Abide: The Word Keeps Us from Evil

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Abide: The Word Keeps Us from Evil

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: The Father’s words sanctify us and send us - away from evil and into mission.

1. Context

2. Christ Sanctifying Us

3. Christ Sending Us

John 17:6–21

6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Context:

This week’s passage helps to conclude what is commonly known as the “farewell discourse” (John 14–17).

Last week’s discussion of “the true vine” was the middle section of this discourse.

This discourse occurs in John’s gospel immediately following the Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion just before his arrest.

Chapter 17 is the section of that discourse that takes the form of a prayer, and is often termed “the High Priestly Prayer,” (as it is labeled in the ESV and the NASB) but could also easily be titled “Christ’s Prayer for the Church.”

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the central component of Jesus’ prayers was the more private and painful acceptance of God’s will in the form of a cup of suffering.

There only Peter, James, and John appear to be close enough to hear his prayers.

In John’s gospel the central component of Jesus’ final prayers that are recorded happen before the garden, while he prays in front of all of the disciples.

In this way, this set of prayers takes on more of a teaching function and delivers doctrine along with the heartfelt cries of the Lord.

One of the central themes of the theological work of the gospel of John is “glory” or doxa and its intertwining with the Word (logos).

This theme is introduced as early as John 1:14 where we read “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Yet it runs throughout the gospel of John running as late as John 21:19 where Peter’s death is seen as a way of glorifying God.

This theme of glory and its interconnection with God’s word and revelation is an important component of Christ’s majestic prayer for the Church.

Another central theme to the book of John is drawn out in chapter 17—the contrast between the world and Christ, the world and Christ’s followers.

This theme is introduced in John 1:10–13 in that the Word came into the world, but the world did not recognize its own creator.

In chapter 17, this contrast is brought to a head in the prayer for Jesus’ disciples who “are not of the world” just as he is “not of the world.”

Love and unity are also featured significantly in the book of John and make their appearances in the high priestly prayer of chapter 17.

Christ desires the same unity in love between him and the Father to be present between him and his disciples.

This unity of love is presented as a central desire of the heart of Christ and a key requirement for the sanctification of the church.

In John’s gospel this prayer serves not only as the climax of the Farewell Discourse but also of his teaching to his disciples.

From this point on, the story unfolds the necessary fulfillment of the predictions of Christ’s suffering, and his teaching ministry as such has been completed.

The contrast between the world and Christ, between the glory of God and the evil of the world, is made even more clear in this climactic prayer.

In this prayer, Christ prays for unity, for glory, and for protection.

In the coming chapters, the world will divide (rather than unite), humiliate (rather than glorify), and destroy (rather than protect).

It is widely accepted that the gospel of John was written later than the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and that the author had some access to the gospels but felt free to write independently of them.

From this it may be hypothesized that John was being used to:

• To address the needs of a different audience (particularly non-Jewish seekers),

• To share elements of Christ’s person, teaching, and work that the other gospels did not present or emphasize, or

• To present a more theological-oriented than biographical- or historically-oriented work.

Christ’s Sanctifying Us:

As we abide in God’s word, the Holy Spirit sanctifies us by that Word.

To sanctify us means to set us apart to look like Jesus and fulfill his glorious purposes.

When we abide in the word of God, we develop God’s heart - for Jesus, the things of the Kingdom and the people of this world that Christ came to save through his cross.

At the same time, what we know is that Jesus understands that it can be difficult to be faithful to him in a hostile world.

As we abide in God’s word, God keeps us from the evil that is in the world that is opposed to His word and is hostile to those who cling to that Word.

Jesus’ high priestly prayer teaches us at least three key principles to guide us in hostile times.

1. The Word of God is the only reliable source of strength when we face the rejection of the world (vv. 6– 10)

   • Christ reveals he needed the words the Father gave to him

     • There are schemes of the enemy (Satan) to discourage and dissuade you in your walk with God

   • Christ sees something we need to recognize: if we believe what he says and do what he commands, we will be hated.

     • The enemy will use that hatred to shake us.

   • Clue to the gospel: Rejection and hostility do not have to spiritually derail us. Sometimes greater resistance is a sign we are getting closer to the goal.

     • The enemy can only win if resistance causes us to: back down, give in, grow bitter, or change sides

   • Resolution: When we press through resistance with faithfulness to the Word, God’s victory is ensured.

     • If Christ needed the words of the Father, how much more do we?

     • Christ makes it clear that he gave those words to the disciples so that they would be preserved. i. If the apostles needed the words of Christ, how much more do we?

     • Philosophies change. Self-help gurus come and go. Governments rise and fall.

     • God’s Word remains the same.

     • God’s ways remain the same.

     • God’s mission remains the same.

2. The Words of Christ guide us when the presence of Christ is hidden. (vv. 11–13)

   1. You need to spend time with God to be guided by his Word.

   2. You need to internalize the Word so it goes with you through the day.

   3. You need to search your life to find any area that is not surrendered to the Word.

John 17:19

“And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

Christ Sending Us:

The third thing that we discover is that as we abide in Christ’s word, he sanctifies us to send us on mission with him.

3. The world’s resistance is often a sign we are closer to the mission of the Word. (vv. 14–20)

• Christianity’s missional effectiveness is dependent on a simple formula:

  • Surprising faithfulness to the Word

  • In the face of great difficulty

  • Surprising faithfulness + great difficulty = new belief in the word

What difficulty is God asking you to face with surprising faithfulness?

What would surprising faithfulness look like in the face of that difficulty?

What scriptures could guide you to stay faithful in that difficulty?

What should we do that our faith may not fail?

• Rethink the rejection of the world as a sign that you are not of it, but are sent into it.

• Prayerfully consider what kind of suffering might cause you to give in to the enemy.

• Surrender those areas of potential missional sacrifice to God.

Have you been avoiding mission for fear of resistance?

The disciples did too— and they soon scattered.

When the disciples returned, Jesus strengthened them with the Spirit and the Word.

Response time: It’s time to get back on mission with Jesus.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Abide: The Word Bears Fruit

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Abide: The Word Bears Fruit

Associate Pastor Cole Parleir

Part 1: The Word Became Flesh

Part 2: The Word Gives Life

Part 3: The Word Feeds Our Spirit

Part 4: The Word Sets Us Free

TODAY - Part 5: The Word Bears Fruit

A brief story of cars and gas gauges.

John 15:1–11 ESV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

The Vine:

Jesus is the true vine: the true source and sustainer of life.

Have you ever plugged something into an extension cord and then learned the other end was not connected to an outlet? It’s only as good as it’s source.

In verse 1 Jesus uses his 7th and final “I AM” statement describing himself as the true vine.

Jesus wants us to know through his repetition that he indeed is one with God his Father and we can trust him.

He is the true vine as well as the Good Shepherd.

All who have come before him or after him claiming to be the prophesied and promised Messiah were and are false and not able to deliver eternal/true life.

As Jesus said in John 14 “no one comes to the Father except through me”. This is because there is no other possible way since Jesus is the true, one and only vine.

Acts 17:28 ESV

for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Question: What are some ‘false vines’ that present themselves to you promising life but have failed or you know can’t deliver?

Maybe it’s been religion saying “attach yourself to my to do list and work your way to God”.

Maybe it’s been your conscious saying “just keep me clear and you’ll be alright”

Maybe it’s been self-fulfillment through becoming the most successful person in your industry

Maybe it’s finding nirvana and disconnecting from life's troubles or expression, rising above them.

These will all prove temporary at bringing peace and joy.

The Vine Dresser:

Jesus’ Father is the vinedresser.

Here we see the relationship of God the Father and God the son. The son submits to the judgments of the Father as the owner of the vineyard and in choosing what is best for the vineyard, which is his creation.

The vinedresser’s goal is for the vine to be fruitful and everything he does is for the good of the vine in becoming fruitful.

God is the cultivator, pruner, and protector of his people.

The Branches:

The branches cannot produce life on their own as they must draw life from the vine.

Abiding in Christ is to keep in fellowship with him so that his life can work in and through us to produce fruit.

All who call themselves Christian are considered branches in the passage.

Not all who call themselves Christians are actually attached to the true vine.

EVERY branch (follower of Jesus who says I know him) will be either taken away or pruned. Every true believer attached to the true vine will bear fruit and be pruned in order to be more fruitful.

The branches who do not bear fruit are false disciples who will be taken away, gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. The missing fruit is the proof that they were never attached. This is most likely speaking of final judgment for those who are not found to be attached to Jesus Christ as indicated by their fruitless lives.

Our sincere faith is proven through the fruit that grows as we abide in Christ.

2 Peter 1:5–11

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Fruit:

Fruitfulness is a byproduct of staying in the vine.

Branches do not concern themselves with what kind or how much fruit they produce, their main concern should be abiding in the vine. (Loving Christ)

Staying (abiding) in the vine produces the fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22–23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law

Jesus says if you love me you will keep my commandments. Abiding in his love breeds more love for him which helps us trust and obey him, leading to the fruit of righteousness.

This increasing love for Jesus will also cause us to ‘keep in step with the Spirit’ as he makes disciples among us, giving us a new desire for the lost and missions local and abroad.

This obedience in turn renews your mind to pray God’s will and not your own, making your prayers align with what God wants to do, leading to answered prayers and the joy of God filling your heart.

Action:

• Do you call yourself a Christian? Check your fruit to see if you are a true disciple abiding in the true vine of Christ. (Love for Christ that leads to obedience?)

• Ask God to show you where he has been pruning you already and thank him for making you fruitful.

• Join the Community Outreach group on Church Center for local missions or the Charleston, SC mission group.

Second City Church - Associate Pastor Cole Parleir

Abide: The Word Sets Us Free

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Abide: The Word Sets Us Free

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Jesus is from the Father and speaks his words, and always pleases Him. Those who abide in Jesus’ words are truly his disciples. They will know the truth, and the truth will set them free from their sins.

Abide is an “experiential” word.

We don’t use it often, but it’s a word that really means “LIVE IN.” 

e.g., I live in the U.S. and I am able to tell you what America is like:

• The weather

• The culture

• The people

• etc…

Abide is an experiential word where one gets to be embedded, wrapped around, and feels that particular “world.”

Typically, when and where you abide, you abound.

• e.g., when you abide in fear, you abound in fear.

The series is meant to help us not just cognitively, but emotionally and in a heartfelt manner, bring us to “what it means if we were to LIVE IN that world of GOD’S WORD.”

Psalm 119 gives us a description of what we experience when we “ABIDE” in the Word.

The Word:

• Guides

• Keeps us from sin

• Preserves our lives

• Comforts Us

• Makes us wise

• Is a lamp unto our feet

• Is the joy in our hearts

In the New Testament, the WORD becomes even more real, because it is now the door to RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST.

John 8:23–36

He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

The book of John helps us to BELIEVE that Jesus is the Son of God and that in him we may have life (John 20:31).

Jesus in the past few chapters uses different festivals to reveal who he is to the people.

This is one of them where he reveals that he is the TRUTH that sets one free.

Four Jewish Sacred Days:

John 5–10 is a recollection of stories that happened on four different Jewish sacred days.

1. Sabbath—Healing a man on the Sabbath (John 5)

2. Passover—Miraculously providing food for thousands (John 6)

3. Tabernacles—Recollection of the wilderness wanderings and Jesus at the temple courts (John 7–10)

4. Hanukkah—Rededication of the temple (John 10)

Although not stated, John 8:23–36 may have taken place shortly after the close of the Feast of Tabernacles while Jesus was still in the city.

Jesus’ Seven “I Am” Statements:

1. “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51)

2. “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)

3. “I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7, 9)

4. “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14)

5. “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)

6. “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)

7. “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1, 5)

John 8:23–36 takes place after Jesus’ proclamation of the second great “I am”—“I am the light of the world.”

Jesus professes to be the genuine light by which truth and falsehood can be distinguished and by which direction can be established.

Here the Pharisees were challenging the claims of Jesus, as legally, a testimony concerning oneself would be unacceptable because it would presumably be biased.

Yet Jesus claimed to be an adequate and authoritative representative.

Chapter 8 begins with Jesus at the temple setting the woman caught in adultery free, displaying both truth and grace while exposing the “darkness” in her accusers’ lives.

Using that as a launching pad, he declares, “I AM the LIGHT of the world,” who delivers us from the power of darkness.

The Pharisees then have a debate with Jesus about his credibility, while Jesus used this to show his divine side desiring to strengthen the belief that others have in him.

The passage that we are dealing with is part of the ongoing conversation Jesus has with the Pharisees to help them see that Jesus’ version of truth and freedom is of a different level and quality.

Characteristic of the Truth:

In John 8, “the Truth” was not merely referring to the law but the living Son of God.

1. Heavenly versus Earthly (v. 23)

   Jesus claimed that he belonged to a totally different world from that of his questioners.

   To him the difference was natural; to them it was unnatural—something they could explain only by assuming that he belonged to the realm of the dead.

   But Jesus had come from the presence of God, and he asserted that only by faith could they attain his level.

2. Relating versus Reasoning

   Jesus demonstrated a relationship with the Father through the conversation with the crowd:

   • v. 18—The Father sent Jesus.

   • v. 28—The Father taught Jesus.

   • v. 29—The Father is with Jesus.

   • v. 29—Jesus does what is pleasing to the Father.

   The Pharisees, however, took the approach of mere reasoning:

   • v. 19—“Where is your Father?”

   • v. 22—“Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

   • v. 25—“Who are you?”

   Through their reasoning, the Pharisees failed to understand that Jesus was speaking to them of God and they missed the point of his unique relationship to the Father.

   Not only did they repudiate his claims, they completely rejected his person.

   To discover and embrace the truth that is Jesus Christ requires more than reasoning.

   It requires starting a relationship with him.

3. Son versus Slave

   Sin in this passage is in a verb tense indicating a habitual, continual action.

   The person in habitual sin is a slave of sin.

   A slave has no security, for he can claim no family ties that entail an obligation toward him.

   The son of a family has permanent status within it.

   Jesus enlarged this analogy by stating that while a son is rightfully a partaker of family privileges, the Son can confer such privileges.

   As the Jews thought they were descendants of Abraham with whom God had established a permanent covenant, they considered themselves exempt from any spiritual danger.

   The hope for real freedom does not lie in the ancestry of Abraham but in the action of Christ.

How to Respond to the Truth:

1. Accept it.

   • v. 30—“many believed in him”

   The first response to truth is to believe and accept.

   When the Pharisees heard Jesus speak they became more opposed to him.

   Yet there were many who heard the same words and believed in him.

   They believed despite the evident opposition of the religious leaders.

   The conversation shifts as Jesus starts speaking to those who believe.

   Though there were still gaps of understanding in the crowd, Jesus spent time revealing more about himself to them.

   There will be gaps in our understanding as we choose to believe in him, yet these will be revealed more and more to us as we journey with him.

   The first step is to ACCEPT.

2. Act on it.

   • v. 32—“know the truth”

   know—γινώσκω (ginōskō)

   Ginōskō is when you experientially learn something.

   Knowledge possessed through the intellectual process of learning is one thing.

   Knowledge gained by experience, by an active relationship between the one who knows and the person or thing known, is far superior to the former.

   Ginōskō is that knowledge that comes not just by reading and listening, but by action and obeying the Lord.

   You may intellectually know some truth but you don’t really "know" it experientially until you surrender and obey the truth.

   A person must be determined to obey the Word if he expects to understand it.

3. Abide in it.

   • v. 31—“abide in my word”

   abide—μένω (menō)

   In simple terms, “abide” means to remain in the same place or position over a period of time.

   Jesus was implying the maintenance of a stable and consistent fellowship with God.

   To abide in Christ means to depend completely on him for all that we need in order to live for him and serve him.

   It is a living relationship.

   As he lives out his life through us, we are able to follow his example and walk as he did.

   There is nothing between us and our Savior, no sin unjudged and not put away.

   This is how the truth sets us free.

Our response today:

1. Pray

   For those who do not know God, repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus, the Truth.

2. Practice

   For those who already believe in God, continue in your belief and because it’s not just a one-time activity. Practice abiding in Christ.

3. Point to Jesus

   Everyone should reach out to others.

   Truth not only sets us free.

   When we have received Christ’s joy and freedom, it compels us to help others be set free.

   No wonder John used one phrase from Jesus in John 20:21—“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Abide: The Word Feeds Our Spirit

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Abide: The Word Feeds our Spirit

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Jesus is the true bread of heaven. Whoever feeds on him will live.

To feed on the word of God, we must start with reading it more and more.

To understand the word of God, you can ask these four questions:

1. What is the writer saying in context to his listeners? (this exercises proper hermeneutical practice)

2. What is the text saying about God? (this helps develop healthy theology)

3. What is the text saying about humanity? (this helps me understand what God thinks about me)

4. What is the text saying about the world around me? (this helps develop a Biblical worldview)

In John 6, believing in Jesus is equated with feeding on him; eating is not a passive exercise and neither is the work of believing.

John 6:57–59

57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

Jesus invites the listener to feed on him but, “How can someone feed on Jesus?”

To best understand “whoever feeds on me,” it is helpful to know that Jesus is answering the crowd’s specific request for a sign related to the manna sign Moses gave.

1. What would you ask for?

2. What do you want from Jesus?

3. What does Jesus offer in response?

First, he calls out false hopes, shows their insecurity, and invites those listening to believe in him.

This is the gospel.

Jesus sees past our initial felt-needs to the true need we have—to be reconciled to the Father—and he is willing to give himself to us to make that happen.

Jesus offers an invitation to an active participation in believing and receiving him.

He equated it with “feeding on him.”

This brings us back to our question, “How can we feed on Jesus?”

Feeding on him is a holistic exercise.

It involves our belief in him, receiving his life, and letting him take an active role in our lives.

This is not a prayer that we pray and then go on living without him.

Who Jesus is becomes part of who we are.

How can we know who Jesus is apart from knowing him in Scripture?

• We can not.

How can we feed on Jesus without taking his word into our lives?

• We will not.

• Taking Jesus’ words into our lives involves praying it, trusting it, and obeying it.

How can we feed on him?

• We believe his word, we take it in, and let it transform us.

• We don’t do this just once, we continue to do so.

Believing is submitting our lives to obey Jesus and be transformed; doing what we believe completes the meal.

We all understand what it means to eat something, take it into our body, and absorb it.

In this text, Jesus takes that common understanding and invites us to do the same with him.

Where do we start?

We start by believing his words—he is the Son of God and wants to offer us eternal life.

We take his words in and we absorb them.

We absorb Christ’s character, his ways, his Spirit indwells us and all of who Jesus is becomes part of us.

We lay all of our other hopes down since they are not secure anyway.

Then we live in him and continue as we started—we feed on Jesus, we take in more of his words, absorb those and let them become part of us.

Feeding on Jesus is an active-obedient faith that continues to impact our whole person.

Feeding on his word is part of this process.

Isaiah 55:1–3

1 Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant.

For those who want to come and say yes to Jesus, you can repent of being passive.

You can choose to have an active belief that feeds on Jesus and his words - receiving him and living the full eternal life that he offers!

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Abide: The Word Gives Life

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Abide: The Word Gives Life

Pastor Rollan Fisher 

Psalm 138:2

I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

Focus: 

Jesus has life in himself, and everyone who hears his word and believes the Father receives eternal life. They have passed from death to life and will not face damnation. 

Though they may die, they will again hear his voice and be raised from the dead to everlasting life.

 

John 5:19-29

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

• The way the author “dances” between Jesus’ dependency on the Father and yet emphasizing his own divine authority is a picture of how the Trinity interacts.

- This demonstrates the uniqueness of Christianity.

• The rest of the gospel of John particularizes what it looks like when the Word dwells amongst flesh and reveals God's glory.

Jesus, as well as the majority of early believers and all of the writers of the New Testament minus Luke, were all Jewish. 

Jesus was sent first to the lost sheep of Israel, then to the rest of the world.  

God’s word speaks about his care for the whole world. 

The world is steeped in sin, darkness and death. 

Jesus came to bring life to the whole world, and the world would have access to that life by believing his words. 

- There are several moments in the gospels when Jesus calls those who are dead “asleep.”

- For him, raising someone from the dead is like me waking up my kids on the morning of Christmas Day or their birthday—EASY!

- That's why dead Christians are referred to as those who "are asleep in Christ.”

• Throughout this gospel, Jesus continually asserts that his work is to do the will of the Father (4:34; 5:30; 8:28; 12:50; 15:10).

Jesus' main work is to reveal the Father and bring life to those that are dead in their transgressions and sins.  

This will culminate in the final resurrection when he brings those who are waiting for him into the glories of eternal life.  

This is where we will finally experience the fullness of all that we’ve been longing for, and many striving for in this life without him. 

“The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.”

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Turn to Jesus and his word today to experience both the present and eternal life of God!

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Abide: The Word Became Flesh

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Abide: The Word Became Flesh 

Pastor Rollan Fisher 

Focus:  The Creator of all things invites us to know him through the Word who became flesh.

What happens when this sermon is believed and lived out?

We will commit to a life-long journey of getting to know this God through engaging the Word.

Primary text: John 1:1–5, 9–18 

What do we believe about Jesus?

It is not only important that we believe in Jesus but we must understand what we believe about him. 

We will respond to Jesus based on who we perceive him to be. 

The whole purpose of the gospel of John is to help us to see Jesus for who he really is. 

This is clearly stated in John 20:31—“But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name.” 

Read John 1:1–3

In this passage we see “Word” referenced several times. The Greek word here is Logos. 

This shows up over 300 times in the New Testament, but there is something unique about how it is used in John 1. 

The Logos was with God, and indeed was God himself. 

The Logos was in the beginning and created all things.

This points us back to the creation story found in Genesis 1. 

Notice the similarities in the beginnings of Genesis and John. 

Genesis shows us how God created through his word:

• 1:3 Then God said . . . and it was so

• 1:6 Then God said . . . and it was so

• 1:9 Then God said . . . and it was so

• 1:11 Then God said . . . and it was so

• 1:14 Then God said . . . and it was so

• 1:20 Then God said . . . and it was so

• 1:24 Then God said . . . and it was so

• 1:26 Then God said . . . and it was so

The very first thing that God spoke into existence through his word was light. 

Just as God’s Word brought light to darkness in creation, even so God’s Word would once again bring light into darkness. 

(Read John 1:4– 5)

This light is none other than Jesus himself. 

We see Jesus revealing himself as the Light throughout the gospel of John. 

In John 8:12 Jesus says, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Remember I made a statement earlier: we will respond to Jesus based on who we perceive him to be. 

Not everyone responded properly to this light:

• The darkness did not comprehend (overcome) it: 1:5

• The world did not know him: 1:10

• His own did not receive him: 1:11

If we read the rest of the gospel we will see this play out in the life of Jesus.

That there were those who rejected Jesus shows us a lot about the condition of the world, and even more so the condition of our hearts. 

It is possible to be around the Word and totally miss who he is. 

For example, if you have ever watched Undercover Boss, you can see what it looks like when the boss is right in front of someone and the person fails to recognize it until it’s too late.

As much as this passage reveals the nature of the human heart, it reveals, even more, the nature of the heart of God. 

The Word that created heaven and earth became like us. 

Years ago, Dr. Rice Broocks wrote a gospel summation that begins with this sentence: “The gospel is the good news that God became man in Jesus.” 

The idea of God becoming man is difficult to believe for some, even scandalous for others. 

How could God lower himself to be a man? 

And yet there is something beautiful and amazing about the fact that the Word became flesh.

What does this reveal about God? 

1. The Creator of all things desires to be near.

- “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory.”—John 1:14

- He came close enough that we were able to see his glory. 

He lived the life that we were supposed to live. 

What kind of life was this?

 A life that reflected God’s glory in a powerful way.

 - “Even so was it with the All-holy Son of God. He, the image of the Father, came and dwelt in our midst, in order that He might renew mankind made after Himself, and seek out His lost sheep, even as He says in the Gospel: I came to seek and to save that which was lost.”—Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word

- The phrase “dwelt among us” translates into one word, eskenosen, meaning “pitched a tent or encamped” (Tyndale pg. 63). 

This points back to Exodus 40 and the time of the Tabernacle. 

This also looks ahead at what will be in Revelation 21:3—“Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God himself will be among them.”

2. The Creator of all things desires to be known.

- “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”—John 1:18

- The reality is that we don’t know God as we should.

 God was willing to humble himself to make himself known to us. 

As we go through John, we see God revealed through the life of Jesus. 

Towards the end of Jesus’ life on earth, he has a conversation pointing this out to his disciples. “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, “Show us the Father?”’”—John 14:8–9

3. The Creator of all things desires to be received.

- “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,”—John 1:12

- God reveals himself through Jesus not so that we can simply have more knowledge, but rather that we can receive him. How will we respond? 

Will we reject Jesus like so many others in his day? 

Will we receive him by striving to be near to him and by knowing him?

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Majesty: Full Devotion

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Majesty: Full Devotion

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We will worship Jesus with full devotion when we recognize his majesty trumps that which the world exalts.   

• Unusual Attraction

• Two Responses

• His Majesty and the Second Coming of Christ

Unusual Attraction

The qualities for which we worship Jesus are not the things which the world exalts.   

Isaiah 53:1-5 

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

What does the world find appealing and attractive?

What draws people to spend hours flipping through social media or fantasizing about a different life?

What the Scripture above is saying is that there would have been nothing in the natural that made Jesus appealing to us.  

The things that made Jesus savior were contrary to what the world valued.

The very description of Jesus would have been the things we run from, rather than gravitate toward, in the world.  

• We hate suffering.

• We try to avoid grief.

• We often have a low tolerance for sorrows.

But these are the very things that Jesus took up to heal us in his life and at the cross.  

*It is that which would have repelled us away from and caused us to overlook Jesus that actually saved us. 

*He had no beauty that we should desire him.  

This is a sobering statement.  

*Could it be that in our superficial attractions, shallow affections, and surface-level attachments we could also miss Jesus today?

We will if we prioritize things other than what God esteems. 

• So what questions should we ask ourselves time make sure that we do not miss what Jesus wants to do in and through our lives?

• What does the world characterize as beauty?

• What are the differences between what God characterizes as majestic and what the world esteems?

For example, the world often exalts certain culturally derived standards of physical beauty, putting oneself forward and perceived strength in the ability to best one’s competition.  

Yet Jesus was holy and different.  

Jesus came as the standard of beauty, but was unassuming; was able to boast, but came to lift others up; able to dominate, but chose to serve. 

Of all people, Jesus could rightfully demand justice, but extended mercy. 

Jesus could have been spiteful to those who rejected, despised and betrayed him, but expressed kindness and grace instead. 

He had a pathway to exact retribution, but chose self-sacrifice for our forgiveness at the cross.  

The first coming displayed Christ’s humility; the second coming will display his strength.  

The majesty which Jesus displayed at his first coming prevented people from attempting to come to him for the wrong reasons. 

If you were only coming to God to see what you could get rather than what you could give in worship, the majesty of Jesus would seem undesirable and the cross of Christ an offense to you.  

Think - considering all of his attributes, though no greater picture of God or man exists, what are some of the reasons that prevent people from desiring Jesus today?

Always remember that in your pursuit of God:

God often calls beautiful what we say is rejected.  

God often calls majestic what we call despised.  

Make sure that you have the right lense and God’s perspective. 

Two Responses

There are only two responses when we are confronted with the majesty of Jesus - rebellion or submission. 

Matthew 2:1-12 

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

What caused Herod to miss the majesty of Jesus?

Jesus did not come with the force and pomp of a military commander.

Jesus came in humility as a child and thus Herod thought he could rid himself of the need to acknowledge Jesus as Lord.  

Herod’s response did not begin with outright rebellion.  

It looked like he was in line with the prophetic words and mission of the Christ, until it challenged his independence and sovereignty.  

Herod was used to doing things as he wanted and when he wanted.  

He picked and chose how he wanted to associate with God, doing what was right in his own eyes.  

He built the temple for the people but was a murderer of anyone, even family, that threatened his autonomy.  

The issue was that Herod did not want his independent rule challenged, over the region of Judea or his own life. 

Herod responded to the majesty of Jesus with manipulation and murder. 

The Magi responded with meekness and marvel. 

Matthew 2:16-18 

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” 

What were the signs of Herod’s rebellion?

1. Herod acknowledged the word of God, but picked and chose what he would obey

2. Herod used others to his own advantage to try to preserve his chosen way of life

3. Herod disposed of those who would threaten his autonomy and self-rule

The same happens with people today.  

People are willing to acknowledge the reality of Jesus, his coming and his mission, but are threatened by the implications of his total rulership in their lives.  

Which way have you responded? 

Two Options: Threatened or Totally Submitted

What allowed the Magi to acknowledge the majesty of Jesus?

Scholars believe that the wise men may have come from the region of Bablylon, where the exiles of Israel had been scattered many years before during a period of judgment. 

The Magi were outside of the citizenship of Israel, but would have been exposed to the Word of God, having more than likely heard the prophecies and good news of the coming Messiah from the Jewish Diaspora in exile in the East. 

They took God at his word and humbled themselves, rearranging their lives to submit to the Lordship of Jesus. 

The Magi were willing to inconvenience themselves to honor and worship the Lord, even in his infancy. 

They knew that the things that most defined their lives, their time (journey to find Jesus), their talent (great learning) and treasure (their gifts) were the things that God would look to receive in their worship.  

It is no different for us today. 

Whether you’ve been walking with God for years or are just beginning, recognizing Jesus as Lord over all areas of your life - your time, your talent, your treasure and even your relationships, is key.  

This is what it means to submit to the majesty of Jesus. 

What was the sign of the Magi’s submission?

1. The Magi diligently searched for the meaning of the Scripture and how it would apply to each of the aforementioned areas of their lives.

2. The Magi allowed the Scripture to dictate their actions, making the long trip to meet with and worship Jesus. (In stark contrast, Americans today average church attendance approximately 1.4 times per month).

3. The Magi lived a life of sacrifice, going to great lengths to offer their time (the long journey), treasure (presenting Jesus gifts) and talents (great learning) in worship of Jesus.

They displayed the attitude of the great King of Israel, David, when he said,

2 Samuel 24:24 

“But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Even the gifts they offered Jesus were them sowing into the ultimate cause of Christ.  

The gold allowed the flight to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod.  

The frankincense and myrrh were used in the process of embalming during burial 

(What a birthday present if not for the fact that the Messiah would be born to die, to save his people from their sins! - Isaiah 52+53). 

Who will you be like this new year - Herod or the Magi?

*We must understand that indifference is a response and actively places us in the camp of functionally despising the majesty of Jesus.  

Think about the indifference of a marriage proposal unanswered.  

It is no different than the invitation that God makes to you in Jesus today, thus the continual references to the marriage banquet of the Lamb at the second advent of Christ (Matthew 22:1-14). 

When he comes, Jesus will come as Lord of all. 

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

His Majesty and the Second Coming of Christ

Acknowledging the majesty of Jesus should shape our lives in preparation for his second coming. 

The second coming of Jesus will evidence how his majesty trumps that which the world exalts. 

The second coming will fully reveal the majesty of Jesus where we receive the reward of our response - eternal life with an imperishable inheritance for those who received him; eternal judgment for those who rejected his Lordship.  

Matthew 2:19-23 

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

The second coming 

What application does this have for us today?

What you find yourself doing, though it may lack the esteem of the world, is for the glory of God when done in faith and obedience to God’s word.  

Your praying, your giving and your going to make disciples of the nations may not always come with the praise or recognition of those around you, but God sees it all. 

He will reward your faithfulness, and like the Magi, will use your efforts as part of his ongoing story to reveal the majesty of Christ, bringing his eternal salvation to the world.  

Because Jesus is coming again in the Second Advent, like the Magi, we order our lives accordingly in worship, which means service to him.  

We’ll end with an excerpt from Sacred Structures which gives perspective on how we should order our lives in response to the majesty of Jesus:

“The story of three bricklayers is a multi-faceted parable with many different variations, but is rooted in an authentic story. After the great fire of 1666 that leveled London, the world’s most famous architect, Christopher Wren, was commissioned to rebuild St Paul’s Cathedral.

One day in 1671, Christopher Wren observed three bricklayers on a scaffold, one crouched, one half-standing and one standing tall, working very hard and fast. To the first bricklayer, Christopher Wren asked the question, “What are you doing?” to which the bricklayer replied, “I’m a bricklayer. I’m working hard laying bricks to feed my family.” The second bricklayer, responded, “I’m a builder. I’m building a wall.” But the third brick layer, the most productive of the three and the future leader of the group, when asked the question, “What are you doing?” replied with a gleam in his eye, “I’m a cathedral builder. I’m building a great cathedral to The Almighty.”

Let us acknowledge the majesty of Jesus and give our all to worship him, joining in the building of his heavenly Kingdom! 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Resurrection and Life Vision 2022

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Resurrection and Life 

Vision 2022

Associate Pastor: Cole Parleir

Focus: When we follow Jesus as His disciples we will also begin to see his glory as the resurrection and the life.

Observations:

• Jesus knows and redefines our struggles (John 11:1-16)

• God cries (John 11:17-37)

• Jesus IS the resurrection and the life (John 11:38-44)

Jesus knows and redefines our struggles (John 11:1-16)

When we see death, Jesus sees a glorious opportunity.

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus[a] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin,[b] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

• Your struggle doesn’t have to end in death, but it may take you through death.

• He stayed away 2 days longer because he loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus?!

Question: Why might Jesus, the Son of God, not immediately intervene on our behalf?  What does this say about his nature?

• Jesus is the light that shines the truth of the kingdom of God on our struggles. This helps us see the end from the beginning, giving us faith to persevere through them.

• This displays his omniscience as the Son of God.

• Jesus sometimes allows our situations to become impossible (with man) so that when he delivers the miracle, our faith will rest on God alone. He alone will receive the glory.

Illustration of delays bringing greater impact

• The movie “It’s a wonderful life” at the time of its release, was considered a failure. It received mixed reviews and it didn’t break even at the box office. However, it was later re-evaluated as a masterpiece and became a revered classic. But it didn’t really cement its place as the ultimate Christmas movie until it aged into the public domain and it was able to be shown on TV or streamed online for free.”

  • https://screenrant.com/its-wonderful-life-best-holiday-classic-movie-other-choices/?_gl=1*4yejsu*_ga*Ymg1QWdJc2tMUmVqeXJfRTg5TlN6cUtKSzlwODE1R0lXWkItOHZmdGcxV3dEcm5GNUc2NUlKbThjejJZeXVRbw..

God cries (John 11:17-37)

Though God knows all things and plans to redeem all things, he is deeply  moved with sorrow for us and anger toward sin by the pain on our path.

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles[a] off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[b] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved[c] in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” 

• God is not emotional or weak. However he IS deeply moved with compassion and sorrow for his creation’s pain.

• God’s compassion and sorrow displays his tender love and empathy with us even though he is sovereign over all things.

• Jesus not only wept over Lazarus’ death, but had anger over the consequences of sins effect on the world, with death and hell being the ultimate consequence.

• To mourn as God mourns is part of genuine faith.

• Psalm 116:15

  • Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

• 1 Thessalonians 4:13

  • 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

Question: What are some things that you now know God weeps over? Do you weep over them as well?  Do you have hope as you weep?

Jesus IS the resurrection and the life (John 11:38-44)

He does not only give life and perform resurrection, he IS life and the light of the world.  When we walk with Jesus Christ, sin and death are temporary trials that have no hold on us.  

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go." 

• 4 days indicated that Lazarus was truly dead. He had no water or food for 4 days proving he was not sleeping.

• According to some old Jewish beliefs, the soul hovered over the body for 3 days and then departed. Jesus is claiming authority over all traditions and beliefs, including the after life.

• Jesus’ delay caused MANY Jews to show up in Bethany (house of affliction), creating a greater crowd to witness and believe.

• Jesus intends to do much more than we ask or can imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

• We want what we believe Jesus has to offer…but Jesus tells us ‘I am’ what you are asking for. When we have Jesus we have everything.

• Jesus’ ‘I am’ statement is one of his clear claims to deity, echoing The LORD at the burning bush when Moses asks “Whom shall I say sent me?”

• We ask questions in time, Jesus answers in ultimate and eternal terms.

• Revelation 21:4

  • He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Question: What are you praying for that you may possibly be misunderstanding Jesus’ answer because he’s answering MORE than you are asking?

Question: What situations and relationships do you not want to “take away the stone” because of the “odor”, meaning they seem impossible or too much trouble to deal with?

The takeaway and our response

Jesus wants to be the resurrection and life for  you, your family, and your community in 2022 and most importantly, for all eternity.   (John 17:3)

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

• As he said to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”, he says to us as well.

• This challenge to have faith in Him is for his glory, our good, and the world’s healing.

• Will you follow him into the impossible mission of making disciples of all nations until He returns AND believe that along the way he will work miracles deepening our trust in him alone?

Pray and Act: Lord Jesus, you are the resurrection and the life that the world and I need.  I give you the impossible things in my life today.  Use me this year as your witness like you did Lazarus and those who witnessed your glory.  Please do this so that others may know you and experience your glory and salvation as well.  In Your name, amen.

Second City Church - Associate Pastor: Cole Parleir 2021

Majesty: True Worship

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Majesty: True Worship

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We will come to worship Jesus fully when we distinguish between his communicable and his incommunicable attributes. 

As humanity is made in the image of God (Imago Dei) there are communicable attributes of God that humans can also possess, albeit to a finite extent.  

These communicable attributes give every human being value, worth and contribute to the sanctity of all human life, whether fully formed or in process.  

They also distinguish humanity as the crowning achievement of God’s creation, with the ability to steward the rest of God’s creation with care and grace.  

Some of these communicable attributes include:

1. Love

2. Goodness

3. Kindness

4. Knowledge

5. Wisdom

6. The ability to interact with and verify truth

These are all attributes that humanity has been given the privilege to share with God, albeit to a lesser extent. 

The incommunicable attributes of God speak of his holiness, how he is altogether different, higher and far above his creation.  

It’s in the incommunicable attributes of God that we see an even grander picture of his majesty, which is the basis of our worship of God. 

The incommunicable attributes are those characteristics that God can not share with his creatures. 

The incommunicable attributes explain why we worship God alone.  

What about Jesus?

Though one-hundred percent human, the historic Jesus of Nazareth was also one-hundred percent God, a phenomenon known as the hypostatic union.  

In Jesus Christ were found not only the communicable attributes of God in perfection, but also the incommunicable attributes of God which were shared with no other human being. 

Thus we worship Jesus as God and savior (Titus 2:13). 

John 1:1-5,14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

All of God’s incommunicable attributes begin with his self-existence or his aseity. 

This means that God is uncreated and is the source of all things providing their beginning, present existence and continuance.  

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Exodus 3:13-14

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “ I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘ I am has sent me to you.’”

They continue with:

Nine of the Incommunicable Attributes of God:

1. Sovereign

2. Omnipotent

3. Omniscient

4. Omnipresent

5. Transcendent

6. Immanent

7. Immutable

8. Infinite

9. Eternal

An Intervarsity article written by Jonathan Rice helps shed light on each of these attributes.  

Sovereign

“God is the Supreme Being of the universe. God precedes and is “above,” as it were, all things. And everything that exists is under God’s rule and authority. Since God is sovereign, we cannot praise ourselves for our salvation. Indeed, everything in our lives is a gift from God.”

-Jonathan Rice

Acts 4:24-31

And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’ — for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

“Look at the life of King David. He strayed from God’s will and suffered much, but he still trusted in God’s sovereignty, and God used David to bless people. 

Our believing God is sovereign gives us confidence that all things in our lives will work for good, despite our suffering.”

-Jonathan Rice

Omnipotent 

“God is the most powerful Being in all existence, able to accomplish his will, though unwilling to do anything contrary to his nature. We have a divine helper who enables us to persevere. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Our believing God is omnipotent gives us strength, for we are not alone in our weakness.”

-Jonathan Rice

Omniscient

“God knows everything of the past, present, and future. God knows everything actual and potential. Not only does God know all things; God also cares about everything and everyone.

The book of Proverbs tells us, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).

Our knowing that God is omniscient gives us peace when facing life’s uncertainties. 

Our believing God is omniscient assures us that God knows us and loves us.”

-Jonathan Rice

Omnipresent

“God is always present in all places. But God is not in all things, a concept called pantheism. Christian theology has traditionally asserted that the person of God and the nature of created things are distinct: God is not in a tree or in a drop of water. And God is not in a person—until that person is born anew of God’s Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. This claim that God’s Spirit is not within all humans until they are born anew through God’s self-initiated act contradicts the religious concept that we are sparks of the divine, potential deities. Biblically speaking, we are all created in the image of God, but we are not little gods.

The psalmist speaks of the omnipresence of God when he writes, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10).

Our believing God is omnipresent gives us the joy that God is with us always.”

-Jonathan Rice

Transcendent

“God transcends all creation and is unknowable apart from his self-initiated revelation. What we know about God comes only through God’s revelations, both general and special. 

The first words of the Bible record that the transcendent God created the heavens and the earth, which is described as a formless void covered by darkness. Then God said, “Let there be light. . . . And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Genesis 1:3-5). God stands above and outside creation. And all that God creates is good.

Our believing God is transcendent gives us the understanding that our Creator is not limited by the natural laws of this world. God can do miracles”

-Jonathan Rice

Immanent

“God is active in this world and in our daily lives. God cares about every aspect of our existence and invites us to welcome his guidance, grace, and love.

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Paul wrote to the Colossians, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible. . . . He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17).

Jesus, the very person of God, walked on this earth. Today, God’s Spirit is among us, present in his people, immanent and active among the nations, changing the world. Our believing God is immanent in this world gives us assurance that God is with us, despite the evils and sufferings we see in daily life.”

-Jonathan Rice

Immutable

“God is complete and perfect. Therefore, God does not need to mature or grow better at being God. 

“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).

Our believing God is immutable gives us the certainty that our world is essentially meaningful, for God is unchanging in his person and will not act unjustly.”

-Jonathan Rice

Infinite

“God is unlimited. As Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). We are created with great potential for growth, individually and in community. 

Our believing God is infinite gives us faith that our lives have a larger purpose than our years on earth.”

-Jonathan Rice

Eternal

“God is not confined to three-dimensional space or time. God never had a beginning; God will never have an end. 

The psalmist says of God: “Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away; but you are the same, and your years have no end” (Psalm 102:25-27).

Since we are created in the image of the infinite God, we have an eternal destiny. 

Our believing God is eternal gives us eternal hope.”

-Jonathan Rice

This is now the eternal life into which God now invites us. 

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Through repentance and faith in the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ at the cross, we can be forgiven our sins and once again walk in fellowship with the only majestic God.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Majesty: Hidden Majesty

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Associate Pastor: Cole Parleir

Focus: When we see God’s humility in Jesus Christ as his majestic love for humanity, we will be healed. 

Today we will see how The Majesty of Christ was revealed in humility to some but remained hidden to others.  We will look at how and why God chose to reveal himself to the humble, weak and despised.

• Hidden Majesty

• Majestic Partnerships

• Majesty Incarnate

Hidden Majesty 

God’s majesty is hidden in humility. 

“Majesty” 

Greek

• megalósuné. (divine) majesty, greatness.

• From megas; greatness This is where we get the word MEGA.

Hebrew

• gaah. To rise up. (Redemption), majesty, pomp, pride, proud, *swelling.

The advent is the seed of God’s majesty. This gospel in seed form will continue to swell and grow bringing eternal redemption to those who receive it by faith. 

This is majestic love. 

This is the only way that God’s beloved can know his majestic and redeeming love for them.  For we can not ascend to him for he is holy.  He must descend to us in order to raise us up with him. 

Only God can give true love. 

We humans need love, yet only God can give it purely because only he has no needs he is trying to fill. This allows him to truly suffer, which is to truly love. 

He does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:4-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Majestic Partnerships

The Majestic God partners with the humble to bring his majesty to the world.  He heals those he partners with in the process. 

Luke 1:5-25 ESV (Birth Of John The Baptist Foretold)

“In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.””

Observations of the above scripture:

• Zechariah and Elizabeth were faithful to God’s word nationally and personally though God had not spoken in more than 400 years as evidenced by the date of the last Old Testament prophetic writing of Malachi.

• They were both blameless in God’s sight and were qualified to receive all the promised blessings…including children.

• Zechariah as a priest had prayed consistently for the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Messiah to save their people from oppression. He as a husband had prayed for children as well, with a clear conscience as evidenced by his status as blameless. 

• The world says ‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” God says that this is the definition of faithfulness when done in expectation of his promises. 

• God’s delay in answering the prayer for a child while they were young was because he wanted to use the child not only to bring joy and gladness to them personally but to move forward his plan of redemption for all people.

• When God delays his personal promise to you, it is because he’s partnering with you to bring out his promise of redemption to the whole world.

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” - 2 Peter‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Why did God choose Zechariah and Elizabeth?

• It was his sovereign choice, but here are some observations we can glean from if we want to be used by God in his plan of redemption: 

• Be faithful to God and obey him in the circumstance you find yourself born into or that you become responsible for. (Zechariah was a Levite and Elizabeth was of the house of Arron meaning temple service was a family obligation as well are lawful obedience that he did not forsake)

• If you’re married, love your spouse in their ‘barrenness’ and ‘reproach’ (whether physical or spiritual) as Christ loves the persecuted and hurting church. What started with Elizabeth’s barrenness and shame became Zechariah’s as he stayed committed to one wife, sharing in her shame until God healed her.    

• Make yourself available to serve him when your ‘lot’ is chosen. This could mean stay in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ in worship while waiting so you know what the needs are when they arise.

Question: 

*What’s the “BUT” that keeps you up at night, as barrenness did Elizabeth?

You’ve tried to walk blameless, yet there’s a legitimate BUT in your life that keeps you from fully enjoying or trusting God.  This BUT may even be a cause for shame among others (Psalm 127:3-5).  

God uses BUTS to fulfill his big picture prophetic fulfillment in bringing Christ to those around us.  What is your BUT? Singleness? Perceived lack of education?   Income?  Family affairs thrusted upon you?  Barrenness?  Children you didn’t ask for?  God has a big plan and uses intimate details in our lives to bring it about.  

*God transforms BUTS into Blessings that overflow onto those around us.

Regarding the angel telling Zechariah “the child will bring joy and gladness"

- What was your duty, will become your delight and will cause others to rejoice in God. 

- God took away Elizabeth’s reproach, giving her joy for sadness, as he moved forward his plan of bringing redemption to the world through her.

Majestic Manger

The majesty came at a time that was unexpected and will come back in the same way. 

The majesty came at night, in a stable, and rested in a feeding trough. 

Question: Have you recognized the majesty of Christ? Have you made room for him in your heart and life?  When he comes back or calls us to account, will you be prepared?

Majesty revealed to those in darkness. 

When we recognize the majesty of God we will overflow with worship. 

Luke‬ ‭1:46-56‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Magnificat: Mary’s Song Of Praise

“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.”

Born To Die

For you and I, the Majesty was born to die.

We must remember that because of his great love for a lost, weary and Hell bound world, he humbly came as a baby for the express purpose of dying the death of a sinner though he alone was righteous. 

In his majestic power and love, he would put death to death and shame to shame through an open display of his suffering love for his beloved on a Roman cross. 

Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Yet, because of sinful pride of the human heart (the opposite of humility) the world has despised the majesty of the cross. 

1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:18-25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

This Christmas, may the Holy Spirit magnify the excellencies of Christ Jesus as we see the humility of his birth and shame of the cross he chose in love so that our sin and shame could be removed for all eternity.  

Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the highest)

Pray and Act

Majestic Heavenly Father, you alone are worthy of my devotion and love. You alone are holy. You alone redeem me from sin, death, and shame. Please forgive my pride today.  Open my eyes to see your humility and love for the world and I in Jesus Christ this Christmas. In Jesus name. Amen. 

Second City Church - Associate Pastor: Cole Parleir 2021

Majesty: Revealed

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Majesty

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We will come to put our trust fully in God when we see that his majesty revealed was both predicted in the Scriptures and fulfilled in the person of Jesus.

• The Prophecies

• The Fulfillment

• The Majesty of Jesus

The Prophecies

God prepared us to experience his majesty by predicting the advent of his Son.  

2 Peter 1:16-21

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

After the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the apostles of the New Testament spread the good news of Christ’s messiahship by appealing to two primary sets of evidence.

The first was Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead in accordance with his own predictions during his earthly ministry.

Matthew 20:17-19 

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

The second set of evidence to which the apostles appealed was the enormous volume of fulfilled messianic prophecy in the person of Jesus.

This is why Paul the apostle began his letter to the Romans this way:

Romans 1:1-6 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David  according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

Written over a two thousand year period, the Old Testament contains more than three hundred distinct references to the coming Messiah.

In essence, God was creating a URL address so that we would recognize and then follow and worship his designated savior when he arrived.

The Fulfillment

The fulfillment of the prophecies point to the majesty of God in displaying his sovereignty over all of creation and human history.

The prophetic writings began with all of the Old Testament foreshadowing the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

As an example, scholar Norman Geisler pointed out that the work and person of Christ brought fulfillment to the Levitical Feasts:

The Feast (Leviticus 23) The Fulfillment

• Passover (April) The Death of Christ (I Corinthians 5:7)

• Unleavened Bread (April) The Holy Walk (I Corinthians 5:8)

• Firstfruits (April) Resurrection (I Corinthians 15:23)

• Pentecost (June) Outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 1:5; 2:4)

• Trumpets (September) Israel’s Regathering (Matthew 24:31)

• Atonement (September) Cleansing by Christ (Romans 11:26)

• Tabernacles (September) Rest and Reunion with Christ (Zech. 14:16-18)

In the prophecies and their subsequent fulfillment in Jesus, God was showing his majesty, doing what no other man or woman can do.

God showed his majesty by allowing all things to be a product of his foreshadowing and plan. 

Isaiah 46:8-10 

“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

*Think, if God has this type of control over human history, how much more can you trust him with the intimate details of all aspects of your life!

However, even before that, the fulfillment of prophecy began with the birth of Christ regarding these facts:

1. Born of the Seed of a Woman (Genesis 3:15; Galatians 4:4)

2. Born of a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18,24.25)

3. Son of God (Psalm 2:7; Matthew 3:17)

4. Seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18; Matthew 1:1)

5. Son of Isaac (Genesis 21:12; Luke 23,34)

6. Son of Jacob (Numbers 24:17; Luke 3:23,34)

7. Tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:23,33)

8. Family line of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1; Luke 3:23,32)

9. House of David (Jeremiah 23:5; Luke 3:23,31)

10. Born at Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1)

11. Presented with Gifts (Psalm 72:10; Matthew 2:1,11)

12. His birth would be accompanied by Herod killing children (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16)

Ultimately, the devil could not stop his coming, and Jesus in his advent would bring life to the world.

The Majesty of Jesus

The advent of Jesus was given as a gift to display the majesty of God to the world, and invite the world into it.  

The majesty of Jesus was in his pre-existence where he is both co-eternal and of the very same substance as God.

Hebrews 1:1-14 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God's angels worship him.” Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

All was done for the sake of inviting you back into eternal fellowship with God through Jesus Christ, his sinless life, his substitutionary death on the cross and victorious resurrection from the dead. 

As we celebrate this Advent Season, we celebrate the majesty of God that predicted, fulfilled and forever points to our great salvation provided in Jesus!

If God was faithful to fulfill his promises in the first coming of Jesus, so we can also trust him in the predictions and promises of his return - the second Advent, when we will once again marvel at the majesty of Christ!

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Guest Speaker: Kore Bendix "Acres of Diamonds"

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Acres of Diamonds

Pastor Kore Bendix

Focus:  A seeing God creates a seeing people with open hands

• A God Who Sees

• A Son Who Sees

• A People Who Sees

• The Target of our sight

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

Henry David Thoreau

Seeing is a gift of revelation, a recognition of meaning, it involves the activity of the heart, often involves in outward focus involving the we.

A seeing God creates a seeing people with open hands

A God Who Sees

“You are [El Roi] a God of seeing. Truly, here I have seen Him who looks after me” (Genesis 16:13).

A Son Who Sees

“As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” (Luke 7:12-13)

A people who see

And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:4-6)

“Grace is the overflow of God’s self sufficiency. So you cannot have grace if you don’t have an utterly infinitely glorious, self satisfied, all sufficient, overflowing God who does not need you at all.”

John Piper

The Target of our sight:

“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong supper to those whose heart is blameless toward him.”

Second City Church

The Great Resignation: The ways of God

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The ways of God vs The ways of the world

Pastor Rollan Fisher

HOW people are looking for meaning is by following the ways of the world when they should be following the ways of God. 

Focus: We will find rest in Jesus when we choose the ways of God over the ways of the world.  

• The Love of God

• The Ways of the World

• The Way of the Cross

1 John 2:15-17 

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life —is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The Love of God

The love of God must be our highest aim when trying to find purpose and fulfillment in life.  

When John speaks of loving not the world, he is not in this context speaking of the people of the world, but the ways of the world.  

The love of the ways of the world compete with the love of the love of God and his ways.  

If you love the ways of the world, it pushes the love of God out of your heart. 

The Ways of the World 

In the end, the ways of the world take life rather than give it.  

The desires of the flesh speaks of wanting to be satisfied by purely carnal appetites and material things.  

This can include: sex, its media substitutes, alcohol, different types of drugs, food (think emotional eating), etc.  

It is at the root of hedonism and is by definition has no hope of permanent satisfaction. 

In this case you will never have enough and will never have arrived.  

The desires of the eyes speaks of having an inordinate desire for the things that you see to satisfy you.  

It can be a man or a woman, a material possession, a home or anything upon which you can place your hopes of momentary or sustained happiness.  

Proverbs 18:11 

A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.

It all has to do with lust, which is why the NIV translates the word:

1 John 2:16-17 (NIV)

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Lust is an inordinate desire for something that does not belong to you with the blessing of God.  

It is making good things ultimate things.  

This is at the root of covetousness. 

In this case, nothing that you have will ever be enough as long someone else has something that you do not.  

The Biblical antidote to this is contentment. 

The pride of life speaks of desiring to have what we have and what we have accomplished determine our worth rather than God who made us and Christ to whom we belong. 

In this case, nothing that you ever do will be good enough, because there is always someone to whom you can compare yourself who is smarter, stronger, more beautiful, has more, etc.  

In our flesh, we all want to boast, whether privately or publicly, of what we have and what we have done. 

We all want to be recognized and appreciated.  

People look for work where this can be the case. 

Recent commercials for Workhuman*…

This is the sneaky one, especially in our culture. 

We want to see the results of our labor and be encouraged by it. 

The walk of faith is continually sowing into that which you do not yet see. 

This is challenging when you are sharing the gospel and making disciples, whether in your home or outside of it, looking for change in people’s lives. 

We were built for a sense of reward for our efforts.  

We look for where we can get a hit of dopamine.  

This is why the internal pull towards things like pornography without the effort of relationship, making money and having material rewards has such a strong internal pull on people’s hearts.  

*To love God and find rest in Christ, you must continually sow into what he says is good and right by faith, even when you don’t feel it.  

Breakpoint article written 10/29/21

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis described faith as “the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.” His is a crucial observation for a world that often pits reason against faith. Lewis understood that faith must always be guarded against the assaults of changing emotion.

Lewis powerfully illustrated this point in The Silver Chair, the fourth book of The Chronicles of Narnia series. The story opens with Jill Pole, a typical English schoolgirl, being called suddenly (and even more strangely than anyone before her) into Narnia. Aslan, the Great Lion, gives her the task of rescuing Prince Rilian, son of Caspian, who had been missing for ten years. To help her, Aslan gives Jill signs to recite and remember, along with this dire warning: 

“Here on the mountain, the air is clear … as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind.”

Jill learns quickly just how true his warning is. Eventually, having left the surface of Narnia and descended to the depths of the underworld, she, Eustace Scrubb, and Puddleglum the Marshwiggle find Narnia’s lost prince. He’s so deeply enchanted by the Witch’s dark magic that he can no longer tell madness from reality, truth from lies. It’s only in the full grasp of his “madness,” which actually turns out to be his moments of lucidity, that the prince unknowingly invokes the final sign given to Jill: he calls on the name of Aslan. 

In that moment, Lewis masterfully portrays the fog of doubt and deception. Under the Witch’s enchantment, it’s not clear who is a friend and who is an enemy. In fact, the three adventurers feel sure that the prince will attack them the moment he is free, but as Puddleglum reminds them in a moment of powerful courage, they’ve sworn to obey the words of Aslan. Only that better commitment, which might be called the right ordering of their loves, sees them through. They cut Rilian loose and break the Silver Chair, destroying the power of the Witch's curse.

Lewis, of course, knew what it was to struggle with doubt. “Now that I am a Christian,” he wrote, ‘I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist, I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable.” That’s why faith mattered to Lewis: it grounds us in reality, even in the face of danger or uncertainty. 

Today, a generation of young people are debilitated by feelings of meaninglessness, doubt, and depression. They consistently hear that their feelings are their best and highest guide; they’re encouraged to look inside and follow their hearts. Aslan’s advice is better: “Remember the signs.” In other words, only by looking to fixed, sure reference points outside of ourselves, can we orient and know the way forward.

When the Witch returns to the cave, attempting to deceive Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum again, she offers us a dialogue that could substitute for modern textbooks on epistemology. 

“What is the sun?” the Witch asks the children, who have been underground for so long, all they have is a vague memory of things like Aslan, the sun, and the overworld. “It’s like a lamp,” one offers. But the Witch laughs this off. “Your sun is a dream, and there is nothing in that dream that was not copied from the lamp.” In other words, “the lamp is the real thing; the sun is [just] a children’s story.” 

Materialism offers the same argument. Because the idea of God helped us survive, goes the argument, people came to believe in him as real. But all we’re doing is taking concrete things around us and inventing fairy stories about their origins. Just as the sun can be forgotten in a subterranean kingdom, Christians can sometimes feel as if there is no immediate proof of God’s existence. 

GK Chesterton addressed this default appeal to materialism. “As an explanation of the world, [it] has a sort of insane simplicity… we have at once the sense of it covering everything and the sense of it leaving everything out.”  Materialism’s explanation for love, goodness, evil, and personhood is comprehensive, but ultimately guts these things of any real substance. 

Likewise, in The Silver Chair, the sun, Narnia, and Aslan are real: in fact, they’re the most real things of all. It’s the Witch’s kingdom that is the shallow copy. In the end, only Puddleglum the Marshwiggle can hold on to the truth, which leads him to stomp out the fire and break the Witch’s spell for good.  

The solution to doubt is, then, according to Lewis, faith. Not blind belief, but a commitment informed by reason, goodness, and imagination. What God has told us in the light of day and which we then know to be true, we should not doubt in the middle of our darkest night. 

The only way forward is to, in the words of Aslan, “Remember the signs!”

The Way of the Cross

We will finally find rest and satisfaction in Jesus when we choose the way of the cross over the ways of the world.  

The way of the world is self-indulgent, while the way of the cross is self-denial. 

The way of the world is never truly satisfied because it is in pursuit of an unattainable life.  

The way of the cross leads to great fulfillment because it leads to resurrection life in Christ.  

“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”

-Mother Teresa

“I think I can understand that feeling about a housewife’s work being like that of Sisyphus (who was the stone rolling gentleman). But it is surely in reality the most important work in the world. What do ships, railways, miners, cars, government etc. exist for except that people may be fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes? As Dr. Johnson said, “To be happy at home is the end of all human endeavour”. (1st to be happy to prepare for being happy in our own real home hereafter: 2nd in the meantime to be happy in our houses.) We wage war in order to have peace, we work in order to have leisure, we produce food in order to eat it. So your job is the one for which all others exist…”

-Letters of C.S. Lewis

So where should my focus be?

What is worthy of love and pursuit while I live in this world?

Value the things that God values. 

Pursue work with a Biblical worldview to cultivate the earth, society and give glory to God.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher.

The Great Resignation: Satisfaction in Him

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Satisfaction in Him

Pastor Rollan Fisher

From the article: “The Big Quit and our cultural search for meaning.”

According to The Washington Post, “a record 4.3 million people — about 2.9 percent of the nation’s workforce — quit [their jobs] in August.” And, Gallup polling suggests that nearly half of working Americans are actively considering finding a new job. 

More than half of respondents from one survey said they would trade higher compensation for workplace flexibility. Having worked from home throughout the last year, they are hesitant to give up the time with friends and family, the luxury of not commuting, and a more home-centered vocational life. 

At the same time, working in certain industries is more difficult. For example, in the food industry, there are a “staggering 1.2 million jobs unfilled… right when customers are crashing through the doors, ready to eat, drink, and finally socialize.” Many point to the increased hours required, the unemployment benefits which exceed even increased compensation, and the stress of maintaining COVID-related policies in the workplace. And as more employees leave this industry, remaining workers with their hands even more full.

Even so, the biggest reason for workers leaving work could be because they can. Between government stimulus, rising home values, and money saved during COVID, many Americans are simply, to borrow words from David Leonhart of the New York Times, “flush with cash.” This is exactly the opportunity they’ve been waiting for to make a change.”

WHY people are looking for change is they want to feel satisfaction - a sense of significance and purpose.  

Focus: We will finally submit to Jesus when we acknowledge his Kingdom’s worth and eternal value in our lives.  

• Hidden Treasures

• The Great Pearl

• Kingdom Nets

Matthew 13:44-50 

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Hidden Treasures

The treasures that will ultimately satisfy our souls are not merely natural, but are found in God.  

Matthew 13:44 

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Simply following your heart to find the treasure you are looking for can lead you astray. 

God has written his law upon every human heart leaving testimony of his character and ways. 

This is what people refer to as their conscience. 

Because a human conscience can be seared by the continual suppression of righteousness (meaning we know the good we ought to do but choose what is wrong anyway - this is the definition of transgression), we must continually reference the word of God to reestablish our baseline for truth. 

Following your heart alone will not lead you a life full of satisfaction and God’s approval.  

Jeremiah 17:9-10 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

“Burnout hits when our work fails to live up to expectations of it.” 

Surveys show that Americans work more hours than any other industrialized nation. That becomes an incredibly important factor when work is not seen as meaningful, i.e., not part of something bigger than ourselves. In certain extreme cases, work takes the place of God. We look to it as the source to fill our emotional, vocational, and relational needs. 

That’s unsustainable. To the extent that the so-called “Great Resignation” is a cultural reset, it can be a good thing. On the other hand, it will not be a good thing unless it is a reset of more than work hours, policies, and minimum wage. It has to be a reset of our understanding of what work is for, something that would require rethinking what humans are for. 

Any search for a perfect, all-fulfilling job will be fruitless. Many young people are learning this right now. However, rather than rethink their search, some are opting out of work altogether. This is a mistake, not just because savings eventually run out and bills inevitably pile up, but because we were created, in part, for work. Work existed before the fall, and is therefore inherently connected with our worship and dignity as image-bearers. 

To be clear, work is not our full identity, but it is inseparable from who we were created to be.  Even knowing this can help eliminate the stress of where to work; it’s easier to make rational choices when one’s entire sense of self doesn’t hang in the balance. And yet, because our work is one way that we worship God, it’s meaningful even when mundane. It’s worthy of our highest efforts when, in mirroring our Creator, we bring order out of chaos, provide for our fellow creatures, and cultivate His creation.”

-JOHN STONESTREET & KASEY LEANDER

The Great Pearl

What we must reason with is the fact that to find the great pearl of the Kingdom, it will take everything. 

“The Enigma of Arrival” is the title and theme of a novel by the Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul. What is it about arrival that is mysterious? Simply that one’s imagination of a destination, even a place for which one has prepared and striven, will never quite be one’s eventual experience of the place.

-Wall Street Journal 11/11/21

Matthew 13:45-46 

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Serving Jesus in the Kingdom of God is an all-in proposition. 

It is only by going all-in on Jesus’ Lordship that we find the pearl of great price.  

“If God is the Creator of the entire universe, then it must follow that He is the Lord of the whole universe. No part of the world is outside of His lordship. That means that no part of my life must be outside of His lordship.”

-R.C. Sproul

So what is worth my time, energy and efforts?

Columnist Whizy Kim of Refinery29 puts it this way: “[We] want to believe that our jobs can not only provide financial stability, but also emotional and spiritual nourishment... In a time of increasing secularism, work remains our steadfast religion. Burnout hits when our work fails to live up to expectations of it.”

Only Jesus and his Kingdom can satisfy our souls because only he provides perfect:

1. Relationship - No other relationship can perfectly form, shape and fill us with the love that we so desperately need. It’s a love that comes from and we are created to give God alone.

2. Purpose - God made us for a purpose and only fulfilling that purpose will satisfy us.

3. Meaning - All of life’s daily challenges and successes only find significance in fulfilling that eternal Kingdom purpose for which we are made. Everything else takes, and even what it gives will not ultimately last.

Kingdom Nets

God calls you into his kingdom for his kingdom purposes that will ultimately fulfill and satisfy you. 

You must understand that calling originates with God and is both realized and satisfied in that which Jesus has created you to do.   

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Taking the mystery and lack of commitment out of it: 

How do I find the true call of God on my life?

1. Do what you have opportunity to do through honorable, gainful employment (Romans 12:16)

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

2. Pray to see what God would have you to do (Proverbs 3:4,5). 

3. Develop skills to do what you desire to do for the glory of God (Philippians 2:13). 

Matthew 13:47-50 

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

G.K. Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World

Matthew 7:12-23 

12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

“Especially in this cultural moment, how Christians work is part of our witness. Christians can demonstrate God’s goodness by the joy and vibrancy we bring to our vocation. We can show His love, concern, and provision for people by how we manage people in love and service. We can dignify God’s design for human beings in how we work and in how we rest. 

All told, it could be that “The Great Resignation,” or as it is also called, “The Big Quit” is, for Christians, an even bigger opportunity.”

-JOHN STONESTREET & KASEY LEANDER

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher.

The Great Resignation: The Parable of the Sower

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The Great Resignation: The Parable of the Sower

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We will become all that God created us to be as we reject shallow and divided faith for a Christ-centered faith. 

• Shallow Faith

• Divided Faith

• Christ-Centered Faith

Shallow Faith

God wants to give understanding and depth to our faith to help us discover meaning in the world.  

Matthew 13: 1-9

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:18-23

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

A shallow faith is one without understanding. 

It is culturally and environmentally produced, but it is not going to stand the test of time because it has not been tested to be found true.  

This is true in both the scientific community and the faith community in regards to God:

In the scientific community:

“Scientists rightly resist invoking the supernatural in scientific explanations for fear of committing a god-of-the-gaps fallacy (the fallacy of using God as a stop-gap for ignorance). Yet without some restriction on the use of chance, scientists are in danger of committing a logically equivalent fallacy-one we may call the “chance-of-the-gaps fallacy.” Chance, like God, can become a stop-gap for ignorance.”

-William A. Dembski

In the faith community:

“Suppose we concede that if I had been born of Muslim parents in Morocco rather than Christian parents in Michigan, my beliefs would be quite different. [But] the same goes for the pluralist...If the pluralist had been born in [Morocco] he probably wouldn't be a pluralist. Does it follow that...his pluralist beliefs are produced in him by an unreliable belief-producing process?”

-Alvin Plantinga

Mark 4:10-13 

And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

Divided Faith

God calls us to have an undivided heart to find true life and satisfaction in the world.   

“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 Stott

Mark 4:18-19 

18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

Luke 8:13-14 

13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

Christ-Centered Faith

God calls us to a Christ-centered faith through which we find eternal purpose and significance in life.  

“Don’t let your happiness depend on something you can lose.”

-C.S. Lewis

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher.

Discipleship: Growth Track

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Discipleship: Growth Track

Associate Pastor: Cole Parleir

Focus: We love Jesus by being his disciples that make disciples.

• What do we do?

• How do we do it?

• Where are you?

What do we do?

Our mission given to us from Jesus is to go and live lives of ’Winning the lost, making disciples, and training leaders that establish Christ honoring churches that multiply in the city of Chicago and the nations.“

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

• “Observe” can be translated ”obey”

2 Corinthians 4:5

“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake”

• “Servants” can be translated “slaves”

We win the lost, make disciples, and train leaders that plant churches utilizing the 3 C’s below:

1. Christ (Winning the lost)

• We worship Jesus Christ at the center of everything we do. (1 Cor 3:11, Acts 4:12, John 3:16)

1 Cor 3:11

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:12

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[a] by which we must be saved.”

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

2. Community (Making disciples)

• We share life together in community. (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42-47

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[a] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

3. Culture (Training Leaders)

• Be empowered as ambassadors for Christ in every area of influence. (Matthew 13:31-3; 5:13-16)

Matthew 13:31-33

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Mathew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Multiply (To establish Christ honoring churches that multiply in Chicago and the nations)

• Go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19, 2 Timothy 2:2

2 Timothy 2:2

2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men,[a] who will be able to teach others also.

Reflect and Discuss

• When and how did you respond to the call to discipleship?

How do we do it?

We walk as disciples of Jesus by obeying Him.  We make disciples through relationships.   As we take others with us around the Growth Track we will fulfill our mission!

* ENGAGE culture and community

1. Goal: Preach The Gospel

2. Method: Become all things to all people 1 Corinthians 9:22

3. Result: Lost are found and heaven parties Luke 15:1-7

4. Tools/Environments: The God Test, One 2 One app, Community Groups, Church Services, Evangelism Events

1 Cor 9:22

22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

Luke 15:1-7

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

* ESTABLISH biblical foundations

1. Goal: Establish in the Faith, the Word, Prayer, and Church

2. Method: Build through devotion Matthew 7:24-27

3. Result: Rock solid foundation on Jesus Christ 1 Cor 3:10

4. Tools/Environments: The Purple Book, Community Groups, Prayer and Worship Meetings

Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

1 Corinthians 3:11

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

* EQUIP believers to minister (serve)

1. Goal: Equip in basic ministry skills

2. Method: Follow, study and practice

3. Result: Equipped, Growing in maturity, the Body of Christ Is built up Ephesians 4:11-13, Matthew 4:19

4. Tools/Environments: Community Groups, Making Disciples Training, Evangelism Events, Spiritual Gifts Training

Ephesians 4:11-13

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[a] and teachers,[b] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[c] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Mathew 4:19

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”[a]

* EMPOWER disciples to make disciples

1. Goal: Make disciples with confidence and competence

2. Method: Take someone around the Growth Track 2 Tim 2:2

3. Result: You mature and the great commission progresses

4. Tools/Environments: Community Groups, Ministry Team, Leadership 215

2 Timothy 2:2

2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men,[a] who will be able to teach others also.

Reflect and Discuss

• How are you actively and intentionally engaging your culture and community?

• Who helped you establish foundations when you first started following Jesus? How did they help?

• You will mature as you minister. What excuses in the past have you used to prove that you were not ready to minister?

• Are you ok with mistakes? Why or why not?

Where are you?

The truth is that we will mature as we minister.  Failure is part of God’s growth track.  

• Jesus promises to ‘make us’ fishers of men. You are not alone. Jesus promises to be with us as we go.

• There are aspects of joy and peace that we will not experience until we begin fishing with Jesus.

• The body of Christ is built up as each part does it’s part. It is absolutely essential that we all engage in the discipleship making process with our unique giftings. When we do, the church will grow in maturity and size.

Ephesians 4:11-16

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[a] and teachers,12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[c] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 

Reflect and Discuss

• Are you doing your part so that the body of Christ can be built up?

Pray and Act

• Surrender to the call to fish for men. Progress in the growth tracks as Jesus helps you

Second City Church - Associate Pastor: Cole Parleir 2021

Discipleship with Guest Speaker Pastor J. Magpantay

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Call to Come, Call to Follow, Call to Be

Pastor J. Magpantay

 Call to Come, Call to Follow, Call to Be

I. Introduction:

• We are familiar with the miracles and teachings of Jesus that drew the multitudes.

o But Jesus did more than attract crowds… He made disciples.

o Furthermore, He commanded His disciples to make disciples, not just in Israel, but in all the earth.

II. Text:

Mt 4:18-22 ESV

Matthew 16:24 ESV

III. Connect:

o We might not be able to fly like Mike…but we’re destined for something that’s much greater than that…

​…something that will impact people's lives for God…

…in this life and for the rest of eternity!

o In essence…

…The first call on my life is to be with Jesus and to be sent by Him to bring freedom and life to others.

​…and that’s the essence of discipleship!

• Jesus is calling us to take this trip with Him because the truth is…

…each one of us need to heed to the call of Jesus…

…”to come to Him…

… follow him…

…and to be fishers of men”

But why is discipleship important? 

Is it really necessary to make disciples?

• Discipleship is important because we want people to become fully committed followers of Christ.

o Discipleship helps believers…

… to grow in their faith,

…to grow in maturity and wisdom,

…and build their faith on a strong foundation

… so that they can then disciple and lead others towards Christ.

Discipleship, according to Jesus is a call…

1. Call to “Come”

o The first step in being a disciple is to “come to Jesus”!

A. Jesus deserves it:  

Col 1:15-20.

o Jesus’ confidence to call the first disciples is based on who He is and not who the disciples are!

▪ Jesus knows his divinity…and the disciples humanity!

o We respond to the call of God not because of what we can promise that we’ll do for Him…

…but simply because Jesus is worthy!

o Jesus has the ultimate claim over our lives

B. Jesus demands it

1 Peter 3:15 ESV 

o First, we should set aside our hearts as the place where Christ is fully honored as the Lord 

o When we set apart Christ as Lord, it will change us.

1 Peter 3:15 MSG

Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master.

• Peter Forsyth: “The duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its master.”

C. Jesus delivers us:

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?

Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

2. Call to Follow  (Come follow me)

Mark 8:34-37 English Standard Version

​“…let him deny himself” 

o Follow Jesus before self

Proverbs 3:5-6 English Standard Version

“…take up his cross”

o Follow Jesus before comfort

3. Call to Be (“Be Fishers of Men”)

o Discipleship is the willingness to embrace what God purposed you to be.

John 15:16a

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit- fruit that will last”

IV. Conclusion:

Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

• Discipleship is relationship 

• And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

o In essence…

…The first call on my life is to be with Jesus and to be sent by Him to bring freedom and life to others.

​…and that’s the essence of discipleship

Second City Church

Reengage: Culture

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Reengage: Culture

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We will reengage the world with the good news of Jesus when we are truly touched by God’s heart for the lost.  

• Jesus Loves Sinners

• Jesus Heals Sinners

• Jesus Calls the Healthy to Help the Sick

Jesus Loves Sinners

God loves those who the world does not, even those that do not love themselves. 

Luke 5:27-32

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Levi’s story

Jesus Heals Sinners

God is a physician at heart who loves to heal sinners. 

When we spend time with people, it should be in the hopes that they get ever closer to Jesus the Healer and their healing!  

Jesus Calls the Healthy to Help the Sick

We were once lost people who can now help find others and help them find their way back home to God.  

The styles of evangelism:

By Mark Mittleberg and Lee Strobel

1. Confrontational - Peter in Acts 2

2. Intellectual - Paul at Athens in Acts 17

3. Testimonial - Blind Man in John 9

4. Interpersonal - Matthew in Luke 5:29

5. Invitational - Samaritan Woman in John 4

6. Service - Dorcas in Acts 9:36

7. The “Chance” Conversation - Philip in Acts 8

There are strengths and weaknesses in each style.

1. Don’t let your brashness turn people away from the truth of the gospel. (Remember not to fear “turning people off” - they are already “turned off if they are not in Christ, and our hope is to “turn the lights on” through the gospel)

2. Don’t let arguments or rabbit-trails prevent you from getting to the simple message of the gospel. It is the gospel that saves - apologetics are there to support.

3. Don’t let your story be the end of the matter without telling Christ’s story and how the listener can respond.

4. Don’t let your desire to preserve friendship trump engaging others with the truth that they need.

5. Don’t depend on others to do all of the heavy lifting. You also need to practice sharing the gospel

6. Don’t replace acts of service for communicating the gospel. Service opens the door, but hearing the Word allows people to believe.

7. Don’t fail to be intentional with those by whom you are surrounded expecting all opportunities to fall into your lap. Remember, Jesus said “GO”.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher.

Reengage: Community

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Reengage: Community

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We will reengage the community of faith when we realize that God’s grace is greater than all of our sin. 

• A Checkered Past

• Help to See

• The Grace of God in Community

A Checkered Past

We all have a checkered past from which God must heal us. 

Acts 9:1-9

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 

From what has God saved you and how has he changed you?

Help to See

We all need help to see clearly what God is trying to do in our lives.  

Acts 9:10-19

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.  

Those who have been healed are enlisted by Jesus to help heal.  

This was the case with Ananias being sent to lay hands on Saul. 

You need to understand that the work of God In your life is a process.  

The more you seek him, the more you’ll be changed by him.  

For Saul, his sight was restored instantaneously; for others it may take some time.

-Adapted with permission by RZIM

It is as we invite people into the intentional relationships found in church community that they are able to hear the Word of God and progress along this scale of faith. 

Who do you know who you need to invite into the community of faith?

The Grace of God in Community

The grace of God for life to the full in Jesus is found in community.  

Acts 9:20-22

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

God releases his grace to live for Jesus in church community.  

As Paul pushed past the discomforts of being known not only for who he was, but who God was making him to be, he grew more and more powerful in the Lord.  

No one has the right to reject those whom God has accepted through the cross of Christ and his cleansing blood shed there.

Paul increased in strength not in isolation, but being part of the purposes of God in community.  

Jesus calls us to himself at the cross through repentance for the forgiveness of our sins.

He then calls us to his body in a community through which we not only experience his grace, but then learn to offer it to the world.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher.

Reengage: Christ

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Reengage: Christ

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We will reengage Jesus when we realize there is grace for every moment that we’ve failed him. 

• Our Best Intentions

• Missing the Mark

• Reengaging Jesus

Our Best Intentions

We can have the best intentions but not realize that our self-sufficiency can push us away from, rather than towards, Jesus.  

Matthew 26:30-35

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Peter was convinced that he had a true love for Jesus until he was tested.  

God will allow pressures in our lives not to break us but to refine and redefine us, that our love for him might be proven genuine and true.  

This past two years has been about showing us what is really in our hearts. 

Trials are a magnet that will either repel you away from or draw you closer to Jesus.  

When we are self-sufficient, it will repel us away from God because we’ve failed our own idols and ideas of who we are supposed to be. 

The weight of the test and the discouragement of the trials can crush us.

However, when we are rooted in Christ, our trials can draw us near to God as we are dependent on his strength and direction to go on.

What comes out is important because it shows us if we really are the followers of Christ that we say that we are.  

God and the world wait to see.  

What did you find coming out of your heart during the trials of the past two years?

Did these trials draw you closer to or drive you further from God?

Missing the Mark

We need to come to a point where we admit our failures in life if we are to learn and heal from them.  

Matthew 26:69-75

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. 

Despite our claims, trial will always show us what is truly inside of us.  

Though Peter claimed great devotion to the Lord, he would opt for self-preservation when challenged at the Lord’s trial.  

This is common to all of humanity.  

This didn’t change for Peter until Pentecost when he was filled with the Holy Spirit and changed into a different man.  

You will either be filled with the Spirit of God or filled with self.  

*Living only to protect yourself ultimately leads to emptiness, sadness and regret.  

Undoubtedly, Peter remembered Jesus’ words when he said,

Matthew 16:24-26

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Reengaging Jesus 

We reengage Jesus when we realize his grace is more than enough for each one of our failings.  

John 21:15-25

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Our natural proclivity after failure is to return to that which is familiar, even if God made us for something more.  

This is what Peter and his compatriots did by returning to fishing. 

Jesus comes to meet us in our hour of discouragement.  

He speaks to us for as many times as we have failed him to restore us and heal us, to leave no hole unpatched.  

This is what he did for Peter asking him if he truly loved Jesus more than the fish that he knew and in which he was finding solace.  

The first two times that Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, it is with the word “agape”.

To this, Peter responds in humility, in essence saying, “I only love you when it is convenient.”

The final time, Jesus meets Peter where he is and says, “if you love me in this manner, then this is where we’ll begin. 

According to Jesus, reengaging Christ also means reengaging his Kingdom business. 

Jesus' command is the same and he says love him by living for him. 

An indelible part of living for Jesus is engaging those that he came to save - our family, neighbors, co-workers and friends - with the gospel.  

It was the same at the beginning as at the end for Peter. 

Matthew 4:18-22

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Peter was to demonstrate his love for the Lord by feeding and taking care of those who Jesus came to save.  

Ultimately he was to reflect the same grace that was demonstrated to him at the cross of Christ.  

Are you really Christ’s?

The closer that you are to Jesus, the fewer rights that you are trying to maintain for yourself because you finally realize that it’s in losing your life for Jesus and the gospel that you find it.  

*You can not claim to be serving Jesus as Lord and be the one who determines what you do with your time, your resources, your talents and your pursuits. 

Peter would learn this.  

Living your best life is less about getting to do everything everyone else is getting to do and more about what God has actually created you to do.  

“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

-Poet CT Studd

It is then that you no longer have to make comparisons between yourself and others.  

This is why Jesus told Peter not to worry about John’s story.  

You have truly experienced God’s grace when you realize:

1. The forgiveness that was provided you at the cross as a result of Christ’s death

2. The new creation he’s made you because of Christ’s resurrection

3. The new direction God has called you because of Christ’s Lordship

Peter found that as he found this freedom in Christ, his natural rights might have seemed less (he would go where he did not want to go), but his nearness to God was all the more as he learned to glorify God by his own sacrifice.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher.