Too Small A Thing

Coming Soon: Too Small a Thing

*** Isaiah 49:1-7 ***

It is hard to conceptualize the relevance of God's thoughts towards man when God is an afterthought in our minds and culture. We want to relegate the divine to positive thinking and self-help programs, yet the problem is that He is so much more than a motivating force. He is the unique, independent, personal Creator of the universe who, out of His love for us, makes demands on our lives. Through the Scripture He is calling us back to relationship with Himself while placing preeminence on the purposes that He has for our lives.

Whether you are walking with Him presently or not, God had something in mind when he created you that was to be part of His redemptive plan for humanity and all of creation. Though we often sell out to lesser things, to throw off the shallowness of our daily living, we must ultimately consider the call of God, press through discouragements, and embrace the extent of Christ's salvation.

The Call of God

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 NIV84)

*** Life's struggles are a matter of identity and people's perpetual search for who they are outside of God. This is an incessant losing quest, because from the outset, God is the one who reveals Himself and gives His creation identity. If we try to base our identity on what we have, what we've accomplished, or what we have done, when those things are removed from us, our worlds crumble. Things will change in life - the tax rate, your portfolio, your health, your age, your relationships. If, however, we know to whom we belong, and to what He has called us, we pivot from a place of security and strength, because ultimately our value and reward are in His hands.

What was Jesus appointed to do? He was appointed by God the Father to bring His wandering people back to Himself. The question becomes for us, what have we been appointed by God to do with our days? There is no fulfilling the call of God if you are walking free of His direction or in rebellion to His commands in the manner in which you choose to live. Jesus was the example of consistent submission and perfect fulfillment of the call of God that we are to emulate. So many people have abundant resources in their life, but squander it in either selfish living or thinking that the value of their skills cul de sac with their personal enjoyment. Your call is to give to God, in service to others, as a part of His redeeming plan in the world. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. (Isaiah 49:2 NIV84)

The message that you have to communicate and the contribution that you have to make of eternal worth is developed in the hidden place where you are seeking the face of God. It does not matter how old or young that you are; Moses began at 40 and stepped into his role of a deliverer at 80.

There is a process that all of us will have to endure to find ourselves fully immersed in the purpose of God. Much to the chagrin of our pride, like Christ, our road often begins in humble service and in obscurity. Though knowing that he was the unique Son of God, the 27th, 28th, and 29th years of Christ's life brought no relief to this process, but it was all in preparation for his three years that would turn the world upside down.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A naturalist perspective would say that we are lucky mud waiting to expire when the last cells in our body degenerate. Yet we all, unexplainably outside of the call of God, long for something more, to be of value and to be able to contribute something of worth. To know God is to know your purpose. To follow Jesus is to be faithful to the divinely delegated tasks for which you were created as a part of His church.

The Enemy Named Discouragement

He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord 's hand, and my reward is with my God.” (Isaiah 49:3, 4 NIV84)

Discouragement arrives when, on the surface, our circumstances look different than what we expected them to be. The only way to battle it is not with the placebo of fantasy and positive thinking but with a sincere confidence that your life is being led in such a way worthy of God's reward. Do you have that confidence?

*** Damaged trust in God and a discarded faith is the natural result of being in religious environments where there has been hypocrisy, abuse, or a lack of life-transforming power. Was there a reason for such impotency? Where is God in the midst of these institutions? Is He even there? The Son of God Himself had to wrestle with similar stuggles in the midst of life's trials, and so will we. The voices that you entertain during your years of hiddeness can make or break you, because discouragement will come. How do we recover after being exposed to such empty shells of spirituality? The answer is found in the models laid out in his Word.

As opposed to Western individualistic thinking, the call of God is not found in isolation where you are the end unto yourself. Rather in God, our destiny is found in the community in which He places us, and is fulfilled when we find the local expression of our part of the greater whole. This is the importance and value of the local church, where your presence is felt and you are both known and know others. This is why the company that we keep is so important and can make or break you in God. It is not only the danger of those who are outright rebellious, but the lukewarm attitudes of the religious, that prove to be lethal.

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God–I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:33, 34 NIV84)

God wants and we want people to do life together in community. However, community isn't an end unto itself. We are to live life together, serving together to bring the Kingdom of God, making this world a better place until His return. Our relationship with God and our relationships with one another are functionally intended for us to become the body of Christ, the hands and feet of Jesus in the earth.

The Extent of Christ's Salvation

*** Let there be no doubt about it, God is in pursuit of those who are wandering and those that have been lost.

And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength— he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:5, 6 NIV84)

When the text speaks of restoring the tribes of Jacob, the concept of restoration has a powerful connotation. Destruction was common because of both war and neglect. As was the divine assignment of the kings, Jesus comes to restore our devastated lands. He does this individually, in cities and in nations.

The reason God continues to extend His work, and why we as the church join Him, is because He wants to extend His family. Family was God's original idea for the church, and the work of Jesus provided the way for that family to be ultimately inclusive of everyone everywhere who would love Him as He's loved them. Healthy families have children who want to grow even as the family itself desires to grow.

This is what the Lord says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel— to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord , who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:7 NIV84)

We need people, both young and OLD to be a part. In doing so, we will follow the adage to think globally while acting locally.

What does our participation in God's redemptive plan look like in action?

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord . “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 1:17-20 NIV84)

Understanding that all of creation was made through Him, we are free to consider how Jesus is applicable to the whole world, rather than being imperialistic.

If I found a key on the road, and discovered it fit and opened a particular lock at my house, I would assume most likely that the key was made by the lock maker. And if I find set of teachings set out in pre-modern oriental society that has proven itself of such universal validity that it has fascinated and satisfied millions of people in every century, including the best minds in history and the simplest hearts, that it has made itself at home in virtually every culture, inspired masterpieces of beauty in every field of art, continues to grow rapidly and spread and assert itself in lands where a century ago the name of Jesus Christ was not even heard; if such teaching so obviously fits the locks of so many human souls, in so many times and so many places, are they likely to be the work of a deceiver or a fool? In fact it is more likely that they were designed by the Heart Maker… —G.K. Chesterton

The importance of consistent community to model and build such lives is clearly demonstrated in Acts 2 and 4. It is what we invite you to now. If you have not, please get right with God today. If you are following Jesus already, please sign up for our listserv through which you can become a productive member of God's church with a tangible, local expression.

Second City Church – Coming Soon Sermon Series 2013

The Chosen One

Coming Soon: The Chosen One

*** Isaiah 42:1-9 ***

Throughout Biblical history, several individuals were referred to as royal emissaries for God, those set apart to accomplish His purposes.  A constant subject of Isaiah's ministry is the servant of the Lord, who would turn people away from idols, false saviors, to the only true God.

*** For the salvation that we all need, we must look to Jesus, who is God's chosen one, perfectly expressing his justice, his mercy and his might. ***

God's Justice:

Historical background of Isaiah, the Babylonian exile, Cyrus and Jesus Christ.

Justice is the Hebrew word mispat and determines the difference between right and wrong in the way that we walk out our relationships, conduct our business practices, execute societal governance and utilize our resources.  Scripture is filled with references to God's love for justice.  Justice is directly linked to his law and is a foundational attribute of His character.

Humanity's downward slope begins when we think that we can liberate ourselves from God's commands.  When we substitute anything else as having the highest value in our lives rather than God, whether it be our romantic relationships, careers or beauty, we have succumbed to idols.  As with the king of Babylon, these are the things that try to identify us, and if we place ultimate value upon them, when we lose them, inevitably ruin our lives.

The moment you have a self at all, there is a possibility of putting yourself first-- wanting to be the centre-- wanting to be God, in fact. That was the sin of Satan--and that was the sin he taught the human race. ... What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could 'be like gods'-- could set up on their own as if they had created themselves-- be their own masters-- invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history-- money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery-- the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." (C. S. Lewis - Mere Christianity. Macmillan Publishing, 1978. Pgs. 49-54)

Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen. (Luke 9:30-36 NIV84)

Jesus is the chosen one sent by God the Father to bring us back to God and his liberating law.

God's Mercy:

God sent his Son because though we wander, he is full of mercy, and does not leave us in the bondage that our wanderings deserve.

First to the faithful believer:

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:3, 4 NIV84)

Faithfulness is the Hebrew word Emet which means firmness, stability, security and continuance.  It speaks of integrity; to be reliable and sure.  It is was a term used frequently of God in the OT and is the primary Hebrew word for truth.  This is what the chosen one provides.

Then to the irreligious: The spiritual but not religious likely to face mental health issues, drug use, study says http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/09/the-spiritual-but-not-religious-likely-to-face-mental-health-issues-drug-use-study-says/

“I, the Lord , have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah 42:6, 7 NIV84)

God's Might:

To come into God's freedom and salvation, we must identify what we have allowed to replace God as the one who defines us.  What people or things have become our functional idols, our subconscious Saviors?

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame. (Isaiah 42:16, 17 NIV84)

Lance Armstrong ordeal

“Our need for worth is so powerful that whatever we base our identity and value on we essentially 'deify.' We will look to it with all the passion and intensity of worship and devotion, even if we think ourselves as highly irreligious. ” ― Timothy Keller

When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals–one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” (Luke 23:33-35 NIV84)

God most clearly expressed his might through Jesus' work on the cross, turning us through repentance to the true Savior.

Next week we will continue to walk through our series in Matthew, Man on a Mission, talking about one of those areas of intrigue, God's design for human sexuality

2nd City Church - Coming Soon Sermon Series 2013

Coming Soon - 12-9-2012

Coming Soon - Christmas Child

Our Tendencies:

St. Augustine called Isaiah the fifth gospel because in its pages there is such a clear picture of God, His heart, our estrangement and His clear path of salvation for us.

Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” 
― Saint Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions of Saint Augustine

What does it take to allow God to be more than an afterthought?

• Who was Isaiah?
• Isaiah 7:1-17
• The Assyrian threat, the Israeli/Syrian alliance, and the secular trust of King Ahaz of Judah
  • The backdrop - II Chronicles 28

Who was Tiglath-Pileser and what does he represent for us?

• This is very common in our modern environment as well.  We are bred in the Petri dish of naturalism which tells us that
• It intentionally excludes the supernatural or the spiritual.  We think of ourselves as very modern or progressive in our society holding to this viewpoint, but we'd be surprised to understand that it is not so novel and evolved after all.  It is a very ancient heart condition that becomes destructive as it fails to answer the most challenging questions about the purpose of our existence or to satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts.  We end up damaged and broken, whether or not we have material or professional success, and become the slaves of those structures from which we sought help.  We looked to our careers, intellect, relationships and financial statements for deliverance, but found that like Tiglath-Pileser, they were instead tyrants who would take from us more than we were willing to offer.

“I held my heart back from positively accepting anything, since I was afraid of another fall, and in this condition of suspense I was being all the more killed.” 
― Saint Augustine of Hippo, Confessions

In each of our lives, there are two divergent paths that begin to emerge.  When we have decisions to make or circumstances to surmount, whether at work, in relationships or in the home, we feel it.  It's almost reminiscent of the scene with Neo and Morpheus in the Matrix with the red and blue pills.  We can either choose one path, which humbles us and has us cry out to God, or, like King Ahaz, we can harden our hearts and look to our own devices which have their limits.  The former leaves us liberated as we work.  It is here we see real supernatural intervention out of the mercy of God on our behalf.  We honor Him in response, and in that moment, we are on the road to our salvation.  The latter leaves us without hope and without God in the world while our insides become just a little bit more calloused like the world around us.  It becomes easier, the path of least resistance each subsequent time, to choose this path.

God's Response:

• You must understand that God is in pursuit of you.  He is merciful, witholding for long periods of time what we actually deserve.  He is kind, continually giving us not what we want, but what we need to inevitably find our rest and wholeness in Him.  Despite our disregard of His intervention, God sends both a sign and an inevitable Savior who will rescue us from our self-reliance and dependence on earthly structures that not only disappoint, but enslave.  He came to set people free by His own initiative and at His own personal cost.  God came to those who were not looking for Him and would do for us, because of our foolishness and pride, what we could not do for ourselves.

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ (Isaiah 65:1 NIV84)

• What is significant about God's response is the specific mention of particilar kings and kingdoms encamped in antiquity showing that God was dealing with real people, at precise times in the chronology of the world.  It is not a set of superstitious myths, it is history.  The gospel, the good news, is more than a set of do's and don'ts, it is the reporting of an event that changes the very fabric of our lives as we receive its subject, Jesus Christ.

Who we worship and why:

The double meaning of the prophets' words The Jewish writers of the NT understood the inexhaustible, Creator God to be far more complex and his messages far deeper than the immediate relevance of their prophet's predictions.  They understood that because all of creation was made by Him and for Him, all of history is a foreshadowing of what will ultimatley be fulfilled in the person of Christ.  This is why even modern day secular parables found in literature, music and movies resonate with us as they repeat the motif of ensnared people, and a coming Savior.  To be plain, all of the Bible is ultimately about Jesus, and all of the human experience  points to our need for Him as a better Savior.  There is both a present and future fulfillment of these predictions found in the promised Messianic deliver from the line of King David who would come.

Yet who is this Messiah who would be King?

• Isaiah 9:1-7
• We must see from the outset that community is engrained in God's revelation of Himself - to us a child is born.  The privitization of religion has led to incomplete and distorted pictures of this child's identity.

1. Wonderful Counselor - Our desires become our despots, those who provide them our taskmasters.  Like the Midianites, they raid our lives and take whatever is fruitful.  Rather than working to live, we live to work and yet the Counselor, the proper object of worship, gives liberty in these things by assigning balance to His Creation.  So many of us in Chicago go days without connecting with anyone who knows our name.  God is different.  When God loves us, He loves us by name and when He calls to us, He calls to us by name.  He knows our past - he knows our junk.  He knows our present - He is intimately acquainted with our successes and failures.  Yet in the midst of all of this, He calls us to Himself anyway.  This is what's called grace.  This grace is revealed through prayer, the Word of God and interaction with God's people, the church.

This is what the Sovereign Lord , the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. (Isaiah 30:15 NIV84)

2. Mighty God - To bring you to a place of rest, He has revealed the identity of the Messiah-Savior as the eternal, uncreated, Mighty God.  However, the ruler who can redeem your past, heal your present and give you a secure future will do none of this without submission to His will.  There is no place for Him off of His throne.  As we come to Him, it must be through trust and obedience.

3. Everlasting Father - The truth is that we do not like the idea of submission or anyone telling us what to do.  Most often it is because we have had bad examples of authority figures in our lives who have abused that power, whether it be a parent, a boss, a coach, a spouse or even at trusted friend.   Yet the idea that it is legitimate to have an historic, living God, while picking and choosing what we will and will not accept about Him is irrational.  Without His ability to cross your will, there is no real relationship.  Your god is simply a product of your preferences and imagination who will never really be an Everlasting Father.  There is no good father that completely resigns to the whims of the child, especially when he knows it is harmful or destructive.  Of all the imagery that He could use, we see God describe himself potently and invitingly as a father throughout the old and new testaments.  This is sometimes hard to conceptualize because for the first time in our nation's history, there are more children born to women under the age of thirty out of wedlock than within.  The children of these homes grow up without knowing their fathers or having one around.  The product of divorce, abuse or neglect in the home has many times produced similar feelings.  He wants to give us a clear picture of what a good father looks like whether or not we ever had one around, or we need a better image of what a good and benevolent Father should be.  Ultimately, through the work of Jesus, he wants to adopt us into His family.

Families gather together to grow together, and so we do in what is called church.  We meet together to further cultivate our relationships throughout the week in what we call our small groups or community groups.  We invite you to be a part

4. Prince of Peace - Through this submission, He becomes our Prince of Peace.  This Messiah would bring peace with God by satisfying the wrath that we justly deserve in the sacrifice of His own life.  He goes beyond that by providing peace with one another as he restores broken relationships.   We are supernaturally empowered to forgive horrendous atrocities and betrayals because we know that we have first been forgiven.  We emulate the humility that He has demonstrated.  We then have peace within ourselves because we are no longer striving to be accepted, but are forever given rest through what the Son has done for us.  Repentance from sin and trust in this prophesied Savior is the key.  As we continue to discover His goodness, the increase of his government and peace in our lives, and in the earth, knows no end.

Gospel Rest - the zeal of The Lord God Almighty will accomplish this

I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put him. We have kept him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on him in prayer, we wonder where he is. He is exactly where we left him.” 
― Ravi Zacharias, Has Christianity Failed You?

Yet He is Immanuel - God with us!

• This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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 be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”(Matthew 1:18-23 NIV84)
• The point of this declaration is that Christ Jesus is an historical figure.  He emerged in our chronological timeline to show Himself not a myth, but the prophesied God clothing Himself in flesh through the Jewish line who would bring the true deliverance to the world.  He is a better king than Tiglath-Pileser, or those things that we substitute in the place of God to save us.  Jesus is the King who when we cry for help does not exploit us, but rescues us.  The Tiglath-Pilesers call us into further bondage, Jesus comes to liberate.  The Tiglath-Pilesers come under false pretenses.  Jesus makes his love plain, demonstrated on the cross.  Tiglath-Pilesers are selfish in their ambitions to get ahead at our expense.  Jesus is self-sacrificial and gives his life that we might have life.  Jesus humbled Himself, coming as a child, but is now exalted as the greatest King that this world has or ever will know, the eternal one - the benevolent King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords!  The joy of Christmas is that we can submit to HIS PURSUIT and become a Christmas child ourselves, this day.

2nd City Church - Coming Soon Sermon Series 2012