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

Keep Your Enemies Closer

Man on a Mission: Keep Your Enemies Closer (God's Perfection)

Matthew 5:38-48 (NIV)

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

We live in a fallen world.  Jesus Christ came to restore that world by reconciling humanity and all of creation to himself through the cross.  Until he makes his return, there will be evil in the world which provides the opportunity for enemies.  To live in the freedom of God in the midst of the wrongs that we will inevitably encounter, we must look to the watchful eye of God, be aware of our own proclivity for wrath and aspire to imitate Christ.

Why does it matter?

The Watchful Eye of God

Jesus is speaking to a culture with the law of revenge executed by civil authorities as its standard.  This law was instituted to deter people in their wickedness from unbridled crimes that otherwise would go unchecked.  It was also meant as a form of justice since in ancient societies, punishment was handed out without regard for individual cases with the penalty many times greatly exceeding the crime.

If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deuteronomy 19:16-21 NIV)

This made them think again about the consequences of their actions, since they understood the equitable cost to themselves.

When speaking of an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth, Jesus is still saying to leave just punishment to the authorities (Romans 13).  However, in this exhortation, he is going further by giving us individual responsibility to reverse the dynamic.  Instead of taking retribution, we are prompted to give grace as a reflection of God's overarching plan to redeem the world.  The goal is to win people's hearts through this and see them come to repentance as they see our extraordinary response.  The personal benefit is freedom in our own souls as we live in a posture of humble service (i.e. - how Jesus tells the people to respond in the midst of Roman abuses).  You have the liberty to refrain from fending for yourself because you know that there is a God in heaven who will.

This is the clear example that Victor Hugo gives of the priest in Les Misérables, who turned Jean Val Jean's course by showing him grace after being the victim of Jean Val Jean's theft.  As a recipient of this inordinate kindness, Jean Val Jean's heart is arrested by God and he is turned to a life driven to honor God and do good for his fellow man.  Javert, who could not show such grace, was consumed by his judgments and self-righteousness, coming to a pitiable end under the weight of his own condemnations.

Why should we refrain from revenge?

One of the biggest issues that people have with God is why the wicked prosper while the righteous have lives filled with grief. God is a God of justice, and there will be justice done for the evil committed against you, your family and the victims of this world.

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NIV)

If God did not judge, he would not be loving in regards to those who are the victims of unwarranted crimes, abuse and evil.

Intrinsically, people know that there is a day of reckoning, even if disconnected from God.  The idea of karma is a classic example of human reasoning attempting to explain God's recompense in the world, give encouragement to the downtrodden and hope to the helpless.  Yet there is a real judge who will deal with it all.  Psalm 37

Our Proclivity for Wrath

“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” ― Thomas à Kempis

In the workplace or in school, when you know that someone has gotten ahead unfairly or through deceptive means, what do you do?

God has a reputation for being wrathful, punitive and vengeful.  These are characteristics that have secular, modern man writhe in disgust and disdain for the God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord . Repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:32 NIV)

It is ironic, however, that those who so often have the greatest grievances with the idea of God's wrath, have the most of it in regards to others.  It is in these moments that they deliberately forget Jesus' exhortation to love those who have done us the most harm, rather than mirror their sin.  He is the God of the OT who revealed His glory to Moses in this way:

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord , the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6, 7a NIV)

The Imitation of Christ

Jesus begins to provide a more positive and permanent deterrent to the evil amongst men by turning the thrust of our responses from taking to giving. He is calling us into the standard of the eternal Trinity, the perfectly contented God, who created not to receive love, but to give it.  In doing so, he knew that anything created would be less than his perfection, and would, in this sense, fall short.  Yet with that knowledge, he chose to create anyway and remained in the posture of giving to an undeserving and many times unappreciative world.  This is how Jesus saved our lives, won our hearts and calls us now to do the same for others.

We are agents of God's grace in the world.  Just as Jesus was of the same uncreated substance as the Father, so that he said, anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so we as his adopted children are to reflect him in the world.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21 NIV)

One of the biggest tests of someone feeling like they've become your enemy is when an offense arises because the seasons and dynamics of your relationship change.  The key to godliness is to remain a giver and not go into self-preservation mode.  For example, the dynamics of relationships naturally change when two friends were working together, one becomes the boss and the other the employee.  Additionally, the time that you were formerly able to spend with a friend when you both were single will understandably undergo a metamorphosis when someone finds their soul mate, gets married and has kids.  The same is true when the demands of a job change.  However does it mean that it needs to be the death of the relationship?  No, Jesus instead instructs us that we are to remain in the humble place of grace, understanding and service to those that we love and with whom we interact.  The alternative is a perpetual cycle of disappointment and loneliness when those who were once your BFF's become friendenemies in your heart.

It is not enough to ignore our oppressors.  Sticks, stones and words actually do damage in the real world.  How should we proactively deal with our enemies?

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21, 22 NIV)

Why can we do this for our enemies?  Because we were once enemies of God, offered reconciliation through the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ

“Thunderously, inarguably, the Sermon on the Mount proves that before God we all stand on level ground: murderers and temper-throwers, adulterers and lusters, thieves and coveters. We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute Ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace.” ― Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew

How does this apply in the business world or at work when your goal is to make a profit or have bottom-line results?

Circumstances are allowed and used by God to shape us.  Offense often reveals the shortcomings in our own hearts.

One of the regular questions that we must ask ourselves is, with whom am I offended?  Is it valid in God's sight?  If I were to step outside of my myopic perspective, do they really deserve to be considered an enemy?  Even in the worst case scenario, following Christ's example, what can I do to serve and minister to them for their benefit?

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42 NIV)

It does not mean that we enable evil or allow everyone to walk all over us.

Something is always better than nothing. Do not succumb to the paralysis of perfectionism.  It is like exercise, eating healthy and working out.  Something is always better than nothing.  Each decision counts and God is looking to see your progress.  In your relationships, in your service, in your giving, progress.  People should literally be able to find the breadcrumb trail to God's grace through our actions in society.

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” ― Winston Churchill

As we go into next week's final pre-launch, we can ask ourselves the question, not only who are our friends that we can invite, but also those who need Jesus who we have had broken family or romantic relationships, or owe us something.  Treat it as an extension of grace.  Who have been your downright enemies to whom you can show the grace that you've been shown?

Second City Church – Man On A Mission Sermon Series 2013

My Word is My Bond

Man on a Mission: My Word is My Bond (God's Promises)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus resolves to make clear what He's after in His teaching.  Life is ultimately about relationships - relationship with God and with one another.  Therefore, there is no serving God without coming to a submitted understanding of how we will relate with those with whom we interact on a daily basis.

“We value virtue but do not discuss it. The honest bookkeeper, the faithful wife, the earnest scholar get little of our attention compared to the embezzler, the tramp, the cheat.” ― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley

*** Matthew 5:33-37 ***

To understand the value that God places on our words, we will talk about God's character, the detriment of empty words and the results of being trustworthy.

God's Character

*** Our entire relationship with God is predicated on the fact that He is faithful to His Word.  It is the foundation of His holiness

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19 NIV84)

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. (Isaiah 46:9-11 NIV84)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17 NIV84)

The Zondervan commentary makes note that in the Old Testament, God guaranteed his promises with an oath.  The Old Testament also permitted people to swear by the name of God to substantiate important affirmations or promises.  The Pharisees developed a complicated series of rules regarding oaths.  Some interpreters began to say that only oaths made by invoking the name of the Lord would be binding, while they could swear "by heaven" when they weren't taking their oath as seriously.  This search for loopholes in oaths had them include less potent associations with their oaths including things like swearing by "the earth" or "Jerusalem" and led to the devaluation of people's words.

The Detriment of Empty Words

“Emma has been meaning to read more ever since she was twelve years old. I have seen a great many lists of her drawing up at various times of books that she meant to read regularly through—and very good lists they were—very well chosen, and very neatly arranged—sometimes alphabetically, and sometimes by some other rule. The list she drew up when only fourteen—I remember thinking it did her judgment so much credit, that I preserved it some time; and I dare say she may have made out a very good list now. But I have done with expecting any course of steady reading from Emma. She will never submit to any thing requiring industry and patience, and a subjection of the fancy to the understanding.” ― Jane Austen, Emma

How many of us have this type of reputation - a lack of commitment and follow through with our family members, our peers and our co-workers?  My mom and my soccer.  It is time to break that pattern!

Here are some of the common mentalities that show us that we've become too comfortable with breaking our word:

1) I meant to do it, so it shouldn't matter that I didn't come through.

Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give. (Proverbs 25:14 NIV84)

It is not enough to live in good intentions.  The weakness of a man or woman's character lies in the fact that they are comfortable talking about what they would have, could have or should have done, rather than acting in even a small measure to make something happen.

2) I'm not up for it anymore/right now.  Can't we just do it later? There are certain circumstances that are out of our control.  Many times, however, dropping the ball has more to do with what we do or do not want to do than we'll admit.  At the end of the day, we find a way to do what we want.  It is pride that allows us to think that people having to reshape their lives and schedules around our offhand change of plans, is of no consequence.  It is a lack of consideration for someone else, valuing your time above theirs.  How many times has this happened to you and cost you at work or with a friend?

*** Our generation's fear of commitment has its root in insecurity and selfishness.  We live in such a way as not to inconvenience ourselves.  We are in a perpetual high school mentality always looking for the cooler party or better opportunity while all the while missing the ability to have any significant impact on the world because we give ourselves to nothing.  Humble and consistent contributions are the measure of a man or woman's greatness. Half of the battle is won by just faithfully showing up in the right places.  The other half is won in the attitude with which you show up (i.e. - parenting).

Why would Jesus speak with such strong language that anything else comes from the evil one?

The erosion of confidence in people's word often begins with parents and their children. Whether it be parents' abdicating their pledge to come to a game, or their marriage vows to one another, broken promises remove a sense of relationships being reliable, safe or secure.  We become damaged and hardened by it, then perpetuate the cycle outside of the home.

An obvious example of this morally unbridled politics.  Another is poor business practices.  Christians should be those with the most excellence in the work force, full of the most integrity and the be the most dependable in their field of industry.  However, the misnomer of grace is thrust upon clients and co-workers to many times give Christian businesses the reputation of being slack or irresponsible.

“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

When a word is broken, someone always suffers. That is why it is called evil, Biblically defined as what is harmful or detrimental.  This is why no liar will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whether we like it or not, breaking our word is lying.  When we lie enough, we get used to it and develop an immunity to it.  It becomes our common vernacular.  When our words become empty, we are untrustworthy to our families, our co-workers, our clients, our constituents, our friends and even ourselves.  What develops is a culture of skepticism where people are suspicious about everyone and everything.  The first assault that the devil made was on the trustworthiness of God's Word, with devastating results. We are emulating the devil, not God, when we promote a pattern of weightless words and cavalier assertions.

How does this directly relate to our walk with God?

“Christians don't tell lies they just go to church and sing them.” ― A.W. Tozer

When we become followers of Jesus, we are making a pledge to love Him and obey His Word.  This is what our baptism symbolizes.  Whether we acknowledge it or not, the measure of our adherence to God's Word in its fullness is a measure of our love for Him.  When we pick and choose that to which we will be faithful, we are showing the holes in our understanding and devotion.

Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 12:28 NIV84)

How often have we said "God, forgive me"  with the implication that we're turning away from our sin, only to go right back to it the next day.  We remain in our sin because we don't take our vows seriously.  When we lack follow through, we not only break fellowship with others, but with God.  We don't believe that we can change because we've broken so many promises to ourselves.   The good news is that through the gospel, we can, and protect the strength of our words!

The Results of Being Trustworthy:

We begin to look at God and life differently.  Because we acknowledge God's reliable character, we depend on His word to shape our days and his promises to give us perseverance as we chase his unchanging plan.  As we emulate God's consistency with our words, steadfast relationships can form because you have given yourself to the ingredients that make them work.

The church is to be a community of faithfulness, trust and commitment.  As we look to see God do something great in this city as a church, it takes everyone finding and repeatedly playing their role in word and in deed.  As we are all in, we can build a culture of consistency and dedication to the unchanging plan of God though which we grow individually and as a church.

2nd City Church – Man On A Mission Sermon Series 2013

Cant Take My Eyes Off of You

Man on a Mission: Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (God's Purity)

*** Matthew 5:27-32 ***

We are beginning the year by reorganizing our priorities.  There is no better way to do this than unpacking what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount stressing how we engage our relationships, our service and our money.   There is no unpacking relationships without thinking through how we approach human sexuality.

We must understand the Scripture as Jesus calls us to examine God's love of beauty, the dangers of cultural sexuality and the blessings of purity.

Understanding the Scripture:

Lust is not just thinking that someone is handsome or acknowledging that they are pretty. Those are facts and should be encouraging to those to whom the compliment is given.

Looking at someone lustfully is Biblically defined as Looks at: (Blepo) - to look, see, take care, watch, be on the lookout. Lustfully: (Pros) - to, toward, for (Epithymeo): to desire, long for.  The word refers to the inclining of one's affections toward or setting of one's heart upon something.

What follows the lust are usually fantasies, whether physical or emotional, which can not be righteously fulfilled or acted upon without damaging another relationship.  Lust is not the natural desire that you would have for a husband, wife or soon to be spouse.  It is essentially self-gratification without the responsibility of commitment.

You are not responsible for the way that someone else is dressed, though you are responsible for how you dress.  Your innocence or guilt comes from your response.

There is a common misconception that the Old Testament presented a wrathful God of vengeance, and that the New Testament introduced a different god, Jesus, who was full of mercy and love.  The thought is that Jesus overturned all of the misrepresentations of the one true God.  What we see in the Sermon on the Mount is that Jesus did nothing of the sort.  He is still full of love and grace, but if anything, presented a truth where he raised the bar in God's expectations for us, taking the issue of sin from external behaviors to the heart, from whence all activity flows.

Why does Jesus give us such a high standard?  Hasn't everyone had moments where we've fallen prey to such thoughts? It is because whether we are talking about murder or adultery, these are the things that we would do when driven to an emotional peak with ease of opportunity and without the immediate threat of consequence.  Essentially, if we thought that we wouldn't get caught or that God would not judge, we would persist in these destructive manners.  This has been the conclusion of nihilistic philosophers for ages.

“What we think about when we are free to think about what we will – that is what we are or will soon become.” ― A.W. Tozer

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you. (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV)

What does Jesus mean when he speaks about gouging out my eyes and cutting off my hands? It means to take the commands of God so seriously that we are willing to get rid of the things that cause us to stumble.  If you love someone, you are willing to go to extreme measures to show them.  You don't need to place your standards on other people.  You need to know yourself and make adjustments accordingly so that you can maintain your purity (i.e. - computer usage in public, refraining from certain types of movies or romance novels, ending unhealthy relationships)

God's Love of Beauty:

There is a paradigm that assumes Christianity's view towards sex is a puritan prudishness or a catholic containment unit.  You hear stories of Catholic girls going wild because of the taboo with which sexuality is treated in the home or Protestant men escaping into debauchery because of the eroticism saturating our culture.  The truth of the matter is that sex, as described by God, is a beautiful thing, a celebrated thing and is spoken of in Scripture in the most satisfying and liberating terms.

Beauty is also venerated in Scripture. However, it is not limited to outward beauty, but an internal beauty that makes the most plain person have a drawing power about them.  God is described in His beauty and both men and women in the Scripture were noted for their handsomeness or loveliness in form.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. (1 Peter 3:3-5a NIV84)

We beautify ourselves, work out or dress to impress because of our God ordained sexuality.

The Dangers of Cultural Sexuality:

“sex is the consolation you have when you can't have love” ― Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

The well being of society is not found in sexual repression, but in the proper valuation, rather than the objectification, of individuals whose beauty will eventually fade.

Rape and broken intimacy in marriages because of pornography are commonplace tragedies, examples of the results of ignoring this rule. New York Magazine male lebido article:  http://nymag.com/news/features/70976/

We have had black eyes in the church with recent sexual scandals involving priests and molestation.  There have been fanciful inquiries regarding the relationship of Jesus and Mary Magdalene supposing that were married.  People speculate as to whether Jesus, as a man, was able to continually interact with prostitutes without impropriety.  The question has been raised of whether or not it is even possible to live a chaste life.  The answer is a resounding YES and it is through the freedom and fulfillment that he provides through the gospel.  Jesus knew who he was, knew that he had a bride waiting for him and purified himself to be the one that she needed

Hooked book

The Blessings of Purity:

Why are each of the commands set forth in Matthew 5:27-32 part of the good news?:

God is not an impersonal force, but a loving Father who wants the best for those with whom he would relate and adopt as children through Jesus.

“I myself said, “ ‘How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. (Jeremiah 3:19 NIV84)

All of these commands are making an appeal to your commitment to the well being of another individual over the immediate satisfying of your own desires. The breaking of these laws is a selfish fulfillment of your own interests at someone else's expense. Jesus exemplified the exact opposite. (Give examples of each)

“I am convinced that the human heart hungers for constancy. In forfeiting the sanctity of sex by casual, nondiscriminatory "making out" and "sleeping around," we forfeit something we cannot well do without. There is dullness, monotony, sheer boredom in all of life when virginity and purity are no longer protected and prized.” ― Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity

There is a security that comes with a properly placed and God given identity.  B's blossoming and her confidence in my love

The Bible is filled with some of the most descriptive, celebratory and satisfying depictions of sex known to man:  Proverbs, Song of Solomon.  The key to living in God-ordained fulfillment is waiting for the proper time and the proper commitment.  The covenant of marriage is where God places his blessing.  He determines that we will be satisfied in the environment in which you will be most secure.

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Hebrews 13:4 NIV84)

What do I do while I'm waiting for marriage?: Develop the skills that will keep a committed relationship alive after the thrill of the conquest of a sexual relationship has waned.  The idea of falling in and out of love vs. in and out of lust

Take care of yourself

A person's spouse is to be their standard of beauty - Mark Driscoll

Purity is given by God to be both liberating and fulfilling

For the Christian, the truth is that faithfulness to these commands becomes difficult if it simply culde sacs with us.  Because we take for granted that God will forgive us, we are willing to put up with momentary disciplines for our indiscretions.  However, IF we understand that every decision that we make is ultimately larger than ourselves, and has eternal weight in being on mission with Jesus to build an alternate city within a city, then the purpose of every act of obedience comes into clearer view.  We can see the results of our love for God in the lives that are healed, restored and literally saved from death as we honor Jesus on a daily basis with the goal of seeing others come into relationship with him.

2nd City Church – Man On A Mission 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

I Just Cant Get Over You

Man on a Mission: I Just Can't Get Over You (God's Peace)

*** Matthew 5:21-26 ***

As we begin the year we are getting on the same page in a unified manner to officially launch our church in the next several months.  (Leading expectations in a church plant)

Last week, we talked about Jesus calling his people to be a city set on a hill, a city within a city, as we will aspire to be as 2nd City Church.  To do so, we are unpacking the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus tackles the things that are essential to a healthy Christian life.  These include how we prioritize our relationships, our service and our money.

Beef with you:

I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.” ― William Blake

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:21, 22 NIV84)

Explanation and significance of: Angry (Greek: orgizo) - enraged Raca - means "empty-headed" and was a personal, public affront.  Name calling was extremely insulting in Jewish culture because it challenged the identity of the individual by stripping the significance attached to one's name.  Think of lible suits. Sanhedrin - the official adjudicating body of the Jews handling matters of the law except when impinging upon Roman rule You Fool - also implies moral failure Hell - Gehenna

It is not ok in the church or in life to carry around grudges.  The anger that Jesus speaks of often originates with a pride in our own righteousness.  This is the inner working of murder which precipitates disparaging speech about others when you are pressed.  It is often overlooked because it is so commonplace in our environments.  However Jesus takes it very seriously because it is the seedbed of bitterness which destroys individuals, households, churches and societies.  I.e. - the ethnic tensions in Chicago We never really recognize how much the grudges that we carry shape and limit us in life.  There is no one who can say they are unaffected without sincere self-evaluation.  It is the motivating factor for both discrimination and merciless judgments against one another.  It removes any motivation to build relationships or move beyond your own desires or needs.  It is a self-absorbed and loveless existence.

* The church should be a place of esteem, affection and commitment  as we consistently engage one another to model Jesus' love while building his Kingdom together.  This is what we will aspire to be as 2CC

Beef with me:

Why would Jesus be so emphatic about these issues?: Ultimately, life is about relationships; relationship with God our Creator and relationship with one another.  This is the summary of the two greatest commands which sum up the law and the prophets which he came to fulfill.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23, 24 NIV84)

It is not ok to ignore the offense that others have with you, whether it be a co-worker, spouse or friend.  We all have blind spots which precipitate our selfishness and it is the pain that others experience in their interaction with us that can at times point out our sin.  God is clearly saying that you can not both be "spiritual" and negligent of the relationships into which he has sovereignly placed you.

What he is not speaking about is taking on the burden of the things that damage relationships that are not under your control.  What Jesus is enforcing by taking matters to the heart is that we need to take responsibility for our own actions and treat others in their own shortcomings with the grace that we ourselves have been shown in Christ.

C.S. Lewis articulated clearly why we will begin the reorganization talking about relationships:

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

We live in two extremes in life.  We are products of the fight or flight psychology, but God calls us to deal with relationships squarely and righteously.

Breaking Free:

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:25, 26 NIV84)

In the Jewish culture, there is no record of debtor's prison. The implication here is that it was a Roman institution.  What this meant for the people of God is that you lose your political immunity per se if you choose to allow yourself indulgences because of your position or walls with which you shelter yourself.  You, in a sense, remove yourself from the amnesty and protection of God until you treat others with the dignity and seriousness with which he views them.

Duke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are:

1. The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.

2. Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.

3. Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.

4. Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.

5. Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.

6. Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion and loyalty

7. Do not expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.

8. Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness.

Source unknown

Javert vs. Jean Val Jean in Les Miserables and Acts 9 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12:14, 15 NIV84)

Now is an opportunity to get connected to God through Jesus and his grace - the new walk that begins as you receive his forgiveness provided by his death, burial and resurrection.

As we go into next weeks 2nd prelaunch, we can ask ourselves the question, not only who are our friends that we can invite, but also those who need Jesus who are in whom we've hated, had broken family or romantic relationships, those to whom we've lied, or owe us something.  Treat it as an extension of grace.  Who have been your downright enemies to whom you can show the grace that you've been shown?

2nd City Church – Man On A Mission Sermon Series 2013

Re-establishing Priorities

Man on a Mission: Re-establishing Priorities

Matthew 5:13-20 • As we begin the year, we are getting on the same page in a unified manner to officially launch our church in the next several months!

• As we will see in Jesus' teaching, any Christian ministry begins with our own dedication to modeling Jesus' life and commands.  Jesus is never more clear than when he speaks of grudges, sex, marriage, divorce, keeping promises, revenge, how we treat our enemies, generosity, sacrifice, money, prayer, faith, judgments, forgiveness, holiness and personal disciplines.  All of these are covered in the Sermon on the Mount, and in effect, give us the tools to both love and be on mission with Jesus.

The Nature of Salt: • Salt was used as a preservative, flavoring agent and fertilizer.  As such, we are called as the people of God to add to the flourishing of individuals, cities and nations.

• The salt that was used in Jerusalem mostly came from the Dead Sea and was full of impurities.  It therefore lost some of its flavor and was thereafter thrown out.  This is the net result of the church that does not maintain its adherence to the unadulterated, unchanging wisdom of God found in His Word.

• From the outset, discipleship, which means intentionally creating growing communities of those who love, fear and honor God, is on Jesus' mind.

The Dynamics of a City:

• (The habitual reference to cities in the Scripture imply God's love and purpose for the urban environment where ideas, values and cultures are formed, exchanged and exported)

• The very nature of Jesus' first analogies makes things much less ethereal and more tangible than one would expect.  It points to the outward influence that your life is to have on others as salt, the environmental effect you are to have as light and the impact that you are to have as a part of a city, an alternate city within your present city, known as the city of God.

“The Heavenly City outshines Rome beyond comparison. There, instead of victory, is truth; instead of high rank, holiness; instead of peace, felicity; instead of life, eternity,” 
― Augustine of Hippo, City of God

It immediately speaks of the community to which He's called you.  The you is plural as no man or woman is a city by themself.  Nor can a single grain of salt flavor or preserve an entire stock of meat on its own. To be a city set on a hill, it has to be about what we do outside of our Sunday morning gatherings.  Sunday, within the walls,  we rationally understand that we are in a place where God's Word is honored, his name is exalted and His people are built up even as they are built together.  This is imperative for our development and spiritual health as we live and work in environments that deny Jesus' identity, much less reject His commands.

Following Christ means that you always have two sets of people in mind - Jesus, whom you serve, and others, through whom you serve him and with whom you make up this alternate city on a hill.  The challenge is that you don't choose with whom you are living in the city and are therefore dependent - i.e. - bus drivers.

In the city that works, how do I build such relationships?

The Purpose of the Law: • In any city, there is a law that governs it as a representation of its ruling Kingdom.

• The challenge in our generation when everyone is able to share their opinion and deem themselves an authority on the Internet, is how to avoid the Word of God being lumped into the category of white noise.  The city gives a visual image of why things are better in His community and His Word explains how we get there.

“We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.” 
― John R.W. Stott

The fulfillment of the Law meant: 1) Jesus would fulfill the sacrificial system's requirements by becoming our Passover lamb 2) Jesus would fulfill Messianic prophecies begun in his first coming, to be completed in his return 3) The term pleroe (fulfilled) in Greek speaks to his completion of the interpratation and application of the prophets words, clarifying God's full intent and meaning behind them.  Therefore, when Mohammad  comes 500+ years later, acknowledging Jesus as a prophet, but claiming to be "the seal", that role had already been taken by the one who showed his authority by his life, miracles, death, burial and resurrection.

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19, 20 NIV84)

The Pharisees were legendary in Israel for their external righteousness, supported by the oral law which they added to stay several paces away from the ledge.  However, Jesus is pointing to a righteousness that can only come from him.  It is because, as we we see in the six examples that follow, it is about the heart.  Jesus brought us to a point of complete helplessness in our own efforts, with the only option being the redemption that He would ultimately provide through His death, burial and resurrection.

2nd City Church - Man On A Mission Sermon Series 2013

A New Response

Man on a Mission: A New Response

Christmas is all about Jesus and His mission to save the world.

At the holidays, God's intention is that we would recalibrate, mending and going deeper in our relationships with Him and one another.

We will look at the response of two individuals to the coming of Jesus, and how we can reorient our lives based on their examples. God wants a fresh response from us.

Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)

18This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20But 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. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

The Bible becomes a mirror to us. Holiday parties and our prep - like the wedding banquet of the Lamb for which we are preparing. The first and second coming of Christ.

Joseph's response

Our paradigm of worship has been shaped by our experiences. Whether it be dead religion or a dynamic walk of trust and obedience to God, the holidays are a good time to evaluate the camp in which we find ourselves.

Joseph could have missed the worship of God if he was only looking at his natural circumstances - a pregnant fiancée that he'd never been with, the shame of his commitment in a small community, the inconvenience of their trip to Egypt.

However, what he learned to do was see his circumstances, as the very things God was using to bring Joseph to Himself and to Joseph's life's purpose.

The chance meeting with the angel was no coincidence. What we call coincidence is better explained as God's providence. What encounters have you had that you can rightly acknowledge as God's providence to call you to a deeper place in your faith?

Matthew 2:1-16 (NIV)

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.13When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

Herod's response

King Herod was a paranoid man whose pride and stubbornness eventually destroyed his own family.

As Herod did, we try to get rid of anyone who may infringe on our sense of independence. Though Herod had front row seats to the coming of the King of Kings, He rejected Jesus along with the personal transformation that could have been his.

The fate of his family line.

Salvation is what God intended for Herod, but he would not even think of abdicating his throne, wrecking his own life and family in the process.

How is it that we can be like Herod - suspicious and resistant when anyone begins to speak of another KING that may threaten our place on our own throne?

Our response

Jesus comes to reorient our every day living. Life was never the same for Joseph when he said "yes" to the call of God.

Saying "yes" to Jesus implies new and renewed commitments.

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.” (Matthew 1:21 NIV)

He came to save us from our sins, meaning that we must both acknowledge and turn from them to live as the child of God that He has called us to be. Anything else is a farce and a mockery of this season He had made holy.

Religious faith vs. genuine faith

It goes beyond mere head knowledge. Herod had head knowledge but would not respond appropriately to the reality of Jesus. Joseph, on the other hand, sought out the directives of God and allowed the commands of God to change him, despite the personal cost. We can be like Joseph:

1) Begin to open the Bible again over the holidays and, through prayer, search out God's directives for your life. 2) As you read, find the places where you've been like Herod, and begin to abdicate your throne. Allow it to be a mirror to you, and, with His help, make the necessary adjustments.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV)

Second City Church - Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2012

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

The Pursuit of Happiness

Man on a Mission: The Pursuit of Happiness

As we traverse this time between elections and the Christmas season, we are reminded about the things that people hold dear.  It is engrained in the foundation of our nation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
― Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

Without a doubt, God cares about us living fulfilled and significant lives. With obvious comparisons to Moses giving the Commandments on Mount Sinai, Jesus shows us how in the Sermon on the Mount.  It is a good reminder to us of the good things into which we will invite people as we prepare for our December 9 prelaunch.

Matthew 5:1-12

The Set-Up:

The story of human history is people's quest chasing things, attempting to be happy without God, and their disappointments that follow.  As a person ages, the temporary, fleeting pleasures of food and sex give way to deeper, more permanent desires that drive a person to the ultimate search for meaning in life.

In the Beatitudes Jesus goes through a survey of the categories and arenas in which people most often pursue happiness.  He addresses each one exhorting them to find rest in Him.

In typical pattern of Jewish teachers, Jesus sits down with his disciples to expound the Law.

• If scholars are correct the location of this mountain was actually a ridge of hills to the West of Capernaum called Eremos, a transliteration of the Greek word for "lonely" or "solitary."
• It is the first block of teaching that Matthew records following Jesus' exhortation to a repentant life.
• In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus paints a picture of what that repentant lifestyle looks like, what it means to follow Him as a disciple, and the blessedness that ensues.

*The meaning of blessed (Greek: Makarios) : blissful (extremely happy or full of joy).  Biblically, one is pronounced blessed when God is present and involved in his/her life.  It means to be fully satisfied.  It is far more than just being happy, which is often associated with a person's "luck" or circumstances.

The Pursuit (and why each substitute fails):

1.) Eternal realities, transcendent inheritance and reward He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV84)

We are on strike, we, the men of the mind.  We are on strike against self-immolation. We are on strike against the creed of unearned rewards and unrewarded duties. We are on strike against the dogma that the pursuit of one's happiness is evil. We are on strike against the doctrine that life is guilt.” 
― Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

The truth is, if we could, most men would desire to find a way to be happy without the effort of God.  For those with this mentality, the unfortunate fact is, we are like a car that wishes that it did not have to run on fuel.  The reality is, however, that because we were made by Him and for Him, we are not designed to function that way.

2.) Comfort in the midst of the harsh realities of life Leads to escapism and addictions

Psalm 126 Ecclesiastes 7:1-6 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23 NIV84)

• There are both present and future realities to the Kingdom of God, as reflected in the tenses of the Beatitudes. Those that are future are also progressive, having their full expression in the culmination of Jesus' return with the New Heaven, the New Earth and the unchallenged Kingdom of God.  It is unchallenged because it is then that God exerts His full authority and strength.  He came first in His mercy as a sacrificial Lamb, He will return with justice as the conquering Lion.  We see the same reflected in the Beatitudes.

But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.” In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:6-9 NIV84)

• TV watching all day does not revitalize you. You still end up tired at the end of the day because there was no rest for your soul which is only found in Him.

Psalm 62

3.) Power to rule their surroundings Exertion of strength, extortion, cut throat business and politics, exploitation, etc

A man wants to earn money in order to be happy, and his whole effort and the best of a life are devoted to the earning of that money. Happiness is forgotten; the means are taken for the end.” 
― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

Many of the Jews of the time were waiting for the Kingdom promise that indicated that His people would be given delegated rule over all the earth, and thought that it would be brought about by Messianic political and military force.  Jesus once again turns this expectation on its head.  When He comes to judge, it is clear that it will be against those who persist in evil, or rebel against the loving design of His government.  If this internal work hadn't been the tone of His first advent, we all would have been lost because we would have been the recipients of that judgment.  We would have continued as slaves to sin and pride attempting to usurp His benevolent rulership in our lives.

What you see in the temptation of Jesus is where we live every day in our workplace, relationships. It's not just financial power, but the power to control our world through manipulating relationships with family, lovers and friends trying to extract from them the satisfaction and security that can only come from God.  Thus we bend our convictions or throw off what we know is right to obtain that which we can never really keep. The recent recession was a reminder of this and the broken marriages and relationships that we see daily reaffirm this fact as we forget the ways of God.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe. 
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it an unscalable wall. (Proverbs 18:10, 11 NIV84)

4.) Sense of morality and decency Why pluralism, relativism and moralism are so popular.  Straight-edge people without religion.  Peace corps and other charities that spring from Judeo-Christian ethos

5.) Mercy in the midst of their shortcomings We want to be shown mercy, but are quick to judge others in the world to alleviate our own sense of bitterness and self-derision

6.) A relationship with the Creator, to know and be known People are open to this as long as they can make their own version of God which bends to their whims, preferences, desires and ideologies imposed by their experience or culture


7.) Belonging and value


8.) A sense of sacrificial fortitude Many find this one difficult because they have not truly identified themselves as followers of Jesus above all else in the world.  They've chosen to gravitate more to cultural norms and memberships in communities that seem more acceptable to them - like being African American, a republican, an artist or a young, independent businesswoman. It is when these measures of identity and our good standing within these subcultures are threatened that our devotion to Christ is tested.

9.) This was ultimately expressed and demonstrated in Christ Himself, the lawgiver Most People at the time did not think that prophets in the OT sense still existed.  It is often spoken of as the intertestamental period with 400 years of perceived silence from God.  As in the Exodus, Jesus shows up to lead the people to deliverance.  He makes the association to the prophets to speak of the importance of His disciples’ life and work.  Like the prophets, they would help turn others back to relationship with the one true God and His standards for living.

They represent paradoxes that contradict the manners in which people think that they are attained.  When you are appealing to people, it is a part of the good news.  Some are intuitive, yet when disconnected from God, incomplete

*When a Christian (this is a shaking question) or non-Christian finds themself without the extreme happiness and joy to which the Beatitudes refer, it is because a substitute has been made for one of the "if", "then" qualifiers.  

• For example, instead of being poor in spirit, trying to be self-reliant or self-righteous gives you no assurance of an eternal home.  Who can ever guarantee that they've been good enough to measure up to the perfection of God.  No one.  Enter the gospel.  Or, instead of taking the time to mourn, being sober about things pertinent to the Kingdom, people ride an emotional roller-coaster searching incessantly for momentary pleasures of temporary highs and devastating lows when the party is over.  There is no sense of stability, people or place that you can truly call home because it is all about finding the next source of entertainment to fight off the boredom and emptiness that lingers.  We can go on and on.

The Rest: The solution is to realign ourselves with the original recipe that Jesus prescribes.   Only then can we once again find our rest in He who holds the destinies of men, past, present and future in His hands.  He is the one who distributes the zoe life of God (John 10:10).
 All of this background in regards to the Jewish expectation of the Messiah and the contextual interaction with the Law and the Prophets is what we see Jesus expound in the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.  Next week, during our first prelaunch, we'll take a look back to examine what one of those Prophets who has already been mentioned several times has said.  We'll begin our prelaunch series, "Coming Soon" working through the book of Isaiah

Practical Faith Challenge of the Week: Let as many people as you can know why the happiness they are looking for is found in Jesus alone and invite them to next week's prelaunch

2nd City Church - Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2012

Jesus at the Holidays

Man on a Mission: Jesus at the Holidays

Psalms like these read during the Jewish holidays highlighted God's goodness to His people and set the foundation for the gospel of grace:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. O house of Israel, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield. You who fear him, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield. The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the Lord— small and great alike. May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to man. It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to silence; it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 115:1-18 NIV84)


The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” 
― George Orwell

* Jewish, and thus, Christian, holidays are celebrations of God's faithfulness.

• One that was sure to be celebrated during Jesus' time was Hanukkah (December 8-16 this year).  With recorded accounts in the apocryphal book of Maccabees, it commemorates the victory of the Jews over the Antiochus Epiphanes who attempted to eradicate Jewish worship and desecrate the temple in 168 BC.
• Even more than our use of holidays in American culture, the purpose of the holy days were a remembrance Yhwh's care and strength, leading to celebration, consecration and deeper worship of our loving Father.  At the holidays, time was set apart to travel, enjoy feasting with family, rest from our work and offer appreciative sacrifices to God.  All this was meant to recalibrate and realign our hearts before our benevolent King.

“If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ” 
― Michael Crichton

The inter-testamental period

• As we get into things like the Sermon on the Mount, this period sets up everything that we will understand about the NT context, Jesus' life, ministry and teachings within it.
• Following the fall of the Persian Empire, there is an understood "400 years of silence" similar to the 400 years of bondage of Israelites in Egypt.

Things that help to contextualize The times in which Jesus lived: The Second Temple period and Herod's temple Herod Herod's paranoia The Hasmonean Empire Pompey and the Roman Empire The Jewish Diaspora Synagogue Life Pharisees Sadducees Essenes Zealots The development of the use of crucifixion

The Take Away:

1. Even when it seems that God is silent in your circumstances or the ongoing affairs of the world, He is working sovereignty to bring about His salvation for humanity.  God is at work even when we don't recognize it.
2. The perceived absence of the movement of the Holy Spirit was followed by the greatest period of power that the world had ever seen.  The manifestations of the kingdom of heaven were amplified with Jesus and continue long after Pentecost (Joel 2)
3. It is incumbent that as the political climate and culture changes around us, that we cling to the standards of God's eternal Word to maintain a connection to what He is doing in His kingdom advance. Within what has already been written is a picture of where we want to be found in all that He is about to do. i.e. - Daniel's prophecies (especially Daniel 8 and 11), the unfolding of the trade of power between nations and Messianic expectation
4. Possibly most importantly, what we see in the Babylonian exile in 586 BC was the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem and the emergence of the intensified Jewish Diaspora.  Prior to that time, life in Israel centered around God through ceremony at the temple, and the observance of the ethical code in the Torah.  God, through the prophets, continually brought the exhortation that the outward ritual was empty if not accompanied by devotion to him through godly living.

Isaiah, who started his prophetic ministry around 739 BC wrote: “The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, 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 1:11-20 NIV84)

Almost 100 years later, Jeremiah gives similar exhortation: This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand at the gate of the Lord's house and there proclaim this message: “ ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. “ ‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord. “ ‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.’ (Jeremiah 7:1-15 NIV84)

• This would be objectified when their place of worship and national identity was removed from the Jews for a time.  Through the synagogues, God arranged a scenario where the emphasis could become the attitude of the heart reflecting the holy days.  Holiness is more than simple morality, it is when we strive to be set apart to God for HIS purposes in all of our pursuits, decision making and activity.  It is that upon which Jesus, prior to the second temple's destruction in AD 70, came to put an exclamation point.  It is now the way we are called to live, and what the Sermon on the Mount will expound.

Practical Faith Challenge for the Week: Share an insight about the holidays with a friend using one observation from Biblical history that would point them to God.

Helpful resources: NIV Study Bible Archeological Study Bible ESV Study Bible IV Press Commentary Zondervan Commentary

2nd City Church - Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2012

Following and Fishing

Man on a Mission: "Following and Fishing"

Matthew 4:18-25

1. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. (Luke 4:14, 15 NIV84)
2. The environment of Capernaum Jesus makes his base of operations for His ministry Capernaum, a prosperous fishing district by the Sea of Galilee, where he would select His first disciples to turn the world upside down.  Because the trade route Via Maris, "way to the sea" ran through it, it was constantly filled with Gentiles, as well as Jews who would take his message of salvation throughout the Roman world.
3. It was called Galilee of the Gentiles because the tribes of Israel in this Northern region were surrounded on three sides by non-Jewish populations.  Ever since the disciplining of Israel through the Assyrian conquest that made it a province under an Assyrian governor in 732 BC, this region experienced continually forced infiltration of Gentile influence. The Sea of Galilee.  Parallels to Chicago are obvious.

*Why did Jesus have such a concern with fishing for people?  Why not just leave them where they are?

1. Understanding the references that Jesus was making within the culture gives us a better understanding of what he intends of the church's activity today.  He frequently uses three activities which describe how the church will be established, sustain itself and grow - fishing, farming and building.As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. (Matthew 4:18 NIV84) 
2. Because fish at the time was a staple food that was cooked, dried and pickled,  fisherman were prosperous businessmen in that area compared to the agrarian farmers who worked the land throughout the Roman Empire.“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19 NIV84)

• When Jesus said, "Come, follow me," he is establishing this as a message and relationship of grace.  In Israel, disciples would go looking for a rabbi who would instruct them, however Jesus turns this on its head.  We do not go looking for God, God comes looking for us.  Even those who look like they're seekers are those that God is drawing by His loving-kindness.  This is why joining Him in fishing for people is imperative.
• *Why would Jesus use the analogy of fishing?  It is because though by grace, any experience, encounter or benefit that we are going to receive in regards to the life of God is going to take effort. It, like anything of value in life, is a product of God multiplying the effort that you put into it.  Like relationships

This is the pattern of God that we see with Abraham, in pagan worship, Moses and the burning bush, etc.  God comes to initiate by interrupting the well worn flow and mundane affairs of people's live

• This is a living relationship, not a philosophy.  We cannot afford to ignore what Jesus is highlighting here - faith is not described as a mental assent, a mere agreement with a set of doctrinal tenets, though they are infinitely important and the foundation of our relationship with God.  For example, the acknowledgement of Jesus' identity as the only, unique Son of God, who came in the flesh, born of a Jewish virgin, was sinless, performed miracles, died and was resurrected from the dead in fulfillment of hundreds of years of prophecies gives us the premise through which we trust him and serve Him as Lord.  However His resurrection and eternal rulership is the catalyst for our daily pursuit of His will as He continues to direct the affairs of men today.  We look for Him to keep in step with Him, FOLLOWING him accordingly.
• When we speak of following Jesus, we are acknowledging the relinquishment of our rights.  It is the essence of Lordship.  We, like Abraham are not told where we will be heading, only the promise that God will be with us and has a better inheritance for us.  In relinquishing control, we are submitting to the idea that Jesus knows what is best, when it is best and how things should be done in our relationships, with our time and our finances and careers, all things that pertain to our security and future, though He has not given us a detailed map of what it looks like.  This is why we live on every word that proceeds from His mouth.  This is why His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.  This is what we rejoice when the instability of the world around us is revealed.  Psalm 46.  This is the essence of Biblically defined faith - trust, or more specifically, entrusting yourself to someone.  He said repent for the Kingdom is near. We have to remember the benefits of the Kingdom (Psalm 103), righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 14:17 NIV84)

At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:20 NIV84)

• There will always be a leaving of something that is familiar, to follow Jesus.  It is not necessarily a job that you're leaving, though on some paths, it may require such a crossroads.  More often, it is a leaving of comforts, well worn patterns of thinking, and our thoughts of what the future that we planned would look like.  it is putting our security fully in the hands of Christ who we acknowledge as sovereign in this fleeting world.   It is a casting off of the identity to which you've clung so dearly, and allowing the loving, living, omnipotent God to redefine you ("for they were fishermen").  Remember, for Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave their fathers, they were leaving the family business and their promise of a worldly inheritance.  If you did not have to leave anything, if it did not require a change, you would have already been following him, and your life would have reflected the liberties of Scripture.

Practically, we ask these questions:

1. What have you shown through your Word to be your general, overarching will?
2. How are you moving today to accomplish that will in my relationships, family and workplace?
3. What is my part today in serving you to help accomplish that will?
   • Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:21, 22 NIV84)
   • Immediacy is the key to obedience in The Lord.  Many a graveyard of calling has been filled with those who took the time to contemplate whether following Christ was feasible and expedient.  With whom are you trying to deliberate when the maker of the universe calls your name?   The term is called "playing the devil's advocate" for a reason.  The longer you wait to obey, the harder it becomes to move, because you begin to be loaded down with anxieties, fears and excuses as to why the middle road of nominal, rather than dynamic, faith is better, doesn't require as much and is acceptable to God.
   • Our faith walk was never intended to cul de sac with our own personal devotions, solely getting our own needs met.  Abraham, the father of our faith, was blessed to be a blessing.

*Jesus, in His call to discipleship, commences with a paradigm disallowing the idea of just showing up at church each Sunday solely thinking of yourself.  This is what the majority of American Christians do, but we are challenged to come looking to contribute in worship as much as we are expecting to receive from God in the community of faith.  Conversely, Jesus immediately establishes the foundation that we should continuously think about how to see others who don't know Him come onto His boat.  This is where we are blessed being a part of a church plant, because it naturally accentuates this goal and need.

• Without a doubt, fishing for men is not a gifting or a characteristic of a special class of Christian, but is the mark of any true disciple of Christ.  If we are following, we're going to be fishing.
• *Whether or not it is on our minds, the penultimate agenda on Jesus' heart is the reconciliation of the individuals of this world with His Father.  It is the very reason for the incarnation, the cross and the talk of the Kingdom of God.

“Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

A young girl, in citing this passage once asked me, "If Jesus said that when we follow Him, He'll make us fishers of men, does that mean that if we are not fishing for people, we are not following Him?"  Most times, we try to define for ourselves what it means to follow Jesus, rather than allowing Jesus to define it for Himself.  In doing so, we are deceived.  At the very least, the girl's inquiry is a penetrating question exposing the incomplete paradigm in which we live.

A description of fishing in the ancient world :

1. the nets
2. by team - why it is good to bring friends, family and co-workers to an environment of faith where they can be touched by God. The general statistic is it takes 3-7 significant encounters with the gospel before someone comes to Christ and just as many relationships to stick in his church.
3. Repetition in casting the nets

Casting their nets vs. the trammel net

For what type of people should we be fishing?

1. The non-Christian
2. The unconnected Christian
3. The co-worker, friend or family member willing to check things out (John 1)

When should we fish for people?: Jesus comes to the first disciples more than likely after a long night of fishing when they are mending their nets

Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. (Ecclesiastes 11:6 NIV84)

• As one of the disciples, John would witness the first miracle of Jesus at the wedding in Cana (John 1:35-2:11).  First, Jesus shows how powerful and practical he is by touching even their business endeavors. He is saying there is nothing too big for Him to transform in someone's life and nothing too small for him to care about.  He is indicating that when He enters an individual's life, there is no area or sphere that He will leave untouched by His covenant.
• It is no mistake that one of Jesus' first miracles in direct relationship to the disciples had to do with fishing. Luke 5:1-11

*In summary, when you are called by Jesus to be a Christian, you are commissioned by Him to also be a co-laborer of His to build His church and Kingdom.  It takes absolute diligence and focus to be a builder alongside of Jesus.  As we spoke about warfare last week, there is every discouragement and distraction that will attempt to throw you off of the faithful and consistent course of prayer and reaching out.  Though men and women born of the Holy Spirit, we far too often resign to our carnal judgments to determine if an activity is worthwhile.  We know that prayer is important, but we want to see the immediate results of our single request offered to God before we'll consider investing further time into it.  We live in the microwave generation of instant messaging, instant downloads and instant gratification.  However, what this does is make our souls weak.  We lose the value and practice and fruit of patience.  If we do not see an instantaneous finished product, then it is not exciting.  And boy, aren't we encouraged to live for pleasures and the next "new" thing.  We know that it takes love and consistency to make disciples, but if someone doesn't fall on their knees immediately, we assume that either God is not at work or that He is not interested in using us.  These mentalities completely contradict the nature of faith and undercut the analogy that Jesus intentionally made of successful fishing.  There is no parent who has been able to experience the overwhelming joy of parenthood, whether through adoption or natural birth, without the travail of the process.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, (Luke 5:4-9 NIV84)

• We often feel like we do not have the strength to help others, but here is part of the good news of the gospel, that Jesus heals us so that we might have the strength to love and serve Him. It is so often that we are waiting for healing before we move, but instead it is as we go, as we are looking to give, that we are actually healed (Luke - ten lepers).

What does fishing for people look like in our context?:

• Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demonpossessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.  (Matthew 4:23-25 NIV84)
• Just as people BROUGHT to Jesus people in these conditions, physically, psychologically, emotionally or circumstantially, so can we.  And they can be healed.  INVITATION is the key here.
• There is a crescendo leading to Matthew 10 where the disciples first see Jesus' ability, and then are sent to the people to heal themselves by the power of Jesus' authority and the Holy Spirit.

This is one of the unique purposes of our Purple Book groups that are beginning.  Please join not only to be exposed, but to learn to articulate what you have come to believe.  Strengths and weaknesses of invitational style

Different styles of evangelism found in Becoming a Contagious Christian by Bill Hybels of Willow Creek: Invitational Style

• Percentage of people who said they would come if someone invited them to church vs. percentage invited.  Bringing people to Jesus does not have to be limited to an invitation to church - there are a multiplicity of environments and scenarios to aid this.
• Christmas is an easy time to invite people. It will be fantastic practice for the city even as many of you go home for the holidays.
• This is a fantastic realization as we approach our first Pre-launch service December 9

Practical faith goal for every disciple:

1. Pray for at least three unconnected Christians or non Christians in your sphere daily for the next three weeks.
2. Invite them to join us with the hope of at least one of them coming and drawing closer to Jesus and his church December 9

2nd City Church - Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2012

Fighting For Our Lives

Man on a Mission: "Fighting For Our Lives"

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Special Edition

I almost feel like this message should be part of an introductory packet to the city of Chicago offered at the Welcome Center We begin this week with Jesus' baptism as the perfect Son of God Matthew 3:13-17

• It is Jesus' 30th year and the beginning of His three year ministry that would turn the planet upside down and literally save the world.  Baptisms in the culture were symbolic of purification and washing.  It was also indicative of priests being set apart for their divine and holy service.
• Once again, Christ set an example for us with his baptism.  He was perfect in his righteousness, but did all to fulfill the law and lead by example.  In effect, He has never asked or commanded us to do anything, as we remain in Him, that He has not done Himself.  This includes his victory over temptation and sin in the daily bouts of life.
• It is significant that at the beginning of His ministry, as in the beginning of this church, it commences with a fight.


Matthew 4:1-17

*The Spirit of God led Jesus into the desert, not to tempt Jesus, but into warfare, being tempted by Satan.  Without a doubt, we are in a fight of faith that will either refine us like gold as God intends, or destroy our lives as the enemy desires (ref. John 10:10).  There is no demilitarized zone.  (Rest comes solely in the presence of God.)

• There are many types of resistance from Satan's forces, but the names utilized for our enemy tells us a lot about one of the components of the battle in which we find ourselves:
  • Devil (Greek: Diabolos) means accuser, slanderer.  The word was used for that sinful activity in instructing the church.
  • Tempter (Greek: Peirazo) means to try, test by solicitation, entice, allure.  Different from another Greek word dokimazo which means to test in order to prove someone good.  Peirazo involves entanglement to discover someone's weakness or strength in attempts to show them unacceptable.

“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.” 
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

It was after Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights in the desert that the enemy brought the onslaught of temptation. The same is true for us in the wilderness periods of our lives when we feel like the things that normally satisfy (in relationships, work or pleasures) are withheld from us for a season. It is here when our love for God and His bride are tested.  If Jesus had faltered, we all would have been lost.

If you don't embrace the fact that there is going to be, without a doubt, warfare in your life, you will waste your emotional energy on two things rather than one.  You will not only be fighting the battle itself, but you will spend strength that should have otherwise been allocated to the fight condemning yourself for even being in a fight.  This is inappropriate since the Son of God Himself modeled the fight.  Focus and expend your spiritual vigor accordingly.

• I've never spoken to a veteran that enjoys the battle, with bullets flying and the threat of death surrounding them.  It is a healthy fear however, that preserves their life.
• God is showing us clearly that, like Jesus, as we step out to reach a city, there will be increased spiritual warfare for which we must be ready.

A traditional understanding of where these attacks lay are:

1. Jesus' appetites (fleshly desires for sex, sensory indulgence and physical food)
2. Jesus' sense of testing the boundaries It is here that we find Satan's manipulation of Scripture.  It is the trap that many fall into because they do not study the Scripture to understand context or God's intended meaning.  Rather they go on what they are taught by the diatribes of popular culture raging against God, or the church providing tradition which inadvertently misleads its followers and separates its adherents from the head (Matthew 15 - we'll discuss more later)
3. The allure of power for Jesus (fame, riches and prestige fall under these categories.  The things that you are willing to sacrifice to obtain these are tested here.  Many a man and woman have lost integrity, family and purity on these fronts - i.e. - the business community and entertainment industry)

Spiritual warfare = nonsensical conclusions based on the facts

These attacks against Jesus had nothing to do with reality.  He had already been confirmed audibly and publically as the unique Son of God by the Father.  However, Satan makes a direct attack on His identity (and thus His place of importance in the world and to others), His relationship with the Father and His abilities.

• The attacks against us come in the similar ways, many times directly assaulting what should be most obvious, or our areas of strength.  This can be in a relationship, a gifting, or your very security before and from God.  Where the greatest attacks lay often indicate the greatest places of promise from God.

Where is the battle?: In our emotions and in our thought life II Corinth 10

Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

It is when we don't acknowledge the reality of the enemy's unseen attacks in our relationships, when we are discouraged and when we have trials, that He is able to win the fight.

The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he did not exist.” 
― Charles Baudelaire, or Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects

The tactics of the enemy:

1. Accusation - Revelation 12
2. Discouragement and Isolation - Psalm 2; Hebrews 3

*Co-Dependent Mentalities are a trap of the enemy

Independent Responsibility, Interdependent Relationships is where God wants to take us for health and victory

• If you continually blame your shortcomings or sin on a lack of accountability or help given by others, you are living with a co-dependent mentality that will leave you crippled.
• Here in this culture, Sunday isn't a day for God, it's a day for me so that I can rest and revitalize myself, rewarding myself for a long work week. In doing so, I cut off the very mechanism, the gathering of the brethren, which God has given to strengthen us in our core, our spirit, from whence all life flows.

It is in this place that we learn to use these weapons found in God's Word:

1. Memorial stones of Gods faithfulness as a weapon.
2. Speak to our souls - the Psalms (i.e. - Psalm 57:8)
3. Every sigh turned into a prayer

* If we will allow Jesus to lead us through these trials, we, like him, become more than conquerors (Romans 8 - we're seeing how all Scripture works together).  Jesus' destination was not to live in the desert, it was a passing through. We don't need to camp there in our mentalities.

* Our sin is never just about us.  It affects families, churches and cities.  In the same way, our victories in Christ are never just about us.  God wants to release generational blessings through the obedience of individuals and communities of faith!

Jesus emerging as more than a conqueror had a message to preach to others to see them set free:  Repent (Change your mind and actions) for the Kingdom of Heaven is near! (Matthew 4:12-17)

If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.” 
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Practical Faith Challenge of the Week: This week, identify where the enemy's attacks have been in your life and apply the good news of God's word for your freedom and someone of like condition.

This week read Matthew 4:18-25 in preparation for "Man on a Mission" Part 5 - "Following and Fishing"

2nd City Church - Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2012

Preparing the way for the Lord

Man on a Mission:"Preparing the way for the Lord"

* In the future we will get into topical messages and series, but right now, to set the foundation of the church plant, we want to make sure to let Jesus and the Bible speak for themselves as to what is important to God, even things that we may have heard before, but upon which we have not spent much time dwelling to make them premiums in our lives.

We all want God to move in our lives and in the city.  However, what ALWAYS PRECEDES a move of God is the people's move towards confession and repentance.

*Matthew 3:1-12


Why would John call them a brood of vipers? There was poison on their lips (ref. Romans 3:13). Often, when we have become prideful in our Christianity, thinking ourselves the experts, or hurt in our community, thinking ourselves the victims, we lose sight of Christ Himself who looks to redeem imperfect scenarios.  The only result is a fault-finding attitude, rather than one of humility and service.  Here is where you begin to criticize the people and work of God rather than throwing in your lot to aid and join them.  The vipers often feed on the embryonic eggs of other creatures trying to come to life.  He is giving a warning to watch ourselves and exhorting us to throw in our lot with Jesus and his people.

When we think of repentance, we think of thoughts of God's anger, having visceral reactions in regards to His judgments.  It is because we don't understand the heart of our Father in the midst of these commands.

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:4 NIV84)

How would it be the case that He is expressing His kindness? There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12 NIV)

• says the exact same thing in Prov. 16:25


Here's an example in which many of us have found ourselves:

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword. 
Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths are crooked, but she knows it not. (Proverbs 5:3-6 NIV84)

In preaching there is proclamation, but there is also an element of counseling for every aspect of Christ's character or counsel that we are encouraging people to obey.  Everyone has a history explaining why they are the way that they are and an attachment to the reason they live and behave the way that they do.  God is sensitive to this, yet still calls us, as the Creator, to the liberating and higher place.

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters; 
and you who have no money, 
come, buy and eat! 
Come, buy wine and milk 
without money and without cost. 
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy? 
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, 
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 
Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live. 
I will make an everlasting covenant with you, 
my faithful love promised to David. 
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
 call on him while he is near. 
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts. 
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” 
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways 
and my thoughts than your thoughts. 
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven, 
and do not return to it 
without watering the earth 
and making it bud and flourish, 
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, 
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace; 
the mountains and hills 
will burst into song before you, 
and all the trees of the field 
will clap their hands. 
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. 
This will be for the Lord's renown,
for an everlasting sign, 
which will not be destroyed.” (Isaiah 55:1-3, 6-13 NIV84)

There is an emotional response to the behavioral patterns that have marked our lives and to which we have become identified.  We cling to them, feeling that if we lose this part of our activity, we lose our very selves.  Yet Jesus calls us to trust him in this change of mind so that He might bring us into the life that is truly life.  Never forget, He knows best and desires our best.

“I myself said,
“ ‘How gladly would I treat you like sons 
and give you a desirable land, 
the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ 
I thought you would call me ‘Father’ 
and not turn away from following me. (Jeremiah 3:19 NIV84)

The Hebrew word for Torah in the Scripture encapsulated the Law and had a meaning that referred to a target.  Sin thus became a term for missing the mark.  It is far deeper than simple disobedience, but it is a general posture in life where we fail to even acknowledge God's good standard in our relationships, how we use our time or finances.  We fail to even aim for the mark and therefore live in sin.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. (James 4:17 NIV84)

It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

When we have made any level of commitment to Christ, the sins that we commit are far more sins of omission rather than commission - a general laziness of spirit and heart.  It is more the sin of apathy and complacency, doing the bare minimum to get by, than the sin of licentious living.

The more often [a man] feels without acting, the less he will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Repentance is defined as a change of mind.  Greek:

Repentance is not a onetime activity, but an ongoing affair, a lifestyle.  It is to aim for, and by the grace of God, rise to the mark.  It is then we hit the target of peace, fulfillment and satisfaction in life because we are doing that for which we were created. Repentance is the prerequisite preparing the way continually for the ongoing work of The Lord Jesus in your life.

How do we get to a place, like the Pharisees, where we are surrounded culturally by the law of God, but become a brood of vipers?  In a city like Chicago, it is easy as God becomes a side note and not the center of our lives, an additive and not the director.  The syncretistic spirit in this city tolerates spirituality, but resists building our world and contextualizing daily activity around JESUS and His Kindom purposes.  There is an acknowledgement of God, but not a pursuit of Him.  Yet John's very purpose, and ours, is to prepare a way for Jesus.

Your religion is what you do with your solitude.”   -Archbishop William Temple

The problem with American culture today is the plethora of options with which we are confronted today.  In sociological studies, they've reported that countries with far less economically and what we would deem as comfort are far happier because the number of options are limited.  Therefore people are not thinking about what they don't have, always thinking they are missing something; rather they are enjoying what they do have. In this manner, their lives can be more fulfilled.

This atmosphere which dulls convictions was accentuated in my mind when I saw that the happiest time of year thus far for people in Chicago came during a trick or treat Halloween celebration. It takes more effort to do anything in a big city like Chicago, so without a compass, you will passively slump into the malaise and the perpetual tide of the culture around you.

Confession means to come into agreement with what is right

Confession does not just have to be to a priest or religious leader in the church, but someone with whom you're are walking for growth in Jesus and His purposes in your life:

My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me; 
he whose walk is blameless 
will minister to me. (Psalm 101:6 NIV84)

As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17 NIV84)

Confession in the church serves multiple purposes:

1. to build intimate relationship through which we
2. to take responsibility for our actions and own our junk
3. to identify and nail the appropriate things to the cross

A lack of humility will lead to a lonely, isolated existence.

God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing; 
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. (Psalm 68:6 NIV84)

He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13 NIV84)

There are three categories of people who will be coming to repentance in our midst:

1. The believer through the ongoing sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit
2. The non-Christian who is being reconciled to God
3. The church transfer who felt burnt or embittered at another church trying to find refuge here.  The challenging part in this scenario is people don't realize that things aren't always as one sided as they seem and may need to come to repentance themselves

If someone quickly finds fault with others, they will quickly do it with you. We don't encourage people to come from other churches without working out their grievances, otherwise when the rub comes, there will be the same response just in a different environment.

Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy2:19-22 NIV84)

What good thing does God want from this repentance?

Christ set a different example for us with his baptism.  He was perfect in his righteousness, but did all to fulfill the law and lead by example.  In effect, He has never asked or commanded us to do anything that He has not done Himself. We can therefore trust Him in everything as He promises to lead us to life to the fullest.

Take time o pray, asking the Holy Spirit to search your hearts, confess and pray with another about things you need to repent and be healed about.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23, 24 NIV84)

Practical Faith Challenge of the Week: This week, share with someone why the message of confession and repentance is a part of the good news.

* This week read Matthew 4 in preparation for "Man on a Mission" Part 4 - "Fighting for our Lives"

2nd City Church 2012 Man on a Mission Sermon series