The Good News According to Luke: Part 6

 
 
 
 

The Good News According to Luke: Part 6

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: As we serve the Lord, we will fulfill his vision as we commit to his mission together.  

  • Common Lord

  • Common Mission

  • Common Grace


Common Lord

Through the gospel of the Kingdom, we are freed to serve our common Lord Jesus.  

Luke‬ ‭8:1-18‬ ‭

“Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 

"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." 

As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 

And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' 

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 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. 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. 

15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."”

God’s design is that we serve the Lord Jesus together

No one farms a land alone.  

God frees us by showing us the ways that the cares, riches and pleasures of life come to choke the word and life of God out of us.

Others help us see what we do not so that we can cultivate a good heart that produces fruit.

Jesus then gives us his light of life and puts us on display so that we can show his goodness and grace to the world.  

Common Vision

We are brought together by Jesus to fulfill his Kingdom vision.  

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭8:19-25‬ ‭

“Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you." 21 But he answered them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?"”

The vision is how we serve our Lord.   

God’s vision is to bring together a family of worshipers who put his word into practice together. 

Those who do so are who Jesus calls his mother and brothers - his family.

It is the family of God with whom we are to travel to fulfill the purpose of God and with whom we are to weather life’s challenges as we see Jesus calm our collective storms.


*Relearning how to relate and build relationships after Covid is important.


Embrace the awkward to get to a place of health.


3 Keys to good relationships:

  1. Don’t over-inflate your personal story as compared to others making your experience or circumstances seem like more or less than it is (Galatians 6:2-5).

  2. Don’t be myopic (Proverbs 25:27; 27:2)

  3. Make the first move to be kind, show honor, and be a blessing (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV; Romans 12:10)

 

“The very condition of having Friends is that we should want something else besides Friends. Where the truthful answer to the question "Do you see the same truth?" would be "I see nothing and I don't care about the truth; I only want a Friend," no Friendship can arise - though Affection of course may. There would be nothing for the Friendship to be about; and Friendship must be about something, even if it were only an enthusiasm for dominoes or white mice. Those who have nothing can share nothing; those who are going nowhere can have no fellow-travellers.” - C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Common Grace

We accomplish Christ’s Kingdom vision when we are on mission together.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:26-56‬ ‭

“Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me." For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 

38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 

45 And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!" But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me." And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more." But Jesus on hearing this answered him, "Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well." And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.”

The mission is how we achieve the vision.  

Even as Jesus delivered the man of the legion of demons, he immediately sent him on mission to be a forerunner of the mission of God in the Decapolis.

Through commitment to the mission of Jesus, we can move past just being part of the crowd, to actually encountering the power of the Lord as did the woman with the discharge of blood.  

Then, like Peter, John and James we can see Jesus bring life to dead things where others are simply content to weep and mourn.  

God’s resurrection power was on display throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Jesus modeled this for the disciples so that following his sacrifice at the cross for our sins, we would be able to continue in the same mission today.

As an outplay of the Great Commission of Jesus and continuing the work initiated by the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, our mission at Second City Church is:

 

“Winning the lost, making disciples, and training leaders that establish Christ honoring churches that multiply in the city of Chicago and the nations.”

 

*Success can be your reward (when you do things God’s way) or your master (when you try to take your life into your own hands). 

 

Let’s meet Christ at the cross in repentance and faith that we might experience true success in the sight of God, fulfilling both his vision and mission together, God’s way.

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Good News According to Luke: Part 5

 
 
 
 

The Good News According to Luke: Part 5

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: We must recognize the authority of Christ to properly understand how to receive and live in the love of Jesus.  

  • The Authority of Christ

  • Misunderstanding Christ

  • Forgiven Much to Love Christ

 

The Authority of Christ

We can miss God’s healing when we do not embrace the authority of Jesus in our lives.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:1-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue." 

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." 

And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.

 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.”

We all know that abuse of any type of authority is bad - whether it be from a beloved family member, government official, church leader or workplace superior.  

Yet the authority that Jesus wields is good, can always be trusted and leads to our eternal benefit, not harm.  

Though following God-centered leadership can lead to momentary pain (think the cross of Christ), it always leads to a lasting good for you and others (think eternal

life through the resurrection of Jesus). 

All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).

Because all things that have been made were made through him (John 1:3), he is the final arbiter of what is right or wrong in terms of how all aspects of life should be lived and best function.

Jesus having all authority means that there is nothing in the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual world that will not submit to him when he intervenes.

When Jesus expresses his authority, it is to put things in right order, for the Father’s glory and our good (I Corinthians 15).

We need to embrace the authority of Jesus to receive healing in our lives.  

 

Why does this matter in our daily interactions?

If you are ever to learn to lead well, you need to first learn what it means to be under authority - what it means to follow.  

The abuse of authority has jaded people to this idea throughout the generations.  

Yet as a result, there has been an unhealthy pendulum swing whereby people consider themselves accountable to no one.  

The result is countless stories of people who are isolated, damaged wanderers who do not build the Kingdom with their lives, but scatter amidst ongoing theatrical acts of disappointment.  

 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:19‬ ‭

“Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:1‬-2

“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”

God delegates his authority to others in our lives to be a part of the healing process, just like the centurion and those that he sent to plead with Jesus on behalf of his servant.  

The question then becomes:

*Whose spiritual authority have you acknowledged in your life to help mold you, shape you and heal you?

Misunderstanding Christ

We relate with God, his church and the world well when we properly understand Jesus. 

 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:18-35‬ ‭

“The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, "'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) "To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.' For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."”

What are you looking for when you come to Jesus?

The world can look at Jesus as the enemy even while he gives commands that are for nothing but our good. 

 Nonetheless, Christ has and continues to lovingly interrupt our lives to set us free from the power of our real adversary, the devil.

“Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves.”

— Oswald Chambers

We also sacrifice truth for wanting to fit into a world sick with sin, not realizing that our acceptance enables others’ damnation.  

However, Jesus properly understood means salvation for the repentant, true acceptance and true healing for those humble enough to realize their limitations and embrace Christ's love.   

We know Jesus by his actions - what he does to redeem, heal and restore people’s lives as he turns them from sin, freeing them from guilt and shame at the cross.

Forgiven Much to Love Christ 

We love Jesus, his church and the world well when we realize how much we need to be forgiven.  

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭7:36-50‬ ‭

“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."”

To truly ever love Jesus well, we must embrace how much we need to be forgiven.  

Humility changes everything.  

Our perspectives towards Jesus, our problems and even the world’s issues morph when we see God as he is and recognize our own sin for what it is.  

To truly understand Jesus, we must come with a heart of humility.  

Humbling ourselves is an art that must be learned, a skill that God requires for proper relationship with him and the world around you.  

When we don’t have this heart posture, our relationships are strained at best, adversarial at worst.  

Humility chokes out accusation and bitterness.  

Through the cross, we learn how much Jesus deserves to be loved and how to love others with the same redemptive lense through which God first loved us.  

Let’s come to the cross for our great forgiveness and meet Jesus in his resurrection life today. 

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Good News According to Luke: Part 4

 
 
 
 

The Good News According to Luke: Part 4

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: Jesus redefines our pain to lead us to his purpose which is ultimately good.  

  • Redefining Pain

  • Redefining Purpose

  • Redefining Good

Redefining Pain

Jesus redefines our pain through his person.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:1-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" And Jesus answered them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?" And he said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.” 

People have church hurts that need to be healed. 

Jesus redefined how people understood religion and rituals, including the Sabbath. 

Jesus continually brought revelation to people’s interaction with the traditions of the religious community, explaining the spirit behind the law of God.  

Many people have been hurt in the church because they were exposed to a religious culture, but failed to connect with the Lord who was to be worshipped within that culture.  

They were exposed to law, but not the heart behind that law.  

As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus showed that he came not to hamper but to help those who would turn to him.  

The purpose of honoring that which God’s word says to honor is that we might meet with Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, who came to heal.  

People have emotional hurts that they try to hide.  

As in the case of the man with the withered hand, Jesus brings what cripples us into the light with others not to embarrass or shame us, but to heal us. 

“The strangest thing happens when what we have most wanted to conceal is brought into the open. We don’t die. Instead, we often begin to heal.”

-John Ortberg

Eternity Is Now In Session: A Radical Rediscovery of What Jesus Really Taught About Salvation, Eternity, and Getting to the Good Place 

“It’s a strange truth that I admire vulnerability in other people, but I don’t want to have to be vulnerable myself.”

-John Ortberg

I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real About Getting Close

 

Redefining Purpose

Jesus redefines our purpose through his direction. 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:12-19‬

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.”

When we commit to honoring that which God honors, he provides eternal purpose for our lives.  

Jesus brings definition to that purpose by involving us in what he is doing, making us a sent people to bring his Kingdom as we carry his presence.   

‭‭Mark‬ ‭3:13-15‬ ‭

“And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”

We must first be with Jesus before we can represent Jesus well. 

If you’ve made a decision to follow Jesus, it is because he has desired you, called you to himself and is appointing you to represent him in your family, community, workplace and/or school.  

When you go into the world with this understanding, you go in Christ’s authority, not your own.  

When we encounter Jesus and are touched by his power, we gain the ability to love, because we are cured of that which previously troubled us.  

 

“There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.”

-C.S. Lewis 

So how should we live and minister in this authority of Christ?

Redefining Good 

Jesus redefines what is good in this world for us through his perfect character that leads us to the cross.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:20-49‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. "Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. "Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."

He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

"For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."”

 

Grandpa’s trees in Florida were always one of my favorite parts of the trip, but I could only ever expect to take home oranges because that is what type of trees he had planted.  

There will never be different fruit until you have a different root - you must be born again by the imperishable seed of God’s Word and dig deep to be continually transformed by his Holy Spirit (I Peter 1:23). 

There is no sense in getting weary.  

Weeding a yard, house cleaning, training your children and tending to your own soul before God are constants that are a fact of life.  

If we do not tend to them, we should not be surprised at the mess that is a result. 

When we see Christ’s great commands, we realize how much we fall short of God’s perfection and are in need of a Savior.  

Christ's perfect character not only gives us a picture of what we ought to be, but leads us to the cross as the only source of true redemption when we fall short.

We must not be hypocrites, looking only at the faults of others, while having logs of sin in our own eyes.  

We must come to God in true repentance and faith in Jesus’ sacrificial work at the cross, so we can not only be forgiven of our sins, but by the power of his resurrection, be supernaturally transformed to bear new fruit.  

As we do so, we can thereafter build lives of love and grace on God’s word that glorify Jesus, lead to our healing and withstand any storm.  

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Good News According to Luke: Part 3

 
 
 
 

The Good News According to Luke: Part 3

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: Jesus wants you to be a healed disciple who makes disciples. 

  • Being a Disciple

  • Healed by the Master

  • To Make Disciples

 

Being a Disciple

God is not simply looking for believers, he is looking for disciples.  

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭5:1-11‬

“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”

 

What does it mean to be a disciple?

A disciple is one who patterns their thoughts, speech and actions - their life pursuits - after their teacher.  

Jesus says that when you are following him, he is going to make you into something - a fisher of men.  

If you are truly walking with Jesus and daily obeying his voice, you will be actively involved in telling others about Christ and his Kingdom.   

This is what it means to be a fisher of men.  

Your faith in Christ’s substitutionary work at the cross and his subsequent resurrection from the dead is what saves you.

Your obedience to Christ, being actively involved in the mission of Jesus, is what God uses to save others.

 

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

 

What do you need to leave in order to follow Jesus?

  • Is it the fear of man?

  • Is it hedonism?

  • Is it selfish living?

  • From what does God need to heal you?

 

Healed by the Master

Jesus wants to heal you as his disciple.

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭5:12-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.””

 

In addition to physical restoration, in what ways  does Jesus look to heal you?

Jesus wants to cleanse you, meaning that Jesus wants to heal you of impure patterns, guilt and shame.

Jesus wants you to get unstuck, meaning Jesus wants to heal you of emotional and spiritual paralysis.

 

To Make Disciples

When we have received from the Lord as a disciple, Jesus expects us to turn around and give as a disciple.  

 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:27-39‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“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. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’””

 

When Levi was called by Jesus, he immediately turned around to reach others. 

But who did he turn to reach?

Of course, you would invite those who love Jesus and need a home to the party!

But Jesus said that he came not for the healthy, but the sick, to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  

This is where we begin as we think about who Jesus came to call as disciples.  

It is not those who have it all together, but those who are presently opposed to God and bound by sin that are Jesus’ primary candidates for recruitment.  

Why?

Because as Jesus would later say, “those who are forgiven much, love much.”

 

That means your family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers who do not yet believe in or follow Jesus are the very ones that he came to call as disciples!  

 

If you’ve ever felt like this spiritually 😉



You can begin with one and the One to One

And become this:

When we have met Jesus in a real and powerful way, the best thing to do is gather our friends, family and acquaintances together to meet the King as well.

 

Don’t disqualify yourself as a disciple-maker.  

We can always say I am too young or too old, am too busy, am not a professional or don’t know enough.  

 

***However, what we saw Levi do is IMMEDIATELY JUMP IN THE GAME BY INVITING PEOPLE TO AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THOSE HE KNEW COULD MEET JESUS.***

 

You can do that through church, community group or even community day - wherever Jesus is being honored and the Word of God is being taught. 

Jesus was willing to use those who simply made themselves available to influence others for the Kingdom of God.  

“I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you’ve been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else.  If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”

-Toni Morrison 

Levi didn’t cut off his natural relationships, but started with that pool of people knowing that they could be forever changed by Jesus, just as he was.  

 

Let’s meet Christ freshly at the cross today, and bring others to experience the same freedom that we have so graciously received!

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Good News According to Luke: Part 2

 
 
 
 

The Good News According to Luke: Part 2

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: Jesus came to give us victory over Satan, heal our brokenness and preach good news to all.

  • Winning Victories over Satan

  • Healing the Sick

  • Preaching Good News to All

Victory Over Satan

Jesus came to establish his victory over sin and Satan.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:1-15‬

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

How is God incorporated into every aspect of our lives?  

It’s by understanding that God has a plan for this world, your place in it and that there will be a fight to walk in that plan.  

Just as there is a real God, there is a real devil and demons which want to lead you into sin.   

Satan is God’s adversary who looks to detract from the glory of God, God’s creative order and loving blueprint for all creation.   

Sin is not only lawlessness, but it is missing God’s mark in any area of our lives. 

 

The truth is, how you live matters.  

What you do for work matters.

What you choose to do with your time, talent and resources all have eternal consequences. 

Your family dynamics, relationships in the church and the community in which you live matters.  

 

Jesus came to teach us how to live in God’s good, pleasing and perfect plan.  

Satan tries to divert us from God’s word and that plan, as we see exemplified in the temptation of Jesus.  

There are times, though, that the Father will allow intensified moments of confrontation with demonic forces in your life so that you might actually grow in strength - learning to overcome temptation, be done with sin and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.  

 

God does not lead you into battle to lose, but to learn how to fight and win (Psalm 144:1).

 

As the warfare increases, we see from Jesus’ example that fasting and prayer are to  become a weapon of choice.  

In this way, Christ is allowed to become greater in our lives as we become less (John 3:30; Galatians 2:20).

 

*Jesus was entering a new season of his life and he did so with prayer and fasting. 

 

As we follow Jesus by faith and in obedience, his victory over sin and Satan becomes our victory as well.  

We begin to live in victorious faith and freedom as we look to fulfill our Heavenly Father’s directives in our lives. 

Christ’s Kingdom focus becomes our daily focus.  

 

***As you mature in Christ, the battle is not over whether you will commit petty sin for which you have been forgiven, but whether or not you will fulfill the will of God for your life.***

 

This is what the temptation of Jesus clearly exemplified and is the battle which Christ continually fought and won (Hebrews 10:5-7). 

In the desert temptation, it wasn’t merely a matter of whether or not Jesus was going to commit adultery, but whether he would fulfill his calling.  

 

I John 2:14

I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

 

Jesus' response to the devil in the wilderness marks the reality that the Word of God MUST be central to (the foundation of) our responses to the attacks and temptations of Satan.  

The word of God is the only ground upon which we are to stand because in such a sense we are allowing God to respond for us (with his authority and backing as Creator and ruler). 

 

What do each of the temptations show us?

Jesus’ special relationship with the Father was challenged.


Jesus responded with the firmness and security of God’s written word to maintain his: 

  1. clarity of identity, 

  2. precision of conviction and 

  3. steadfastness of vision to accomplish the Father’s will.

 

We must learn to do the same in a world that daily challenges the:

  1. definitions,

  2. statutes and

  3. purposes of God around us.

 

Jesus’ encounter with Satan answers the question for us  - “should I ever have to suffer and forgo my God-given needs if I am a child of God?”

 

The answer is yes as God teaches you how to sacrifice as he builds you for his eternal glory and greater Kingdom good.  

When God is calling you to sacrifice, don’t try to meet your needs your own way and in your own timing by trying to turn your rocks into bread (in regards to marriage, career advancement, etc.).  

Trust God that he makes everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3) and has your best interests in mind as you follow him.   

Times of fasting and prayer help make this clear, and should be the “go to” before any big life transition or decision.  

 

*Again, fasting and prayer preceded Jesus entering into a new season of his life and ministry (Acts 13). 

 

Most people make big decisions or changes in their lives without consulting the counsel of God, his word or his people (Proverbs 3:3-12).  

They simply announce the changes to everyone once a decision has already been made without consideration for how their decisions impact others and are a part of God’s grand design, in need of God’s help.  

This should not be because God does not build that way. 

Whether in your family life, education, career or moments of relational transition, each point of entry into a new season of life should be preempted by the trifecta of: 

  1. God’s Word (reinforces God’s ways),

  2. fasting with prayer (introduces God’s specific direction through practical application of that Word) and

  3. godly counsel (helps bring confirmation to those eternal purposes).

 

DON’T TRY TO BE A SOLO ACT!

 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15:22‬ ‭

“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭20:18‬

“Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”

 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭24:5-6‬ ‭

“A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”

 

It is especially important that we make this a lifestyle.

Why?

Just as the devil left Jesus until an opportune time, so he returns to us after moments of victory to try to steer our walk with God off course.  

Times of fasting empty us of our self-reliance to increase our awareness of God that we might live with a dependence on his Holy Spirit, counsel and power.  

This is how Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God's Kingdom plan.

What did Jesus come to do and why does it matter to us?

God has so much to do in the world around us and wants to use us, his body, to do it! 

 

Healing the Sick

Jesus came to heal the sick, liberate the bound, repair the damaged and mend the broken.  

 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:16-41‬ ‭

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, '"Physician, heal yourself." What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.'" And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away. 31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, "Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!" And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region. And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.”

 

In reading that passage in the synagogue, Jesus was reaffirming both his identity and calling.  

And thank the Lord, because Jesus came as God our healer, our Savior!!

Pain is what we’re all trying to escape. 

Jesus came to provide a many times present, but always eternal, healing to our pain.  

The rhythm of Jesus’ life included the custom of physically going to the local synagogue whose entrance was built to face Jerusalem as a continual reminder of the centrality of both public and private worship in our lives.  

If it was important and a custom for Jesus, it needs to be for each one of us.  

What was the importance of being in the synagogue?:

God can use your church participation to help draw attention to and surface demonic oppression that has remained dormant or hidden as you have encounters with Jesus and his people, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

“I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you’ve been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else.  If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”

-Toni Morrison

Preaching the Good News

Jesus came to preach his good news of the Kingdom to all. 

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭4:42-44‬ ‭

“And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose." And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”

 

Jesus’ ultimate victory over Satan, sin and death would be accomplished at the cross where he would not only take the punishment for our sin, but provide forgiveness for those sins.   

By Christ’s historic resurrection from the dead, he would usher us into the freedom of an eternal  life where we would be forever healed in the presence of God (Revelation 21). 

He preached the good news of the Kingdom so that all would have access to this new life as they turn away from their sins and put their trust in Jesus’ substitutionary, completed work.  

Let’s begin this next season prayerfully considering who we might invite to Christ and his cross that he might bring victory and healing to those that we know and love.  

Make invitations before and for Back to Church Sunday, and be encouraged by the testimony of God using our team’s work even in Madison.  

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Good News According To Luke: Part 1

 
 
 
 

The Good News According To Luke

Part 1

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

Focus: We have to drop the facades and embrace ongoing repentance to grow into the people Jesus intends for us to be.  

  • John Prepares the Way

  • What Should We Do?

  • Jesus for the Masses

 

John Prepares the Way

God calls us to himself as others give testimony of what Jesus is trying to do In our lives (Romans 10:14,15). 

 

Luke 3:1-9

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. ’” He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

 

The first thing of note that we need to appreciate and celebrate is that in the account that Luke gives of Jesus’ life and ministry, Luke is meticulous with recorded details to ensure historical accuracy that can be verified extra-biblically.  

Luke makes it a point to identify five different Roman rulers and the territories they governed to demonstrate that his account would not fit into the genre of myth, nor historic fiction, but must be considered verifiable fact - a researched testimony that could be corroborated.  

God had John call people to a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of their sins - the starting block for beginning a life fueled by the grace, involvement and intervention of Jesus Christ.  

 

“If you are renewed by grace, and were to meet your old self, I am sure you would be very anxious to get out of his company.”

Charles H. Spurgeon

 

God’s grace frees us from our wretched lives when we, by faith, drop the facades and live a life of ongoing repentance. 

No one can claim that they are right with God simply because they had a cultural background in the church or a natural pedigree of those who’ve belonged to God.  

The deception of such living will have people cut down and thrown into the fires of hell. 

If we’ve truly repented of something, we will bear fruit in that area by the power of the Holy Spirit - meaning we will grow. 

 

*One of the things that prevents us from bearing the fruit that God desires in our lives is the facades which we live behind.  

*Our generation has an obsession with image that prevents us from being humble and honest enough to allow God to do what he wants to in our lives.  

In fulfillment of all that the Lord had the prophet Isaiah predict (Isaiah 40:3-5), God sent John into the wilderness (the dry place) saying that he would: 

make his (Christ’s) paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Amongst other things, here is what God was promising and what it means for us today:

  1. “Every valley shall be filled” - meaning through the help of others (like John the Baptist), God wants to expedite the work of the Lord in your life.

  2. “…every mountain and hill shall be made low” - meaning the places of pride in our lives will be dealt with, humbled and brought down, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.

  3. “…the crooked shall become straight” - meaning that which is off-center in regards to God’s design for your life shall be corrected and reoriented.

  4. “…the rough places shall become level ways” - meaning the dysfunctional areas of your life that were hard to touch and travel upon will become healthy, productive and functional.

  5. “….all flesh will see the salvation of God” - meaning that in Jesus, God offers his rescue, healing and deliverance to all people.

God sends people to prepare the work of the Lord in your life.  

“Low self-esteem causes me to believe that I have so little worth that my response does not matter. With repentance, however, I understand that being worth so much to God is why my response is so important. Repentance is remedial work to mend our minds and hearts, which get bent by sin.”

John Ortberg, The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God's Best Version of You

We all need help to grow - in things like our marriages, in our parenting, in how we build lives and careers to honor the Lord.  

*THE TRUTH IS THAT IT IS NOT SHAMEFUL TO NEED HELP - IT IS SHAMEFUL NOT TO ASK GOD AND HIS PEOPLE FOR THAT HELP. 

Matthew 3:5,6

Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Confession involves coming into agreement with God and his higher way (Isaiah 55). 

We often don’t have a posture of confession, so God in his mercy sends people into our lives to track us down. 

It may be your spouse, your friend, your community group leader or parent that God is using to point out sin - to help you take responsibility for shortcomings and grow.  

But we can not stay there. 

We must be like the Psalmist who asked God to search him and try him to see if there was any offensive way in them so that they might be led in God’s everlasting way.  

Psalm 139:23,24

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting!

*WE HAVE TO DROP THE FACADES TO EMBRACE AN EMPOWERING LIFESTYLE OF CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE.  

 

How are you hiding behind an image that you’ve created for yourself?

How does God really see you?

*Do you have ears to hear how God is making his appeal to you through others (your family, friends, spouses, neighbors, co-workers, etc.)?

What Should We Do?

We walk with God through an ongoing lifestyle of repentance and faith.  

 

Luke 3:10-17

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”

And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.”As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

 

So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

*Just as we ask God about the ways that we need to grow, so it is invaluable to ask those God has sent to help shape your life how you need to grow in Christ as well.  

You need to give the people who love and surround you permission to speak the Word of God to you and offer you areas of improvement based on that Word. 

This is what John did for the Israelites when they asked, “What then shall we do?”

*This question follows the conviction of the Holy Spirit and proceeds all positive, godly change in our lives (Acts 2).  

The baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers us to live godly lives, burns up our chaff and gives us gifts of the Spirit that we might be witnesses for Christ in power (I Corinthians 12).

 

Our desire should be to have the directives of God established to move in power in every area of our lives. 

This is the essence of Jesus being Lord of our lives.  

God commands nothing except that which is loving and good - that which is best for you, your family and the world around you (Genesis 1).

 

Deuteronomy 10:12,13

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?

 

Sin is not only lawlessness, breaking the commands of God; but is also missing the mark of God’s best for your life.  

To come into God’s best for your life requires a lifestyle of ongoing repentance.  

Repentance means a change of mind and a corresponding movement in a different direction.  

It means falling out of agreement with your former self-identification or lifestyle and coming into agreement with God’s ways which are higher and better for you (Isaiah 55). 

Repentance begins with confession of sin.   

Jonah 2:8

Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.

Confession brings freedom because it ushers you into the light to get the help that you need from God and others.  

So the question then becomes:

  • How are you growing in the Lord?

  • When was the last time you allowed the Lord to identify the things from which you need to repent?

  • When is the last time you asked a God-given relationship, ““What then shall I do?”

 

How are you now living differently based on what God pointed out to you, by himself or through others?

C.S. Lewis accurately described what it is like when we merely give lip service to God - having sin pointed out, but not acting.  

 

“As long as [man] does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance... Wallow in it... Write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilising the seeds which [Heavenly Father] plants in a human soul... Do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm [the cause of evil] if [it is kept] out of his will... The more often he feels without acting, the less he will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.”

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

 

Jesus for the Masses

God brings us into his family to see Christ and his Kingdom purposes formed in us.  

Luke 3:21-38

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

 

Whereas Matthew’s genealogy, written to a Jewish audience, helped establish the prophesied Abrahamic, Judean and Davidic lineage of the Messiah, Luke’s genealogy for a gentile audience went all the way back to God to show Christ’s unique salvific identity for all of humanity. 

Note that God’s eternal purposes in Christ came about through a family line of faith, not through individuals acting alone.  

Through repentance and faith in Jesus’ sacrificial work for us at the cross, we are forgiven of our sins and adopted into the family of God (John 1).  

We then proactively interact with that family to grow in the knowledge of God and become like Christ, bearing fruit as we together commit to lifestyles of transparency, humility and ongoing repentance.  

 

*This is the reason God calls us to be devoted to church gatherings for worship and environments of discipleship like our community groups that we might in unison fulfill God’s Kingdom purposes. 

 

“The church is not a theological classroom. It is a conversion, confession, repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness and sanctification center, where flawed people place their faith in Christ, gather to know and love him better, and learn to love others as he designed.”

Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change

We would say that the church is not only a theological classroom, but God’s “plan A” for us meeting Christ to grow into all that he’s called us to be and do as a part of his eternal Kingdom.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

A Word Of Encouragement – Part 5

 
 
 
 

Word of Encouragement: Part 5

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: You can be happy, while you are holy, as you remain rooted in Christ. 

 

  • You can be Happy

  • While you are Holy

  • As you are Rooted in Christ

You can be Happy 

Know that you can be happy as you do things God’s way because God delights in blessing his people.   

Psalm 1:1-6

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

You can be happy in life.  

Among other things, blessed means happy. 

To walk in a happy state means that you have to embrace the world as it is and navigate it as God commands.  

What is the present state of the world at large?

1 John 5:19

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Because we live in a fallen world, with the majority of people living in rebellion to God, to not walk in the counsel of the wicked means you will have to proactively seek righteous counsel.  

Be careful of the trajectory of your life - whether in righteousness or wickedness.  

In all things, you first walk, then stand and then sit in convictions that you’ve developed - whether actively or passively (Romans 12:1-2).

This is why the apostle Paul exhorted the nascent church:

Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

To “be conformed” in this Scripture is a passive (tense +) activity - meaning if you are not resisting conformity, you will be subdued.  

*You begin to walk in the counsel of sinners when you lack discerning thought, filtered through the Word of God, to actively distinguish between right and wrong.  

*You are conformed to the pattern of this world by imbibing the ideologies that surround you without proactively filtering and rejecting what is incongruent with the Law of God. 

You begin to stand when you make it a habit to practice what they are doing.

 

“What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.”  

― John Wesley

 

You begin to sit in the seat of a scoffer - judging, mocking and deriding the things of God - when you’ve stopped fighting the evil one and take the easier road of conformity.  

“The story of Daniel and his friends is a clarion call to our generation to be courageous; not to lose our nerve and allow the expression of our faith to be diluted and squeezed out of the public space and thus rendered spineless and ineffective. Their story will also tell us that this objective is not likely to be achieved without cost.”

John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The inspiration of Daniel in an age of relativism

 

We treat God as if he is infringing upon our rights when he gives us commands that cut against our wills.  

However, we must remember that as Creator, this is God’s world and we are his tenants.  

God sets the rules and orders creation with inputs and consequences according to his grand design for good (Genesis 1). 

When things work according to that design, they are blessed and human flourishing is a result as we inhabit his world.  

 

“Men became scientific because they expected law in nature and they expected law in nature because they believed in a lawgiver.’ It was this conviction that led Francis Bacon (1561–1626), regarded by many as the father of modern science, to teach that God has provided us with two books – the book of Nature and the Bible –“

John C. Lennox, God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?

 

When we disobey God’s commands, things deteriorate, break down and ultimately die - whether it is your body, relationships or mental well-being.

Death is always the consequence of sin (Romans 3:23). 

Happiness can not dwell there.

Yet happiness abides in holiness (Hebrews 1:8,9).

While you are Holy 

Holiness is a prerequisite to true happiness because you enter into the backing of God.   

We’ve got to define what a good and holy life looks like.

 

“The word "good" has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.”

G. K. Chesterton

Jesus came to restore and give life. 

Was Jesus concerned with righteousness (adherence to the Law of God) - or simply love and grace?

 

Matthew 5:17-20

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

Jesus was concerned with both.  

In fact, it was Christ’s perfect fulfillment of the law that enabled him to be an unblemished sacrifice for humanity at the cross, to bear the punishment for our sins and provide forgiveness for the repentant. 

We are now called and required to follow his example.  

We become holy and enter into Christ’s life by delighting in the law of the Lord - meditating on it day and night. 

By doing so, we begin to walk by the Holy Spirit.  

 

Galatians 5:16-26

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

 

Pursuing the leading and submitting daily to the direction of the Holy Spirit allows us to lead a holy life.  

 

“You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”

G. K. Chesterton

 

It is the anchor of the word of God and direction of the Holy Spirit that plants our roots by streams of living water.  

In this way, we are forever connected to God, his desires and his Kingdom purposes to be a disciple and make disciples of the nations. 

It is in this context that we yield fruit in season, and our leaves do not wither.

Because God is at the helm, we hold to the promise that we will prosper in all that we do. 

But to be holy, we must not be a mixed bag.

 

The question is:

What are you feeding yourself? 

The music, types of news mediums, entertainment, inner musings and conversations in which we indulge all matter.  

They are shaping agents to our thoughts, attitudes, actions and ultimately, life. 

We need to wake up to that which is shaping us - that which is either enhancing or stealing our joy in the Lord.  

 

Romans 13:11-14

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

We must learn to clothe ourselves with Christ.  

As You are Rooted in Christ 

To remain rooted in Christ is to remain focused on the hope of eternal life and the happiness that springs from it.  

 

John 14:1-7

14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

This was matrimonial language.  

Though the wicked will not stand in the judgement, God’s promise is that the faithful will enter into their master’s eternal happiness (Matthew 25:14-30). 

“this world is not going to be trampled and smashed by brutal, amoral regimes forever.  A day will come when God will bring to an end the state war-machines, the terrorist bombs, the consummate evil of totalitarian oppression, the gas chambers, death camps, killing fields, and countless other infamous instruments of death. There will be a judgment.”

John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The inspiration of Daniel in an age of relativism

 

Through turning away from our rebellion and putting our trust in the finished work of Christ for us at the cross, not only do we have access to the forgiveness of our sins, but the blessings of God’s eternal bliss.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

A Word Of Encouragement – Psalm 37

 
 
 
 

A Word of Encouragement: Psalm 37

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: We can have daily joy as we learn to delight in Jesus in the midst of a fallen world.  

 

  • Delighting in the Lord

  • In the Midst of Suffering

  • Until Jesus Restores All Things

Delighting in the Lord

The key to joy in a fallen world is delighting yourself in Jesus.  

 

Psalm 37:1-11

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

 

*Fretting steals your joy. 

Do not get yourself in a huff because of what evildoers do or be envious of them.  

Evildoers will not ultimately get away with anything. 

God will make sure they get what they deserve in the end.  

It’s our timetables of justice that cause us to become disillusioned.  

Yet think of how many of us wouldn’t be here today if God didn’t express patience towards us in the midst of our sin to lead us to repentance and forgiveness at the cross (Romans 5).

God commands that we trust him, do good and focus on our responsibility to faithfully serve him while we wait.  

God is ultimately saying, “Let me do me, while you focus on doing what I said to do.”

What does it mean to delight in the Lord?

*The key to walking in joy in a fallen world is to delight yourself in the Lord - joy is not getting all that your heart desires.  

We often put the cart before the horse. 

There will always be a tension between the good that we aspire to do in this life and the resolution that God brings to all things in the age to come. 

You earthly reward is not your only reward.  

Far too many people settle for what they can have now - in honor, in comforts, in wealth - not realizing that they are substituting these things for what could be theirs eternally in Christ.

Jesus’ sermon on the Mount speaks of these things (Matthew 5-7). 

We lose focus on could be ours forever in Christ because we are distracted by what others presently enjoy. 

 

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses

You must continually live in the hope of final justice at the judgment that allows you to persevere in well doing in the light of the rewards of the resurrection.  

When we fret, it tends to lead to evil because we take our lives into our own hands, fending for ourselves, doing what we think needs to be done for our benefit because somehow we think that God won’t come through.  

This is a tormenting place to live, where your mentality is you are on your own, outside of the reality of God caring for his faithful ones.  

 

In the Midst of Suffering

Joy can be found in the midst of suffering. 

*God’s care does not preclude suffering, because we live in a fallen world full of sin.  

 

Psalm 37:12-33

The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; 19 they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

 

*As long as we live in a fallen world, there will be sin and suffering.   

*Jesus came to alleviate these things presently and eradicate them permanently at the resurrection for those who’ve turned to him in repentance and faith.  

How do we know this?

This is how Jesus began his ministry:

 

Luke 4:16-21

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

 

This is how the apostle John summarized Jesus’ ministry:

1 John 3:8

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

 

The is is how God had John summarize what is to come:

 

Revelation 21:1-8

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 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.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

 

V. 23,24

*Temporary set-backs are not uncommon or your final destination in the Lord. 

 

God has a long-term view of your life and destiny in Christ - “I was young, and now I am old”.

Trust in God and let contentment free you to do good.  

What does doing good look like?

 

“If you asked twenty good men to-day what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old he would have replied, Love - You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance. 

The negative ideal of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.”

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

 

“He is ever lending generously”

“Better the little the righteous have…”

Without contentment, we withhold from God what he commands and begin to find pursuits void of Christ or the leading of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our desires.  

This leads to frustration, lack of lasting satisfaction, ungodly practices and strife.  

Contentment is the key to generosity and great joy in our souls.  

Without contentment, we are stingy, hoarding and miserable because we always fear our own poverty while God says that even in famine, he will give you more than enough if you obey him. 

 

“At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.”

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

 

Until Jesus Restores All Things

Christ’s work at the cross paved the way for eternal joy In a new world, where he would bring the restoration of all redeemed things at the resurrection.  

 

Psalm 37:34-40

Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

 

**God is concerned with ultimate outcomes, not simply the benefits of this present world.  

 

John 18:36-37

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

 

Therein is where we find our present and lasting joy.  

How do we enter this new world?

We do so through ongoing repentance and faith in Christ’s finished work at the cross followed by his victorious resurrection. 

 

“If you had a perfect excuse, you would not need forgiveness; if the whole of your action needs forgiveness, then there was no excuse for it. But the trouble is that what we call “asking God’s forgiveness” very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses.

What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some “extenuating circumstances.” We are so very anxious to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don’t cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable. And if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our own excuses. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves.

There are two remedies for this danger. One is to remember that God knows all the real excuses very much better than we do. If there are real “extenuating circumstances,” there is no fear that he will overlook them. Often he must know many excuses that we have never thought of, and therefore, humble souls will, after death, have the delightful surprise of discovering that on certain occasions they sinned much less than they had thought. All the real excusing he will do.

What we have got to take to him is the inexcusable bit, the sin.”

– C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, 178-81

 

1 Peter 5:6-11

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

A Word Of Encouragement – Psalm 62

 
 
 
 

A Word of Encouragement: Psalm 62

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

War. Inflation. Political Turmoil.  Persecution.  Anxiety. Greed.  Fear. 

How would God have us respond in such an environment?   

Focus: God has your peace in mind in the midst of a chaotic world as we become people of prayer. 

  • The Present

  • The Future

  • Waiting on Jesus 

The Present

We find our present peace by waiting on Jesus.  

Psalm 62:1-4

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah

Peace, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is what we need in troubling times. 

We find it by waiting on God. 

David begins his Psalm by declaring that when we look to God, we will not be greatly shaken, while intimating that in the beginning most trials are somewhat unexpected and startle us.  

In our busy worlds, you will not find true peace until you slow down enough to get quiet.  

 

“The most difficult problem is not finding time but convincing myself that this is important enough to set aside the time.”

― Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

 

Waiting on God means that sometimes you have nothing to say, but rather know that you need to hear from God - from his Word and from the Holy Spirit, our comforter.  

This should be our prioritized posture.  

God is called David’s fortress in the middle of the verbal attacks of his enemies.  

Both Christians and non-Christians alike are in the midst of a spiritual war, whether they realize it or not.  


Jesus came to give life, while there is a real devil who works with demons to steal, kill and destroy people’s lives (John 10:10).  


This is the canvas on which the gospel is played out and why Christ’s redemption is an imperative for this fallen world.  

In the spiritual warfare in which we find ourselves on a daily basis, going up to the place of worship must be our response against the lies, accusations and discouragements of the enemy.   

There we find God as our fortress.  

In OT times, worship was centered in Jerusalem, a city set on a hill.  

This meant that it was highly defensible and gave greater visibility to the attacks of the enemy.  

In this state, we are reminded daily that God is our fortress and can vanquish all of our enemies.  

 

“You cannot know what prayer is for, until you know that life is war.”

-John Piper

 

“Life is war. That's not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief.”

-John Piper

 

*The problem is that we run to substitutes, rather than God, in the midst of life’s chaos to find our peace.  

 

What are the things in our lives that we substitute as a fortress instead of God? 

It can be entertainment, alcohol, drugs, your wealth, your career, your looks, a new environment, a romantic relationship or hopes for your children - anything that you think will protect you from the harsh realities of this life.  

When we pursue these things without a Christ-centered devotion that defines our interactions, they ultimately enslave us and steal our peace.  

When we stop to wait on God, all things are put in their proper perspective - our past failures, our present struggles and our future hopes, all in light of the cross and resurrection of Christ.  

The Future

We have future security because God rules over that which is out of our control. 

Psalm 62:5-8

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

For God alone we must learn to wait in silence, for from him comes our hope for the future.  

Though people may encourage you, you must learn to look to God alone as your rock.

This will bless your marriages, your relationships with your children and friends because you will not put an inordinate pressure on them that truly only belongs to God.  

God alone is your true source of salvation, rescue and deliverance.  

God alone can help you in ALL THINGS, and is to whom we must cry out in prayer. 

When we put our hope in earthly resources, we are shaken; when Christ and his Word are our rock, we will not be. 

Isaiah 26:3-4

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

When we do this, it allows us to live as Jesus identified us - the salt of the earth, the light of the world.   

God is a refuge for us, which means that we run to him for safety in the midst of an uncertain future.  

God wants you to pour out your heart to him, that he might strengthen it.  

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

One of the men at the conference spoke about his father who wrote a song after surviving a several mile long tornado….


“Freedom from anxiety is characterized by three inner attitudes. If what we have we receive as a gift, and if what we have is to be cared for by God, and if what we have is available to others, then we will possess freedom from anxiety. This is the inward reality of simplicity. However, if what we have we believe we have gotten, and if what we have we believe we must hold onto, and if what we have is not available to others, then we will live in anxiety. Such persons will never know simplicity regardless of the outward contortions they may put themselves through in order to live “the simple life.” 

― Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

Waiting on Jesus

Look to Jesus who will ultimately redeem and restore all things at the resurrection for those who are waiting for him.  

Psalm 62:9-12

Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.

 

To be kept in perfect peace, we must align ourselves with Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).  

This means that we must value what God values and see the world as he sees it, for he designed it as such.  

We will be kept in perfect peace when we have a realistic, eternal perspective towards that for which people strive.  

 

“Because we lack a divine Center our need for security has led us into an insane attachment to things. We really must understand that the lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic. It is psychotic because it has completely lost touch with reality. We crave things we neither need nor enjoy. 'We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like'. Where planned obsolescence leaves off, psychological obsolescence takes over. We are made to feel ashamed to wear clothes or drive cars until they are worn out. The mass media have convinced us that to be out of step with fashion is to be out of step with reality. It is time we awaken to the fact that conformity to a sick society is to be sick. Until we see how unbalanced our culture has become at this point, we will not be able to deal with the mammon spirit within ourselves nor will we desire Christian simplicity.” 

― Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

 

What ultimately steals our peace, inwardly and with God, is the misalignment of life’s priorities, otherwise known as sin. 

As we meditate on God’s Word, prayer enables us to realign our thinking to have the mind of Christ.  

If we’ve lived according to the ways of this fallen world, this Psalm is a call to come to repentance, entering into the peace of Christ through the forgiveness of your sins.  

 

“The demand that God should forgive such a man [one bent on evil] while he remains what he is, is based on a confusion between condoning and forgiving. To condone an evil is simply to ignore it, to treat it as if it were good. But forgiveness needs to be accepted as well as offered if it is to be complete: and a man who admits no guilt can accept no forgiveness.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

 

Acknowledgement of sin and renunciation of sin are the prerequisites for forgiveness from God, lest there be no repentance - the required turning away from sin. 

The power of the Lord breaks us free from that sin, the lesser things that never satisfy.  

The steadfast love of the Lord keeps us in his peace and turns our hearts to live for him in thankfulness for his great sacrifice for us at the cross. 

Your greatest joy will be found when you are on mission with Christ, forged in the fire of life’s circumstances to bring his Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.  

Our rest is found in relationship with Christ and our great satisfaction is found in participating in that which Jesus is doing - going into all the world to make disciples of the nations who will also know his peace.

 

1 Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 

We are called to forever grow in peace as we orient our lives around the reward of Christ - that which can not be stolen, taken, or shaken because God himself preserves our eternal reward.  

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

A Word Of Encouragement – Psalm 46

 
 
 
 

Word of Encouragement — Psalm 46

Anthony Connington Intern

 

Focus: We can have a holy confidence when we trust God and run to Him for safety, strength, and protection.

  • God is our Helper (ezer)

  • God is our Sustainer

  • God is our Protector (Adonai Tzevaot)

 

History of Psalm 46

The great reformer Martin Luther wrote his popular hymn ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God") using Psalm 46 as a starting point. For many this hymn was known as the song of the reformation. 

Later, Johann Sebastian Bach composed a chorale cantata based off of Luther’s hymn.

Mozart also composed a short motet to the text of the first verse of Psalm 46. 

 

Charles Spurgeon famously called Psalm 46 a "song of holy confidence".

 

Who were the Sons of Korah?

Moses had a cousin named Korah. This is the man who led a rebellion and revolt against Moses in numbers 16. This didn’t turn out too good for him and his friends. 

“The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s people, and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.” Numbers 16:32-33

However, Korah’s sons were spared, and they went about serving the LORD as song writers, singers, and filled the many roles required to care for the tabernacle and the temple. 

According to the genealogy records in the bible it is important to point out that the prophet Samuel descended from Korah and his sons. 

This family is infamously known for that single act of rebellion against God which stained their name. But at the same time, the sons of Korah are quite the redemption story in that God showed mercy and allowed Korah’s family line to continue to serve Him. 

So, as we venture into this psalm, just know that the very writers of this amazing song have experienced what they are writing about firsthand. 

 

Psalm 46

God Our Refuge

For the choir director. A song of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
2 Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
3 though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah

4 There is a river—
its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God is within her; she will not be toppled.
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple;
the earth melts when he lifts his voice.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

8 Come, see the works of the Lord,
who brings devastation on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth.
He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces;
he sets wagons ablaze.
10 “Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

 

God is our Helper ( עֵ֫זֶר / ezer) vs. 1-3

It is God alone who is our place of safety, and it is Him alone who gives us strength to endure our trials and tribulations. 

The Hebrew word for Helper here is (ezer). This is not the simple type of help, like giving someone a hand after they fall and picking them up again. This type of Helper can do far more than that. It is during the direst of situations where a miracle needs to happen, where no other hope can be found, where there are no more options left on the table. This type of help describes God who has the power to come through at the last moment. 

Scripture attributes this name to God and in most cases this word is referring to the type of help that is beyond human intervention, it is a type of help that only God can provide.

It is also important to note that in this verse, the Hebrew gives it an emphatic sense. In other words, God is not just a Helper found in times of trouble, but He can ALWAYS be found in times of trouble. 

God is trustworthy and reliable, and we can be confident that when we call out in distress, we will always find Him. 

This means that God promises to be present when you call out to Him. He promises to be the source of Help that you will need in that moment or season. God is creative and his solutions are often beyond what we expect. His ways are higher than our ways and his understanding is beyond our understanding. God promises to always be our help, but how He shows up is entirely up to God. 

 

One of the greatest prayers you can pray is “LORD please Help me”. God takes great delight when we call out to Him for Help. He is ready, able, and willing to respond to you every time. 

 

Therefore, we have nothing to fear. No matter what type of trouble comes against us, we can still have confident trust in God to come through for us. 

No matter the trouble you may be facing today, just know that God is the Help that you need. You can trust Him with everything, and He will give you peace to endure any and all trials you may face.

Even if you feel like right now that your life is toppling over and it feels like the ground under you has begun to sink, and you feel hopeless and desperate. Let me tell you something, that situation is God’s specialty. Run to Him with it, what every trouble you are facing, just surrender it over to God. 

 

Whenever we give control over our situations to God, we will experience confidence and peace even if the mountains quake and fall into the seas around us.

 

God is our Sustainer vs. 4-7

We need to understand that for the Israelites, Jerusalem was the most important place in the world. This is where the temple was at that time which is the place where God’s presence dwelled. When Scripture talks about Jerusalem, it is synonymous with the idea of God’s presence. This city is the central place of worship and religious practice for the Jewish people. This is the city where the Israelites went to worship and spend time with God. 

Notice that the streams gladden or delight the city of God. Unlike the torrent of raging waters which we find in verse 3, this river is gentle and soft. This river is peaceful and flows from the holy dwelling place of the Most High. This river gives life. 

 

For Further Study: read Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22 about the river

 

The Pool of Siloam

Water flows through the site where archaeologists believe they have uncovered the remains of the Siloam Pool in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Thursday. The pool was used by Jews for ritual immersions from about 50 B.C. to A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed the Jewish Temple. Kevin Frayer / AP 2004

 

Isa. 8:6-7—the waters of Siloam went softly by Jerusalem

Isa. 22:10-11—waters made serviceable to the defense of Jerusalem

During King Hezekiah’s reign, Assyria besieged Jerusalem and attempted to capture the city. In preparation for the long siege ahead, King Hezekiah wisely built up and made the springs of water at the pool of Siloam serviceable to the people in the city. Since the pool of Siloam was located just outside of the city walls, the king barricaded the normal access to the water source and instead built an underground tunnel that secretly gave access to the water from behind the safety of the city walls. This prevented the enemy from having access to the water and ensured the survival of Jerusalem no matter how long the siege would last. When the massive Assyrian army showed up at the gates of Jerusalem, king Hezekiah cried out to God and asked for Him to save him and his people. The Bible then records that in response to his prayer that God sent an angel to annihilate the armies of Assyria. In a single night the angel the LORD killed 185,000 men. A single angel wiped out an entire army. Wow!!! That is just astonishing. 

So, the point here is that when the king of Assyria attacked Jerusalem, the Israelites had access to a water source that sustained them throughout the entire siege until God showed up. 

When you are cut off from normal access to the provision and sustainment you are accustomed to using, do not be afraid. Know that God is channeling a tunnel from underground and secretly setting the stage for your provision in ways you had not seen or expected. 

Do not give up hope because amidst the turmoil and the raging battles and troubles of this world, God promises to be your nourishment and sustain you through it all. He can fill you with His peace and give you great joy no matter what is happening around you. 

 

God is our Protector vs. 8-11 

Vs. 9—bows are used at a distance by the enemy to kill you

Represents combat from afar

Those things that come at you from a distance, those troubles that appear out of nowhere and are often outside of your control but affect you to the core. Those trials that you are unable to struggle against but just hope end. Yes, our God is victorious over those and protects. God promises to break the bow.

 

Spears used in close combat trying to pierce the life out of you

Represents close quarters combat/up close and personal

Those things that you are wrestling with for dear life, the tug of war in the heart is gut wrenching. Those troubles that pierce your heart and cause you to become greatly discouraged and it’s those troubles where you want to stop fighting. You realize you cannot do it anymore, it is those troubles, trials, pains, that God will see you through. He will protect you.

 

Wagons and chariots—the reinforcements of the enemy are burned up completely

Represents combat yet to arrive, battles won, victories set before they even begin

Those things that are yet to come, the ammo and supplies of the enemy is on its way to cause you more and more trouble. More arrows and more spears to come, The LORD burns them away. In His mercy, goodness, and grace, God protects us from so many troubles we don’t even know about, and it is only on occasion we hear about God’s marvelous protection after the fact. Has God spared you of some trouble you could have been deep into?

This is what God says to all of that, to our very enemy, to the world system set against his rule and reign and to the flesh and sinful nature that constantly wages war upon our soul, this is what God Almighty says to it all…BE STILL (STOP FIGHTING/LET GO) and know that I am God. 

He literally steps in on our behalf and declares Himself to be fighting for His people, none can stand against the Almighty, our great protector. He is the LORD of Armies.

Adonai Tzevaot יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֣וֹת 

The LORD of Armies/Hosts

 

This is a powerful name for God. The LORD is the ultimate God of war. He always wins. He is mighty in battle; He is the ultimate warrior who fights for His people. We can be secure knowing that God Almighty will protect us, sustain us, and help us whenever we call upon His name. 

Do you remember the Pool of Siloam that I showed you a picture of earlier? This is the same place that Jesus sent a blind man to wash and be healed. Right now, Jesus is asking you a question. Do you want to be healed? Do you need help? Are you in need of nourishment and in need of someone to sustain you? Do you want to know The LORD of Armies and have Him come to your rescue? Then go to God, run to Him and you will find Him. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

A Word Of Encouragement – Psalm 90

 
 
 
 

A Word Of Encouragement – Psalm 90

Associate Pastor Cole Parleir

Focus: The eternal God will eternally establish you and your work as you gain his wisdom by learning to number your days in light of him.

  • Moses The Man of God

  • Psalm 90

  • Eternal Wisdom in Christ

Context

What are the Psalms

  • A collection over many years of poems, prayers and laments meant to be sung or spoken to God as listener by His people individually and in groups.

  • Psalms is Israel’s book of worship to guide them from generation to generation.

Psalm 90 is the beginning of “Book Four” (Psalm 90-106) 

  • Our modern Bible group the collections in several ways with the main way being five ‘books’. This is a reminder of the five books of the Torah.

  • Psalm 90 is a corporate lament psalm 

Who wrote it?

  • Attributed to “…Moses, the man of God”

     

When was it written?

  • Most likely during the wilderness experience and maybe around the time of Numbers 14. Some commentators believe Moses could have written it for the Israelites to use daily as a devotional.

 

Different titles in each translation (not scriptures, but added later)

  • “From Everlasting to Everlasting” ESV

  • “God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness” AMP

  • “God’s Eternity and Human Frailty” LEB

 

Scripture calls it “A prayer of Moses, the man of God”

  • The only Psalm attributed to Moses

  • This makes it the oldest Psalm

  • Why is Moses called “the man of God”?

    • Moses was known as God’s servant, God’s prophet, and as one who spoke with God ‘face to face’

    • Submission led to intimacy

 

It’s a prayer, a lament, petition and also wisdom literature

  • Why a prayer? Because it’s addressed to God.

    • ‘O LORD, you…’

  • Why a lament?

    • Expression of sorrow and regret of their sinfulness that is just cause for God’s wrath

  • Why petition?

    • Vs 12-17 are requests according to God’s character and promises.

  • Why wisdom literature?

    • It teaches us how to live in obedience to God stewarding his favor.

Moses the Man of God

  • Raised for 3 months in his fathers house

  • At 3 months old he was “exposed”, abandoned to die due to royal edict.

  • The kings daughter found him and adopted him.

  • He was raised and educated as Egyptian royalty.

  • At age 40 he revisited his Israelite heritage, killed an Egyptian who mistreated an Israelite in his sight. The next day he was accused of murder and ran away.

  • 0-3 months infant in earthy fathers house

  • 3 months - 40 years young man in adopted house

  • 40-80 years old middle aged man in father in laws house

  • 80-120 years old Man of God in his Heavenly Fathers presence…yet this was the wilderness

  • Home is where God’s manifest presence is: bush, staff, cloud, fire, mountain, tabernacle, temple, church, heart, heaven

 

Moses’ had been “exposed” his whole life. He felt vulnerable and rejected by people. He learned by necessity to not hope in what is seen. 

 

Faith

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

Hebrews‬ 11:1-3‬ ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.11.1-3.ESV

 

God’s dwelling 

““Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?’”

Acts‬ 7:44-50‬ ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/act.7.44-50.ESV

Psalm 90

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”

Psalm‬ 90:1-17‬ ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.90.1-17.ESV

 

 Verse by verse

  • God is man’s Help, dwelling place, den, refuge for all generations.

  • den (1), dwelling (3), dwelling place (4), habitation (6), haunt (4).

  • habitation (noun) ·habitations (plural noun) the state or process of living in a particular place:

  • God is creator and supersedes all you see. He was before creation and will remain after creation.

  • God made man and ends man. He gives life and there is no life apart from him. Without his life we are “dirt bags”. Hebrew word ‘dakka’ means ‘something crushed’ and is not the same as Genesis 2.

  • How long is a watch in the night? 3 hours for 4 watches make a night watch: 6pm to 6am. God is outside of time as he is eternal. This attribute makes him a place of refuge for mortal temporal man.

  • Contrasting the eternity of God and the brevity or frailty of man. Noah and the flood as judgement on sinful humanity. Active destruction and wrath.

  • Contrasting the eternity of God and the brevity or frailty of man. the

  • Human death is a result of God’s anger and wrath on sin. This is terrifying because there is no human solution to sin which is an eternal problem. Humanity is frail yet accountable to God.

  • God will not and cannot overlook sin. This life is a wilderness that exposes our hearts. It is ever before his face which means it defines our relationship with him. It’s always in the middle. Nothing is hidden. Judgement on sin is the main cause of mortality rather than natural order.

 

“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Hebrews‬ 4:13‬ ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.4.13.ESV

  • Sin causes us to live lives of futility rather than fruitfulness. God’s wrath is not only reserved for the final judgement, but is ongoing toward the rebellious and building up until the final day of judgement.

  • Even in our strongest attempts to extend human life it will fall short of the eternal life God intended us for. The Pride of life will not submit to God as the giver and taker of life. This pride does not recognize his holiness nor the reality of sin. This is the first mention in Psalms of a purely natural life span.

“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.”

1 John‬ 2:15-17‬ ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.2.15-17.ESV

 

  1. Until we recognize and surrender to God as holy we will not have the fear due him and cannot except the life he has for us.

  2. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Learning to number our days as one who is under his wrath because of sin is the beginning of wisdom that leads to eternal life.

  3. Fear of the Lord leads to cries for help to him alone for only he can deliver us from himself.

  4. The fear of the everlasting God will lead us to his everlasting love (chessed - Hebrew for loyal love) for found in the cross of Jesus Christ. God incarnate who took his own wrath on sin by taking our sin on himself. The cross is our refuge and dwelling place this side of eternity.

 

“who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we may die to sins and live to righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but you have turned back now to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.”

1 Peter‬ 2:24-25‬ LEB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/90/1pe.2.24-25.LEB

 

Those who know this ‘chessed’ love of God in Jesus Christ do not wither like the grass, but sing praise and are glad being able to face the troubles of the day. 

  1. God’s anger is for a moment because he has provided help for sin. 

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Psalm‬ 30:5‬ ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.30.5.ESV

 

  1. This is a prayer for the next generation, their children to know God’s mercy and love.

  2. As you walk with God invite your children into it. As you learn God’s word teach it to your children.

  3. This is a petition for God to do what he said he would do when they do what he commands: that he will bless their obedience to his commands.

“I know everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it, for God so acts that humans might stand in awe before him. What is—it already was, and what will be—it already is, for God will do what he has done.”

Ecclesiastes‬ 3:14-15‬ LEB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/90/ecc.3.14-15.LEB

Eternal Wisdom In Christ

We must learn to number our days in view of spending eternity with the holy and living God.  When we do we  will be in awe of God and will recognize his power along with our frailty and sinfulness.  He becomes to us Jehovah-Jireh, meaning “the Lord will provide.”

“So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.””

Genesis‬ 22:14‬ ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.22.14.ESV

 

God in his eternal wisdom, power, and love for humanity has provided for us.  He sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ to the cross on the hill of Calvary to satisfy his wrath on sin. By repentance and faith in Christ we are reconciled to God and walk with him again. 

 

“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””

1 Corinthians‬ 1:30-31‬ ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.1.30-31.ESV

By repentance from dead works and faith in God’s wisdom of the cross of Christ for our forgiveness and new life, we can begin to number our days.  By the power of the Holy Spirit we can lead a life of wisdom obeying God that he may establish the work of our hands because it is His work in us and through us. 

Life on earth is short.  Eternity is long.  Live for eternity by trusting in Jesus Christ.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Exodus Chronicles: Part 11

 
 
 
 

Exodus Chronicles: Part 11

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

Focus: God desires to make you part of his holy people, set apart to live in the wisdom and redemption of Christ.   

  • The End of the Exodus

  • A Consecrated People

  • Living in the Wisdom of Christ

The End of the Exodus 

God’s end in the Exodus was to create a holy people to be his treasured possession. 

Exodus 19:1-8

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 

As stated in the Westminster Catechism as a careful synopsis of the Scripture:

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”

As God was bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, he made it clear that his end was to bring a people to himself who would be his treasured possession in all of the earth.  

These people would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  

To be such a people, we would have to heed God's voice by knowing his covenant, expressed through his Word, living lives of faith and obedient application of that Word in the world.  

The following chapter would begin the record of God giving his laws, the basis of his covenant, to the people.  

A Consecrated People 

The Holy Spirit works to make us a consecrated people. 

Exodus 19:9-25

And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments. And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.” On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord  to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the Lord  consecrate themselves, lest the Lord  break out against them.” And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’” And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Holiness and consecration work hand in hand.

Holiness is the goal - being inwardly set apart to God, producing outward actions of consecration in our life, speech, love, faith and purity.  

The rubber has to meet the road connecting:

  1. what God says in his Word to

  2. what we say we believe to

  3. what we value and

  4. therefore how we live.

This is what it means to live a holy and consecrated life.

To be a consecrated people means to be set apart to God - for God’s purposes and God’s glory. 

Sanctification is God’s ongoing process of making us holy through the renewing of our hearts and minds replacing the old idolatry of humanism. 

“Humanism is the defiant denial of the God who is there, with man defiantly set up in the place of God as the measure of all things.”

— Francis Schaeffer

The Israelites were to wash their clothing as an outward symbol of the inward purifying of their hearts, coming into alignment with God.  

2 Timothy 2:22

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Living in the Wisdom of Christ

God consecrates us to live in the wisdom of Christ - forever in the shadow of the cross and the hope of the resurrection.  

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 

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. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

There is a difference between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God.

As a holy, consecrated people, we are called to live by the wisdom of Christ. 

The Word and presence of God are anchors amidst the emotional buffeting of a world that rages against Christ:

“How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error (cf Ephesians 4, 14). Having a clear Faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and 'swept along by every wind of teaching', looks like the only attitude acceptable to today's standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires. However, we have a different goal: the Son of God, true man. He is the measure of true humanism. Being an 'Adult' means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today's fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature. It is this friendship which opens us up to all that is good and gives us the knowledge to judge true from false, and deceit from truth.” 

― Pope Benedict XVI 

All of the wisdom of Christ leads to the cross.

Through his life, Jesus satisfied all of the righteous requirements of the law.

Matthew 5:17-20 

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Through his blood spilled at the cross and by his resurrection from the dead, faith in Jesus’ finished work became the foundation of a new covenant with God.  

In the cross and the resurrection EVERYONE can find both God’s forgiveness and redemption.  

Repentance - a change of mind to come into agreement with God and go in a different direction - is key to this new life.  

Here, as we follow Jesus by faith, we have a new wisdom through which we are free  to look out not only for ourselves, but to consider the interests of others, that the love of God might be seen and Jesus might be glorified (Philippians 2).  

It is countercultural and counterintuitive to our sinful nature, but denying yourself and picking up your cross daily are a prerequisite to serving Jesus as a disciple.

 

Matthew 16:24-27 

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? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

The good news of the gospel is that if we die with him as we live day by day, we will also live, rule and reign with Jesus.

 

2 Timothy 2:8-13 

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

 

Redemption comes as we allow God to use our lives in a fallen world to be salt and light, preserving and flavoring it a bit longer, until Jesus returns to make all wrong things right. 

“Give your life to Christ. It doesn’t mean that you give up your career and your business. It means that you go back into your career, go back into your business, and live for Christ—unless it’s something dishonest. Make the choice. Turn from the broad road to the narrow road today.”

-Billy Graham

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Exodus Chronicles: Part 10

 
 
 
 

Exodus Chronicles: Part 10

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: To walk with Christ is to find your value, meaning, purpose and grace.   

  • A Christian Call to Leadership

  • Value and Meaning

  • God’s Purpose and Grace

 

A Christian Call to Leadership 

As you walk with God, every Christian will be called to grow in how they influence others for Christ.  

Exodus 18:1-16

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom ( for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God. The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 

Moses gave testimony of all that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had done for them in delivering the Israelites from the hand of the Egyptians.  

In doing so, Moses influenced Jethro to worship Yahweh as the only true God above all other false deities.  

Each of us have a BC (before Christ), cross (how we turned to Christ) and AD (how things have been different since coming  to Christ) experience of God’s deliverance that we should regularly share with those around us to bring glory to God.  

If you do not have this, now is the time to turn away from your sins to Jesus, who died sacrificially on the cross to take the punishment for your rebellion against a holy God.  

Through Christ’s resurrection from the dead, he not only grants you eternal life, but sets you free from your slavery to sin that you might have a testimony of deliverance in which others might also participate by faith!

When was the last time that you shared your story of God’s deliverance?

Though God had used Moses to deliver the Israelites and influence Jethro’s worship, God had leadership multiplication in mind. 

Jethro understood that the work of God was not to be accomplished by Moses alone. 

*We need humility, not a critical nature, to walk with Christ, his people and to fully execute God’s game plan.  

“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

 

Whether you are a doctor, lawyer, educator, businessman, actor, stay at home parent, techie, politician, athlete, entertainer, retired grandparent, social media influencer or facilities manager, you are called to influence the world around you for Christ.  

Have you found your gift and place of service?

How are you using it to influence the world for Christ?

 

Value and Meaning 

As you walk with God he illuminates your indisputable value and leads you to life’s all-sufficient meaning in Christ.  

17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.” So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

For all of the Israelites to grow in the knowledge, commands and worship of God, multiplying amongst their posterity and through the generations, it would take the appointment of leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.  

This is why we have community groups as a vehicle for discipleship, with the goal of multiplication, for the influence of God to be established and Increased in our cities.  

Why do people wander and find themselves trapped in the search for momentary pleasure?

 

“When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.”

-Viktor E. Frankl

Value is given by Him to whom you belong - God created you in His image (Genesis 1:26,27 - Imago Dei).  

Meaning is given by the purpose to which He has called you.  

“We don't seek to escape this life by dreaming of heaven. But we do find we can endure this life because of the certainty of heaven. Heaven is eternal. Earth is temporal. Those who fix all their affections of the fleeting things of this world are the real escapists, because they are vainly attempting to avoid facing eternity - by hiding in the fleeting shadows of things that are only transient.”

-John MacArthur 

 

Therefore, there is no greater gift than to be delivered in the Great Commission of Christ and there is no greater eternal purpose than in seeing the Great Commission reach its end.  

There is no fulfilling the great commission of God without expanding teamwork where every believer finds both their gift and place of service.  

You influence the worship of God in things like hospitality, greeting, in children’s ministry, on the set-up team for service or baptisms, on the worship team, on the video and tech crew as you help the word and testimony of Christ to literally reach the nations.   

This is why we have ministry teams for everyone to find a fruitful place of influence.

 

God’s Purpose and Grace

You find both God’s purpose for your life and grace when you finally serve Christ as Lord.  

Matthew 20:1-16 

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went.  Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

This parable is ultimately about God’s common grace for all who would repent of their sins and follow Jesus, putting their hope in his work at the cross alone to secure salvation.  

Yet it is also a call for us to embrace the lasting value and meaning that will only be found in Christ as we discover our purpose in his vineyard.  

What is lasting always goes back to Christ and his vineyard.  

God’s purpose for you individually will forever be aligned with his Kingdom purpose that surrounds you corporately.  

It is in serving Christ in his vineyard that we find not only our eternal purpose, but our eternal reward.  

Matthew 25 clearly states that God will not save us, but reward us according to what we have done.  

“Desiring to excel is not a sin. It is motivation that determines ambition’s character. Our Lord never taught against the urge to high achievement, but He did expose and condemn unworthy motivation.”

-J Oswald Sanders in Spiritual Leadership: A Commitment to Excellence for Every Believer 

 

Acts 2:36-47 

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Have you met Jesus in his vineyard?

Who’s vineyard are you living to tend - Christ’s or your own?

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Exodus Chronicles: Part 9

 
 
 
 

Exodus Chronicles: Part 9 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: We must learn new responses in our times of trial to see Jesus break through as the Lord - our banner of victory. 

  • Learned Responses

  • Keep Those Hands Up

  • To the Lord Our Banner

Learned Responses 

We must learn new responses to God during our times of trial.  

Exodus 17:1-7 

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

God moves us into his promises by stages. 

God always has a plan.  

The Israelites were camped by the commandment of the Lord where there was no water for the people to drink, but again, God had a plan.

Familiar challenges are part of your walk with God (Remember the Israelites in Exodus 15:22-26 at Marah).

God uses the challenges to bring out what is in our hearts, that we might see clearly and be conformed to the image of Christ.  

*The wilderness is ultimately about our character development, not God’s faithfulness.  

God gives you similar challenges over and over so that you grow in your RESPONSES - learning how to trust the Lord (think of Jesus feeding the 5000 and then the 4000). 

Every place where God commands you to camp, he has a plan for miraculous provision to show both his sovereignty and care for you.

Despite this, like the Israelites, our tendency is to quarrel and complain.

God is kind to instruct us during those times as grumbling children on the path to maturity.  

Yet this grace must never be taken for granted.  

Leadership always needs to be ready to set the pace in seeking the Lord for a solution in times of trial, passing on before the people as an example.

Moses taking in his hand the staff with which he struck the Nile communicated that the same faithfulness that God showed his people before would be the same power and faithfulness that he would show them again - this time in new territory on their way to the promise.

The lesson that we need to learn is that testing the Lord is not good.

The presumption and audacity of people who casually talk about being angry with God and speaking ill words against him needs to stop.

To see the supernatural power and provision of God, we must walk in a humble fear of the Lord.

Massah and Meribah were so named to mark the Israelites immaturity and the Lord’s faithfulness in the midst of it.

*Where does the Lord need to mature you in the midst of your responses to life’s challenges?

Keep Those Hands Up

God’s breakthroughs come on the heels of prayer and praise.   

The right response to our challenges should be prayer and praise. 

Exodus 15 begins with a beautiful picture of how we should all respond in gratitude and thankfulness when it is clear that the Lord has delivered us.

Over the course of time, the further we get from the actual moment of deliverance, the greater the temptation is to allow our gratitude to dull and our thankfulness to wane.

Thankfulness is a muscle to be developed.

What God is showing us in Rephidim is that which comes  to steal our thankfulness and joy.  

Exodus 17:8-13

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. 

The Hebrew root word for Amal had the meaning of: trouble, wearisome labor and toil. 

Just as of blotted out the Egyptian chariots, so he intended to blot out the Amalekite threat from the Israelites, which means there is no enemy, no challenge - past, present or FUTURE - that the Lord is not willing and able to give his people victory through.  

Here is the key:  As long as Moses' hands were raised, the Israelites were winning.  

Whenever they were lowered, the Amalekites were winning.

There is a direct correlation to prayer and praise here.

1 Timothy 2:8 

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

It starts with the men!

Aaron and Hur show us the need for community in the fight - STOP SKIPPING CHURCH! 

*There are fallacies to the idea of simply relying on a remote church experience. 

Stop fooling yourself - deception is spoken of over and over again in the Bible. 

The act of inconveniencing yourself to get out of bed and come to physically fellowship with other believers is good practice for the DAILY EXPECTATION TO DENY YOURSELF, PICK UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW CHRIST if you are to be a disciple (Luke 9:23,24).  

It is the same with the regular practice of tithing when I give my FIRST AND BEST 10% to God remembering that all of life depends on him and is to be stewarded for him.  

These are outward practices for inward character development. 

Luke 9:23-24 

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Everyone wants to shoot like Steph Curry, but few want to put in the work to be like him. 

People say they want to please Christ, but few want to fulfill acts of righteousness to be like him (think of Christ’s baptism). 

You are not living under God’s banner when you are picking and choosing what you will obey, and therefore should not expect victory.  

*We win in every area when we do what God says, Christ’s way.  

To the Lord Our Banner

When we learn to come to Christ and his church through our trials, we see clearly that Jesus is forever lifted up over every circumstance as our banner of victory.  

Exodus 17:14-16

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

In Christ’s glory, you will find your victory. 

John 12:27-33 

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

God blotted the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven.  

Christ would achieve the ultimate victory for all who would turn to him by forever blotting out the guilt of our sins by paying for our forgiveness through his sacrificial death at the cross.  

Though we were once objects of God’s wrath, we have peace with God and victory over sin as we look to Christ, our banner lifted up, now resurrected from the dead, that we might have eternal life through his finished work. 

*In this and every situation, we learn that the victories of Christ are not temporary, but eternal.  

  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

God’s Wonderful Grace in the Wilderness

 
 
 
 

God’s Wonderful Grace in the Wilderness

The Exodus Chronicles Part 8

Associate Pastor Cole Parleir

 

A Word about The Word 

Questions:

  1. Why do we read and sit under the preaching of God’s Word, the Bible?

  2. What is your expectation from time in God’s Word?

 

Study to do and teach (hear posture to know and obey God)

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to his statues and rules in Israel.

Ezra 7:10 

A Living Sword (scalpel)

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

A Fire and Hammer (clean and break up hard hearts)

“Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭23:29‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

God’s breath of life, God’s grace imparted (prepares the lost for salvation and equips for every good work)

“and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:15-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

Context for today’s Word

Previous chapter: 

Exodus 15:1-21 is a song of praise for God’s mighty deliverance of Israel. 

Then 22-27 is 3 days later when they grumbled against Moses saying “What shall we drink?”.  The Lord through Moses provided a supernatural solution in mercy without any rebuke of the grumbling. 

Here and now the Lord laid down the first rule for his freshly freed people in VS 26 “saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”  God has mercy on us while he teaches us his ways.  He reaffirms his role and heart as their healer.  He brings them to a place of respite with plenty of water, Elim. 

 

Today’s chapter:

Exodus 16 we find the Isrealites moving from day 3 in Elim to day 30 in the wilderness of Sin between Elim and Sinai. 

The 10 commandments had not yet been given, just a GPS (emphasis on relationship rather than law at this point)

 

The Word: Exodus 16

Focus: God’s grace saves us from slavery to sin and death and God’s grace enables obedience to His Word keeping us free from sin as He leads us to our eternal home. 

Points:

  • Oasis to Wilderness

  • Wilderness to Wonder

  • Wonder to Rest

Oasis to Wilderness 

“They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Exodus 16: 1-3

 

‭‭Wilderness to Wonder

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.”

Exodus 16: 4-21

Wonder to Rest 

“On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day. Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)”

Exodus 16: 22-35

 

Jesus declares he is Bread of Life

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6:47-51, 63‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses are departed from, the ends will change.”

- Ebenezer Scrooge, ‘A Christmas Carol’.

Today you can choose to eat of the bread of life, receiving Jesus as your Savior from sin and death and your Lord to lead you all the way home into the Father’s house. 

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Exodus Chronicles: Part 7

 
 
 
 

Exodus Chronicles: Part 7

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

Why does it matter where we live, to whom we speak and what message that we bring?

Focus:

As we follow Jesus into the life of freedom to which he has called us, it matters where you live, to whom you speak and what message you bring. 

  • God’s Protection

  • God’s Direction

  • God’s Salvation

 

God’s Protection

As you follow Christ, it matters where you live.

Pray for families affected by recent Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, NY shootings, as well as those regularly occurring in our own backyard.  

What could have been done? 

 

Exodus 13:17-22

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

 

If we are following God, the places where God calls us to live are not always the most economic, the most convenient or the most inviting. 

They will, however, be the most fruitful providing Kingdom purpose and freedom for you and your family.  

 

“The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.”

— Corrie ten Boom

 

Keeping in step with God leads you to the safest, most satisfying and most liberating place you can be.  

 

Exodus 14:19-20

Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

Exodus 14:24

And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,

God’s Direction

As you follow Christ, it matters to whom you speak.  

 

Exodus 15:22-27

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

 

We must keep in step with the Holy Spirit to fulfill God’s Kingdom mission. 

You are on mission in the places and with the people around whom God places you - in your family, in your workplace, in your neighborhood and in your schools.  

God’s Salvation

As you follow Christ, it matters what message you bring. 

 

Acts 17:24-31

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 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.’ Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

 

Exodus 40:34-38

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

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Trusting God At The Red Sea

 
 
 
 

Trusting God At The Red Sea

The Exodus Chronicles Part 6:

Associate Pastor Cole Parleir

  

The Word: Exodus 14

Focus: God’s path of deliverance is designed to strengthen your faith while bringing about permanent victories in your life.

 

Points

  • When God Says “Turn Back”

  • When the Battle Intensifies

  • When God Fights For You

 

When God Says “Turn Back” 

Exodus 14:1-4

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-Zephaniah; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.”

The road to freedom may seem inefficient.  It is actually God’s master plan to bring about a complete victory. 

The LORD said ‘Turn back and encamp” - Progress in God can feel slow and inefficient.  Don’t sweep your sin or fears under the rug.  God wants to confront everything that kills, steals, and destroys your life of faith in him including heart posters and mentalities that may have persisted for generations and throughout godless cultural norms you have been raised in.

The LORD said take your stand ‘By the sea’ - Where are the emergency exits?  By design God allows and even directs his people into circumstances that are vulnerable, unsafe, and do not make sense without a supernatural intervention.  This is unto the purpose of revealing where our hope is that it may be placed in Him alone.

Pharaoh will say “they are wandering…the wilderness has shut them in’ - Israel became the LORD’s ‘bait’ to bring justice upon Pharaoh.  To the eyes of the faithless your path to God’s freedom in Christ will seem foolish with pointless pain and suffering.   When God’s people humble themselves and become ‘fools for Christ’ it makes room for God to get glory over that and those which are opposed to Him. 

“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.””

1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.3.18-20.ESV

‘And they did so.’ - When we recognize the narrow path of God’s choosing is so that our freedom may be complete, we will trust and obey quickly and fully.

Question:  When God’s path for your freedom in Christ seems foolish and/or slow, will you trust him?

 

When the Battle Intensifies

Exodus 14:5-12

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”  So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.  The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sear by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly.  And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD.  They said to Moses,”Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?  Is not this what we said to you in Egypt:”Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians”?  For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”  

 

When the battle intensifies around God’s people they can be assured of a final victory. 

When Pharaoh says ‘What is this we have done,…?” - God’s enemies will bring about their own destruction through an increase of rebellion and intensified fighting.  This is the fulfillment of verse 4 (I will harden Pharaoh’s heart), which prepares God’s people for the hot pursuit that is coming next, and gives them faith that God will also fulfill the end of verse 4 “I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host”.  The hard heart and the increased warfare are actually proofs that God will deliver his people and you completely.

The rebellious heart is steeped in pride and arrogance resulting in extreme folly.  Egypt was the world’s military superpower at the time.  Pharaoh unleashed their full arsenal (chosen chariots, officers, and army) on runaway slaves as if they were fighting a militarized nation.  This also is the Lord’s doing as he sought to completely set Israel free by drawing out all of the enemies resources for destruction. 

How does the LORD use ones own heart to bring about his justice and deliverance?  A good example can be found in Aikido - A modern Japanese martial art.  

 

Defined on Wikipedia as “the ‘Way of combining forces’ or ‘Way of unifying energy’, in which the term aiki refers to the martial arts principle or tactic of blending with an attacker's movements for the purpose of controlling their actions with minimal effort.  One applies aiki by understanding the rhythm and intent of the attacker to find the optimal position and timing to apply a counter-technique.”  Essentially, God uses their own intense folly to bring about their destruction because a hard heart is incapable of repentance.  Think Steven Siegal making someone look foolish when he simply side steps their angry attack and they hurt themselves. 

 

Aikido demonstration: https://youtu.be/DVs--uHf4sE

 

“…and they feared greatly.” - God’s greatest victories in our lives can also be accompanied by our greatest fears despite God showing himself faithful to us in in the past.  We are all like Dori of Finding Nemo when it comes to God’s faithfulness, needing him to introduce himself to us again.  We need the Gospel everyday!

 

“It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness” -  in defense and sympathy of the Israelites faithless cries, God was about to do a new thing that had never been done in all of history.  There was no precedent for what he was about to do…and God had not yet told them what he was about to do.  He had only said “I will get glory over Pharaoh and his hosts”.  God’s glory was the only plan they knew.

 

Question: In times of uncertainty, are you living for God’s glory alone? Do you believe he can do a new thing?

 

When God Fights For You

Exodus 14:13-31

“And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” 

Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. 

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” 

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”

When we do not give way to fear and stand firm on God’s word, he will work his complete salvation on our behalf.  

“For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.” - The LORD promises and accomplishes complete, final, and total victory over his enemies.  This is the appropriate expectation for those in Christ.

“Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them” 

- On your faith journey the Lord is present helping you in your weakness and protecting you from the enemy so that you can make it all the way home. 

 

How does the Exodus apply to me?  Only slaves need freedom 

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8:31-36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.8.31-36.ESV

 

This is the Gospel.  The son remains in God’s house forever. 

God came to earth as the man Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  He lived the perfect sinless life we should have lived, died the death we as sinners deserved, and rose from the dead three days later confirming humanities penalty had been paid for all who repent and place their trust in him as savior and Lord.  For those trust this, they have the right to become children of God with a permanent place in the Father’s house, the promised land of heaven. 

 

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1-2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.11.1-2.ESV

And…

“By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:29‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.11.29.ESV

Place your faith in Jesus Christ today, and you will have hope for tomorrow and all days to come as you walk free from God’s wrath as a child of God. 

 

Reflection Questions

  • Do you identify with the Isrealites in any way in Exodus 14? The wandering? The vulnerability? The uncertainty of God’s plan for you and his glory as you walk into freedom?

  • As the Isrealites by faith crossed through the Red Sea into the promised freedom from their slave drivers, have you gone through the waters of baptism by faith in Jesus Christ?

 

Pray and Act

Heavenly Father, you are holy and faithful in all your ways.  Thank you for the offer of true and complete freedom through the gift of forgiveness and unmerited forever purchased by your Son Jesus at the cross.  Help me to trust you to finish the work you began in me as you bring me and others home as sons and daughters into your eternal kingdom.  In Jesus name, amen. 

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Exodus Chronicles: Part 5

 
 
 
 

Exodus Chronicles - Part 5

Pastor: Rollan Fisher

 

What are the means by which God provides permanent change in your life?

Focus: Through the Passover, we see God’s mechanisms for ongoing and permanent change in our lives. 

  • Ongoing Change

  • Permanent Change

  • Our Passover Lamb

 

Ongoing Change

To come into the freedom that God has for you will require ongoing change in your life.

 

Exodus 12:1-13

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

 

Contrary to how Pharoah responded to God’s judgements, the Passover exemplifies how the Lord instructed his people to respond to his offer of freedom.

God would lead his people through commands that were to be obeyed and rituals that were to be observed that would construct their life of worship.   

*What you have to realize is that these festivals and observances introduced by God through Moses were all new for the Israelites. 

As you follow Christ, there are also new rhythms and rituals introduced into your life to continue the process of ongoing transformation. 

These changes bring us out of the bondage to which we had been accustomed to the freedom that is ultimately found in Jesus.  

Priorities 

God starts by changing your calendar and how you spend your time. 

In the celebration of the Passover, God made sure to say that the first thing the Israelites would celebrate year after year is a reminder of his deliverance. 

There will be no permanent change of life without a change in priorities.  

The whole congregation of the people were to celebrate - no one was an exception.  

Those who think themselves exceptions are those who inevitably find themselves deceived and eventually cut off from the people of God (Exodus 12:19).   

Because of the process of sanctification where you are destined to become more and more like Christ, you never have the right to stop changing as you follow Jesus. 

Each time that you worship, it is an opportunity to bring more, not less, of yourself to God.

The whole of the lamb was to be cooked - including the head and inner parts.

In coming to Christ God deals with the whole man, from his actions to the innermost ambitions of the heart - all motives are to be processed and submitted at the table of the Lord.  

The command not to leave any of the meal until morning speaks not only of submitting every area of your life to Christ - but not procrastinating in doing so.  

The more we relent to God through his prescribed manner of worship, the more we enter into the freedom for which Christ died to usher us.  

 

“Jesus taught that your highest priority must be your relationship with him. If anything detracts you from that relationship, that activity is not from God. God will not ask you to do something that hinders your relationship with Christ.”

-Henry Blackaby

 

This is why Oswald Chambers of My Utmost For His Highest said,

“Your priorities must be God first, God second and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God.”

*To the degree that we hold back or ignore his specific commands in various areas of our lives is the measure that we will remain in slavery in that particular area.

 

Think Routines, Rituals and Redemption:

Routines - we are a product of our habits and God introduces rituals to conform us to the image of Christ. 

Rituals - rituals are God’s mechanism of both teaching and reinforcing the priority of God’s redemption in our lives 

Redemption - the Passover celebration was to be a continual remembrance and foreshadowing of the redemption the people of God would have in Jesus Christ. 

Permanent Change

When God brings his people out of slavery, he intends for it to be a permanent change.  

The lamb that was to be sacrificed was to be without blemish.  

Christ was our permanent, sinless lamb. 

When the destroying angel saw the blood, it would pass over those homes and spare those inside.  

Blood on the doorposts - God continually emphasizes that worship starts in the home and moves into the assembly.   

It is not one or the other. 

Make sure that you have both a public and private life of faith.

 

Take root beneath and bear fruit above (Isaiah 37:30-32).


“Appletree roots can reach up to three times the tree's height and be around 25 feet long. Even dwarf apple trees which are shorter than this, have roots that can spread up to 15 feet. One of an apple tree's essential functions is stretching out and collecting water, oxygen, and nutrients from the soil.”

Private devotion provides the root system of your life and intimacy with God. 

Public devotion displays the glory and beauty of God’s work in your life - bringing others to worship, repentance and faith in the same God who has delivered you.  

God has always been missional and feeds the world by the fruit of your private and public devotion.  

 

Exodus 12:38-39 (NIV)

Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

Because of the blood of the lamb and the word of your testimony you have a permanent change on which you need to take your stand 

Revelation 12:9-11

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world— he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Who is that lamb?

Our Passover Lamb

Jesus is our Passover Lamb who saves us through both ongoing and permanent change in our lives.

Jesus is the prophesied lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

This is why John the Baptist, in announcing Christ’s public ministry, referred to Jesus in such a manner.  

 

John 1:29-34

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

 

The Seder Table was the place where the Passover memorial was celebrated.  

It meant community, sharing, prayer and reflection.  

 

Exodus 12:14-20

“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”

 

In this reflection we see Jesus as the guileless and sinless man who stood before Pilate - declared innocent, but voluntarily accepting his sentence to pay for the sins of humanity.

We see that just as the Passover lamb was shorn, Jesus was stripped naked and crucified.  

We acknowledge that as the Passover lamb was a male a year old, so Christ died on the cross in the prime of his manhood, around 34 years of age.  

Jesus was at the height of his strength and with that strength humbled himself to bear the wrath of God so that we might be forgiven and set free from our bondage to sin. 

Every time we participate in communion, we celebrate the fact that Jesus was almost four years in ministry after his baptism just as the Passover Lamb was set aside four days before the slaughter, and that Christ in his last Passover declared that his own body and blood would be given for the new covenant to be established.  

Each generation needs to be intentionally brought into this understanding and prioritization.  

The prioritization of God’s rituals for worship need to be modeled, above hobbies (i.e. recreational team sports when your child is on no trajectory to play professionally) and even activities that you think might better refresh you.  

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was to be eaten in remembrance of the haste with which the Israelites needed to leave Egypt, reflecting the necessity of our immediate obedience to the commands of God.  

 

As God calls you to obey in worship, he always has your provision in mind.  

No work was to be done because you need to trust God for your provision.  

No work was to be done because Christ alone would provide your righteousness. 

No work was to be done because you need to take time to stop and refocus on the fact that Christ is your life.   

This is what we effectively do with every Sunday gathering, functioning for the community as a Sabbath, to refocus and recharge our lives through rest and worship.  

Thus the Passover was the first of God’s celebrations instituted during the Exodus, to create mechanisms for ongoing and permanent change in our lives, ultimately through the cross of Jesus Christ. 

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Exodus Chronicles: Part 4

 
 
 
 

Exodus Chronicles : Part 4

Pastor Rollan Fisher

 

Focus: God places his finger on everything not submitted to him to bring you into a life that is truly new in Christ.  

  • What We Think We Need

  • What We Really Need

  • Who We Really Need

 

What We Think We Need

What we think that we need is that which we think will make us happy, but often enslaves us.  

We must allow God to develop our theology of judgment to understand why I can't just live to get what I want.

Exodus 3:19-20 

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

Someone is going to be on the throne of your life - either the benevolent Jesus or a harsh taskmaster with whom you thought you could make peace, but has actually enslaved you.

Many times we remain in a place of sin and slavery as long as we are getting some measure of what we think that we want. 

 

“To put it another way, pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Why must it be pain? Why can't he rouse us more gently, with violins or laughter? Because the dream from which we must be wakened, is the dream that all is well.” 

― William Nicholson, Shadowlands

 

Exodus 8:6-7 

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

 

*We ignore the immediacy/urgency of our need to repent because the world produces counterfeit solutions to our problems - until they don’t. 

 

Things like government programs, self-help books and dating apps can all be helpful but have their limits.  

When we get a bit of respite from our nagging, gnawing desires in temporary outlets, we, like Pharaoh, return to a hardness of heart to govern our own lives rather than allowing God to do so.  

 

Exodus 8:13-15 

And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 

We know that things don’t quite smell right, but we put up with substitutes for God’s goodness because it is that to which we’ve become accustomed. 

 

*Stop settling for counterfeits.  

 

Counterfeits ultimately disappoint in the end because unlike God, they don’t care about you (Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw song), can not hear your cries or answer your need for deliverance.

 

Exodus 8:18-19 

The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 

The problem was not that Pharoah didn’t see that he ran out of solutions, but that he thought his solutions were found only in temporary/momentary change/repentance.  

 

Exodus 8:25-28 

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.”

 

*Idols deceptively perpetuate and simply relocate your bondage from one place to another - often through your internal dialog and negotiation. 

 

“An idolatrous attachment can lead you to break any promise, rationalize any indiscretion, or betray any other allegiance, in order to hold on to it. It may drive you to violate all good and proper boundaries. To practice idolatry is to be a slave.” 

― Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters

 

God brings his judgements out of his mercy and kindness so that we will no longer long for that which is enslaving and killing us.  

This is what he was doing not only for the Israelites, but for Pharaoh and the Egyptians.  

We see this in the seventh plague - the destructive hail coming upon the land. 

 

Exodus 9:20-21 

Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

 

So again, affliction can act as a merciful and loving wake-up call in our lives - to help us clearly distinguish what is right and wrong, what is of God and that which is not.  

 

Psalm 119:67 

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

 

We need to invite objective, godly counsel into our lives to allow us to see clearly what the deception of our sin and circumstance will not. 

Pharaoh thought that because he was the high ruler of the known world at the time, there would be no recompense for his pride, self-centeredness or rebellion against Yahweh, the Hebrew God of all creation.

Like Pharoah, we often think that because we don’t experience the immediate consequences of our disobedience, that there will not be a day of reckoning.  

Pharaoh learned this was not true for him, nor will it be for us.  

Just as God called to account the way that Pharaoh treated his people, so God will also call to account how we have stewarded what is ultimately his - our time, treasure and talent.  

We live as if our lives are our own, but the Scripture makes it clear that when you belong to Christ, there is a new expectation in every area of your life.

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

 

What We Really Need

What we really need is the life and freedom that can be provided by God alone.  

God makes a distinction between his people who trust and obey him and the world who fends for themselves to show what we really need.  

*Focus on the genuine article

 

This includes things that Jesus modeled that are at times counterintuitive to our culture:

  • Sacrificing for children that those who come behind you might know the Lord and his ways.

  • The joy of giving and not just hoarding or spending your resources on yourself.

  • Laying down your reputation and comforts that others might have life.

The land of Goshen shows how God makes his distinction in the lives of those who look to him - not in the absence of pain, but in the midst of it:

 

Exodus 9:4 

“But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’”

When you see the people of God prospering as a result of obedience to God (I.e. - in blessed marriages, child-rearing, financially, etc.) it is meant to be a provocation in the kindness of God to draw you to repentance.  

It also shows you that to which you are looking instead of God as your idol.  

 

“Idols give us a sense of being in control, and we can locate them by looking at our nightmares. What do we fear the most? What, if we lost it, would make life not worth living? We make “sacrifices” to appease and please our gods, who we believe will protect us.” 

― Timothy J. Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters

 

Yet again, idols ultimately fail us.  

 

Exodus 9:25-27 

The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail. Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.

 

It is not that Pharoah in the struggle to hold onto everything that he controlled and held dear didn’t know that he was sinning, but he convinced himself that if he just held out, if he just fought hard enough, ignored the judgements and held on, he would eventually have his way. 

 

In the end, however, there is no plan or purpose that will outlast or avail against the Lord (Proverbs 21:30).

 

Proverbs 21:30 (NIV)

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.

 

We will either humble ourselves in trust and obedience to God, or be humbled in the judgement.  

 

“In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble--because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repeat (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ Himself carried out." - Mere Christianity

 

The real road to tragedy was paved with this fact:

*Pharaoh continually had an uncommitted response to God that dissipated once there was relief to his pain. 

This is the proclivity of all human beings - to do the bare minimum until we get what we want, and then resort to the familiar manner of living, requiring no change.

 

Exodus 9:33-35 

So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

 

What would it take to go from Thor yelling at kids playing Fortnite:



 To Love and Thunder Thor?

 



A daily commitment to God’s ways and healing are required for lasting change - where Jesus is finally Lord of all of our hearts and lives.  

 

This is why Jesus said that we must remain in the pain of sacrifice to be his disciple - bearing our cross daily lest we return to selfishness (Luke 14:25-33). 

 

“My own experience was something like this. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends for the morrow or a bit of work that tickles my vanity today, a holiday or a new book, when suddenly a stab of abdominal pain that threatens serious disease, or a headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down. 

At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys. Then, slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world, and my only real treasure is Christ. And perhaps, by God's grace, I succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its strength from the right sources.”

“But the moment the threat is withdrawn, my whole nature leaps back to the toys.  Thus the terrible necessity of tribulation is only too clear. God has had me for but forty-eight hours and then only by dint of taking everything away from me. Let Him but sheathe that sword for a moment and I behave like a puppy when the hated bath is over – I shake myself as dry as I can and race off to reacquire my comfortable dirtiness, if not in the nearest manure heap, at least in the nearest flower bed. And that is why tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 93. 

 

What God requires is a DAILY denial of self, a DAILY picking up of the cross and a DAILY choosing of him over all else.

 

Exodus 10:8-11 

So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

How often do we wait until it’s too late before we repent of our sin?

There would be no turning back from the death of the firstborn. 

 

Who We Really Need

Who we truly need is Jesus, the Son of God who died sacrificially to bring us into the life that is truly life.  

God ultimately strikes the firstborn to show who we ultimately need for salvation in our present and future.  

*Find real life in Christ. 

 

In the book Mere Christianity, published in 1952, but adapted from a series of talks Lewis gave during World War II, Lewis discussed the influences “Satan” and “God” have had on humankind:

 

“What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could "be like gods […] And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

 

The solution to this endless search was that God sent his only Son to reconcile us to God in Christ.  

In Egyptian culture, posterity held your hopes and the firstborn sons were the first sign of your strength.  

Just as God struck down in judgement the false hopes and dreams of a people that would attempt to live fulfilled without him, so he sacrificed his only Son at the cross for the very same people who, if they would but turn to him in repentance and faith, might find the life that is truly life.  

There would be redemption when God gave his own firstborn son, Jesus Christ, in sacrifice for the life of the world.  

Every provision that you need for life and worship God will provide as you leave your slavery in faith.   

(My story about changing my work schedule as a young man multiple times to be able to attend church)

 

Exodus 11:1-3 

The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

 

This is what God had promised when he said:

 

Exodus 3:21-22 

And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

 

You will come out of your time of slavery with what you need to worship and create a generational legacy of expectation of God’s faithfulness, his deliverance for all those that follow.    

 

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Exodus Chronicles: Part 3

 
 
 
 

The Exodus Chronicles Part 3

  • God’s Promises (Exodus 6:1-13)

  • God’s Power (Exodus 7:1-13)

  • God’s Provision (Romans 5:1-11)

 

Focus: God’s promises are that by which his power is revealed thereby bringing wrath on the stubbornly disobedient and salvation to those who turn and believe.

 

God’s Promises (Exodus 6:1-13)

But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty,[a] but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

10 So the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

 

God’s Power (Exodus 7:1-13)

“And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.”

 

God’s Provision (Romans 5:1-11)

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher