at #2ndcityDR2017 

John 8:31-38
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

The Importance of Abiding

Abiding in God's Word helps you remember the reality of His meta-narrative. It centers you in worship, the gospel and the purpose of God expressed through Jesus and His cross.  Without this, we drift quite naturally into worship of some other kind. 

"Man, so long as he remains free, has no more constant and agonizing anxiety than find as quickly as possible someone to worship."
- Fyodor Dostoevsky

True Freedom

The truth about relationships, pleasures, happiness and life purpose, satisfaction and peace are all in Christ through His word.  It is your very plain roadmap to achieving what stands at the heart of all mankind as most desirable.  It is because we were made that way, designed by God and for Him.  True freedom is being able to walk in your ultimate design and life calling. 

"Free will is not the liberty to do whatever one likes, but the power of doing whatever one sees ought to be done, even in the very face of otherwise overwhelming impulse. There lies freedom, indeed."
- George Macdonald

Real Slavery

"He that is kind is free, though he is a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king."
- Augustine

They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.  - Jesus

Who's Your Daddy?

Unbeknownst to us, we can be shaped by the pattern of the world around us if we are not being shaped by Christ.  This is when someone other than God begins fathering you.

 "If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having."
- C.S. Lewis

Jesus fought the penultimate battle for us, voluntarily laying down His life for our sins at the cross.  He became sin so that He might not only take the punishment for our sin, but redeem us/buy us back from its power having paid the price of our servitude.  

"Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want."
- Martin Luther

We are no longer slaves, but free to live as children of God in His resurrection power as we choose to love Him as He has loved us. 

"In almost everything that touches our everyday life on earth, God is pleased when we're pleased. He wills that we be as free as birds to soar and sing our maker's praise without anxiety."
- A. W. Tozer

Second City Church: Freedom Sermon 2017

Lent - Part 6

Lent is Acknowledging Christ's Sovereignty

Luke 19:28-40
And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Zechariah 9:9-10 
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Sovereignty refers to Jesus' rulership in your life:
Time - Am I serving?
Talent - Am I using my gifts for the advancement of God's kingdom? 
Relationships - Am I living in a loving, forgiving, holy manner towards others?
Resources - Am I tithing and stewarding His treasure well?

Psalm 118:25-26 
Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

Acknowledging God's sovereignty also means trusting that He is benevolent and in control of the outcomes following our obedience. 

Lent is Acknowledging Christ's Salvation

Luke 19:41-44 
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. 

How has He been making His appeal to you?  Is there anything that you are missing?  How is God trying to bring you into the peace of His death on the cross, burial and resurrection life?

Second City Church: Lent Sermon Series 2017

Lent - Part 2

Lent is a period where we reflect on the person, coming, sacrifice and purpose of Jesus Christ. In doing so, today we will focus on how He came to redeem both our attitudes towards one another and our actions produced by faith (or a lack thereof). 

Attitude

Your attitude towards others reveals your heart.

Lent reminds us not to show partiality in our love/treatment of others. 

James 2:1-13
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

"God's tolerance for sin has not softened around the edges.  And while his only begotten Son has since laid down his life as the ultimate, blemish-free sacrifice for our sins, it does nothing to diminish the directive in this three-word sentence: "Stop doing evil (Isaiah 1:16)."  Don't take a break from evil.  Or fast from evil.  Or be sure to clean up after yourself when you're done.   Stop doing evil."
- Sharon Hodde Miller

Actions

Your actions reveal your faith/trust in God.

Lent reminds us not to piecemeal God's commands. 

James 2:14-26
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

In reference to Isaiah 4:2:
"Divine judgment on society begins to manifest itself in the disappearance of solid leadership, and the appearance of immature, capricious leaders."

"Redemption always has the last word.  No matter the darkness and confusion, chaos never reigns.  God reigns.  He is always in control, leading the sadness and mess toward one inevitable conclusion:

HE WINS.

Death dies.

Suffering is extinguished.

Joy comes in the morning.

Whether our present leaders are corrupt, or our personal lives are in shambles, this present darkness is not the end of the story."
- Sharon Hodde Miller

"Heard this today: You don't have to participate with church to be a Christian. You don't have to go home to be married. But in both cases you will have a very poor relationship.
- Charles Kiefer, via Facebook

Second City Church: Lent Sermon Series 2017

Let's Go! - Lift Up and Link Up

Exodus 17:8-16
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Coming out of a time of fasting, prayer, and consecration, we are imbued with fresh
Power in the Holy Spirit
Perspective
Pruning
Peace.

How do we keep these things once we've left the mountain?

Lift Up

Amalek comes from the root word Amal meaning: wearing effort and worry.

It is what Jesus referenced in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13) saying that even when there is understanding and a root system (private life developed in Christ), the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for pleasures or other things come in to choke the Word making it unfruitful in your life. 

This means that God's gospel ambitions and kingdom directives are no longer your own. 

A kingdom principle we will never get around:

As long as Moses' hands were raised, the Israelites were winning; when they were lowered, the Amalekites were winning. 

Consistency counts in the kingdom and in life.  

It is the product of faith in someone (Jesus) being willing and able (Matthew 8:1-4) or that something (laying hold of His throne in prayer) works.  If you have faith, it produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is faithfulness. 

This is the prayer life of the church (I Timothy 2:8) beginning with the leadership on behalf of the people who are in the fight of faith. 

Psalm 121:1-8 
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

If you are going to lead, you've got to go up the hill to have a bigger perspective than just your individual life (Acts 6:1-7).  The staff of God represented God's authority, power, and direction as the good shepherd. 

"Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

How can we make that express the love of God to make things better for people on earth while inspiring the reward of heaven when we stand before Jesus one day?

Link Up

You need to go up with Aaron and Hur.

LinkedIn Profile for your Aaron and Hur:

1) They are with you on the hill. 

Here is a case where proximity matters.

2) They are of the same family (of faith).

Here is a case where the perspective/person you get your counsel from matters.

When attempting to follow Christ, many people continue to indulge on the advice and support of those who have no love for God just because they've known them longer and there is comfort there. The lesson of the gospel though is that Jesus continually builds new communities of faith wherefrom you derive your counsel while you bring others along who you know and love (Moses left the courts of Pharoah to be united to his Hebrew kin who would by faith, go into God's directive of the promised land.) See Psalm 1:1.

3) They are in the same fight.

Here is a case when where people are pointed matters. 

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

Joshua overcame with the sword. 

Use the same sword of the Spirit that Jesus uses in the wilderness to overcome the devil's temptations, that you relied on to fight and was bread to nourish you in the time of consecration. 

"A hand upon the throne of the Lord" - The Lord is my banner.

God's design is that through trust in Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross and victory in His resurrection from the dead, God will make war on the wearisome effort and worry from generation to generation. 

"It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you."
- Timothy J. Keller

Second City Church: Let's Go! Sermon Series 2017

Let's Go!

Please join our Church Fast January 16th -20th and click to use this helpful prayer and fasting guide. 

Luke 4:1-15
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 

The purpose of fasting:
1) Humbling ourselves
2) Acknowledging dependence on God
3) Believing for breakthrough

In the new year, you will have the same temptations face you as did Jesus.

Temptation #1: 
The devil attacked Jesus' identity (If you are the son of God...) and ability (command this stone to become bread), appealing to His carnal appetites.

Have you ever said: I work so hard, I deserve this sin pleasure, break from obedience, etc.? 

What are the carnal pleasures offered in the city?

Will I allow the simple, carnal pleasures of life to satisfy me or will I allow God to draw me into intimacy with Himself, provoking me into the most good for humanity, this city and the world?

You may lay hold of that which you can make with your own hands - see, taste, touch, etc., while inwardly you wither.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying the things God designed us to need in life - you should, just as God says to eat to live physically.  (Plan trips with your family/brothers and sisters in Christ, enjoy events in the city, discover new eateries, but always remember: Man does not live on bread alone (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Will my focus be solely working for my daily bread, or will I live on the Word of God which orders my steps and feeds my soul for the eternal purposes of God?

Temptation #2:
The devil tempted Jesus with power and honor.

"I will give you the world's authority, glory, acclaim, popularity..."

Worshiping the devil can be outright, but it can also be more subtle - cutting corners and breaking the commands of God to get ahead.

Appealing to the ways of the world in dress, speech or what you promote to be seen.

Worship also means "service."  

Where is the lion's share of your energy going and what is it building?  

Can you see the touch of Christ on it and would He value it (Luke 16:15)?
(I.e. - making money to provide generously for kingdom endeavors and strengthening the poor, medicine appeals to the heart of God the healer, education to Christ the Rabbi and a good teacher, working construction or doing real estate to His creativity and cultivating the earth....) But what is the end of it?  What does it lead to?

Do not work for promotion, your career and power at the expense of Christ's kingdom, because in it you find your identity.

Worship the Lord your God,  and Him only shall you serve. (see Deuteronomy 6:13/Luke 4:8 ESV)

Temptation #3:
The devil tempted Jesus with an improper appropriation of God's Word. 

You shall not put the Lord Your God to the test.

How do we do this?

"Oh, we can sin when we want, in drunkenness, lust, pornography, harsh words to our spouses, backbiting at work, exasperating our children - because it says God will forgive me...."

Do not take the Lord for granted. You will reap what you sow this year.

After his defeat, the devil left (I Peter 5:9-11) until an opportune time.  It is a cycle and we must be prepared.  Fasting and prayer puts us in such a place as we set our hearts and minds on God, His word and His eternal ends.

The goal is to return to the city in the power of the Spirit, just like Christ, to see souls saved, disciples made and a city rebuilt to His glory.

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1 Corinthians 1:28-31
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Second City Church: Let's Go Sermon Series 2017

Guest Speaker - Cole Parleir

Advent

Preparing for God's Promise of Christ

What is Advent?

Growing up in a plethora of Protestant and Charismatic churches in NC, I had no idea what ‘advent’ was.  It was either because we didn’t talk about it or I was just caught up in the kids Christmas play and didn’t realize what was happening.  Learning of different denominations of Christianity and the traditional Christian calendar, I now know what Advent is. My life has more structure now in general, praise the Lord!

In case you are like me and don't know what the Advent season is and the word advent, it comes from the Latin word ‘advenire’ which is two words, ‘ad’ meaning ‘to’ and ‘venire’ meaning ‘come.’  Together we get the word advent meaning: something to come.  Think “arrival,’ no not the aliens and their language.

Dictionary.com says it’s a noun meaning
A coming into place, view, or being; arrival.
the coming of Christ into the world.

The period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, so welcome to the advent season -  since it started last Sunday!

Synonyms
Onset, beginning, commencement, start.

What is the “Christ” or the “Messiah”?

Messiah
Hebrew for ‘anointed one’

Christ
Greek translation of messiah meaning, ‘anointed one’

The anointed one
anoint means to “smear or rub with oil”
Synonymous
Consecrate, bless, ordain, hallow

Anointed to do what?
To be the victor over Satan and sin prophesied since the fall

“And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.””-Genesis‬ 3:15‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”-Romans‬ 16:20‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The blessing to all peoples through Abraham, the father of faith:
““I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.””
--Genesis‬ 12:2-3‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

““Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.””---Acts‬ 3:24-26‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Passover Lamb of God

“Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”--Exodus‬ 12:21-23‬ NIV‬    ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is Godʼs Chosen One.”--John‬ 1:29-34‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Prophet like Moses

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.”---Deuteronomy‬ 18:15-19‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”--John‬ 6:14‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Suffering Savior for the sins of the world

“See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord ʼs will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”--Isaiah‬ 52:13-53:12‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”--1 Peter‬ 2:21-25‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”--Isaiah‬ 9:1-7‬ ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Immanuel – God with Us

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”--Isaiah‬ 7:14‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”--Matthew‬ 1:21-25‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

‬‬The Son of God and The Son of Man

“Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”--John‬ 1:49-51‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Light of the world

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husbandʼs will, but born of God.”--John‬ 1:9-13‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Word

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”--John‬ 1:14-18‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Who is the Christ?

Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one.

“And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him (Jesus). He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."--Luke‬ 4:17-19‬ ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Peter, by revelation from the Father:
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”--Matthew‬ 16:13-19‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬
 

One Solitary Life by Dr. James Allen Francis (Son of Man)

“Let us turn now to the story. A child is born in an obscure village. He is brought up in another obscure village. He works in a carpenter shop until he is thirty, and then for three brief years is an itinerant preacher, proclaiming a message and living a life. He never writes a book. He never holds an office. He never raises an army. He never has a family of his own. He never owns a home. He never goes to college. He never travels two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He gathers a little group of friends about him and teaches them his way of life. While still a young man, the tide of popular feeling turns against him. One denies him; another betrays him. He is turned over to his enemies. He goes through the mockery of a trial; he is nailed to a cross between two thieves, and when dead is laid in a borrowed grave by the kindness of a friend.

Those are the facts of his human life. He rises from the dead. Today we look back across nineteen hundred years and ask, What kind of trail has he left across the centuries? When we try to sum up his influence, all the armies that ever marched, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned are absolutely picayune in their influence on mankind compared with that of this one solitary life…”

This one solitary life is the only life. He is the beginning and the end, the way the truth and the life, the only way to God the Father, the savior of the world, the Lord of heaven and earth, the healer, the redeemer, the vine, the king of all, the Christ, the Messiah, the teacher, the giver of the Holy Spirit….and the soon to return king, savior, and judge.  

Response

If today you have realized for the first time the grand story of God's plan to save the earth, to save you by washing your sins away because of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, the Lord forevermore, respond today.

Jesus says,

““All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”” - Matthew‬ 11:27-30‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Father has chosen to reveal Himself to you today. Will you accept God's invitation to come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, repenting of your sins and trusting in Jesus to give you eternal life and bring you into a relationship the Father?

Body Talk: Part 4

Our Place Within the City

There are at least three things to which God responds positively:

Love, faith, and obedience.  All of these will be required as you are making your way through the daily grind to the destiny that God has for you.  This is what the men and women of Scripture had to learn.  As we reflect today on the church's place within the city, we will be reminded of the security Christ provides for you, what creates stability within a city and Christ's sanctions for the church within it.

Your Security

LOVE

1 Corinthians 12:7
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

Working for the benefit of a church, company, and city in which you find yourself is a gospel imperative. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 

You are working for the prosperity of the city to the degree that it honors the Lord.

Is it possible to have a love motivation in your work when profit is a goal or your academics when advancement is the key?

Everyone wants to advance in life. However, the question is:

Do you ultimately depend on God's favor or your own political maneuvering for promotion?

1 Timothy 5:24-25
The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. 

Do you live this way in your church?  In the workplace?

1 Chronicles 29:10-19
Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.” 

Sometimes the lack of promotion that you are experiencing is God's hand trying to give you time.  He is lovingly trying to protect you and others from putting you in a place that will cause damage to yourself, your family and others. 

1 Timothy 3:8-13
Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 

Psalm 75:1-10
We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’” For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. 

Matthew 23:1-12
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."
- Attributed to Pablo Picasso

A City's Stability

FAITH

The book of Revelation speaks of Christ's final product, the new city, the Heavenly Jerusalem coming down from Heaven to be the future home of righteousness, worship and God's people, the saints. In the meantime, until Christ's restoration of all things, we are to bless the cities in which we live. 

Proverbs 11:9-12
With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent. 

God appoints men and women of His Kingdom who will see with the eye of faith to bless and build cities to His glory rather than bemoan them.   

A Nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but it's lowest ones
- Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members
- Mahatma Gandhi

 Christ's Sanction

OBEDIENCE

What we are primarily discussing and attempting to shape through the Scripture is not simply behavior or beliefs, but a worldview through which you invite God to direct your story as you interact with the world in your everyday experiences.  We know how He does this since e is the God who does not change (Malachi 3:6) and has given us examples of this through his interactions with men, women and societies of the past.  A Biblical worldview touches your values, your ambitions, your moral interpretations and your entire life trajectory.  

A sanction can mean one of two things:

1. a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule. 
2. official permission or approval for an action.

In the gospel narrative, we see both in operation, the fall and the curse, salvation through Christ's cross and redemption through a return to obedience. 

Jeremiah 29:1-14
These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Second City Church: Body Talk Sermon Series 2016

Body Talk: Part 3

Our Place in One Another's Lives

CHRIST CARES

John 11:1-16
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory ofGod, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 

CHRIST HEALS

"How can you cope with the end a world and the beginning of another one? How can you put an earthquake into a test-tube, or the sea into a bottle? How can you live with the terrifying thought that the hurricane has become human, that the fire has become flesh, that life itself came to life and walked in our midst? Christianity either means that, or it means nothing. It is either the more devastating disclosure of the deepest reality in the world, or it’s a sham, a nonsense, a bit of deceitful play-acting. Most of us, unable to cope with saying either of those things, condemn ourselves to live in the shallow world in between…
– N.T. Wright, For All God’s Worth

Fighting through very real hurts and disappointments

"Faultfinding without suggestions for improvement is a waste of time." - Ralph C. Smedley, Founders of Toastmasters International

Matthew 7:1-5
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

CHRIST CREATES COMMUNITY

God's design:

No one is an independent contractor. What I do affects my family (in Christ) and what my family (in Christ) does affects me. 

John 11:38-44
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 

Referenced this clip in the message. Listen to the podcast. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lCdY8xS_TGE

Ephesians 5:18-21
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

Proverbs 18:1
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. 

Jesus is the one who miraculously raises dead parts of our hearts and existence to life.  He then commands that those in your church family help unwrap the grave's clothes and help you get released when you are stuck. The only way it doesn't work is if you don't submit (Ephesians5:18-21) or avail yourself (Proverbs 18:21) (picture Lazarus trying to hop away).  

Come to Christ and His cross to be transformed.  Engage His people to see the grave clothes come off.  Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Repentance and humility - choosing to do things His way will bring us into that life.

Second City Church: Body Talk Sermon Series 2016

Back to Church Sunday - Back to What?

Christ

God's church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. It helps you see God and His plan for the world clearly through the preaching of His eternal word.

1 Timothy 3:14-16
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Matthew 16:13-20
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. 

Community

God's church is a family. We share life together during the ups and the downs, during the trials and successes as we pursue Christ and His Kingdom.

Matthew 12:46, 48-50
While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” 

"Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate." 
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (1939) 

Comfort

God's church is a refuge. It is a place to find healing and wholeness in God in the midst of life's struggles.

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Change

God's church is your vehicle for change. It's people help you and society get there.

2 Timothy 2:19
But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” 

Renaming the city:  The church should be on the front lines of addressing issues such as:

Systemic Poverty
Racism

Matthew 16:21-28
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

"If God gives you a few more years, remember, it is not yours.  Your time must honor God, your home must honor God, your activity must honor God, and everything you do must honor God." 
- A.W. Tozer

Second City Church: Back To Church Sunday Sermon 2016

Faith of Our Fathers: Part 4

Hebrews 11:30-40
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. 

Lessons Learned:

Go with God's Plan (even if it seems absurd to you and others) 

Jericho

Choose the Right Team  

Rahab 

(Sensitive issues in our culture today can invite reproach when it has to do with moral absolutes and the commands of God.) 

Rahab's life was redeemed, she was grafted into the family of God and she became a physical descendant of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).

Advance the Cause of Christ  

They conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Reach for the Resurrection

Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 

Live for the reward of tomorrow, not today. 

The resurrection cannot be tamed or tethered by any utilitarian test. It is a vast watershed in history, or it is nothing. It cannot be tested for truth; it is the test of lesser truths. No light can be thrown on it; its own light blinds the investigator. It does not compel belief; it resists it. But once accepted as fact, it tells more about the universe, about history, and about man's state and fate than all the mountains of other facts in the human accumulation.
- Editorial in Life © 1956, Time, Inc.

See from the whole to the part. 

Your life is part of a larger story in Christ.

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. 

Easter means—hope prevails over despair. Jesus reigns as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. … Easter says to us that despite everything to the contrary, his will for us will prevail, love will prevail over hate, justice over injustice and oppression, peace over exploitation and bitterness.
- Desmond Tutu in Crying in the Wilderness

Second City Church: Faith of Our Fathers Sermon Series 2016

Redemption - Sins of the Fathers

 

Identifying Patterns

Genesis 26:1-5 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Abraham went down to Egypt in famine.

We can not be driven by fear.

We need to recognize and break generational patterns that don't align with God's Word.

The patterns that shaped you do not have to be the patterns that keep you. Build on God's Word.

God reminds us of His promises repeatedly to keep us on track and give us perspective, hope in the midst of trials.

What promises has He spoken to you? How have you needed to be reminded of it during times of testing?

You first need to identify where God has placed you (and with whom - i.e. your present marriage and children) to have the faith to sow in times of famine.

Breaking Patterns

Genesis 26:6-16 So Isaac settled in Gerar. When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father. And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

Even in obedience, there are times of testing.

Isaac responded the same way as Abraham, out of fear because of the beauty of his wife.

It may be the same place, the same marriage, the same children and the same circumstances, but as we sow in faith we believe God to bring about increase and blessing.

Sowing into new things in the familiar famine, you can reap a reward in the same year.

Sowing Into Something New

Genesis 26:17-33 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” From there he went up to Beersheba. And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.” So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well. When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.” So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

Sowing into something new may be digging up the old wells that provided life to you in the beginning or that others set a clear godly example for you regarding. Through God's redemption, wells that have been stopped up can be unplugged.

Second City Church: Redemption Sermon Series 2016

Chicago Fire - Jesus and a New Paradigm Church

 

Acts 10:1-8 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Acts 10:34-48 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ he is Lord of all, you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

"The average man has no central core of moral assurance, no spring within his breast, no inner strength to place him above the need for repeated psychological shots to give him the courage to go on living. He has become a parasite on the world, drawing his life from his environment, unable to live a day apart from the stimulation which society affords him." - A.W. Tozer

"I remind you that there are churches so completely out of the hands of God that if the Holy Spirit withdrew from them, they wouldn't find it out for many months." - A.W. Tozer, Tozer Pulpit

"When you strip it of everything else, Pentecost stands for power and life. That's what came into the church when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost."- David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade

Second City Church: Chicago Fire: The Spirit-Led Church in the City Sermon Series 2016

reThink Easter

HOPE

"Optimism hopes for the best without any guarantee of its arriving and is often no more than whistling in the dark. Christian hope, by contrast, is faith looking ahead to the fulfillment of the promises of God, as when the Anglican burial service inters the corpse 'in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.' Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God himself. Optimism reflects ignorance as to whether good things will ever actually come. Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of his life, and every moment beyond it, the believer can say with truth, on the basis of God's own commitment, that the best is yet to come." - J.I. Packer

Luke 24:1-12 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

SACRIFICE

How often has Jesus been with us and we've not recognized Him? (My car accident on a bridge in Charleston, others' near death experiences, job openings, comfort during loss, questions about life's meaning and purpose).

Luke 24:13-27 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

FORGIVENESS

Luke 24:36-53 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

"...left to ourselves we lapse into a kind of collusion with entrophy, acquiescing in the general belief that things may be getting worse but that there's nothing much we can do about them. And we are wrong. Our task in the present...is to live as resurrection people in between Easter and the final day, with our Christian life, corporate and individual, in both worship and mission, as a sign of the first and a foretaste of the second." - N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Our Response - Repentance and Faith

"Dead men cannot take effective action; their power of influence on others lasts only till the grave. Deeds and actions that energise others belong only to the living. Well, then, look at the facts in this case. The Saviour is working mightily among men, every day He is invisibly persuading numbers of people all over the world, both within and beyond the Greek-speaking world, to accept His faith and be obedient to His teaching. Can anyone, in face of this, still doubt that He has risen and lives, or rather that He is Himself the Life? Does a dead man prick the consciences of men...?" - Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation

Second City Church- reThink Easter 2016

The Supremacy of Christ - Week Five

 

Jesus made His entry into Jerusalem Palm Sunday, declaring His supremacy as the long awaited Messiah, King and Savior. As we come upon Easter Sunday, we will see what this means in our lives today.

Mark 11:1-10 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Palm Sunday, Jesus was coming in fulfillment of God's Word as the long awaited Messiah and Savior of Israel (Zechariah 9:9). The cloaks on the road symbolized the crowd's submission to Jesus as king while the palm branches were signs connected to times of prominent Jewish victories. The cry "Hosanna" was a term meaning "Please save" Son of David and exemplified the people's cry to Jesus as the promised Davidic Savior.

The Israelites had a hope that was fulfilled in Jesus' coming according to God's promised Word. Through the cross, Jesus conquered Satan, the power of sin and death in our lives and will make a return, not to die, but to reign over all the earth in righteousness. This is the continued promise of His Word. Until that time, He comes to you like the colt and says He has need of you to fulfill His purposes.

"But everyone who lined the streets had a different reason for waving those palms. Some were political activists; they’d heard Jesus had supernatural power, and they wanted him to use it to free Israel from Roman rule. Others had loved ones who were sick or dying. They waved branches, hoping for physical healing. Some were onlookers merely looking for something to do, while others were genuine followers who wished Jesus would establish himself as an earthly king. Jesus was the only one in the parade who knew why he was going to Jerusalem – to die. He had a mission, while everyone else had an agenda." - Bill Hybels

How does the Lord lay hold of you and what does it look like for Him to use you in the fulfillment of His word?

Colossians 4:2-18 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him, and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Show up because it ALL matters in the fulfillment of God's purposes and Word.

1. Your resources (the colt in Mark 11)
2. Your prayers (Colossians 4:2-4, 12-13)
3. Your outreach (Colossians 4:5-6)
4. Your testimony/encouragement (Colossians 4:7-9)
5. Your ministry/service (Colossians 4:10-18)

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

Second City Church- The Supremacy of Christ Sermon Series 2016

The Supremacy of Christ - Week Three

Jesus is superior to man made religion.

Colossians 2:6-15 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Jesus is superior to man made religion because:

1. He comes as Lord giving commandments, not invitations.

2. Jesus is far above all rule and authority, meaning He is sovereign and arranges life in His providence.

The doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in the grip of blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate); all that happens to them is divinely planned, and each event comes as a new summons to trust, obey, and rejoice, knowing that all is for one's spiritual and eternal good (Rom. 8:28) -JI Packer

In Him: 2:6 walk in Him 2:7 rooted and built up in Him 2:9 in Him all the fullness of deity dwells bodily 2:10 you have been filled in Him 2:11 you were circumcised in Him 2:12 in Him you were raised up 2:15 triumphing over them in Him

Colossians 2:16-23 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” referring to things that all perish as they are used—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

1. Commands are given for your edification, not your justification.

2. The goal is that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you would have command over your own mind, will and emotions so that you might do the things that lead to life, not indulge the flesh (sinful nature) which leads to death.

Second City Church- The Supremacy of Christ Sermon Series 2016

The Supremacy of Christ - Week Two

The mystery of God revealed is that Christ comes to make a home in believers giving them a hope of eternal glory. This glory is expressed in our pardon from sin, our power over it through Christ and the expectation of perfection at Jesus' return. Today we will unpack the Scripture to see how God enables us to walk in such strength.

Colossians 1:24-2:5 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Christ in you, the hope of glory

1. The hope of pardon for past mistakes - the forgiveness of sins

2. The hope of power over sin to break its cycle

3. The expectation of perfection in Christ where you can forever live free and in righteousness.

Penance or the sacrament of reconciliation is more clearly defined biblically as restitution.

Acts 26:19-20 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

Struggling with all his energy that He powerfully works within me

How it's done

Romans 8:5-11 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled, as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. - Saint Francis of Assisi

Second City Church- The Supremacy of Christ Sermon Series 2016