Go, Make Disciples

Putting Life in Old Bones

2009-03-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been camping out and had to get up in the morning to stir up the coals of a fire from the evening before in order to get some warmth? Can you picture the white ash on top that hides the glow of some embers still burning underneath as you stir the coals? Do you remember blowing on the coals and feeding them a few small sticks or dried out pine needles in order to get a flame to spring back to life? Breathing life into an old, worn-out relationship, or even one that has just been untended for a while is much like this. It sure is much easier to get that fire going with hot coals already in place than to start over from scratch!

Hopefully four weeks into the “Love Dare” you have recognized that this book is not a cure-all for marriage relationships. In fact, no such thing exists. However, the value of this book is in guiding people to think intentionally about, and actively do things that bless their marriage partner. Some of the “dares” have been very easy; others, not so easy. Some of the “dares” have been spot-on concerning an area relevant to your marriage; others, maybe not so much. The point is that you are developing habits of thinking about your marriage and doing something to rekindle the fire in your relationship on a daily basis. You are stirring up the coals each morning instead of waiting for them burn out completely.

God provides an illustration of this through His prophet, Ezekiel, as he has a vision of a valley full of dry bones in Ezekiel 37. The bones represent the “whole house of Israel” according to V. 11. This nation, who was in a bond of covenant with the One true God (a marriage bond), has somehow allowed that relationship to dry up and the life be taken out of them. The feeling is that their “hope has perished” (V. 11)! (Can any of you relate to this feeling?) Interestingly, God asks Ezekiel in V. 3, “Son of man, can these bones live?” and the prophet answers, “O LORD God, You know.” God does know, and will demonstrate His power to put things back in order and breathe life in these bones, but submission is required!

The solution to bringing life back to these old, dry bones is for them to “hear the word of the LORD” (V. 4), and for Him to “put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life” (V. 14). No words of wisdom or special incantation from Ezekiel would ever bring those old bones back to life. No power from within the bones, themselves, would bring them back to vitality! The solution is found in the word of God and His Spirit dwelling within them. The same is true in dealing with our marriages today!!!

You can try to build the foundation of your marriage upon a lot of things, but the one true way of success is to look to the word of God for the direction and guidance to put order back to a relationship that has fallen apart. Ezekiel writes, “So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone” (V. 7). Again, let me emphasize! What Ezekiel was told to “prophesy” over the bones was for them to “HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD” (V. 4)! God used this to put things back in order. God then put His Spirit within them and they came to life!

He can, and will, do the same thing with your marriage! Daily let His word speak order to your relationship and allow his Spirit to bring life to your bond and see if the embers being stirred don’t produce a flame that keeps you both warm! I DARE YOU!!!

-Scott

Whoever Hears These Words of Mine . . .

2009-03-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Just suppose I was having some serious issues in my walk with God. Imagine I felt like God was far, far away, and really didn’t understand what I was going through. Not only do I have doubts about Him and His love for me, but I even have doubts about how lovable I am. Why would He care about me in the first place? Suppose my talking to Him felt like I was talking to a wall, and that my prayers never went any higher than the ceiling. Opening up to Him was awkward and difficult because I do not like to be vulnerable, or am afraid what I say “can and will be used against me in a court of law”. I am miserable with Him . . . and . . . I know I would be miserable without Him! What a horrible way to go through life!!! How did I ever get to this point of things being such a colossal mess? (This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to husband and wife.)

Now suppose someone was to come along and say they knew how to help me with these problems. They understood my fears and struggles and could show me a way to navigate through the minefield of relationship. They even pointed out to me models from God’s word of how I should “Receive—Leave—Cleave—Weave” based upon what we learn about the first man and woman; or build from Covenant to Grace to Empowerment to Intimacy as God does with the Israelites throughout the Old Testament. They explain how God is described from the very start of the Bible story as One who can take a universe of chaos and mess and speak order into it, turning it into something “good”! What a huge help that would be, right?

I remember my mom telling me when I was a child, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Sage wisdom every child needs to hear as they are growing up, right? Jesus made the same basic statement another way when He said, “Therefore, whoever hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock . . . . And whoever hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand” (Matthew 7:24, 26).

Wise . . .

Foolish . . .

They are not determined by whether they had a chance to hear the words of Jesus, or not. They are determined by whether they chose to listen and put them into practice. In fact, neither is promised by listening to the words of Jesus, or even putting them into practice, that they would escape having to face the storms that come with living in this world. What they were promised is that they would stand through them—IF THEY ACTED UPON THEM!!!

The Love Dare . . . Dynamic Marriage . . . Marriage Mentors . . . Celebrate/Recovery . . . A Sermon Series on God’s design for marriage . . . Premarital and Marriage Counseling . . . Libraries of books & videos on marriage & issues that come up within a marriage . . . . Do you get the idea that at Garden Ridge we are concerned about helping people build healthy marriages and enjoy the fullness of what God designed?

None of it matters if you refuse to drink! When the storms come and it feels like your house is crumbling in on top of you, can you honestly say it happened in spite of hearing the teachings of God and acting upon them? None of these resources will work magic in a relationship where one or both of the individuals refuse to change.

The truth is . . . God supplies a GREAT plan for marriage.

The issue is . . . Will you humbly submit to it and change to fit His design?

So, to make use of a few clichés, “The ball is in your court.” “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.” “Whoever hears these words of Mine . . . .” What will you do now?

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

The Art of Receiving

2009-03-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

Last week we began looking at the creation of the first man and woman and how their relationship was based upon being made in God’s image. God’s relational nature (being 3 in 1) is the model of what He created in the bond of husband & wife. Add to that the beauty of being made as side-by-side companions (fashioned from a rib) and you have a beautiful picture of God’s intention and design for marriage. However, once you are married, then what? How do you build the intimacy God created your marriage bond to have and sustain a deep, abiding love through the rigors of everyday life?

The first step we saw in God’s plan is to RECEIVE our spouse as the gift of God they are and the artwork He has created them to be. Realizing their attributes that complement our own and rejoicing in how those differences make us better bring about unity and mutual respect that increases intimacy. Obviously, fighting against these differences and trying to change one another to fit our ways of thinking will hinder growing together. Just think about how many arguments or times of frustration with one another could be avoided if we learned to practice healthy receiving of one another!

A great illustration of how this works is found in I Samuel 25 where David encounters a man named Nabal and later his wife, Abigail. David and the band of renegades he has accumulated have been running from Saul and have spent some time hiding in the vicinity of where Nabal’s flocks have been sheared. At a time of celebrating the end of shearing, David has his men approach Nabal and ask for some food for his men as a sign of appreciation for the protection they have provided. How are they received? Nabal rebukes them and disrespects them. There is no appreciation in Nabal. He is stingy with the provisions God has blessed him with. He gets focused upon himself. All this leads to an escalation of great intensity. (Here comes the argument!)

David, feeling disrespected, vows to bring destruction upon Nabal and his household. (Amazing how a lack of RECEIVING can bring about such passionate feelings in a person!) At this point, Abigail enters the story. Having been told the way her husband rebuffed David and his men, she acts quickly. She prepares a feast of food for David and his men and goes out to meet him. She falls at his feet and asks him to accept her gift and to let God take care of Nabal, rather than taking matters into his own hands. She receives him with humility and respect and it turns David’s anger into praise for her and for the Lord who he says sent her to him to stop him from bloodshed. (Amazing how the act of RECEIVING someone with respect can shut down the anger that has built up within them!)

So, how did you do this past week with RECEIVING your marriage partner? How is your Love Dare going this week? Are you striving to develop better habits in the way you relate to that precious gift of a spouse God has blessed you with? James writes, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (1:22). In other words, put these things to practice and don’t just wink or nod at sermons that tell you about what to do to help you in your marital walk. You may be amazed at how this one basic action brings about such powerful results!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

The Love Dare

2009-02-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

What an incredible sight to behold! Over 400 people gathered together in our auditorium to watch “Fireproof” and to then be challenged to work on a 40-day program called “The Love Dare”. It was wonderful to see so many visitors and church family members come to take advantage of a tool to hopefully bless their marriages. It is my prayer that God will work in the families of this church and our community to bring about loving relationships that produce fulfillment for each one involved.

This morning we begin looking at what God sets out in His word for husband/wife relationships. I am hoping to shed light on the practical teaching He provides in order to show the beauty and value of entrusting ourselves to His plan for marriage. Our creator knows the way He wired us and the challenges that come with being different, yet corresponding to one another, thus He provides some timely and powerful teaching on how to work together to build unity, intimacy, and a relationship founded upon the characteristics of love and respect. Over the next six weeks, in conjuncture with The Love Dare, I will be preaching on passages such as Genesis 2; Ephesians 5; and I Peter 3 to show the wealth of material God has provided for training and guiding husbands and wives so they function as a team, where each is respected and built up in the ways of the LORD.

These sermons will be challenging. I plan to come across unrelenting when proclaiming this material. It is not my intention to make suggestions that might work if you half-heartedly try them. The level of commitment God calls us to have is much greater than that! I will be demonstrating His plan for marriage and calling for each individual to evaluate their own heart and relationship. I will be striving to bring about change where things are outside of God’s design so that marriage fulfillment will reach the height God has designed it to have. I know these are lofty goals, but why set the bar low? God certainly didn’t!

At times you may wonder if I have a camera and am spying on what is going on within the walls of your home. (At least, I hope it comes across this way!) Because God’s teachings and the implications of what they mean are THAT practical and relevant to the situations we face in our world today. I certainly am praying for His truth to come across alive and active and relevant to your particular situations or circumstances.

We live during a time where there are vast resources available for marriage enrichment. I have read several books that I would highly recommend couples take time to read. However, the absolute greatest resource is found in the pages of Scripture, and that will be my focus over the next six weeks! May God capture your heart and your imagination for what you can build in your marriage as we consider the beauty of His plan! May you be filled with the energy and clarity of thought to fulfill your Love Dare with passion and determination! And, may you experience the fullness in your marriage bond that God has created it to bring!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 13

2009-02-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

The Altar of Incense—The Prayers of the Saints

Do you know what is near and dear to God’s heart? Hearing from His children!

The Tabernacle (as we have seen thus far) gives us image after image of what Jesus has done for us in order to provide the means to an intimate relationship with God. He is the one way into God’s presence (like the entry of the Tabernacle courtyard). He is the sacrifice offered before God in order to atone for our sins and help us have peace with God (like the Altar of Burnt Offerings). He is the means to be cleansed so we can enter into the presence of God (like the Laver). He is the Light of the World providing victory over darkness and lighting our way to the presence of God (like the Golden Lamp Stand). He is the Bread of Life—God’s provision for our souls and the means to have table fellowship with God (like the Table of Showbread). God’s design for the Tabernacle was meant to point forward to the person and ministry of the Savior we all need so we can dwell in the presence of God and live life to the fullest!

There was one more piece of furniture you encounter before entering into the very presence of God—The Altar of Incense. This was a square altar made of acacia wood and covered with gold upon which the priests were to keep a special blend of incense burning continually before the LORD (See Exodus 30:1-10). Once a year Aaron was to purify the altar by placing on its horns some blood from the atoning sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Exodus 30:10).

Can you see the beautiful picture this presents?

David writes in Psalm 141:2 “May my prayer be fixed as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.” We find in Revelation 8:3-4 a golden altar before the throne of God (His very presence) and the angel of God added incense to the prayers of all the saints to offer before God. The golden censer mentioned was a tool used to transport burning coals in order to burn the incense. This is the very same activity the priests would have to do each morning and evening in the Tabernacle. In other words, the incense represented the prayers of God’s people! What was closest to the very presence of God was the sweet-smelling prayers of His people! Unfortunately, there was a veil separating this altar from the presence of God in the Tabernacle, but Jesus would see that removed through the work He came to the earth to accomplish!

Jesus’ work was also foretold through the use of the altar of incense. You see, basically there were two altars—one indoors and one outdoors. The outdoor altar was brass and represents what Jesus did on the earth—offering an atoning sacrifice. We see a picture of Jesus in humiliation. However, the indoor altar was gold and represents what Jesus does in the presence of God—interceding for us so God is pleased with the aroma of our lives. It is a picture of Jesus in exultation! The fire for burning the incense on the golden altar came from the altar of burnt offerings where the sacrifices were offered to God (Lev. 16:12-13). The point is that true prayer must be based on the work of Jesus on the cross! This is powerfully illustrated on the Day of Atonement when blood from the sacrifice for the nation of Israel was spread on the horns of the Altar of Incense. To be the fragrance God desires in His presence, we need the blood of Jesus spread on our lives!

Next week we will talk about what this means in our everyday living.

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 12

2009-02-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

The Table of Showbread (Part 2)—He Invites Us Into His Banquet Table

“I owe, I owe . . . so, off to work I go!”
What are you working for? What are you trying to accumulate? Money can buy you a house, but not a home; money can buy you an education, but not wisdom; money can buy you a bed, but not restful sleep; money can buy you influence, but not respect; it can buy you medicine, but not health.

Do you take time to reflect upon what you are chasing after and whether it is worth it? Are you caught up in the rat race for more things and don’t even have time to enjoy the things for which you still owe money? Jesus calls us to work not for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life (John 6:27). Are we thinking about this as we chase after the shiny things the world holds out in front of us? When it is all said and done, what will be said about you, and what will you have done?

The Table of Showbread was a reminder of God’s provision of the things we really need. Not just our physical needs, but something much more meaningful! This bread placed upon the Table of Showbread was called the “Bread of Presence”, or more literally, the “Bread of Face”—GOD’S FACE! The Table of Showbread represents eating in the presence of God—TABLE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE MAKER OF THE UNIVERSE! He invites us in to His banquet table and His banner over us is love! The point in the Tabernacle was the same as what Jesus later taught in John 6:27. Are you making your decisions based upon the things that bring you deeper into the presence of God, so you can sit down with Him and enjoy table fellowship? Or, are you chasing after things that distract you from this type of intimacy with God?

Jesus was very consistent in what He taught us about this. When the devil tempted Him to turn stones to bread after He had been fasting for 40 days, Jesus made it clear, “It is written, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). The devil was trying to find a way to disrupt the intimacy and fellowship Jesus enjoyed with the Father, much like he did to Adam & Eve in the Garden. However, this time he was unsuccessful. Jesus also had this to say to His disciples when they tried to get Him to eat after His encounter with the woman at the well in Samaria, “I have food to eat that you do not know about. . . . My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work” (John 4:32-34). Jesus never let His physical appetite take precedence over His spiritual appetite. His decisions in the flesh were based upon what would help Him stay in the presence of God—feasting at His banquet table!

Have you considered what it is you are working for and why you feel these things are necessary? Are you striving after things that move you closer to the presence of God, or further away from Him? Let the Table of Showbread remind you that God will take care of the things you really need, and His “bread” is meant to draw you nearer to Him so you can have table fellowship. If this is not what you are experiencing, will you see what He is calling you to experience and make the changes necessary in your quest?

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 11

2009-01-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

The Table of Showbread—God’s Daily Provision

Do you know what you need? God does!

Jesus offers bread—He instructs His disciples to pray for daily bread (Matthew 6:11) and teaches that He is the bread of life, from which, if they eat, they will never hunger again (John 6:35). But, how many of us are satisfied with just bread? We want what the world is telling us we can have—a four-course dinner! We want to feast upon all the desires of our eyes and our appetites. However, God has been calling us to a more disciplined diet for a reason.

Within the Tabernacle there was an article of furniture called the Table of Showbread. This was a table made of acacia wood and covered with gold upon which 12 loaves of unleavened bread were placed before God. This bread was kept continually in place, even when Israel traveled, as a way of remembering God as their provider, and was replaced with fresh loaves each Sabbath. Rabbinic teaching claims that the priests ate the old bread while frankincense was burned as a way of expressing worship and gratitude to God for His provision. The table and the bread upon it was a continual reminder that God was Israel’s source of PROVISION! It is to Him they must place their trust!

Are you concerned about whether God will take care of you? It is interesting to consider the discipline God consistently calls people to develop when He asks them to walk with Him. Abraham was challenged to leave everything he would normally use to provide for himself—country, relatives, and father’s house— in order to travel to a land God would show him. He was to leave his inheritance and the support he would receive from those who knew him best (physically speaking). What God wanted him to learn was to trust in the provision of his true Father!

When Israel left Egypt, God instructed them to plunder them, which they did. They walked out of Egypt with an incredible amount of riches (consider the materials used to make the Tabernacle—and the fact that a group of slaves possessed all of this). However, God did not want them to depend upon their own means and led them to the wilderness where they were forced to trust in His daily provision to survive. He is the source of PROVISION we are meant to trust.
The same thing happened when Jesus started calling disciples to Himself. The first disciples were fishermen who, upon being told to follow Him, left their nets and their families (Matthew 4:18-22). The very same thing Abraham did (leaving family and means of support), Peter, Andrew, James and John did to follow Jesus. They each realized God is their PROVIDER of daily bread.

Do you know what you need? God does!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 10

2009-01-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

The Golden Lamp Stand (Part Two)

Are you having trouble “seeing” God? How do we help someone open their eyes to the truth of God and see His love and activity all around them? Interestingly, with all the miracles that take place in the Old Testament, healing someone who was blind is a rare occurrence. The only situation relatively close is when Elisha prays for the eyes of his servant to be opened so he can see the armies of God surrounding the armies of the Arameans (II Kings 6:17). He then prays for the eyes of the Arameans to be blind and leads them to Samaria, where he prays for their eyes to be opened again (V. 18, 20). That’s it! There are no other accounts of the blind receiving sight!

It is not as if people weren’t blind during the Old Testament times. Isaiah taught over and over again that when the Messiah came, He would open the eyes of the blind! (29:18; 32:3; 35:5; 42:7) As far as the Israelites understood, there was no remedy for those who were blind. This is why the man born blind in John 9 speaks with such boldness before the Pharisees and Sadducees when they question his healing, even though he knows it will wind up with his being excommunicated from worship at the synagogue. He says, “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing” (V. 32-33).

Is it any wonder that the giving of light to the eyes and the restoring of life are easily the most common miraculous works that Jesus performed? (Remember the article last week which showed the connection of the Golden Lamp Stand to the Tree of Life. Life and Light are brought together in One place—Jesus!) Jesus came to explain the ways of God (See John 1:18)—to shed light on the mysteries of God and His ways. He is the light of the world and He wants to remove the scales from our eyes like He did with Saul in order to help us direct our passions and energy in the right direction.

So, let me ask you again, “Are you having trouble seeing God?” Does it feel like you are fumbling around in the darkness, trying to figure out how to live in a way that pleases God? What is the problem? Could it be the choices you are making? You see, the Golden Lamp Stand (an image of Jesus and His ministry) was to be lit continually in the Tabernacle, which means you could not come into the presence of God and remain in darkness! Consider John’s statement in I John 1:6 in this context: “If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” YOU CANNOT BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND BE IN DARKNESS!!! Yet, how many of us are trying to walk with one foot in light and one foot in darkness?

Come completely to the Light of Life and enjoy sweet fellowship with God!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 9

2009-01-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

The Golden Lamp Stand

So, you walk into the Tabernacle and what do you see? The truth is, you would not see anything if the Golden Lamp Stand was not lit (as it was prescribed to be whenever the Tabernacle was set up—Lev. 24:2). There would only be darkness! However, darkness has never hindered God. In the beginning, when the earth was formless and void and darkness was over the surface of the deep, God overwhelmed the darkness by speaking light into its presence. Later, when John wrote about Jesus coming into the world as flesh, he proclaimed, “And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overpower it” (John 1:5). Darkness will never overpower light and this is one of the object lessons God provided when He had the Israelites build the Golden Lamp Stand and place it in the Tabernacle.

However, God was teaching far more than this with the Golden Lamp Stand! This light was to be revelatory and Life-giving. Just as God provided a pillar of fire to light the way for the Israelites as He led them through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai where they entered into a covenant bond with Him, and then on to the Promised Land; He intended for the light of the Golden Lamp Stand to lead His people. But where would the light of this Golden Lamp Stand lead them? To the very source of Life, of course—back to the relationship God designed mankind to have prior to the fall. The Golden Lamp Stand provided a symbol of hope as it revealed the overall plan of God to call His people back to Life and intimacy with Him.

Have you ever noticed how the Lamp Stand was designed? It was to be one piece of gold hammered into the shape of a shaft with three branches extending from each side of the shaft. Each of these branches, along with the center shaft, was designed with cups shaped like almond blossoms, bulbs and flowers in intervals along them (Exodus 25:31-35). In other words, the finished product looked like a flowering tree! Many scholars have taken this to represent the Tree of Life! The plan of calling mankind back to the intimacy of being in His presence where they could eat of the Tree of Life and live forever was portrayed in the Tabernacle by God’s own design! (READ Revelation 22:1-5 in this context)

God’s Tabernacle is an amazing picture of His plan to dwell among us and give us Life through His Son. The Apostle John says this about Jesus, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Isn’t this the very picture we see with the flowering Tree of Life producing Light in the Tabernacle? Jesus, our source of Life is also the Light of the World! He came to reveal God and His ways so we could draw near to Him, and He came to give us Life! God has known what we need and has revealed His plan to provide for us since the time His relationship with the nation of Israel began. Will we trust in His provision and walk in the light as he is in the light? (This would be something good to talk about next week!)

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

I Have A Dream . . . (What Shall We Be & Do In 2009?)

2009-01-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Imagine what 500+ people could accomplish if they were to get real serious about following Jesus and lose their inhibitions. Imagine what the LORD could do with a community of believers who were convinced they were given the gift of each day because the LORD has something important for them to do in service to His kingdom. Imagine if creativity, passion and discipline collided in the hearts and souls of each member and they felt unleashed and empowered to use their gifts and services as an offering of thanks and dedication to GOD. What might “church” look like if living for God became our quest rather than our hobby?

I have a dream . . . (I know this phrase was already made famous but, hey, it’s a good one!) of a church environment where everyone feels welcome, valuable and wanted, no matter what is going on in his or her life because the image of God is seen in everyone. I dream of our church community being a safe place to share even the most heinous thoughts and actions so that healing and accountability can be realized; where people can recognize the value their Father in heaven places upon them and the type of intimate relationship He is actively seeking to develop; where citizens of our surrounding communities realize they really can receive help that makes a difference, and is personal!

I have a dream . . . where the ministry of reconciliation becomes the central focus for those who already know the sweet gift of life a second time through Jesus; I dream of reconciliation resulting in walls being torn down between denominations and even sister congregations so we present God in His fullness to a world that doesn’t understand why those who profess the love of Jesus can’t get along with one another. I dream of a spirit of reconciliation that allows those who don’t see doctrinal issues eye to eye to appreciate being stretched by those with differing views instead of fearing what their difference might lead the church into (after all, isn’t God in control, no matter what we think?)

I have a dream . . . of a community of believers who have the confidence to believe THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE; who are so filled with appreciation because of what their Father has done to bless them that they cannot keep silent about Him; who hunger and thirst for deeper intimacy with God, but who want to bring along as many others as they can to experience the joy and fullness of life they are enjoying. I dream of a congregation of believers who will shut off their TV sets one night a week, skip sports activities or other extra-curricular activities and use this time to serve others and share the Bible and their lives with people who would not normally have this time given to them.

I have a dream . . . of a church that emphasizes training up ministers and servants who realize they have responsibilities towards the souls of everyone they come in contact with and, consequently, are motivated to be equipped so they make the most of each opportunity. I dream of never needing to plead for teachers or other service roles to be filled because each member knows they have something special and unique to offer and can’t wait to share with others what their God has created them to fulfill during their lifetime.

Can you see God writing this? This dream is His! He wants us to bear His image (paragraph 2). He calls us to be ministers of reconciliation (paragraph 3). He created us to be disciples (paragraph 4) and ministers & servants (paragraph 5). May we lovingly challenge and stretch one another throughout 2009 to be what He has created us and called us to be—and fulfill the dream of our Father!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 8

2008-12-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

The Tent of Meeting (continued)

How interesting! God had the people of Israel build a “Tent of Meeting” as part of the tabernacle, however, only the High Priest was allowed to enter the place of His very presence, and he was only allowed to do this once a year? In addition, bells had to be sewn onto the robe of the High Priest in order to announce his presence, so he would not die (See Exodus 28:33-35). How is it a tent of Meeting if it is not accessible? It almost sounds more like a chamber of horrors!

Obviously, one of the lessons we see from this lack of accessibility is the tremendous thing Jesus did for us when He opened up our way into the very throne room of God. We have been given a beautiful gift through His sacrifice that allows us to develop an incredible level of intimacy with God. However, what about the people who lived before the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus? Was there no way for them to experience the personal presence of God? Could it be that there is more here than meets the eye?

One thing I have noticed about human behavior is that we have a tendency to take the things of God and use them as He never intended. When I was a student at LCU there was a door at one of the Catholic Churches nearby on which “the face of Jesus” appeared. It was crazy to see people come from all over the area to worship this image. Just imagine what they would have done with the Tent of Meeting if it was opened to the public? The same has been done in our own churches. I have seen people treat an auditorium as if it is the “sanctuary of God”. Unfortunately, there are some people that have more trust in, and a better relationship with the Bible than in the God who had the Bible written.

God wants to “Meet” with us, but what if He never intended for it to be at one specific place? Suppose the Tent of Meeting demonstrated the awesome gift Jesus would provide, but was off limits to most of the people because God wants to meet us in our everyday lives?
There is a powerful book written by Gary Thomas called, “Sacred Pathways”. The premise of his book is that there are many different ways to meet God and develop intimacy with Him (in fact, he writes about 9 different pathways). Different personalities experience the power and presence of God through different means. One person may experience closeness to God through being outdoors, enjoying nature and its wonders, while another will never feel closer to God than when they serve someone in a real and profound way. One person may realize the presence of God through study of a Bible passage in which they glean a new gem, while another needs quiet and solitude to hear Him speak. Many people typically have two or three pathways that are particularly meaningful to them, and all of the pathways Gary Thomas talks about are significant.

Where do you meet with God? Do you have a special place? Where can you go, or what can you do that helps you hear the voice of God and feel His presence more clearly and more distinctly? God is accessible! That is why He planned for and then sent Jesus. The Tent of Meeting is now in our hearts and souls. Do you know yourself well enough to recognize the pathway(s) that will best feed your soul? If you go to the following website, you can take an assessment that helps you recognize which pathway(s) are more significant to your walk with God: http://www.sacchurch.org/action-steps/sacred_pathways.htm
I would love to hear back from you as to what pathways are significant to you. Maybe together we can brainstorm ideas to help make intimacy with God a more powerful realization in your life!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 7

2008-12-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

The Tent of Meeting

Imagine living in a time where the prescription for everything that ails you is to have leeches draw blood from you. Whatever your symptoms, leeches! From fever to a rash to a sore throat to headaches, leeches! Even broken bones would need to be properly cared for with—leeches! For centuries these blood-sucking creatures were a mainstay of medical care. What brought about such a primitive and barbaric practice, and how could it be a bastion of medical science for 2500 years when its results were questionable and sporadic, at best? In today’s medical world, doctors realize there is not a basic cure for everything. Different symptoms demand different medical care. And, while leeches still have some value in the medical world, it is only for specialized treatments that they are prescribed (like when a finger is reattached in order to stimulate circulation).

Unfortunately, some people fall into the same trap when it comes to worshiping God and experiencing intimacy with Him. They prescribe a common method of experiencing Him, even if some of their forms have become outdated. They would have you believe that what worked for them is the solution for everyone else. “God is the same yesterday, today, yes, and forever.” If it worked in the past, then it should continue working today, and even tomorrow. But, could it be that an age more “enlightened” than our own will look back at some of our practices in religion and shake their head, wondering what we were thinking?

Consider the use of a church building and especially the auditorium, or “sanctuary”, as some people refer to it. Whether by actual teaching, or merely by practice, it appears this has become our modern-day “Tent of Meeting”. Many hold the view that this is THE PLACE to meet with God. As a result, everyday encounters with Him are missed or misunderstood. Some see this as the place to bring people in order to help them see the truth and be converted to God. However, how was any of this the case with the original Tent of Meeting? For one thing, Gentiles were not even allowed into the courtyard. Second, only those who were already set apart for God as priests could enter the Tent of Meeting. It was certainly not the place where teaching was done. That happened in the homes (or at least it was supposed to—See Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Thirdly, how many instances of conversion actually take place at the Tabernacle or Temple? John the Baptist led people away from the Temple, out into the wilderness, to call them into a right relationship with God. When Jesus sent His apostles out to preach about the Kingdom of God, they did not call people to gather at the Temple. They showed them the activity and love of God in their very midst, as they went about everyday living.

The Tent of Meeting was a portable facility that enabled the presence of God to dwell in the midst of the camp of the Israelites. It represented God being at the core of their community. Everything else revolved around Him! However, it was not where God encountered the people. He met them in their everyday lives! Today, we have no Tent of Meeting because He has taken up residence within us. He still meets us in our everyday lives! Let us be careful not to turn His Tent of Meeting into more than what it is. We must consistently reevaluate our religious practices instead of unquestioningly accepting what has been done for generation after generation, or we might find ourselves prescribing leeches in an era of modern medicine.
(Next week we will continue with some more thoughts on the Tent of Meeting)

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 6

2008-12-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Bronze Laver

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” How many times have you heard this statement? You will find this verse right next to the one that says, “God helps those who help themselves.” Neither of these are really Scripture, but the concept of this first statement can easily be supported. Over and over again there is an emphasis in the Scriptures on our necessity to be washed in order to dwell in the presence of God. David begged God to wash him clean and remove his sin after his affair with Bathsheba and murder of her husband (Psalm 51:2, 7, 10); John the Baptist called people to “a baptism (washing) of repentance for forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Jesus told Peter during the last meal He had with His disciples prior to being taken and killed, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8). Paul was told by Ananias, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16).

The need to be clean to dwell in the presence of God is a message taught as early as the construction of the tabernacle. God instructed the Israelites to build a laver of bronze that was placed between the altar of burnt offerings and the tent of meeting. Moses writes, “And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord” (Exodus 30:19-20). The message here is simple: Be washed before you enter into the presence of God, or DIE! Approaching God’s altar or His dwelling place is not something to take lightly. Without proper preparation, it is a dangerous place to be!

It is interesting that the washing of water is not a once-for-all-time act. God knows His priesthood is going to need a continual cleansing and requires them to learn this lesson by what He requires at the Tabernacle. It is not that God will have nothing to do with them when they are unclean. The altar of burnt offering provides the means to be cleansed from their sin. Like the father of the Prodigal son, God runs to the unclean child who shows repentance and dresses them in a new robe, killing the fattened calf in order to fellowship with them. However, there is a respect for the holiness of God that must never be forgotten. While He runs to the child who chooses to repent from living among the unclean pigs, He still demands our efforts to show respect for His holiness before we barge into His presence.

Once again, Jesus is the fulfillment of what God requires at the Tabernacle. John tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). The cleansing by Jesus is perpetual and allows us into the presence of God. What the Tabernacle points to is fulfilled once-and-for-all in Jesus. As the Scriptures reveal, being washed is vital! How wonderful that God satisfies His own requirement and our need through Jesus!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

Mission Minded

2008-12-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

WANTED: People with confidence and equipping to handle the role of a priest for God’s service. Skill set should include: The ability to provide sound counsel and teaching based upon the nature and will of God; a desire to share the love of God through word and deed; a love for the souls of people; and a humble spirit with the emotional make-up of being a peace-maker.

God is looking for more than just a few good men and women! He has called each of His followers to become part of “a Royal Priesthood”. In fact, the job opening listed above is really a REQUIREMENT FOR ALL OF GOD’S FOLLOWERS!!! Peter states, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). The blessing of being God’s chosen people and His treasured possession brings with it the responsibility of representing Him and even calling others out of darkness into His marvelous light.

God always intended for His people to serve as a priesthood to the rest of the world! His challenge to the Israelites as He called them into covenant with Him at Mt. Sinai was to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). They were His “treasured possession among all the peoples,” but He also said, “all the earth is Mine” (Exodus 19:5). In other words, He was not content with only the Israelites knowing Him in this special relationship. That is why He poured out His Spirit upon the Gentiles in the same manner that He did to the Jews in Acts 10. That is why God went out of His way to show a eunuch that he could now be acceptable to God and worship in His presence in Acts 8.

There are none whose lives are so messed up that God does not care for them and want to restore order and peace to their existence! We are His priesthood—representing Him to the fallen world and helping the fallen see the cleansing and new life available to them through Jesus. Do we even think about others in a priestly way? Do we see our need to reconcile people to the LORD? Will we fulfill our call to be missionaries and priests, or will we leave that up to the “professionals”? (This terminology is foreign to God’s word and intention!)

This morning you will have an opportunity to hear about mission work being done by others through our support. Be excited about what is going on and how we get to play a small part in that, BUT, don’t think that fulfills your duty as a priesthood for God! If you are not ready to share the truth about who God is and what He offers in Jesus, when will you be ready? What are you doing to develop the confidence and abilities to help others get right with God? You are God’s priesthood! Will you fulfill your role?

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 5

2008-11-30T14:37:00.000-08:00

The Altar of Burnt Offerings

What does it take to enter into the presence of God? In one word—ATONEMENT! OK, maybe two words—ATONEMENT & REDEMPTION! Well, come to think of it, there is a third word—RECONCILIATION, and even a fourth word—JUSTIFICATION! And, how about COMMITMENT? Wow, there are a lot of things needed to enter into the presence of God! How does anyone remember all of these, in addition to knowing what some of these fancy words even mean?

The holiness of God demands a lot, but the love of God is large enough to not only teach what brings satisfaction to His holiness, but to also ultimately provide the only thing that will satisfy Him for eternity. This is where the layout of the Tabernacle has significance. God began teaching about and pointing to His ultimate provision right after the people of Israel entered into covenant with Him. However, instead of giving them volumes of theological exposition to read, He gave them an object lesson from which to learn—there is no entering into His presence without a proper sacrifice.

The first thing you come to upon entering the Tabernacle is the altar for burnt offerings. This was a five foot tall bronze altar shaped in a square that measured approximately eight feet across on each side. It was here that the priests offered before God the various sacrificial offerings on behalf of the people of Israel. Some of these sacrifices demonstrated complete devotion to God (such as the burnt offering, in which every part of the sacrifice was given to God), and some were used for atonement for sin. Some were offerings in which the priest and the one offering the sacrifice would share in a meal after choice portions of the sacrifice were offered to God. The animals offered up to God were to be the first and best of the flocks and herds of the Israelites. No sick or deformed animals were acceptable. God did not want Israel’s leftovers. He sought the first of what they had (thus requiring the first-born of their flocks and herds to be dedicated to Him), and the best, most prized animals. The price for their sins and to maintain a healthy relationship with God was considerable!

The significance was that Israel was learning what it takes to dwell in the presence of their holy God. One cannot accidently please God! It takes devotion and commitment and intention. It takes SACRIFICE! Even the pursuits of what seem so important in this world were to be laid aside or offered to God upon the altar of burnt offerings. To have God in our midst takes a willingness to put Him above all other pursuits and to recognize the high price tag placed upon Atonement, Redemption, Reconciliation, Justification and Commitment!

The incredible thing is how all of this points to the great gift of God, Himself, as He offers up the ultimate sacrifice—His Son—to provide an eternal answer to these needs. God did not ask for anything more than He was willing to give Himself! He provided His first and best in order to provide Atonement, Redemption, Reconciliation, Justification, and to show His Commitment to us!

Today, we do not have to offer up animals for sacrifice because Jesus is the once-for-all-time sacrifice. However, God still seeks our first and best. He still wants to our devotion, our commitment, our intention. Are we serving Him leftovers, or giving Him the choice selections of what we have to offer? This is what the altar is truly about!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 4

2008-11-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

Go West, Young Man & Young Lady

So, you are standing at the altar of God just inside the gate of the Tabernacle. You are here because this is the place to bring your sacrifices in order to make atonement and show appreciation for the things God has done. It is always difficult to take the best of your flock and hand it over to the priests after laying your hands upon it to pass on your sins, just so they can slaughter it and present it as an offering to God. But now that you have rededicated yourself to the Lord, what will you do? What direction will your life go now?

Life is full of decisions! It always has been, and it always will be. How many times has a decision made in a fleeting moment produced consequences that last a lifetime? Should the fruit be eaten, or not even touched? Sarai, should we take Lot with us, or leave him to fend for himself in Ur? After viewing the Promised Land and seeing the people who inhabit the land along with their fortified cities, should we go up and attack, or persuade the people to turn back to Egypt? Should the king go to battle with the troops, or stay home at the palace and sit this one out? Decisions, decisions, decisions; how do we know what to do? Which direction should we take? Will this decision move me closer to God, or further away?

God has not left us without some GPS help! He wants to give us some direction for our lives—the Tabernacle demonstrates this! You see, the Tabernacle was always set up in the same direction. The entryway to the courtyard was pointed to the east every time it was set up. That means that once you finished bringing your sacrifice before God, there were only two primary directions one could go—east, away from the presence of God, or west, deeper into the presence of God. Is it a foreboding sign God provided that most of the people, once they performed their act of worship, would turn and go AWAY FROM the presence of God? How many of us fall into this trap, even today?

East is not a good direction to go in the Scriptures! When God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden, it was to the east that He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword to protect the way back into the garden (Genesis 3:24). After Cain murdered his brother and was made a vagrant, it was to the east of Eden that he finally wound up settling and beginning a civilization that was so corrupt (Genesis 4:16). In the time of the Tower of Babel, the people continued to move east, away from the presence or will of God (Genesis 11:2). When Lot separated from Abraham, he traveled to the east, toward the land of Sodom, which we all know was a giant step in the wrong direction (Genesis 13:11). There are several other examples of this motif in the book of Genesis, but perhaps the best example of moving the other direction comes in the birth narrative of Jesus when Magi (or astrologers) from the Far East travel to the WEST in order to find the “King of the Jews” who would also become the Savior of the world (Matthew 2:1-2). They saw a sign from God calling them back into His presence “to worship Him”!

God is calling us deeper into His presence as well! This morning, after you present your offering before God through your praise and worship, don’t exit through the same door you normally do if it only takes you to the EAST. Choose a different direction! Jesus has reestablished the priesthood so all people can move deeper into the presence of God. Will you take advantage of this? Or, will you continue to maintain the same habits, watching others enjoy a closeness with God that could be yours, as well, if only you chose a different direction? GO WEST, YOUNG MAN & YOUNG LADY—and experience a deeper intimacy with God!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 3

2008-11-16T06:52:00.000-08:00

Only One Way In!!!

Who doesn’t like options and the freedom to express themselves in unique fashion? In fact, tell most of us there is only one way to solve something and we will immediately begin looking for loopholes or alternatives to prove you wrong. We don’t like being limited to one path!

I was watching the TV show The Amazing Race this past Sunday night and each team was given a task to follow a tangled mess of power lines where there were tags in random places with numbers upon them. Once they found all the numbers, they were to turn their list in to be checked by one of the natives to see if they found them all. I was startled to see one team follow the power lines looking at the wrong numbers and then get mad when the person checking their answers told them they were wrong. They went through the course several times searching in the wrong places and became angrier and more frustrated each time they were rejected. The truth is, there was only one right way to solve the challenge and because of their inability to step back and consider what the real task was, they wound up being eliminated from the race.

How many of us treat the ways of God in this manner? How many times do we get locked into a certain way of looking at things and then just can’t imagine that our way is not THE WAY? There must be something wrong with God; because we are convinced we are right. The problem could not possibly be with us! Right, Job? (He tried to bring a case before God about being mistreated and found out that God’s ways are far above his own, and he needed to walk by faith.)

The Tabernacle is such a beautiful teaching tool because it shows God’s desire to dwell among His people. Each element of the Tabernacle emphasizes what it takes to actually dwell in the presence of God. The first of those elements is the gate or door to enter into the courtyard of the Tabernacle. The walls of the courtyard were solid on every side but one, the side facing the east, in which there was an opening that served as the gate or door.

ONE WAY IN!

ONLY ONE WAY IN!!!

Every element of the Tabernacle points to the ministry of Jesus (as we will see as we go through each part of the Tabernacle). The gate is not an exception! John records some interesting words of Jesus in John 10:9 in which He states: “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Consider also the teaching of Peter before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:12 where he proclaims, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” Jesus also proclaims about Himself in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” This last quote comes in the midst of a discussion with His disciples in which He shares with them the plan of preparing a place for them with His Father, so they can DWELL with Him.

God wants to dwell among us, but there is only one way in to His presence. People are not allowed to invent their own ways to come before Him. That might come across as “politically incorrect” or “intolerant”, but God is not concerned about our short-sighted and incorrect ways of looking at things. Do you want to draw near and dwell in the presence of God? Then come to the One Way In: JESUS!!!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle—Part 2

2008-11-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

God Dwelt Among Us

Creation accounts from various cultures are interesting, particularly in the way they portray the purpose behind creating mankind. Both the Enuma Elish (an ancient Babylonian creation account) and The Atrahasis Epic (an ancient Assyrian creation account) have some similarities with the account found in the Hebrew Scriptures, yet the differences are striking! In both accounts mankind was an afterthought and created to perform menial tasks that the gods did not want to do themselves. In The Atrahasis Epic, some of the gods were responsible for digging the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and revolted because they did not want to do this work. In fact, the poem states, “Let him bear the yoke! Let him bear the yoke! Let man assume the drudgery of the god” and afterward, mankind was created.

How wonderful is it that the story found in our Bibles portrays an entirely different and empowering view behind the creation of mankind? The picture we are given is one of purpose (See Ephesians 2:10) and intimacy with God (See Genesis 3:8). We are shown high value! We have a God who wants to dwell among us!

The picture we find as we work our way through the Scriptures is that God has continually sought deeper levels of intimacy with us! From a portable dwelling (the Tabernacle) in the midst of the camp as His people traveled through the wilderness, to a permanent building (the Temple) as His people established themselves in the land He promised them, to God coming to “dwell” or “tabernacle” among His people in the form of Jesus (See John 1:14), to His people becoming the very Temple of God, housing His presence in our hearts (See I Corinthians 3:16), God has sought to lead us to a deeper experience of intimacy with Him.

The plan of God to dwell with mankind is evident throughout the Scriptures. Even before God made it clear to the Israelites that they would build a tabernacle (Exodus 25:8-9 is the 1st mention of the Tabernacle), He foretold His intentions in Exodus 15:17-18. Exodus 15 provides a song the Israelites sang right after being rescued by God from Pharaoh and his army by passing through the Red Sea on dry land. The song concludes with these thoughts: “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. The LORD shall reign forever and ever.” His objective is clear! He wants to dwell among His people! This is what constructing a Tabernacle was all about (READ Exodus 25:8-9).

The problem is, too many of us are content to have God dwell in a tent in the midst of the wilderness instead of giving Him room to take up residence within our hearts. God is not satisfied with this! The furniture and other elements of the Tabernacle all point to His desire for more (as the rest of this series will demonstrate). And, as already seen, God created us with more in mind! So, the question is simple: “Will we strive to live with God in the core of our lives?” It is where He belongs and where He wants to be!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

Out of Town

2008-11-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

In case you have not discovered this yet, I am out of town this week! I have the pleasure of performing a wedding ceremony for a former student of mine in New Jersey and then I will be spending 6 days with my mom and brother in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. I am looking forward to some time to receive a little TLC from my mommy and to have some face-to-face time with my brother and sister and their families. Thank you, Garden Ridge for allowing me this opportunity to get away like this once in a while.

Deeann and I (and Whitney, also) consider ourselves quite blessed to work with the church family here and we hope to see the Lord work through this church family (ourselves included) in powerful ways that bring about bountiful harvests of spiritual fruit so the communities around us will sit up and notice how real our God is and the beauty and value of trusting in His ways.
Next week we will resume our series on covenant. We will be jumping ahead to the book of Exodus to consider a model found throughout the Scriptures of Covenant—Grace—Empowerment—Intimacy. I will share how covenant is just the foundation of what God is truly desiring—a bond of intimacy with each of us! I will attempt to show how covenant leads to an outpouring of grace and a desire to empower, which result in deeper intimacy.

This morning, my dear friend and one of my favorite ministers on staff (he is ranked way up there with another minister on staff) will be filling in for me. Thank you, Philip, for your willingness and desire to proclaim God’s word and for the talents you possess. May God bless this church family with a powerful and enriching time of worship and fellowship so you are each well-equipped to face the challenges of the week ahead.

In conclusion, I will express my gratitude for the outpouring of love and appreciation Deeann and I received from this church family last week. We are moved by your generosity and expressions of appreciation. We hope you understand the joy we have being here with you and the quest we are on to walk the path of God with you for as long as He desires us to be together. We are overwhelmed by your kindness. Thank you!

-Scott

A Study of the Tabernacle: Is God Distant?

2008-10-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you? Maybe you are facing things that seem devastating and oppressive. Perhaps you feel taken advantage of by people who are only concerned about their own gain. It may be that wave after wave after wave of discouraging things have crashed against your hopes and dreams eroding the foundation of what you believe about the provision and protection of God. In desperation and frustration you cry out the words of Gideon from Judges 6:13, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord deliver us from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us . . .”

Feeling abandoned by God is not a new thing. Each generation faces the question of whether God is real and cares. Gideon mentions the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, but before God sent Moses and brought the 10 plagues to deliver Israel, what do you suppose that generation’s thoughts were about the provision and protection of God? Does He not see what we are going through? Sure, God had foretold these 400 years of oppression to our father, Abraham, but doesn’t God see how desperate we are? Can’t He feel our pain and recognize that enough is enough? It is hard to worship a God who seems so removed from the struggles we face in this life!

Perhaps, this is part of the reason behind the orders by God to build the Tabernacle while they are camped at Mt. Sinai, awaiting the march to the Promised Land. They had been witnessing His power and presence through the pillar of fire & cloud and the gift of manna each morning, but what about a God who actually dwells within their camp? Who had ever heard of such a thing? What might that do to provide comfort in the midst of the trials and challenges that come with living in this world? And, suppose this Tabernacle provides the foreshadow of an even deeper longing that God desires in His relationship with mankind? Instead of a God who dwells within the camp, suppose, through the Tabernacle, He pointed to a way that would allow Him access to take up residence within our hearts?

Over the next eleven weeks (or so), we will consider the various elements that were part of the Tabernacle and how they pointed to the plan of God to bring mankind into a relationship with Himself through the work of His own Son, Jesus. We will see that abandoning us is the farthest thing from His mind! So, you want a relationship with the God of the universe? Guess what? He wants one with you as well—up close and personal! And, He wants to give us plenty of reason to trust in His provision and protection through the things Jesus came to do on our behalf! He is not a distant God—He wants to live right in our midst!!!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

So, This is What a Stroke Feels Like!

2008-10-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

What a Monday! Talk about a dark and depressing day! This past Monday sure fell into that category! It seemed like no matter what I said . . . it was the wrong thing! It felt like everyone I talked to had a major crisis or serious problem they were dealing with. There was depressing news about people’s health, financial burdens, addictive behavior, etc. Some of my words meant to provide comfort and a spiritual blessing were twisted out of context and unappreciated. Add to this the stress I was feeling concerning the various lesson plans and sermon notes I needed to work on, plus two wedding ceremonies rapidly approaching, and it was a setting for trouble.

The morning was blown up when I got to the office and found out there would be no secretary to help cover the phones until later in the morning (unless you consider Philip a secretary—haha—By the way, Pam was sick and Sheri was out of town, so this is not an indictment against them, it is just the way this particular Monday happened to work out). After several interruptions due to phone calls, I could see this was not going to be a productive day. I still had a bulletin article to write and the ideas were not flowing (as you can probably tell). I tried to get involved in reading some material in preparation for my class on Acts, but my mind kept jumping to thoughts of people dealing with loved ones hurting or dying and other struggles going on in personal lives. My prayers felt cold and ineffective. It was just a bad morning!

Deeann called me to have lunch with her and I thought I better try to get something done, so I decided to isolate myself in my office and skip lunch. (Maybe I could get something done this way?) Unfortunately, that only resulted in my developing hunger pangs and a headache. My mood was going downhill fast! Not only that, but it also felt like the creator of time was playing this huge cosmic joke on me. Every time I would look at my watch, what seemed like 10 minutes had passed would be over an hour! Where was this day going?

One more interruption on the phone from a salesman and I was set up for it to happen. I had no warning that a stroke was on the way, but I sure recognized it when it happened! To be honest, it was two strokes within minutes of each other that pretty much changed my day. The first one was a message that said, “I love you!!! Remember, you are special!!” and the second one was a note of thanks and appreciation for some things I had said earlier. TWO STROKES of love and encouragement within minutes of one another! Oh, how that changed my day!!!

Perhaps, that is why the author of Hebrews writes the message he does in 10:24. It says, “ . . .and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds . . .” Who has God placed on your heart to pray for and send a message of encouragement? There are no doubt others who have had much worse days than the one I just described and could sure use a stroke to carry them through! Will you be a resource for God this week to lift up someone else and help them feel appreciated? Go ahead—take time to make someone’s day. When they get over the shock, they may even pass on what they have received!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

Power to Accomplish What God Desires: There is Strength in Numbers!—Part VI

2008-10-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 states:
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

What a great teaching on the necessity of community! There is strength in numbers! This is why God instituted what we call the Church (a collection of believers separated from the ways of the world and able to spur one another on to greater love and good deeds because of the core things we hold in common). Yet, how many of us are attempting to live out our faith as though we are the Lone Ranger? How many of us keep our fears and failures bottled up inside of us because we have to put on the front that we are strong in our faith? How many of us would love to see the power of prayer bring about miraculous changes but are afraid to ask our brothers and sisters for help because we do not want to appear weak or needy?

Our calling is not to be solitary Christians, but to be members of a royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9). When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He began His model prayer with, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9). What part of our life in Christ is supposed to be an individual endeavor? Granted, we will stand before God to give a personal accounting on the Day of Judgment, but even that accounting will be about how we treated others and fulfilled the roles we were called to play in family, church and community!

Elijah went through a rough time in his ministry. Following the contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in which the prophets of Baal were destroyed, he was threatened by Jezebel. His response was to run! He ran all the way out of the Promised Land and eventually isolated himself in a cave on the mountain where God had visited Moses and given him the 10 Commandments (I Kings 19:1-8). In his dialogue with God following the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire that God was not in, God told him there were 7000 in Israel (the land he had just run away from) that had not bowed their knee to Baal (V. 18). SEVEN THOUSAND!!! Elijah had just said to God, “I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (V. 14). How did he not know about the SEVEN THOUSAND who were faithful to God? What kind of strength could this have given him as he dealt with a threat against his life and discouragement and fear?

Is it possible for us to become so preoccupied with our own struggles and frustrations that we fail to see the resources God has placed all around us through other believers in Him? We run to our caves of isolation feeling weak, tired and alone and convince ourselves that no one else understands or cares. We seek powerful displays from God to demonstrate our significance and value to Him, and to be affirmed in His care for us, but when He is in the gentle blowing wind instead of the fire and earthquake, we might not hear Him or experience Him because we are looking in the wrong place. And yet, we may have been surrounded by SEVEN THOUSAND who would walk right alongside us, if we only gave it a chance.

It was God who said, “It is not good for the man to be alone . . . .” It seems as though He understands the power we could have in numbers! Do we?

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

Power to Accomplish What God Desires: Are You Sure You Want It?—Part V

2008-10-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If his statement is accurate, how many of us fall within the parameters of this definition when it comes to our spiritual walk? We say we want to develop deeper intimacy with Jesus and for His power to work in us and through us, but is that true? Could it be that to have His power unleashed in our lives is too scary a proposition, requiring too much from us? Our spiritual lives get into a rut, but we keep hoping for better outcomes, as long as we don’t have to change anything!

I remember a time working with the campus ministry at ENMU when I became discouraged and frustrated because some of the students couldn’t seem to get their lives out of the world. They professed belief in Jesus, but they wanted to enjoy various things the world also has to offer, and couldn’t see how this was adversely affecting their witness for Jesus. (You can imagine on the campus of a State University what types of distractions were readily available for our students to struggle with.) Our ministry was not very powerful or effective that semester and I was tired from trying to provide intercession where it was not wanted or appreciated. As I began to get depressed, Deeann sent me an article based on Mark 5 that gave me some new perspective.

We encounter a story of Jesus in the region of the Gerasenes where He will heal a man possessed by a legion of demons. The description of the man is that he was able to tear apart shackles and chains and “no one was strong enough to subdue him” (V. 3-4). Well, almost no one!!! The overwhelming power of Jesus is quite clear when this demon-possessed man says to Him, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God, do not torment me!” (V. 7). Jesus allows the demons to enter a herd of 2000 swine, which promptly run off a steep bank into the sea and are drowned (V. 13). This incredible display of POWER is realized by the townspeople when they hear the report from the herdsmen and come to Jesus and see the formerly demon-possessed man sitting down, clothed, and in his right mind (V. 14-15). Jesus has just restored a life!!! His power is strong enough to clean up any mess!

How do the townspeople respond to this power? The end of V. 15 tells us they were “frightened” and V. 17 informs us that they begged Jesus to leave their region! Even though what Jesus did was good, they are not sure this new power, the disruption to their lives, or the economic loss are worth having around. Thus, they ask Him to take His power and go! Perhaps, they preferred the status quo? Maybe they were afraid of what might happen if Jesus began tinkering around in their own lives? The point is we must be open to incredible measures being taken within our lives when Jesus unleashes His power and cleans them out. Perhaps, that is what we are afraid of most of all!

Are you struggling with what God is able to do through you? His power is awesome! What would you like for Him to do? Leave you in “peace”, or stay to clean up your life? The choice is yours, but the power is His, and He won’t give it to you on “your terms”. Are you sure you want it? Not everybody does!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

Power to Accomplish What God Desires: Where Does It Come From?—Part IV

2008-09-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Do the situations of your life ever get so frustrating or overwhelming that you wonder if continuing to live is even worth the effort? Does it ever feel like the God you have heard about did all His good work in the past? Stories of Him rescuing people; fighting in miraculous ways to provide victory; bringing plagues to show His power and authority over all creation and that there is no comparison between Him and the gods of the nations all around—where are these things now? The God who sent the death angel to set His people free; who parted the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh’s army; who provided direction through a pillar of cloud and fire; who made the walls of Jericho fall flat; who sent hail stones and made the sun stand still so Israel could conquer the Promised Land—where is that God now? Do I worship an obsolete and irrelevant God who lives only in stories of the past?

Do you suppose these were some of the thoughts of the Israelites who witnessed the attack of the Assyrians upon Jerusalem during the time of Isaiah? If God really sees our desperation and does nothing about it, could it be that He is not powerful enough to overcome? Maybe He just doesn’t care? Could it be that he is too tired or weary to make a difference? How could the creator of the universe profess to love His people and then sit back and watch as they were thrown out of their homes and sent into captivity as slaves? Perhaps the promises of God aren’t worth the tablets they were written upon?

Isaiah addresses these very questions as he writes to those in Jerusalem about what God is doing through the Assyrians. In Chapter 40, he speaks to their fear, calling them to be comforted (V. 1). He claims God is a shepherd caring for the ewe lambs, carrying them and keeping them safe (V. 11). In answer to any questions about the power of God, he writes about His immense size, power and control as the creator who weighs the mountains in scales and measures the heavens. The nations are like a speck of dust to Him (V. 12-17)! He is also the One who created the stars, names them, and makes sure not one is missing (V. 26). Thus, what will you compare Him to (V. 25)? As far as His promises are concerned, Isaiah boldly claims in V. 8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever!” In other words, His promises will not fail! The picture Isaiah is painting is that there is nothing that compares with God! He is the All-Powerful Creator who still works in His world!

Notice where Isaiah’s thoughts turn as he applies his understanding of God and His ways to those facing pain, displacement, an uncertain future and fear. He reminds the Israelites to wait upon the Lord. In so doing, they will gain new strength, soar like eagles, run without getting tired, and walk without becoming weary (V. 31). When things seem overwhelming, it is not that God is weak, uncaring, full of hot air, or irrelevant! Trusting Him means He will work things out according to His timing as is best for His eternal kingdom. Our power comes in waiting upon Him! There are many things calling for our allegiance or causing distraction, but turning to things less than Him never works. Don’t settle for temporary fixes when the One completely in control offers His strength for an eternal solution! He is our power!

Click to listen to sermon.

-Scott

Power to Accomplish What God Desires: Where Does It Come From?—Part III

2008-09-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

Imagine being ripped out of your home and bound with chains, cast into a line of slaves and marched hundreds of miles to live in squalor in a land that is not your own! You saw your property destroyed and neighbors killed as they stood in resistance! Some of your family was taken from you! You are not sure where they are, or if they are even alive! All you can think about is, “WHY? Why is all this happening?”

Jeremiah is writing to such an audience as this in Jeremiah 29 in an effort to provide them some encouragement. He writes to Israelites who have lost everything and are living as refugees in Babylon! And, why are they in this predicament? As a people, they became desensitized to the evil and unholy practices of the nations around them and allowed compromise to creep into their lives. The power they had available to them was hindered because they did not stay true to the power source. A long history of defeating nations more powerful and larger in size than them was forgotten and negated because they became dependent upon their own wisdom, power, ingenuity and fleshly desires. Thus, the Babylonians were allowed to enter Jerusalem and capture God’s people, sending them into exile!

Now, which of these two groups do you suppose is in more danger—the exiles in Babylon, or the Israelites still living in Jerusalem who were not taken into captivity? The answer is: the group who refuses to learn from the circumstances they have experienced! God has an interesting message for both groups. To the exiles, He says:

For thus says the LORD, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.' (Jer. 29:10-14)

However, to the Israelites still in Jerusalem He has a quite different message:
thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, famine and pestilence, and I will make them like split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with pestilence; and I will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and a horror and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, because they have not listened to My words,' declares the LORD, 'which I sent to them again and again by My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,' declares the LORD. (Jer. 29:17-19)

Don’t let your circumstances deceive you! Those humbled by exile would be rescued and restored, while those living in Jerusalem would be destroyed? Those with the Temple in their midst did not have the presence of God in their midst? Those removed from the Promised Land had a future, a hope, and would be heard by God? What is going on? Isn’t this backwards?
Do you want to experience the power of God? Be humble, teachable, moldable, and open to His discipline and direction! Don’t let your circumstances fool you—they may just be in place to get your attention and allegiance. God’s power is for those who are seeking Him. If your trials and struggles move you to seek Him, give thanks for them because you will quickly find that He also has a future and a hope for you !!!

Click to listen to this week's sermon.

-Scott

Power to Accomplish What God Desires: Where Does It Come From?—Part II

2008-09-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting conversation with one of our members at Garden Ridge last week. He asked me how the sign-up for the prayer & fasting time was looking and I informed him that at the moment there were only about 10 out of 48 time slots signed up for (this was on Tuesday, just 3 days from the prayer and fasting time to begin). His response struck me! Hard! He said, “That really scares me! Why do so many of our church members believe our prayers won’t make any difference?” I believe his question is one we had better wrestle with, or stop calling ourselves a church! (If you are reading this article, you may have just said to yourself, “WHOA—how did you jump that far? What do you mean we are not a church?”)

The last letter written to the churches of Asia in Revelation 3:14-22 deals with a church that has become lukewarm. From the things stated in V. 17, they are apparently an affluent church and their ability to provide for themselves has caused them to go blind (spiritually). They are able to take care of their own needs, which has led to a scary and serious problem—they do not even realize that Jesus is NOT among them! He is on the outside, knocking on the door to get in, but they are so busy with their trivial pursuits that He does not know whether they will come open the door for Him (V. 20). They may not even hear Him! Now, seriously, how can you be a church if Jesus is not in your presence? (OK—so now you are probably saying to yourself, “What does the church of Laodicea and their problems have to do with us?”)

Suppose we became so focused on our own pursuits that we neglected the things Jesus wanted us to give our time, energy and focus upon? Let me say it this way: If Jesus was truly in our midst, what things would He be pursuing? What did He give His time, energy and focus to while He walked upon this earth? How much time did He give to sharing the love and teachings of His Father with everyone He could spend time with? Now compare the minimal efforts most of us make to share the teachings of God with those around us who are not in a right relationship with Him. Could it be that we are the lukewarm church Jesus is writing to in Revelation 3:14-20? Is it possible that He has been knocking, trying to get our attention, but we have been so busy with other things that seem important that we have ignored His knocking? Is this an area we try to ignore because it only reveals the “shame of [our] nakedness;” or demonstrates our need for “eye salve” because we are spiritually blind—V. 18?

God has a plan for the body at Garden Ridge! He wants to see us succeed in going into all the world with His Good News and making disciples. He wants that truth to produce fruit in our lives that demonstrates how real He is and how good it is to live according to His will. But, isn’t it all just a foolish masquerade if we do not believe our prayers make any difference? Our prayer life is a barometer of the trust we have in our Father, and of our willingness to be submissive to His direction. Our prayer life reveals whether we believe God will act on our behalf. Our prayer life is a way to show the world that there is something different about our “religion” because there is something special about our God! He is personal and intimate! (LET’S TALK MORE ABOUT THIS NEXT WEEK!)

Click to listen to this week's sermon.

-Scott

Power to Accomplish What God Desires: Where Does It Come From?

2008-09-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Isn’t it amazing that we live in a time where more books about how to build a healthy marriage have been written than at any other time in history (maybe more than all other times of history combined) and yet we see families crumbling at as high a rate as ever? And, why is it that with all the books written on parenting strategies, spending quality time with your children, how to discipline, speaking your child’s love language, etc. that there are more problems than ever with rebellion, teenage pregnancies, drug use, violence, eating disorders and anti-social behavior? What is going on? How can it be that there are at least 20 different Bible translations packaged in every form of genre’ imaginable (teen bibles, couples devotional bibles, sports bibles, bibles in the form of magazines, study bibles, parallel version bibles, etc.), but bible illiteracy and Scripture ignorance are at an all-time high? Has a nation ever had available to it the amount of self-help materials and copies of Scripture that we are “blessed” with? At what point will we stop to question what is missing between having these resources available and life-changing behavior?

The lie we seem to have fallen into is that we can solve our problems by thinking through things and coming up with more creative and thought-provoking ideas. Where is our dependence upon God? Imagine if half the time spent writing, publishing and even reading these resources was spent on prayer to our Father who sits on the throne and has all power to create goodness out of chaos. How much better would family and community be? We seem to have reached the point that we give vocal recognition to “the power of prayer”, but don’t really trust it to do anything.
Do you remember the story of Abram facing the famine in Genesis 12:10-20? He considered the problem and came up with a solution that seemed wise for the situation—“Please say you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” Why not talk to the ONE who created the heavens and the earth and see if He has a solution? As you may remember, Abram’s plan did not go so well for him. Sarai was taken from him and would have been taken as another man’s bride except that the GOD of HEAVEN stepped in to protect Sarai. That is the power they had available to them all along! Who knows, He may have taken them to a brook and fed them with ravens so they didn’t even have to go down to Egypt, but they never called upon Him!

How many of our problems are the result of our lack of trust in the power of our God? We have been given numerous promises throughout the Scriptures of what God will do if we will call out to Him! Do we believe them? James says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (4:2). Matthew writes, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (7:7). It is in calling upon the Lord that we have REAL POWER!!! So, why do we settle for our own ingenuity and wisdom when the Maker of All wants to guide us to the Promised Land and a life of abundance? Will we call upon Him with confidence that He will hear us and lead us? Or, is this just another vocal recognition that we do not really trust? (CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)

Click to listen to this week's sermon.

-Scott

Developing Spiritual Wisdom & Understanding—Colossians 1:9-12

2008-05-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

On Being a Disciple—The Cycle of Spiritual Maturity
Developing Spiritual Wisdom & Understanding—Colossians 1:9-12

Do you know the difference in knowledge and wisdom, or knowledge and understanding? You see, Paul prays for the Colossians to not only be filled with the “knowledge of His will” in Colossians 1:9, but also for it to be “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”. In other words, having a head full of knowledge is not enough! God desires for us to grasp how to apply the knowledge we have to the things we face in this life in light of the spiritual realm! Spiritual maturity comes from learning about the things of God and then recognizing how those things provide guidance for the situations we face in this earthly realm.

How often do we go through experiences that are wasted because we are not prepared or disciplined enough to learn the lessons they could teach us? How many times do we have to learn lessons two, three, four times because we did not take the knowledge the situation was supplying and apply it to who our God is and what this means in the spiritual realm?
For instance, how many lessons do you think Judas heard about not being able to serve God and mammon; or about storing up treasure in this life and not being rich toward God? Yet, John tells us clearly at the end of Jesus’ ministry that Judas was a thief who used to pilfer money from the moneybox the apostles had with them (John 12:6). Surely, he could have repeated many of the lessons Jesus had taught in his presence! So, why didn’t they change his behavior? It appears Judas had a really hard time discerning the spiritual implications behind Jesus’ teachings and missed out on a grand scale!

LOOK! The Scriptures are loaded with stories where people had the teachings of God before them and somehow missed out on the real meaning behind them! What part of, “Thou shall not make any graven images” did Aaron misunderstand? Yet 40 days without Moses, and a mob that is getting impatient and possibly unruly can sure affect one’s spiritual perception—Right, Jesus? Solomon was given a gift of wisdom by God that led to him becoming the most powerful, wealthy and influential king, perhaps of all time. So, what happened? Remember, it is a Spiritual Maturity CYCLE!!! We are called to continue through the process of learning the knowledge of the will of God in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so it becomes part of our walk and then bears fruit over and over again. Somehow the process was short-circuited in the life of Solomon as he chased after women, riches and other things that took his heart away from God.

Do you see what Paul was praying for? He was praying for our eyes to be opened to the spiritual realm so we evaluate everything according to this perspective. Spiritual maturity is an impossibility without this! So, as you face the trials, frustrations, and even the joys of this upcoming week, may you take the time to consider how they apply to this world AND how they prepare you for life in the next. That is true wisdom and understanding!

-Scott

Filled With the Knowledge of His Will—Colossians 1:9-12

2008-05-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

On Being a Disciple—The Cycle of Spiritual Maturity
Filled With the Knowledge of His Will—Colossians 1:9-12

Having recently moved to the Dallas area, there have been many times I have not known how to find a place I was supposed to be at. OK—maybe I should just say it—I have been lost! Mapquest has been a help at times, but it is certainly not flawless. So, can you just picture me lost in the midst of the Metroplex and stopping to ask a young man who is by the side of the road for directions? I roll down the window and ask, “Excuse me, but could you tell me the way to Parkland Hospital from here?” “Well,” the boy answers, “You go down this road about a mile and turn left by the gas station. Then you turn right at the 3rd street. That will bring you to a place where three streets meet at the George Bush Tollway. Once you get there, you had better find someone else to ask how to get the rest of the way.”

How many of you would be frustrated with directions like this? If so, perhaps that is why we find it so hard to walk with God during various trials or uncertain situations. This is a parable of life! When the ultimate end is uncertain, isn’t it good to get directions, however sketchy they might be, that move us, if only a few steps, in the right direction rather than in an incorrect direction? “Can’t you just give it all to me now?” “God, you know where I am supposed to wind up, so why not just give me the whole picture now and I will do my best to follow directions?”
Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:9-12 for the believers at Colossae to become more mature in their spiritual walk began, and came back to, their developing an increased knowledge of God and His will. As stated in last week’s article, the point of this cycle is that we are never to stop growing in our relationship with God. The steps of the cycle lead us back to an “increase in the knowledge of God” so every other part of the cycle also increases each time we work through it.

Do you understand what this means, Church? There should never be a point in which we have arrived and are done growing! Life itself should teach us this lesson! How many things that you learned the first 20 years of your life have changed since that time? How many things have been discovered or invented over the past 20 years? How could you possibly keep up if you stopped learning? It is a true statement that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever,” however, at what point will you have Him and His ways all figured out? We can count on His consistency (thus the teaching from Hebrews 13:8), but the very nature of things calls for us to keep on growing in our knowledge of Him (thus Paul’s prayer on behalf of the Colossians).

So, what does God want you to learn today? Are you ready? Is your spirit teachable and moldable? What have the experiences of your past week taught you about who God is and what he wills for your life? I am sure Paul prays the same prayer for us as he did for the Colossians! But, even if you are not confident in that, then I will offer this prayer on your behalf throughout this week! Let’s keep growing in our knowledge of God and see where that takes us in the other parts of the cycle of spiritual maturity. Next week we talk about developing spiritual wisdom and understanding.

-Scott

The Cycle of Spiritual Maturity

2008-04-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

On Being a Disciple—The Cycle of Spiritual Maturity
Colossians 1:9-12

John emphasized three attributes a disciple of Jesus is required to demonstrate: (1) abide in His word; (2) have love for one another; and (3) bear much fruit. Hopefully, each one of us can look into our lives (or have people we trust who will provide a spiritual mirror) and honestly evaluate how we are doing in these three foundational areas. However, how do we grow to become true disciples if we find ourselves deficient? Is there a process we can follow that will move individuals and a whole church family towards spiritual maturity and better service in the Kingdom of God? This is a question the elders and ministers have been wrestling with for several months as we have sought the direction of God to help this church family become all He has called us to be as ambassadors for His Kingdom.

Interestingly, Paul provides a prayer in the letter to the Colossians that shows his insight into the process of developing spiritual maturity. (Please read Colossians 1:9-12 before moving on with this article.) What we find in this prayer is what I will refer to as the Cycle of Spiritual Maturity. It is a prayer Paul has for the Colossian believers to grow in their understanding of Jesus and His ways, and the fruit that should come about as a result. Understand that Paul is writing to a body of believers he has not met (like us!) and he is trying to spur them on in their faith walk so they do not settle for a watered down version of discipleship and trust in Jesus. He will challenge them through the rest of the letter to avoid mixing faith in Jesus with empty philosophies and legalistic practices. Where he begins is a process that we at Garden Ridge need to consider carefully and weigh all our ministries and activities against to see if they are helping us or hindering us from becoming spiritually mature disciples. Activity, even spiritual activity, does not necessarily lead to spiritual maturity.

Paul begins with praying for the believers at Colossae to “be filled with the knowledge of His will.” Knowing God and His will provides the spiritual map everything else must follow in order to be pleasing to Him and true to His nature. However, knowledge of God’s will is not enough! It should produce spiritual wisdom and understanding (as Paul next prays for) so we can evaluate the things we face in this life according to His nature and will. Wisdom is the application of knowledge to everyday life situations. Understanding shows we grasp how the things we face in this world are really under the influence of God and His will. Having knowledge is a foundational start, but Paul’s prayer is for much more than knowledge! Can we apply that knowledge and demonstrate wisdom and understanding?

This leads Paul to pray for what the next step would be—(knowledge, wisdom and understanding become a part of who we are at our core)—Our Walk! As we learn to evaluate all of life through the eyes of God’s will, we develop disciplines and habits in our lives that constitute our WALK. However, even when His will becomes part of our core being, we have not arrived! He continues on with his prayer to call them to go another step forward by Bearing Fruit. In other words, this is a process meant to be shared. It is meant to influence others to draw them to a right relationship with Him.

The cycle then comes full circle (hence the term, cycle) by resulting in an “increase in the knowledge of God”. As one experiences the will of God in their daily life, through their walk, and in producing a harvest of good fruit, they learn about God at a deeper level and are pulled into the cycle at a deeper level. The beauty of this is that we never stop growing!

Over the next several weeks I will take each stage in this cycle and develop thoughts about them more completely so we can see how beautiful and powerful Paul’s prayer truly is. In the mean time, let us be praying that God will lead us to growth through the Cycle of Spiritual Maturity.

-Scott

Bear Much Fruit

2008-04-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Characteristics of a Disciple:
Attribute #3: Bear Much Fruit

Does your life have purpose? It is supposed to! For instance, both the Old and New Testaments have imagery of God planting a vineyard and expecting a harvest of fruit. One example is found in Isaiah 5:1-7. This passage begins as a love song in which a vineyard is planted and cared for in numerous ways. Fertile soil on a hillside was chosen; the ground was dug up and stones were removed; choice vines were chosen to provide a good crop; a wall and tower were built to protect the crop; and then a wine press was built for once the crop was harvested. However, the song quickly changes tone. Instead of yielding a crop of good grapes, it only produces bad fruit! God’s response was to remove His protection and care. He was looking for a harvest of righteousness and justice, but that is not what He found. The rest of the chapter goes on to explain why there was no fruit—6 “Woe Oracles” were pronounced showing areas that needed to be pruned (or cleaned up) before the vine would be able to produce.

Interestingly, John uses the same imagery as he teaches about the third attribute of a disciple in John 15:8: Bear Much Fruit. He begins in V. 1 by referring to Himself as the true vine and then teaches about the pruning (or cleansing) the branches (us) need to go through in order to produce fruit. What is different about this picture is that Jesus is the VINE and His followers are branches that come from the vine. In other words, the fruit is guaranteed to be a good crop as long as we abide in the vine!!! God created us to produce fruit for His kingdom but we are not responsible for making the fruit happen—only for staying true to the VINE and allowing the VINEDRESSER (GOD) to prune away the tangles and other areas where we will hinder our growth.

Perhaps, that is the struggle with this third attribute—letting God prune us! However, no vine will produce great fruit without pruning. Otherwise, the nutrients and energy are used producing branches and leaves, instead of fruit. The vine might get big, but its produce will be small. (Unfortunately, this sounds like a description of some people’s lives and even of some church work.) Abiding in the Word (who also happens to be the Vine) and loving one another is not our purpose—bearing fruit is! However, it is through abiding in the Word and loving one another that we are pruned by God and become productive. The bottom line is: God wants you to produce fruit!

Consider one last story to see how serious this is to Him: Why do you suppose Jesus reacted to the barren fig tree He encountered on His way into Jerusalem at the end of His ministry the way He did? Do you know the story I am referring to in Mark 11:12-14? He was hungry as He traveled from Bethany to Jerusalem and came upon a fig tree that was green with leaves but had no fruit on it. He cursed it saying, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” and it withered and died. What is astounding is that Mark also happens to mention that it was not the season for figs! That’s right!—Jesus killed a fig tree for not having figs on it when it was not the season for figs! Why would He do such a thing? He was making a point! We are supposed to produce fruit in season and out of season. We cannot look like we are healthy and green but have no fruit. That tree is worthless and Jesus will wind up cursing it!

So, how are we doing, Church? Would Jesus be pleased and would He call us His disciples?

-Scott

Love for One Another

2008-04-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

The Characteristics of a Disciple:
Attribute #2: Love for One Another

It is incredible what people are capable of doing “in the name of God” in order to police His church and stand in His name! For instance, over the past two months there have been two full-page ads taken out in The Oklahoman newspaper denouncing a particular Church of Christ in Oklahoma for their decision to add a contemporary worship service in which musical instruments are employed. Now, people may not agree on the right or authority to use instrumental music during a worship service, but could we at least agree that running a full-page ad in a public forum is not the most loving way to deal with one another? (Besides the fact that each ad cost $11,000 and was sponsored by individuals who do not even live in the same town as the congregation in question.) Seriously, if your neighbor had something against you, would you want them to put up a billboard in town to advertise your offense, or just come talk to you?
What are we advertising by the way we deal with one another? Are we showing we are part of something those without hope want to be part of because of how we stand with one another and bless one another? Or, do those looking in figure they get beaten up enough by the ways of the world and have no time or energy to have to deal with it in their religion as well?

Some of the danger of living in a culture in which we emphasize our “rights” and “freedom of speech” is that we become insensitive to others because we are focused on ourselves. However, Jesus clearly called us to a different level in our relationships. John 13:34-35 states: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” He said this in the context of just having finished washing the feet of His disciples! Imagine that—a Rabbi washing the feet of His own students. There is no place in any literature from the time of Jesus or before, except John 13, where an account of a Rabbi serving in this manner is recorded.

And how do you suppose Jesus handled the task of washing the feet of Judas, who would soon after betray Him? Apparently it was with tenderness and care, because when Jesus states that one would soon betray Him, the disciples began looking at one another at a loss to know who He was talking about (John 13:21-22).

The same is true of the cross! Do you understand that Jesus died for all the sin of the world? All the sin!!! He died for those who will never accept Him! He died for those who will try to use Him and His Father for their own gain! He paid the price for all sin, setting an example of what this new commandment of love should look like. Does this advertisement by Jesus look a little different than the one mentioned in the 1st paragraph?

Abiding in the word (the 1st attribute we looked at 2 weeks ago) sets the foundation for the disciple. Loving one another helps this first attribute of a disciple be about relationship with a living God and His creation rather than a checklist of rules and regulations. It puts the heart into our “religious” experience with God and His people. It makes following the letter of the Law more about caring for the souls of people than just being “right with God”. Besides, how can you be “right with God” if you don’t care about the souls of people?

-Scott

Abide in the Word

2008-03-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

The Characteristics of a Disciple:
Attribute #1: Abide in the Word

Do you like where you live? Now, don’t fall into the trap that we so often do and immediately think on a physical level! I am not talking about the house you live in or whether you like the neighborhood or community where you reside. I am talking about your spiritual walk! Do you like where you live?

One of the clear characteristics of a disciple of Jesus is that they abide in His word. Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). The first part of this statement by Jesus is really just common sense, isn’t it? How could you be a disciple (student, learner, follower) of Jesus if you are not willing to follow His teachings or use His word as the foundation for your life? “Abiding” or “living” in His word means we make it a part of our everyday living. It becomes the guide we use to navigate through the challenges of this life!

The context of these verses in John 8 is about the very trap we tend to fall into with religion. As people came to believe in Jesus (V. 30), He wanted them to see the constant seeking, learning and growing that needed to be part of their development. He was calling them away from becoming stagnate, thinking they had arrived because they were of the right bloodlines. They saw themselves as right with God and ultimately free because they were “children of Abraham” (V. 33, 39) however, Jesus challenges them to “do the deeds of Abraham”! You see, Abraham would recognize Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God because Abraham walked with God throughout his life. He was constantly growing in spiritual maturity and even in a land where he was a stranger, he was never enslaved! The Israelites, in contrast, had a long history of being enslaved by almost every nation who came down the road because they would stop listening to the word of God and would allow their lusts and the distractions of the nations around them to lead them astray.

The point is this: Too many Christians are not enjoying the fullness of life God wants us to experience because we are not abiding (living, dwelling) in His word. We become enslaved by addictions, dysfunction and bad habits that are not in line with the nature and will of God and then get angry at God when we are conquered and live in oppressive situations. If He was in control and truly loved us, wouldn’t He fix things and help me clean up my mess? (This is what the Israelites of Jesus’ time were waiting for!) But it is THE TRUTH that makes us free, not the MAGIC GENIE IN THE SKY who wants to follow after us and fix every bad thing we get into! We would be free and able to live lives of contentment, joy, peace and hope if we let His word be where we dwelled!

What does “FREE” look like? How about a marriage where you don’t have to worry about contracting an infectious disease or threaten one another with the D-Word (divorce) because you make your decisions based upon His Word on what marriage should look like and how it should function? Could it be that freedom is not having to worry about what you said or did in your past because you have lived as a true disciple of Jesus? How about the ability to not only overcome the addictions and dysfunction in your life, but also to then use what you have learned from those things to bless the lives of others who are struggling and looking for answers?
So, do you like where you live? If not, try moving into the neighborhood of God’s Word and see if your living conditions don’t improve.

-Scott

The Marks of a Disciple

2008-03-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

A popular skit series from the television show Saturday Night Live was about an individual named Pat whose character was intentionally made to be gender neutral. The point of the skits were to put Pat in various situations in which one could try and figure out if Pat was male or female. However, things were left so vague that one was always left wondering. The cast of Saturday Night Live made people laugh at the absurdity and awkwardness of something that should be quite clear yet was hard to define in this one individual.

How much of life is like this? Imagine if my references from when I was trying out for the preaching opening here at Garden Ridge made glowing statements like, “I am pleased to say that this candidate is a former colleague of mine”; or, “I can assure you that no person would be better for the job”; or, “I would urge you to waste no time in making this candidate an offer of employment.” Huh? What would they mean? Are these positive statements, or negative ones? (Go back and read each one again from both perspectives.)

I believe we have done the same thing with some of our different religious terms. One example of this would be the word, “disciple”. Ask a group of people what it means to be a disciple and you will get a lot of different answers. Some would be positive and some would not! Perhaps, the reason for this is because we fall into the trap of letting the world define what this means instead of allowing the Scriptures to provide its own definition. What was Jesus calling people to be and do when He invited them to follow Him and become His disciples? How much of what He desired from those walking with Him in His time applies to us in this present age? How much of what the first disciples were able to do in His name should we be able to accomplish?

One book that powerfully deals with the concept of discipleship throughout its pages is the Gospel of John! He begins his gospel on the very high plain of God creating through His Son, Jesus, and then sending Him to His creation to “explain” (the Greek term means to exegete) God. In so doing, His goal was not to bring God, His Father, down to the level of mankind, but to help mankind attain to the level of His Father! This is why John will make statements like, “there was the true light which, coming into the world enlightens every man”; and “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:9, 12). Do you see by these statements that we are called to His level? He enlightens us, not vice-versa! As a child of God, I am to live according to the ways of my Father, thus proving I am part of His family (See John 8:39-47 for a scathing discussion on being true children of God).

John helps define what a disciple is and what he does in three powerful quotes of Jesus found in John 8:31; 13:35; and 15:8. These are descriptive marks one must portray in order to truly be a disciple of Jesus. He calls His followers to: (1) abide (or live) in His word, which will set us free; (2) to love one another; and (3) to bear much fruit. Over the next three weeks I hope to take each of these statements made by Jesus and discuss what the implications are for our lives today. Following that, we will consider the cycle of maturity Paul prays for in Colossians 1:9-12 and how we can implement this in our daily living and ministries here at Garden Ridge.

Please recognize that the leadership at Garden Ridge is committed to searching out the truth of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and then challenge the members of this body to strive to live according to His high standard. We do not want to present a weak or impotent picture of what it means to be a follower of Jesus to our community, or one another, so that it is abundantly clear what a GREAT thing it is to be a disciple of Jesus and a child of God.

-Scott

What is Our Purpose?

2008-03-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

Imagine a shoe manufacturing plant that has been operating for two years without ever producing shoes. Employees have been hired; safety procedures have been approved; machinery has been purchased and tested and maintained; insurance has been bought; a cafeteria has been staffed and operated; even marketing strategies and shipping procedures have been implemented. However, what is the point of all this activity if the plant doesn’t manufacture shoes?

Do you suppose we have ever been guilty of going through the motions of religion without fulfilling the very things our religion is supposed to be about? Jesus commanded His followers to “go and make disciples”! Of all the things we do as a church, if we are not doing this, we are not truly functioning as the “body of Christ”, are we? As His body, shouldn’t our main activity be bringing people to God; training them in His ways so they are equipped to stand in the battle for their soul? Shouldn’t reaching into the darkness to rescue the perishing and equipping others who already understand their need for Jesus as their Savior be our primary goals? All the church activities, charity and service projects don’t mean much if we are not helping people see their need to be in a deep bond of intimacy with God!

Indulge me in a very personal illustration for the Garden Ridge family. Suppose we had a Christian School we facilitated on our premises and a great amount of time, energy and financial backing were given to this effort. Suppose the school grew to provide training for over 200 students each year. Staff and teachers were hired; playgrounds were built and maintained; auctions were held to promote the school and to help with new programs; scholarship funds were started and maintained; etc. However, suppose the church family did not know the families who sent their children to school throughout the year and had very little contact with the students. Would they be missing out on a beautiful opportunity to fulfill Jesus’ command to go and make disciples?

Imagine if the church family became more intentional about making disciples and made efforts to make the most of a resource already easily accessible. What might happen? Suppose Life Groups adopted classes and held birthday parties and other fun activities for the students? How might that speak to their parents? Suppose children who graduated were presented with Bibles in the assembly of worship and their parents were treated as guests of honor. Consider what might happen if students were followed up on each year after they graduated to see how they were doing spiritually and if this church family could help them grow closer to God. Suppose families were contacted each semester to see if they had a church home and if there were any prayer needs they had that our church family could lift up before God for them. Imagine if parenting seminars with free babysitting were done specifically for families in the stage of life these families are at. Could these things open more doors to evangelize and train disciples?

If our purpose is to make disciples (and I firmly believe this is first and foremost what God calls us to do), then we must evaluate each ministry and activity we do as part of the body here at Garden Ridge and consider how we might make the most of the opportunities already before us. We must become more intentional about finding ways to reach out with the Good News we hold dear. God will provide the growth, but we must plant the seed! Are we ready to grow? Not if we lose sight of our purpose! There are a lot of shoeless people that need us to do our job.

What does it mean to be a disciple? Over the next several weeks my articles will provide some biblical insight into what God calls us to as disciples of Jesus. We will look at various characteristics of disciples and the process of maturation Paul prays for when writing Colossians.

-Scott

The Race

2008-03-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

When everything is said and done, what will you have accomplished that is truly exemplary? When you reach the Finish Line of life, what accolades will be awaiting you? Could it be that there is an enemy running alongside of us trying to trip us up or lead us down the wrong path?
A story is told of two paddleboats that left Memphis at the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they were traveling side by side, words were exchanged, competition flared, and the two boats began racing to see who could reach their destination first. One of the boats began falling behind because it was running short of fuel. There had been plenty brought aboard for the entire journey, but not enough once they began to race! As the boat fell back, the captain took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the furnace. The response was immediate—the little boat picked up speed. The captain proceeded to fuel his boat with the material he had been assigned to transport down to New Orleans. He ended up winning the race, but burned up his cargo!

Could it be that we have fallen into the same trap when it comes to family responsibilities? One husband, out to prove his love for his new wife, swam the deepest river, crossed the widest desert and climbed the highest mountain. Unfortunately, she divorced him because he was never home! Too many of us get caught up in the rat race of life, striving to see, do and conquer more than any who have come before us. As a result, we often lose sight of the precious cargo that is right before us—our families! How many times have they been sacrificed in the quest for something truly amazing that winds up being only superficial and temporary?

Garden Ridge is a church that believes in the priority of developing healthy families according to the will and plan of God. With this in mind, the elders have seen to it that there are several tools in place to assist families in a variety of areas to challenge them and help them maintain proper priorities in all areas of family life. Programs such as Financial Peace, Dynamic Marriage, and Celebrate/Recovery are incredible tools for developing healthier families! “What are these”, and “How can they help me”, you ask? Consider the following:

Financial Peace University is a 91-day program designed to help couples learn how to pay off debt and build financial security through training and accountability. Several couples have already participated in this program and have paid off vast amounts of debt as well as started savings plans that have helped them become more responsible financially, and less stressed out emotionally.

Dynamic Marriage is an 8-week interactive marriage program in which the participants learn the plan of God for marriage and how to fulfill the roles He has designed husbands and wives to play. It is a communication training exercise in which couples learn how to speak love to one another in a way they will hear, and meet one another’s needs so they grow in intimacy.

Celebrate/Recovery is a Bible based recovery program designed to help people find and experience God’s healing power in whatever areas are stripping this away. This would include areas such as: overworking, divorce, food addiction, overspending, physical and/or sexual abuse, lying, perfectionism, fear and/or anxiety, sexual addiction, guilt, eating disorders, grief, hurtful relationships, rejection; control issues, insecurity, anger, gambling, alcohol and/or drugs, and co-dependency. In other words, this is a training, fellowship and accountability program for dealing with destructive behaviors or hurts that can adversely affect one’s family life.

Interestingly, as my mom used to say, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Good programs are not worth much if, like the paddle-boat captain, we forget what our mission is and get caught up in some other task or pursuit that actually destroys the core of what we are. Remember what will truly last and set your sights on achieving that so there will be no heartache at the end of the race!

-Scott

Go And Make Disciples!

2008-02-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

Deeann, Whitney and I have been overwhelmed by the loving care we see the members of this body share with one another here at Garden Ridge! When our family members come to visit, they all remark on the friendliness and spirit of joy they encounter as they worship and fellowship with the body here. It is uplifting and refreshing to the soul! It is a testimony to the Spirit of God working among His people to produce fruit. (Now don’t go letting this give you the big head!)

As a result of this type of love for one another and joy in worshiping the Lord we have seen God doing some powerful things all around us. 2008 has started off with awesome things happening as each week this year we have seen our church family grow. Thus far, in 2008, we have seen 5 new births into the Lord and 15 individuals express interest in being part of the church family here. (Let God receive the glory for this!) However, with this type of growth we need to consider how we will help people connect to the church family in ways that encourage spiritual maturation and empowerment so individuals are confident and equipped to put their talents and passions to work in ways that serve the Lord, one another, and our community.

The eldership and ministry staff have been meeting to try and organize a process for helping each member move forward in their spiritual growth so they become tools in God’s hand and ambassadors who can serve within His will, while also providing a witness that attracts many more to realize their need to live within a bond of covenant love with their Father in heaven. The goal is to make disciples—just as Jesus called His apostles to do as He prepared to ascend back to the Father. The task is to provide training, love, support, encouragement, empowerment, accountability and opportunity to grow in our understanding of God and His ways and to put our faith into practice in real ways that make an eternal difference. The process is multi-layered.

One of the things each member should realize is the importance of the various types of group encounters provided through the various classes, worship times and ministries at Garden Ridge each week. It would be ideal for each member to be involved in a time of worship with the whole church family; a time of more intensive Bible study (at least once a week); and a time of small group interaction to develop intimacy with others in the family and have accountability from some who really know what is going on in our lives each week. That is why there are Bible classes and Life Groups to participate in beyond the worship time we have together on Sunday. Each of these provides a dynamic for spiritual growth that the others cannot offer.

In addition to this, each of us must learn to exercise our faith by putting it to work in practical ways. Our talents and passions need to be employed in the work of the Kingdom so that our God is presented as real and His ways as truly beneficial in everyday living. A faith that does not work is useless (or barren—as the word James uses in James 2:20 also means) and we all know what Jesus did to the fig tree that was barren in Mark 11:13-14, don’t we? Putting our faith to work shows it is part of us and not just something we give lip service to. Our “religion” actually becomes a lifestyle; part of our character and personhood.

This is what Jesus was calling us to as He told His followers to “make disciples”. He wants us to follow Him, learn from Him, and draw others to Him as ambassadors of God, helping people see the reconciliation available to them in their relationship with God. He wants us to be intentional in the way we use our time, talents, resources and opportunities so we consistently grow in the ways of our Father in Heaven.

Most of us have already signed up for this—let the training and service continue!!!

-Scott

Do You Have an Emotional, Intellectual, or Willful Relationship With Jesus?

2008-02-17T13:14:00.000-08:00

What type of relationship do you have with Jesus? What type do you want to have? There are three elements one should involve in developing a covenant bond with Jesus: the emotions, the intellect, and the will. Typically, we begin with emotions, move to the intellect and finish with the will. Take a young man becoming attracted to a young woman for example. His emotions could get him into trouble if they were acted upon alone. Rushing into a relationship solely based upon emotion is a train wreck waiting to happen! The intellect should slow down the emotional response causing him to question things such as whether they are compatible, or if he is financially able to support a dating relationship, or what they will do if this should move on to something deeper. This is where some of the time element that goes into dating comes into play, so the two can get to know each other well enough to make both an emotional and intellectual decision about where their relationship should go.

However, there is a third element that must also be considered—the will! The will goes beyond the feelings of emotion and the rationale of the intellect to the very heart of commitment. The will is what one uses to decide about changes in lifestyle and the cost they are willing to pay in order to follow through on one’s decision. The will is the part that will hang in there when the emotions are not quite feeling it and the intellect is in doubt. The will is the glue that holds these other transitory elements together.

The text for the sermon this morning (Luke 4:14-5:11) includes three challenging stories. In the first one (4:16-30), Jesus is in His hometown and goes to the synagogue to proclaim God’s year of Jubilee. However, because the townspeople can only see Him as Joseph’s son (V. 22) instead of God’s Son (as has been emphasized consistently throughout our study of Luke), they wind up seeking to kill Him by the time He finishes teaching them (V. 28-29). This is a story of emotion! The townspeople who watched Jesus grow up are excited about His message of Jubilee, however, once He begins challenging their intellect and will, they let their emotions drive them to seek to destroy Him.

This is followed by a story of intellect (Luke 4:31-43)—the healing of the demon possessed man in the synagogue! In this account, the people let their emotions cause them to marvel at the authority and power in Jesus’ teaching (V. 32, 36) to the point that they search for Him when He withdraws to a lonely place. They then want Him to stay with them so they can learn more (V. 42). These people are searching and hungry to be with Jesus, but we are not told of any of them changing their lifestyle to follow Him!

That is where the third story comes in (Luke 5:1-11)—where Jesus teaches from Simon’s boat and then takes them out fishing. Simon has already encountered Jesus when He healed his mother-in-law (4:38-39). He has heard Him teach and witnessed a miraculous catch of fish. It moves him to confess he is a sinful man (5:8) and to feel unworthy to be with Him, however, when Jesus offers to make him a fisher of men he leaves everything to follow Him (5:10-11). This is a decision of the will to change his lifestyle and take on new commitment, even at great cost!

So, which story best describes your walk with Jesus? Are you in an emotion-level relationship in which you bounce all over the place, based upon the feelings of the day? Or, are you in an intellectual-level relationship in which you are searching to know more so you can figure Him out? You long to be with Him, but not to the point of making commitment or changing lifestyle. What He wants you to reach is a will-level relationship so you will live sold out to Him and pay the price to walk with Him, whatever it takes! He wants your heart in a bond of covenant! Are you willing to surrender this to Him?

-Scott

Tempted To Be Something You Are Not?

2008-02-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

How far will you go to make a name for yourself? What could the devil offer you to sell out the desire God has for your life in order to make of yourself what you want? Are there things tantalizing you that will draw you away from God rather than closer to Him?
Greek mythology tells of a king named Tantalus who wanted to be more than he was. He befriended the ruler of the gods—Zeus himself—and was soon invited to take part in
the feasts and banquets that were held on Mount Olympus. Here he was able to dine on the nectar and ambrosia that was reserved as food only for the gods.

What does Tantalus do with this new found success and privilege? He decides to use his status to become popular with his friends who are mortals back on earth. Instead of showing gratitude to Zeus for blessing him with such privilege, he steals from the gods and brings their nectar and ambrosia down to humanity. This, of course, will not go unpunished!

The reaction of the gods was to destroy his kingdom and then Zeus struck him dead. However, in the Underworld Tantalus was sentenced to stand in the river of Hades with water up to his chin. Above him was a tree with clusters of delicious fruit hanging just above his head. Every time Tantalus tried to drink the water, it would recede beyond his reach and every time he reached for the fruit, it would be blown out of his reach. He was, thus, doomed to suffer hunger, thirst and unfulfilled desire forever. (This is the story from which we get the word tantalize.)
What kinds of things tantalize you? This morning we will see how the devil came to Jesus in an attempt to get Him to be something He was not. The devil said to Jesus twice, “If you are the Son of God . . .” and proceeded to try to talk Him into doing things that went against the nature or will of God (Luke 4:3, 9).

Wait a minute—isn’t Jesus the Son of God? Of course He is, but what does that mean? By turning stones to bread or jumping off the Temple He would be taking God off of the throne and putting Himself in that position! He would be providing for His own needs instead of trusting God to provide, and He would be making God serve Him by saving Him instead of Him serving God!

What the devil really wanted was for Jesus to use the things of God for His own glory and to serve Himself (much like Tantalus took the ambrosia and nectar of the gods for his own glory)! In other words, the devil tried to get Jesus to live up to the picture he had of the Son of God rather than the expectation God had! How many times do we fall into the same trap? How many times do we expect of Jesus things outside of what God expects? Hopefully, we will learn this morning to avoid the temptation to be something we are not, allowing God to sit on the throne of our heart while we trust Him to provide for us and protect us!

-Scott Jarvis

A Call for a New Kind of Kingdom

2008-02-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Imagine you had access to a time machine and could travel back in history to see any event as it was happening! What would you want to see first? What event in history is so incredible, inspiring, unique and important that it would be at the top of your priority list? My thoughts went immediately to the crucifixion of Jesus. To see God in human form surrender to the evil of this world in order to overcome it would be overwhelming!

I cannot imagine the wide range of emotion I would feel! Part of me would want to do anything I could to ease His burden. Part of me would want to hug Him and look into His eyes and tell Him how sorry I am for doing the things I did that put Him on that cross! I would want to shout praise and encouragement to God for enduring the mistreatment and death of His Son! I would want to try to persuade the religious leaders and Romans to realize what they were doing so it was not in vain for even one person! And then there would be this part of me that would be angry!

How could I not be angry? As I tried to soak up everything going on all around Jesus, it would get under my skin that there was a group of soldiers huddled at the foot of the cross trying to decide how to split up the belongings of Jesus (See John 19:23-25)! How could they become so calloused that they would wonder what they were going to get out of the crucifixion of the Son of God? Could they really be this self-absorbed? And then that would make me wonder how many times I had approached the cross of Jesus with my own agenda! How many times during the partaking of communion have I acknowledged that there was a man hanging on a cross (that is, after all, why we are gathered together), but I came with my own appetite to satiate and my own agenda to fulfill? How many times have I looked for what I would get out of it rather than stopping to appreciate what Jesus was doing for me?

Perhaps that is why John the Baptist, the one whose job it was to “make ready the path of the Lord”, talked the way he did when people started to come out to him to be baptized (Luke 3:7-9). Calling people a brood of vipers and questioning their motives for coming out to be baptized does not seem politically correct or religiously polite. Shouldn’t someone blow their whistle and call a foul? Shouldn’t we be concerned about offending people and running them off?

John was much more concerned with true repentance! It doesn’t matter that they are Abraham’s children (V. 8)—God can make more from the stones of the ground! It doesn’t even matter whether they were baptized if they don’t produce the good fruit they were created to bear (V. 9). How can they withhold from those in need (V. 11); exploit one another (V. 12-13); or resort to extortion and bearing false witness (V. 14) if they are truly of the Father? No wonder the axe was already “laid at the root of the trees”!

Should we be concerned about falling into the same traps? Are you here this morning wondering what you are going to get out of Bible class or the worship time? Perhaps it would be time better spent simply reflecting on what it is Jesus has done for us and marveling at the extent He would go to in order to make us right with the Father!

-Scott Jarvis

A God Among Men!

2008-01-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

So, God comes to the world to live among His own creation? Surely God demands respect and dignity! Yet Luke makes it a point to emphasize that Jesus was born of humble means. First, He is born to a young woman of Galilee. Galilee was not known for its wealthy citizens. In fact, the reputation of Nazareth (a city of the Galilee region and the town Mary was from) and Galilee is shown to be questionable in the Gospel of John. Nathanael questions whether any good thing can come from Nazareth in 1:46. Then, the multitude questions whether the Christ would come from Galilee in 7:41 and whether a prophet would arise from Galilee in 7:52.

Luke also shows the humble means of Joseph and Mary through the sacrifice they offer as they present Jesus to the Lord in Luke 2:22-24. Their presentation of two turtledoves is what is prescribed for those who have insufficient means to offer the required sacrifice (Leviticus 5:11 & 12:8). In addition, Luke mentions not once, not twice, but three times in chapter two that Jesus was placed in a feeding trough when He was born into this world—not quite the place one would expect to look for the Savior of the world, the Christ and the LORD (2:11).

What should we expect from a God among men? What qualities would He portray for mankind to realize He was among us? It is ironic to see the many ways He emptied Himself for the sake of mankind. Imagine the Bread of Life going hungry for 40 days to begin His ministry in the will of the Father, or the source of Living Water ending His ministry hanging on a cross and proclaiming His thirst! Imagine the One who tells us to take His yoke and He will give us rest being weary at the well in Samaria. Why would He empty Himself this way? Can you picture the One with the power to cast away the demons being accused of having a demon? How about the King of the universe willing to pay tribute to an earthly king? Does it make sense that the One who will one day wipe away all our tears wept over Lazarus? He was sold for a measly thirty pieces of silver yet He purchases for God men from every tribe, tongue and nation. He is the Good Shepherd who was willing to be led as a lamb to the slaughter. He was willing to die in order to strip away the sting of death! Are these the kind of things you would expect from a God among men?

Anyone who pictures God as harsh and vengeful, waiting for us to mess up so He can strike us down, is just not paying attention to the picture given through Jesus! What He was willing to give up for us is amazing! Consider one final picture of Jesus: He enters into Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey and being celebrated as the King of Kings. Jesus certainly deserves the respect and dignity due this role, however, what is incredible is that Jesus is also willing to play the role of the donkey, carrying the glory of His Father upon His back as He empties Himself and serves in humility. Do you know this picture of God shown consistently through Jesus? This is what God among men is really about! A God who will empty Himself and come among mankind is exactly what we need! What a coincidence! That is the kind of God we happen to serve!

God's Law Trumps Murphy's

2008-01-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

Most of us understand the premise of Murphy’s Law all too well, which is basically stated: “If something can go wrong, it will, and usually at the most inopportune time.” Why is it that the gasoline light on the dashboard of your car comes on when you are already running late for an appointment? How come your child discovers homework is missing when you are ready to walk out the door for school? Why is the severity of an itch inversely proportional to one’s reach? Why is it that a spilled drink flows in the direction of the most expensive object? Why are paper towels and toilet paper always strongest at the perforations? It seems as though there is a conspiracy of universal proportions mankind must deal with as we live on this planet called earth!

Former heavy-weight boxer James (Quick) Tillis tells about his experience when he moved to Chicago from Oklahoma in a quest to fulfill his dreams of being a top-level boxer in the early 1980s. He claims: "I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under my arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down, and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, 'I'm going to conquer Chicago.' "When I looked down, the suitcases were gone." (This story is from Today in the Word—September 10, 1992)

NO WONDER WE NEED A SAVIOR!!! No wonder Luke felt it was necessary to write a book we classify as a “Gospel”, which literally means, “Good News”! We could all use a little of that, couldn’t we, after all we have been through in our lives? And as we study the writings of Luke over the next 6 months, he is going to have plenty to say concerning the frustrations we encounter in this life and the victory God has to offer through the gift of His Son as our Savior!

One of the emotions consistently emphasized by the characters found in chapter one of Luke is the JOY they have over the invasion of God into their lives and their history! A barren couple is given reason to rejoice by bearing a son who will be a “prophet of the Most High” (Luke 1:76)! A woman from Nazareth (“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”—John 1:46) is selected by God to bring forth and care for His “Son of the Most High”—(Luke 1:32)! A time of oppression and darkness is visited by the “Sunrise from on High”—(Luke 1:78)! In other words, God is actively working in this world to bring us peace and light and hope and victory, even in the face of Murphy’s Law and other negative aspects of this life!

Don’t let the things of this world strip away your JOY!!! God is in control and by walking with Him we can see how Murphy’s Law is trumped by the love and activities of our Father in heaven! Jesus might say it this way, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

The Breath of God

2008-01-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine forgetting to breathe? No way! Your body cannot function without air and will quickly let you know when the supply is cut off! Imagine you are swimming in a swimming pool and you see something shiny reflecting from the bottom of the pool. You dive down to the drain to see what it is and while investigating you get your finger stuck in the drain! This is not good! You try not to panic, but a shot of fear pulses through your brain. You pull against the drain but you are wedged in pretty tight. The lack of air is starting to be a problem, so you exhale what little air you have left in you and push with your feet against the bottom to break free. The swim to the surface is agonizing as your chest is constricting and your head is pounding due to the lack of air! At last you break the surface of the water and are able to breathe in deeply the only thing you really care about at the moment—AIR!!!

We were created with the vital need of air intake! There is no getting around it—without it we will perish! Interestingly, one of the pictures of Scripture is of God breathing out His word for our intake so that we might be “adequately equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). This image is intended to show us how important it is for us to have a consistent intake of God’s word! How can one live without the breath of God?

With this in consideration, our look at the influence of Josiah this morning and his reaction to the discovery of the Book of the Law is undeniably significant. As we talk about the incredible legacy Josiah is remembered by, one of the keys that brought this about is the respect and value he gives to the word of God—this is LIFE! Josiah was in touch with this and his heart was moved when God’s word was read in his presence.

How is your heart doing? One of the great warnings found in the book of Hebrews (3:12-13) says this: “Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” In Josiah’s time they had gone through several kings who had not heeded this warning and the nation was close to being destroyed. The Book of the Law had been lost and the nation of Israel was definitely NOT adequately equipped for every good work during that time. However, as we will see this morning, one man stood in the gap and left a powerful example for all of us to learn from. He breathed deeply from the word of God and changed the direction of a nation. Some of the most flattering words stated in the Scriptures are reserved for this man because he understood where life truly came from—the breath of God—His word!

Do you want to build something special as a husband, daddy, wife, mother, child, employee, community member, student, etc.? The life force of this type of legacy comes from God! Breathe in deeply from His word and let it guide you to become all He has created you to be!

Prayer & Fasting for 2008

2007-12-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

Who is God and what does He want? What are the tasks He desires Garden Ridge to accomplish during 2008? How can we continue to grow to become more of what the body of Jesus ought to be? How can we use our talents, passions and different personalities to further the work of the Kingdom of God? These are all questions in which we need to seek the answers from God. That is the purpose behind our time of prayer and fasting.

The reports I received from those who participated several months ago when we did this were both positive and exciting. There were none who said they wasted their time by coming up to the building for a special time of prayer on behalf of the church family at Garden Ridge (of course, most people probably wouldn’t say that out loud in front of the new preacher). However, there were several individuals and families who commented on how this was a special time for them to focus their prayer life and get back into a habit of worship and prayer. Several people commented that they needed to slow down once in a while and be more intentional in giving time to focus on God. Other comments dealt with the joy of seeing the church come together in a bond of love and unity to pray for direction and guidance from God so we could fulfill more of the good works He desires us to accomplish as His ambassadors.

We invite you to please come take part in this special 24-hour period of seeking the will of God. As part of the church family here, we need you to join with your brothers and sisters in lifting up before God our petitions for His will to be done here on earth as it is in heaven! Will you please set apart a time of 30 minutes to an hour to come to the building and join in the prayers of this congregation?

Once again, we will have sheets of butcher paper in the foyers to write down general ideas for people to pray about concerning the spiritual growth and service of this body throughout 2008. However, we are also asking you to fill out cards with personal prayer requests that will then be prayed over by those who come to the building to pray. It is great to be part of the Garden Ridge family, and with that comes a responsibility to seek the will of God and to follow it as best as we can. This is what the Day of Prayer and Fasting is for—to help us be united in our quest to serve as the true body of Jesus in this community!

Understanding the Problem

2007-12-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

For more than 20 years, Professor Edwin R. Keedy of the University of Pennsylvania Law School used to start his first class by putting two figures on the board, “4” & “2”. Then he would ask, “What’s the solution?” One student would call out, “Six.” Another would say, “Two.” Then several would shout out, “Eight!” The teacher would just shake his head “no”. Then Professor Keedy would point out their collective error. “All of you failed to ask the key question: ‘What is the problem?’ Ladies and gentlemen, unless you know what the problem is, you cannot possibly find the answer.”

A young couple wanted to buy a home, but felt it to be too expensive for them. They told God, “If you want us to buy it, 1) have the contractor accept only 1/2 of what he's asking for the down payment, and 2) have the bank approve our loan.” Both events happened and they bought the home. They soon began to go into debt. Is this what God directed them to do? How do you know? What is the real problem here?

If we get real honest with ourselves, we all know we live this way. We try to tackle the situations we are called to face through our own human wisdom, and sometimes even do it in the name of seeking God’s will. After all, living in a world with a limited perspective means I must make decisions based upon what I do “know” or else I would never move one direction or another. And who is to say that in the situation of the young couple mentioned above, God didn’t lead them into this in order to teach them some valuable lesson for later in life. Or, He wasn’t concerned with what this young couple would go through because He was trying to use the results of this situation to accomplish something else in His kingdom. (Stop it—my head is starting to hurt!)

Can you see the dilemma here? If so, then you are ready to study the material we are going to look at this morning during our sermon concerning the life of Abram. You see, Abram had some choices presented before him and from what the Scriptures say and don’t say, he set himself and his wife up for some real heartache (not to mention the strife we still have in our world today as a result of his choices!) A simple series of decisions that really lead back to ONE primary decision set a course that has influenced billions of lives since the time he made his decision!
What decision could be so crucial? Well, I will give you a couple hints: It is found in Genesis 12 and it deals with the second part of our development of faith quest—learning to surrender our present to God! Last week we saw the importance of surrendering our past and how debilitating it can be to carry those burdens with us. This morning we will see the necessity of giving God our present. Will we try to solve life’s problems without stopping to ask God what the real issue is? If so, we may find ourselves in the predicament of Abram!

To listen to sermon, click Developing Faith: Surrendering Your Present.

Learning to Walk by Faith

2007-12-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

What do you want from your relationship with God? Are you hoping it will result in eternity in heaven? Perhaps your desire is to experience life to the fullest? It may be that you want your life to have purpose, direction, and guidance from a source beyond our limited earthly view? Could it be that you are looking to mature in a way that your life demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit and reflects the shekinah glory of God Himself? Or, are your sights set upon developing a healthy family with relationship skills that lead to better friendships and other interpersonal bonds that are fruitful and uplifting?

These all sound like good things, however, there is a serious problem with this thinking! Our faith walk with God should never be about what we want. When this is how we determine what is best we are thinking according to the flesh! Does this mean that the things listed above are bad—of course not! However, what makes them truly good is they are things God wants for us!!! By walking with Him, He leads us to these things!!! So often, our own attempts at striving for these things winds up in disaster or heartache or frustration because our perspective is limited and our motives are not pure. The real question is whether we have the trust in Him to get beyond what we want to allow him to bring about what He wants!

The Scriptures call us to live a life of faith in God. However, what does this look like? How do we develop faith? Fortunately, God provides an example to follow in the life of Abraham. This morning we will begin the last three weeks of our series on Who is God and What Does He Want by looking at the development of faith. By considering the struggles of Abraham from his call by God in Genesis 12 to the offering of his son as a sacrifice in Genesis 22, we will see that faith involves our ability to surrender to God our past, our present, and our future. These things are very hard to surrender when we are trying to be in control!

Several times in the story of Abraham we see how following his own ingenuity to achieve the types of things listed in the first paragraph of this article actually led to pain and frustration for him and his family, and even separation from God. Even the part of his calling in which God said all the families of the earth would be blessed in him was hindered or forfeited when he tried to walk by his own sight instead of trusting in the guidance of God. These provide painful lessons, however, recognize that God never gave up on him! This is because God wants all these good things for us, even more than we think we do! So, how is your own faith walk going? Are you still holding the reins? Consider surrendering your past, present and future to Him and see where that leads you. I know Abraham is glad he did! Will you be a true child of his and walk by faith?

To listen to sermon, click Developing Faith: Surrendering Our Past.

Whose Job is it to Share the Good News?

2007-12-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

How many of you feel confident sitting down with someone and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in order to lead them to a covenant relationship leading to salvation for their soul? Where do you start and what do you say? I would imagine there are many who would say, “I am not sure I feel confident with this. It would probably be better for someone else to teach them because I might mess things up, or they might ask questions I wouldn’t know how to answer.” Does this sound like an accurate portrayal of your feelings?

Now, if this is where you are in your spiritual walk, then so be it. However, if in one year’s time from now you are still in the same place in your spiritual walk, should it be time to recognize that there is something wrong? Paul told the church at Corinth that God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!” The same Paul who wrote this also told Timothy to be ready in season and out of season to preach the word. Peter adds that we should be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you”.

One of the reasons for studying about who God is and what He wants is to lay a foundation for the work God calls us to as ambassadors in His kingdom. Most of us already know the basic teachings of God, but do we know how to share them with the lost in a way that helps them see how God and His ways are relevant to the things we face in this era? Seeing God as the One who can put order to our chaos; as the One who knows our needs and provides for us; as the Father who will punish us in order to call us back to a right relationship with Him; as One who is hurt by our sin; as One who warned mankind for almost 1000 years prior to the flood; and as the One who will hang His bow in the sky to show us He is at peace with us should help us realize we worship a God who is actively involved in this world and who desires to have a bond of covenant with us! Will studying these stories equip us so we begin to see more outreach to the lost?

This morning, as we consider mission work done throughout the world, let’s not forget our own backyard! Our neighbors, co-workers, fellow classmates and others we come in contact with need someone to share the Good News with them! Can they count on you? If you are not ready for that now, will you be ready in a year? Or, if God grants us another year on this earth, will we be promoting another Mission Sunday asking for the same things because we have not grown? The answer to the question in the title of this article should be obvious! How will you be better equipped by next year to call people to reconciliation with God?

The Harvest is Plentiful

2007-11-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Garden Ridge showed its love for others once again! The collection of food for some families to enjoy over the holiday season was a great success. In the short time of an hour or two there were 45-48 baskets or boxes of food assembled and distributed to over 30 families. In addition, the pantry was completely restocked for us to be able to help out many more families in the next few months. There were reports of several tearful expressions of gratitude and surprise as food was delivered in Lewisville, Flower Mound, and beyond. May God be glorified as we recognize the opportunities within our community to share from the wonderful blessings we have received from Him and show His love!

To listen to this week's sermon, click Thanksgiving Sermon.

What Are You Building?

2007-11-18T08:20:00.001-08:00

Take a quiz—How many of these people do you recognize: Owen D. Young; Pierre Laval, Hugh S. Johnson; James F. Byrnes; Mohammed Mossadegh; Harlow Curtice? These are not obscure names! Each one of these people were designated “Man of the Year” by Time magazine. The major criterion for being selected as “Man of the Year” is that they supposedly had the greatest impact of all persons living on the earth within a given year.

When it is all said and done, what will you have built that will last? The Scriptures contain many teachings warning us about chasing after the things of this world and how temporary they are. The author of Ecclesiastes uses the terms “vanity of vanities” (used 38 times) and “striving after wind” (used 7 times) to share his understanding of the futility of making things “under the sun” (used 29 times) the ultimate quest. His point, as he experiments with many different areas of life in a quest for the meaning of life, from the beginning of the book (1:2) to the end (12:8), is that a focus on the things of this world will always end with the same conclusion—“‘Vanity of vanities’, says the Preacher, ‘all is vanity!’” Any worldview that doesn’t rise above the horizon of man himself is a waste of time!

Mark Twain, shortly before he died, wrote the following:
A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle; . . . they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow; . . . those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. It (the release) comes at last—the only unpoisoned gift earth ever had for them—and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence, . . . a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.

How sad to view life this way, but this is “under the sun” thinking! It is the very trap the builders of the Tower of Babel fell prey to. In a quest to make a name for themselves, they forgot the most important thing—the will of their God!

The one thing we have seen show up over and over again as we have studied who God is and what He wants is that God has a plan for everything! Man was removed from the Garden of Eden—God shared a plan for their ultimate return. Cain killed his brother and God started over through the lineage of Seth. When the genealogies of Cain and Seth intermarried and every thought of man became evil continually, He saved the world through the flood and showed His planning through Enoch and Lamech. Now, as the people build the Tower at Babel, He will once again show His planning and intention through a man we know as Abraham. Through all of this He will show the difference in man making a name for themselves and His making a name for us!
So, what do we use as a basis for meaning, value and significance? What have you done that you believe in and are proud of? What will survive the test of time? Perhaps Paul’s words to the Corinthians provide a perspective we should consider:

According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. (I Cor. 3:10-13)

Have you thought about whether what you are spending your time and energy upon will even last? Are you striving to make a name for yourself, or will you trust God to make your legacy? WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING?

To listen to sermon, click Making a Name for Yourself.

What is Your Perspective?

2007-11-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

To please his father, a freshman went out for Track. He had no athletic ability, though his father had been a good runner in his day, particularly in the mile. The young man’s first race was a two-man race in which he was pitted against the school’s 3-year champion in the mile. Thus, he was beaten badly. Not wanting to disappoint his father, the boy wrote home the following message. “You will be happy to know that I ran against Bill Williams, the best mile runner in the school. He came in next to last, while I came in second!”
Perspective is an amazing thing! There are always at least two ways to look at things. One sees the glass half-full and the other sees it half-empty. One faces a trial or challenge and thinks it a punishment from God and another considers it an opportunity to be stretched and to grow in their faith. This is certainly true as we look at the story of Noah and the flood this morning.
Most of us know the major details of the account of Noah and the flood. We also typically understand that there are at least two perspectives from which we should view the events of this story. One is the side of judgment and the way God handles sin. The other is the side of salvation and the way God handles the sinner. We will see in the sermon this morning the effort of God to SAVE mankind, but the destruction that comes because sin must be dealt with according to the righteous nature of our God. What is interesting is that the whole story of Noah and the flood is laid out to make a powerful point that the author intends not to be missed.
According to Gordon Wenham in the Word Biblical Commentary series, the story of the flood from 6:9 through 9:19 carries within it the following pattern:

A. Transitional Introduction (6:9-10)
B. Violence in Creation (6:11-12)
C. 1st Divine Speech: Resolve to destroy (6:13-22)
D. 2nd Divine Speech: Enter the ark (7:1-10)
E. Beginning of flood (7:11-16)
F. The Rising flood (7:17-24)
Þ GOD REMEMBERS NOAH (8:1)
F. The Receding flood (8:1-5)
E. Drying of the earth (8:16-14)
D. 3rd Divine Speech: Leave ark (8:15-19)
C. God’s resolve to preserve order (8:20-22)
B. 4th Divine Speech: Covenant (9:1-17)
A. Transitional conclusion (9:18-19)

This is called a palistrophe, where the story builds up to a point and then builds out from it. The significance of an order like this is that the point in the middle is generally the main emphasis.
Do you see what the author is emphasizing? God always remembers those in a bond of covenant with Him! Isaiah would put it this way: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you!”—Is. 49:15.

Consider some other passages and what God provides for those in covenant with Him because He remembers them (Genesis 19:29; Exodus 2:24; I Samuel 1:19; Psalm 105:42). As horrific as the flood event appears at first glance, it sure demonstrates the heart of love God has for those who belong to Him. It is all a matter of your perspective!

To listen to sermon, click The Flood Was a Salvation Event.

What Legacy Do I Want To Leave Behind?!?!?

2007-11-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

Who wants to study a genealogy? Of all the sections of material in the Bible, could anything be as dry and pointless as a genealogy? For some reason Moses puts TWO genealogies side by side right near the beginning of his writings to teach us about our relationship with God (who He is and what He wants).
One of the great things about Scripture is the way God chooses to teach lessons about who He is and what He wills through both the good news and the bad news in people’s lives. One might think it prudent for God to choose one story of victory after another to show the benefits and plausibility of doing things according to His will. And, of course, there are many stories like this throughout the Scriptures: David & Goliath; Daniel in the lion’s den; Joseph in Egypt; Elijah on Mount Carmel; Peter walking on water; and the list could go on. However, God often shows the failings and weaknesses of individuals, as well. He does not try to hide them. In fact, it seems as though He willingly displays them so we might grow from the mistakes others have made. Consider David & Bathsheba; the grumbling of the Israelites in the wilderness; Noah getting drunk; Solomon and his many wives; Peter’s denials of Jesus; and Paul’s argument with Barnabas concerning John Mark, just to name a few. God uses these moments of sin or human weakness to teach us His will and ultimately bring Himself glory!
This morning’s sermon over the genealogies of Cain and Seth is a further example of the way God does this. As we see records of generations of two particular families, it becomes clear that we have a choice to make. What type of family legacy will we leave behind as future generations unfold? Will we leave behind a legacy of worldly success at the expense of our souls, such as we find in the genealogy of Cain, or will those who look back over our own genealogy see God working out His plans throughout our family line, like we see in the genealogy of Seth? What will those who look back at us say our priorities were? What Moses is emphasizing through these two genealogies is the most fundamental decision mankind must make—what legacy do you want to leave behind? When you know the answer to this question, pursue it intentionally! After all, what truly is more important than this?

To listen to sermon, click The Tale of Two Genealogies.

A Great Big Thank You!

It was such a nice surprise and a great encouragement to Deeann and me to receive the outpouring of blessings and kind thoughts that this church family bestowed upon us last week. Thank you for the cards and gifts and especially for the prayers and blessings we were given. We are excited about the work we get to do for the Lord with the church family here at Garden Ridge and look forward to growing together as disciples, servants and ambassadors for our Lord. Thank you again for showing us such love and appreciation even though we have been here such a short time. It is greatly appreciated!

When Justice and Mercy Collide

2007-10-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Isn’t it awesome that God is so merciful? After all, we all mess up, and who doesn’t need a God who understands and provides out of His mercy and grace another chance to work things out? It is really difficult to live in this world and not become influenced or stained by it. Thus, we need a God who is full of mercy and grace! Instead of surrendering as a failure, I can be made new and have a whole new outlook on things!

Isn’t it awesome that God is so just? After all, there are so many things in this world that are shady and deceitful! How many times are we taken advantage of because someone has their own agenda and will take whatever means they deem necessary to accomplish their goal? Sometimes it is hard to know what standard to live by, but having a God who is just helps me determine morality, truth and what is right because I have a measuring stick with which to evaluate things.

We serve a God who is both just AND merciful!!! Consider the way God presents himself to Moses when He reveals His glory to him on Mt. Sinai, as recorded in Exodus 34:6-7:
6 Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Do you see both the justice and mercy of God portrayed as He speaks to Moses? God says these things about Himself!!! The context of this proclamation is that God is angry enough to destroy the Israelites due to their sin with the golden calf, but Moses begs Him to continue walking with them. Moses has returned to Mt. Sinai with two tablets of stone to have the 10 Commandments inscribed on them and he will return to the Israelite camp with a glow that frightens the people as a result of his time in the presence of God. Even the physical representations of tablets of stone (Law) and the glow (presence of God) show both characteristics of His nature!

How do these two characteristics work together? Does His justice override His grace, or does His grace override His justice? Is it possible for the two to work in balance? This morning, as we look at the story of Cain and Abel, we are able to see both aspects of this great God we serve. The justice of God will not accept Cain’s sacrifice, while the grace of God will warn him of sin crouching at his door waiting to have him. The justice of God will hold Cain accountable for the murder of his brother, prohibiting him from using the ground to grow crops and making him a wanderer and a vagrant, while the grace of God will protect Cain from someone finding him and killing him.

Perhaps this is what makes our understanding of God and His ways so difficult at times. It is hard to balance these two characteristics! When I swing to the side of justice, I struggle with what God does through His grace (Why would God protect a murderer?). When I swing to the side of grace, I struggle with God’s justice (Why wouldn’t God accept Cain’s sacrifice?) Yet, God exhibits both characteristics with great balance. Isn’t it awesome that God is so merciful and just!!!

To listen to sermon, click Serving God on My Terms.

The Quest to Live Forever

2007-10-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

It is amazing the types of things people in our society will do in a quest to stay young and “live” forever! Have you heard the one about Ted Williams, the former Red Sox Baseball player? Upon his death, his son had his head removed from his body and had both head and body frozen in a preserved state for the day that medical advances can bring him back to life and restore him to good health. To commemorate this decision, (I promise I am not making this up) the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings Minor League Baseball team held a “Ted Williams Popsicle Night” on June 3, 2003 (the one year anniversary of his being put into cryogenic stasis), in which the first 500 fans in attendance received a free Popsicle—Is nothing sacred anymore?!?!?

Then there is David Copperfield, the magician, who claims he discovered the “Fountain of Youth” on one of the Bahaman Islands he recently purchased for the price of almost $50 million. In a phone interview on CNN in August, 2006, Copperfield said, “You can take dead leaves; they come in contact with the water; they become full of life again. Bugs or insects that are near death come in contact with the water, they’ll fly away.” Copperfield admits he has hired scientists to examine and experiment with the waters, but why has nothing reputable been reported, if this is real?

Robert Freitas, a nano-robotics theorist, suggests we could see the day when tiny medical nano-robots travel through our bloodstream to find and destroy dangerous things like bacteria and cancer cells and other potential hazards. Other scientists are proposing that through cybernetics there will come a time when human consciousness will be able to be uploaded onto a computer system where an individual will live indefinitely in a virtual reality (sort of like a Matrix concept).

Isn’t it amazing that there is within us this desire to live forever? Perhaps, even more amazing is how our Father in heaven has once again responded to a need we have and provided a means for it to be fulfilled! It does not involve cryogenics, cybernetics, nano-robotics, or even a Fountain of Youth! What it does involve is a thing called the Tree of Life. This is what we will study about this morning. However, from what we will see, God is very particular about who He will allow to feast from its fruit. I pray you will see the heart of God as we study about the RESTORATION God brings us through in order to make us ready to live forever.

To listen to sermon, click Eating from the Tree of Life.

A Father’s Discipline

2007-10-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

As a parent, it is sure nice to get beyond the stages where corporal forms of punishment are needed to teach obedience and reinforce various life lessons that are vital for the safety and maturation of our children. As Tyler, Christopher and Whitney mature into young adults; it is nice to see our relationship shifting towards more of a friend/respect bond rather than the parent-child/obedience bond we lived with for many years. It is not that they don’t still live with the parent-child/obedience model, but through empowerment and maturation our relationship has moved to a new level—one which I welcome and embrace!

I believe God feels the same way! Training up children is difficult and takes a lot of hard work. Maybe that is why the whole life process begins with something called “labor”. Discipline takes wisdom, patience, perseverance, and, well, discipline to do it well. Fortunately, God demonstrates all of these qualities throughout the Scriptures as He trains up His people to know Him and His ways. The reason these qualities are necessary is because discipline is meant to be more teaching than punishment (discipline and disciple come from the same root word)!

That brings us to the interesting situation going on in Genesis 3 when God brings forth His big stick of punishment upon the serpent and the first man and woman as a result of their disobedience. Certainly, He is teaching He is in control and must be obeyed, but what other lessons is He trying to get across through His choice of discipline? I mean, what does increased pain in childbirth and difficulty in getting the ground to produce have to do with eating fruit they weren’t supposed to? This would be like taking my car to get the brakes fixed and the mechanic working on the horn to make it louder, thinking that would solve my problem, right? It just doesn’t make sense!

Perhaps there is more here than meets the eye at first glance? This morning we will see God’s response to mankind when we mess up. It is a powerful story of love and provision as God refuses to give up on mankind. There are lessons for mankind to learn, but He demonstrates He is in this for the long haul! He will not give up on us! Have I whetted your appetite to the text we will look at this morning in the sermon? (And you probably thought I would explain it all here. Sorry, but you have to wait for the sermon to see how this all plays out.)

To listen to sermon, click How Does God Respond When We Mess Up?

He is out to Destroy Us

2007-10-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Scriptures warn us over and over again of the enemy we have working to destroy us! We are told he is a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies (John 8:44). We are warned he is our adversary and he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking those he can devour (I Peter 5:8). We are warned to put on the armor of God because of the schemes of the devil through which he will try to destroy us (Ephesians 6:11-13). The truth is, HE IS PLAYING FOR KEEPS AND HE PLAYS DIRTY!!!

There is an old story about how Eskimo’s hunt wolves that parallels the twisted strategy the devil uses to get us to destroy ourselves. It is really quite gruesome, but it shows the danger we are in when we do not control our lusts. What the Eskimo does is take a sharpened knife with a double-edged blade and dip it in blood and freeze it. He does this many times over in order to make a frozen Popsicle of blood around the knife blade. Once this is done, he buries the knife with the handle side down, leaving only the Popsicle of blood exposed. The wolf then smells the blood and begins hunting for it. He begins licking the blade and the coldness of the frozen blood numbs his tongue so that as he gets down to the sharpened blade and slices his tongue, he does not realize that it becomes his own blood that he is feasting upon. Ultimately, the wolf bleeds to death feeding upon his own blood.

This a sad picture, but how many of us fall into the same traps by the devil and actually wind up destroying ourselves because we cannot control our lusts? This morning we will be introduced to someone else in the Garden of Eden who was seeking control. This serpent, who we know as the devil, uses lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride to shipwreck our faith. He sets the temptations before us that will entice us to get out of control so we destroy ourselves! What is interesting in the picture provided in the Scriptures is how consistent he is with the same warfare over and over again. Why do we keep falling for his schemes?

Do you want to hear the good news? I have a picture hanging in my office that was given to me by some great friends. It is a picture of Daniel sitting against a wall in the lion’s den with a lion nose to nose with him staring him in the eyes. I love this picture because it reminds me of the control my God has even over the “roaring lions seeking someone to devour” and how He can hold the devil at bay! Perhaps the real question is whether He can hold ME at bay. We will see the way Jesus handles the temptations of the devil this morning, BUT will we learn from His example? Our enemy is out to destroy us! Fortunately, our God is much bigger than our enemy! “Submit therefore to God! Resist the devil and he will flee from you! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!” (James 4:7-8)

To listen to sermon, click The Devil's Triangle.

Remember You're Special!

2007-09-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Do you feel special? What do you base your answer upon? Typically, we base our evaluation of what we call “self-esteem” upon values such as: appearance (how do I look?), performance (how am I doing?), and status (how important am I?); and our sense of worth (what value do I have?), our sense of belonging (Do others want me around?), competence (What skills do I have?) and purpose (What am I here to accomplish?). The problem is we often get wrong information about who we really are and what our purpose should be because we live in a world full of sarcasm and negativity. Many times, in a quest to feel good about ourselves, we diminish the value of others or put them down. This just perpetuates the negative feelings people carry around, making it hard to feel special.

Perhaps it would be better to trade our quest for self-esteem in for something much more objective and true—God-esteem! Interestingly, when considering the areas listed above through the eyes of Scripture, we are given vivid messages about each of these from a much different perspective. God tells us we are created in His image, thus our appearance is based upon our reflection of Him (Gen. 1:26). Since we are not saved by works, but by grace, our performance is not what God uses to determine our worth (Eph. 2:8-9). God does not love us or select us based upon status. He chose Israel when they were the least of peoples (Deut. 7:7-8). Our worth is clear just by considering the price He was willing to pay for us to be with Him—He gave His best for us (Rev. 5:9). He makes our belonging clear when He talks about choosing us (Eph. 1:3-5). Our competence is measured through what Christ can do through us (Phil. 4:13). And He tells us our purpose is to accomplish good works He created for us to fulfill (Eph. 2:10). So, whose voice are you listening to?

In raising up the three children God has placed in our care, Deeann and I have constantly tried to remind them that they were created to accomplish good works and that they are special in God’s eyes, and in ours! We told them this all the time! Every time one of our children was leaving the house, or when we dropped them off for school or some other activity, or when they went to bed at night, we would regularly tell them, “Remember you’re special!” Our children became so used to hearing this that they would try to beat us to the punch. When we would pull up at school to drop them off they would hurriedly open the back door of the car so they could run off, and they would say as they left the car, “I KNOW, I KNOW, I’M SPECIAL!” It then got to be a game to see who could say it first.

This morning in our sermon, we will see how culture has consistently distorted the view of mankind so that we think less of ourselves than what God’s view is and wind up accomplishing less than what He has created us for! We will see how God spells out very clearly in the Scriptures that we are special! Man holds a high place in the kingdom of God! Will you choose to live like a child of God, or settle for less? God wants you to REMEMBER YOU’RE SPECIAL!!!

To listen to sermon, click God's High View of Mankind.

Which Brother Are You?

2007-09-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

A man received a new car from his brother as a present. He parked it at his job and that evening, when he came out of work, there was a poor child of the streets walking around it, admiring it. He asked, “Is this your car, mister?” To which the man nodded and told him that his brother had given it to him. The boy was shocked by this and said, “You mean he gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish . . . .” He hesitated and the man knew he was going to say that he wished he had a brother like that. However, the boy surprised the man when he completed his sentence. “I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that!” The man looked at the boy and asked, “How would you like to go for a ride?” “Oh, yes, I would like that,” the boy said.

As they were riding the boy asked, “Would you mind driving in front of my house?” Thinking the boy wanted to show his friends he was riding in a new car, the man readily agreed. “Stop by these steps,” the boy cried as he jumped out of the car and started up the steps. “I’ll be right back!” When he returned he was leading his crippled younger brother. “There it is, Buddy, just like I told you. His brother gave it to him and it didn’t cost him a cent! Someday I am going to give you one just like it!”

What makes this type of selflessness so special? Why do stories like this fill us with inspiration? Could it be that it is because it is counter to our physical nature and so totally in line with God’s nature of love? The fact that we are moved by stories like this certainly works against the concept of “survival of the fittest”, doesn’t it? That is because we are created in the image of God, as we will see in the sermon this morning, which means there is a part of our soul that is touched by the same selflessness and giving He Himself demonstrates throughout the Scriptures.

Last week we saw how Moses introduced God as a God of POWER, ORDER, and COMPETENCE. We saw how He could take the biggest messes and speak order into them to turn them into something “GOOD”! This morning, as we consider the elements of covenant found in the second creation account, we will be further introduced to a God who cares about mankind with a selfless, giving kind of love that provides for our needs! We will be introduced to the elemental principles of covenant which are part of the foundation for the rest of Scripture.
We all want a brother like the one who gave the new car, don’t we? God is demonstrated to be this kind of brother, friend and God in Genesis 2. However, how many of us are trying to become like this type of brother to others? This is the quest we should be on as we truly take on the image of the ONE who has created us. Which brother are you?

To listen to sermon, click Does He Care about My Needs?

No Trivial Matter

2007-09-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

How well do you know history? If I asked you to name the 8th President of the United States, who would you say it was? Suppose I made it easier and asked you to name the 1st President of the United States. How confident are you that you could accurately name this individual? Suppose I told you if you answered, “George Washington” you would be accurate, but only if he was your answer to the first question and not the second one. What? Everyone knows George Washington was the 1st President!

Traditionally, George Washington is regarded as the “Father of our Country”, but was he the 1st President? In reality, there were 7 “Presidents” selected by Congress prior to the Constitution being adopted in 1789. George Washington was the 1st President elected under the Constitution, but what of those who served under the Articles of Confederation? But, what difference does all of this make? Unless I have some personal stake in who the 1st President was, does it really matter? It is just a story from the past that has little to no bearing on me!
How many times have we thought that about the stories in the Scriptures? I mean, Adam & Eve and the creation accounts are great stories, but what do they have to do with me? It is not like I have some personal stake in it, right? They provide some food for thought, maybe even some interesting trivia, but how do they help me with life in the 21st century?

This morning I am excited about our beginning a new sermon series from the teachings of Genesis because I take it as my mission to help each of us see the relevance these stories have to life in today’s world! We will not just be looking at interesting trivia or human interest stories. These stories were written to introduce us to God and are as relevant today as they were to those who originally received them! We will see over the next few weeks that we need to know about a God of TWO creations; we are blessed to have a God called both elohim and Yahweh; being given increased pain in childbirth as a result of eating forbidden fruit makes perfect sense; God was warning people about the flood almost 1000 years before it came; and many more matters that provide a clear picture of WHO GOD IS AND WHAT HE WANTS FROM US!!! I pray you will make every effort to participate in this study over the next three months.

By the way, the 1st President of the United States, if you accept those chosen under the Articles of Confederation, was John Hanson of Maryland. He served in this role for one year, during which time he worked with Congress to establish the Treasury Department, led them to adopt the Great Seal of the United States, which is still in use today, and was instrumental in the passing of a national holiday in which the 4th Thursday of each November would be declared a “day of Thanksgiving”. (I thought Franklin D. Roosevelt established this holiday?—I guess that provides material for another bulletin article!) Anyway, he may be the answer to a trivia question, but then again, some of what he did still applies to our lives today!

To listen to sermon, click Can God Handle My Mess?

Created to be in His Presence

2007-09-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

For the past three weeks we have considered the concept of being Human Clay. We began by seeing God as the Great Sculptor and considered His ability to make and remake something from a lump of clay as long as the clay didn’t become so hard it could only be broken. We then looked at man as the Sculpture of God and saw that clay has no business questioning the Great Sculptor as to what He is doing, and that this Sculptor can do amazing things with an ordinary lump of clay, if it will submit to His will and molding. Next we considered the Studio this Great Sculptor uses (the world) in order to craft us, and how that crafting will involve hardships and a process of refining, but our Great Sculptor has things in complete control.

This morning we will conclude our series on Human Clay by considering the Gallery and what it means to be a work of art worthy of being displayed with all of His other works of art. Will He see us as a genuine article of His own making, or will we be rejected as being a cheap knock-off or a counterfeit? How do you tell the real thing?

I am reminded of the account from Exodus 32-34 where Moses brings the 10 Commandments down to the people of Israel two times! God brought Israel to Mt. Sinai in order to make a covenant with them and give them the 10 Commandments. However, what happens to make it necessary for a 2nd presentation of the 10 Commandments is a case study in the things we have been studying about Human Clay. Here is God, the Great Sculptor, trying to mold Israel to become holy as He is holy, but they are so easily distracted, that 40 days of Moses being gone leads to the creation of a golden calf and complete unholiness in the camp! Israel was having a hard time with being soft enough to mold into the image of their God!

What is great about this story is that God did not give up on them! He feared what He might have to do if He continued to travel with them and told Moses His presence would not go with them (33:2-3); but that was because God did not want to have to break them! However, His desire to be in their presence was fierce, thus He revealed more of Himself to Moses (34:5-8) and then reaffirmed covenant with Moses (34:10-26); and finally had Moses make a 2nd set of stone tablets to teach the people His ways (34:27-28). At this point, Moses went back down to the people but they were afraid to come near to him because his appearance had changed!
How do you know when someone has been in the presence of God? It shows up all over their face! (Read Exodus 34:29-30) As Human Clay, God wants to make us more like Him! Will our countenance reveal even a glimmer of light because we have been in His presence together this morning? As we talk about God’s Gallery this morning, listen for two key points: (1) WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE A REFLECTION OF THE ARTIST WHO CREATED US; and (2) WE ARE CREATED TO BE IN HIS PRESENCE!!!

To listen to sermon, click The Gallery.

A Work in Progress

2007-09-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

AHHHH, the smell of burnt soybean permeates the air, which makes me acutely aware that school cafeterias have once again begun their assembly lines and school is back in session!!! (May God be praised for the availability of ketchup and salt!) This is also obvious by the increased activity in the malls. Teenagers all across the land have been busy trying to pick out new clothes to wear for the week-long fashion show known as the first week of school. No doubt, God has been almost as busy as the mall receiving petition after petition by grumbling students asking Him to free them from the bondage of teachers, principals, and various other school administrators and to rid them once and for all of the terrible oppression known as H-O-M-E-W-O-R-K! If it wasn’t for the benefit of a new social calendar, school would be a total waste of time!!!

How many of us beyond the school age years are happy to have all of that behind us? “No more teachers; no more books; no more Johnny’s dirty looks”? “Now I can get on with real life and forget all that book learning stuff!” May this never be our philosophy!

Probably the best student I ever had in my teaching years at Eastern New Mexico University was a sweet spirited older woman who finally finished her degree at the beautiful age of 72. Of the 1000+ students I had the opportunity to work with in the 16 semesters I taught at the University level, none worked harder and sought to learn more than Marie Roberson! Her routine was to tape all the lectures while also taking notes by hand. She then went home and transcribed the notes so she had the lectures word for word as they were presented. She then prepared for tests writing out lengthy answers to the study guide and spent usually about 2-3 hours taking one essay test, reciting almost word for word what was covered in the lecture. She even learned Greek and translated the entire Gospel of John when she was in her late 60’s. This is an individual who understood that there is always something new to learn!

This morning we will see how God uses this world we live in as His studio to mold us and shape us to become more of what He intends us to be. We are a work in progress! God is using our life situations to handcraft us. Do we make it hard on ourselves by kicking against the ox-goad? (Acts 26:14—an ox goad was a long stick with a pointed end used to prod an ox to keep them moving or to direct their path.) Our spiritual school is still in session and being a disciple means we are a student or learner. May we study hard through the course work of life so we do not have to cram for one FINAL EXAM! It is amazing what God can teach us and shape us to be if we will seek to continue growing! God bless you in your education! May you fully realize the benefits of a degree in spirituality and service to His kingdom!

It is Almost Here!!!

Have you invited anyone to come with you yet? September 16th will mark the beginning of a new sermon series in which we will consider who God is and what He wants from us. It will be a study that introduces God and His incredible way of dealing with mankind! I promise it will be a fresh look at the story of Genesis that will show you how real God is and how relevant His ways are for our lives. I hope you will get excited enough about this to invite someone else to come with you!

To listen to sermon, click The Studio.

The Hardening of Clay

2007-08-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

“Wow, this is one of the biggest decisions of my life!” “Will the water be cold?” “I wonder if this blue thing will really keep me modestly covered after it is wet.” “Do I really know enough to follow through on this commitment?” “They really won’t care if I drip water all over the carpet once we get out of the baptistery?” “Hey, I wonder how they change the light bulbs way up there at the top of the auditorium.” “I bet it will feel awesome to have my sins washed away!” “Did I leave the iron on?” “Maybe I should get a puppy.” “How did they say that Holy Spirit thing worked again?”

Can you remember the nervous excitement you felt as you surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus in the waters of baptism? How many thoughts flashed across your mind as you gave yourself to one of the biggest moments and decisions of your life? It is hard to focus on one thing, isn’t it—even during something as special and important as entering into a bond of covenant with the maker of the universe? No wonder the Christian walk is sooooo difficult!!!
It may be that you are reading this article right now in the midst of communion or the sermon because your mind wandered and you were just looking for something to occupy your thoughts. It is so tough to stay on task—AND we have an enemy who exploits this weakness in order to harden us so that we will not become what the Great Sculptor desires to craft us into for His service and our benefit!

We will see in the sermon this morning that God desires to use ordinary lumps of clay like us to accomplish awesome things within His Kingdom! However, this will not happen by chance or accident.

Notice what Jesus says in the midst of explaining the parable of the sower & soils:
And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns;
These are the ones who have heard the word, and the worries of the
world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things
enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19)

We must be on our guard so the struggles and trials of this life do not chip away at the dream and plan God has for each one of us. We were created for a purpose to accomplish the good works He has prepared beforehand in Jesus that we should walk in them.
I am glad you are here this morning! I rejoice that of all the things you could give your time and energy to at this particular time, you have chosen to be with a body of fellow believers who are striving to become more of what God wants us to be. May we help each other be disciplined & focused in our thoughts and soft & moldable in our hearts so our God can handcraft us into the works of art He desires to make of each of us!

Day of Fasting & Prayer
Remember, Friday, September 7th through Saturday, September 8th is a time of Fasting & Prayer for our whole church family to participate in. Please sign up in one of the foyers for a time to come to the building to pray so we have a 24-hour vigil offered up before our God and Father. The purpose of this is to seek God’s direction for this body of Christians as we begin a new chapter in our history so we become all God desires this part of the body of Christ to be and fulfill every good work He has prepared for us to accomplish.

To listen to sermon, click Man, The Sculpture.

A God who is in Control!

2007-08-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Suppose you had it in your mind that you were going to destroy Christianity. What would you do to turn people away from following Jesus and the teachings of the Scriptures?
In 361 A.D. a new emperor took over control of the Roman Empire. He came to be known in history as Julian the Apostate because of the many things he tried to do to stop the spread of Christianity. One of his strategies was to recall several bishops who had been sent into exile because of controversial views they held (teachings of Arianism) so that they would stir up trouble within the ranks of the Church. His hope was that people would become so frustrated with the bickering going on that they would turn back to the pagan religious views that were prominent before Constantine became emperor and used Christianity to bring unity to the Roman Empire, turning it into a “Christian Empire”. Interestingly, this actually led to the final defeat of Arianism as it led many Christians to revisit their differences. It is amazing how God works, isn’t it?

Julian was not finished. He passed a law to bar Christians from being employed in the teaching profession in an attempt to make Christians dependent upon pagan schools and the curriculum that would come with this. Julian even tried to have the Temple rebuilt in an attempt to invalidate the teachings of Jesus! However, it was abandoned after a fire and earthquake halted the work from being accomplished. Coincidence? Julian only reigned 2 years as emperor before he died.

This morning we begin a short, 4-week series called “Human Clay” in which we will be looking at God as our sculptor, we as the sculpture, this world as His studio to mold us into what He desires, and finally, whether we will be the work of art He has made us to be so He can hang us in His gallery. Throughout this series it should be evident that our great Sculptor has things totally under control! He has a great plan that will not be thwarted, even though He has given His creation free will. May it never happen, but we could even go so far as to have a “Julian the Apostate” moment in which we strive to work against the will of this great Sculptor and He will continue to bring about what He desires. So, will you submit to His handcrafting in your life? Will you bring your free will in line with His intentions? “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands?’”—Isaiah 45:9

A Day of Fasting & Prayer

As we continue to strive to write a new chapter in the history of the Garden Ridge congregation, it is important to make sure we are following the direction our Father in heaven wants us to go. Friday, September 7th through Saturday, September 8th will be a day of fasting and prayer for our church family. We will be asking you, as a church family, to take part in a vigil of prayer (signing up for a specific time to come and pray here at the building and/or lifting up this body and the direction God is calling us to go throughout the 24-hour period we are setting this up for). We will also be putting out sheets of butcher paper in the foyer for you to write things you believe we should focus upon as we strive to know the will of God and obey Him. These sheets will be hung in the room of prayer (Modular 1) for those who come to pray to stir thoughts and ideas to pray for. Each week, more information will be given concerning this to help you be prepared for this very important event in our church’s life.

To listen to sermon, click The Sculptor.

How Big is Your Solution?

2007-08-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last week we saw how the Law demonstrates the nature of God and was given to the Israelites so they would understand how to live as a holy nation. This morning in our sermon time we will see that the bottom line of God giving the Law was so we could have relationship with Him. This is really what the whole story of Scripture is about! Yet, it seems to be one of the hardest things to maintain!

The devil has all kinds of strategies he uses to work against what God desires, but probably one of his most effective is to get us so focused upon our own problems that we lose focus on anything else. It works something like this: take a book and open it somewhere in the middle and lay it across your face. What do you see? Not much more than the book, right? Now, take that same book and hold it out at arms length. What do you see? If the book represents your problem, the problem is still clearly in focus, but there is so much more one can see as well. This is called keeping things in perspective. There is a much larger picture than the struggles or trials we face, but the devil wants us to think we are alone in what we are dealing with and everything is about our problem or trial or struggle. He wants to see us discouraged so we will trust less, serve less, and live with less contentment and joy.

Revelation 5:1-4 shows a similar situation:
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” And no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look into it. And I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look into it;
John was caught up in the moment and so focused on the problem that he could not see the solution!

Fortunately, the passage goes on to say:
And one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
His message to John was, “Step back and take another look!” There is One who is in complete control and He will handle the situation in His own time and own way. The whole message of Revelation is to maintain hope because we have a Lord who has overcome so that we can ultimately dwell with Him for eternity! HE is seeking a relationship with US! Will we see past the schemes of the devil and realize the big picture is truly beautiful—problems and all?

To listen to sermon, click A Church Jesus can be Part of.

Drawing Near to God

2007-08-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Has this ever happened to you? You are driving down the highway listening to your favorite station on the radio, a song comes on, and before it finishes the reception starts to go out. Static starts to overcome the music and lyrics. You really want to hear the song because it is one of your favorites, but no matter how hard you try to tune it in better, adjusting all the fine tuning knobs, it is no use—you are moving out of range. It is not that the station stopped broadcasting. It is not that your radio quit working. The trouble is that you have moved too far away from the station to get clear reception.

Our relationship with God works much the same way! He is our source of guidance, power, strength, and everything else that would help our lives become a beautiful melody of songs. However, too many times the music and lyrics are hard to hear because we have moved too far away and all people hear is static. James reminds us that when we draw near to God He will draw near to us (James 4:8). He includes through verse 10 how this will happen, and begins with cleansing our hands and purifying our hearts! In other words, he admonishes Christians to fine tune their lives by dealing with both the sin that is now in their lives (cleansing their hands) and the intentions that are in their hearts (purifying their hearts).

This morning we will consider why God gave the Israelites the Law and how it was part of their call to become a holy nation. As He sought to draw the people near to Him at Mt. Sinai, it was only going to happen if they lived according to the nature and will of the One True God! His calling for them to be a Holy Nation was so He could dwell in their midst and be near to them! It is sin that puts a separation between God and man, and only when we have made a determination to turn back and draw near to Him will we be able to receive the power that has been made available for each of us. Then our lives can truly be a beautiful song that plays without static or interruption as we travel down the highway of this life!

It Is Coming!!!

Six weeks from today (September 16th) we will begin a series of sermons that is my absolute favorite material to teach or preach. We will be looking at how God introduces Himself through the book of Genesis. This is a series meant to increase faith and empower this church family so we are better equipped to share who God is and what He desires from us as we live in a relationship of covenant with Him. Please be praying for this series and YOUR involvement in it!!! This will be a great time to invite those who do not know God so they can see how awesome and beautiful God’s plans are for our lives. It will also be a time to instruct those who already have a deep abiding faith in God as to how the Scriptures can be shared with the lost. Get excited about this! This will be a fun series to study together and a good time for growth in our spiritual walks!!!

To listen to sermon, click What is a Holy Nation?

Can it Get Any Better Than This?

2007-07-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

As each of my three children were born into the world I thought, “Lord, what am I going to do now?” “You mean these little things are entrusted to me to train up in all your ways?” While it was incredibly exciting to have new babies to hold, it was a bit unnerving to realize the amount of planning and effort and patience and faith it was going to take in order to help them develop into all their Father in heaven had created them to be. Thus, we began a journey together that included a lot of winding turns with some very high highs, some incredibly low lows, and a lot of places in between. The goal in sight was to introduce our children to their true Father in a manner that produced trust in Him and a level of intimacy that led them to surrender their wills to Him in a bond of covenant love.

Our task is by no means over, but imagine the joy Deeann and I felt as we witnessed the spiritual birth of the third of our three children. I was brought back into focus in my own faith walk with God when two minutes out of the waters of baptism Whitney said to her mother in an expression of pure joy and relief, “Now I don’t have to worry if Jesus returns tomorrow!” Have I been living with this kind of anticipation? Have you?

One of the greatest dangers to our spiritual walk is the slow hardening of our hearts. If we are not careful we can become so caught up in the things of this world that we forget to focus on the things of the world beyond this one. The author of Hebrews warns about this four times in chapters 3 & 4 of his book, three times quoting the same verse found in Psalm 95:7—“Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts . . .” He also quotes Psalm 95:11 twice which warns, “As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest.” Isn’t it interesting that this warning comes a mere ten verses after the author of Psalm 95 says this, “Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving; and extol Him with music and song.” How do you move from praise and worship to a threat of not entering His rest?

This morning we are going to look at having a heart of flesh rather than a heart of stone. We have an enemy who is trying to harden us so that we lose the awe of a God who is working daily in our midst; an enemy who would rather me worry about some temporary problem of this world rather than rejoice in the victory I have for eternity; an enemy who would strip away the joy of my salvation and my contentment in each day because he gets me focused on the wrong things. When he is successful, my faith walk and the kingdom of God suffer. Consider the benefits of being soft hearted this morning and throughout this week so that we soar like eagles (as God has created us to do) and enjoy the activity of our God as He works among us to mold us and give us a heart of flesh!

To listen to sermon, click Developing a Heart Like God's.

The Image of Christianity

2007-07-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

And they’ll know we are Christians by our . . . LOVE?!?!? Unfortunately, the image of Christianity in the media and beyond is often times not very positive. For instance, in the cartoon series called The Simpsons, there are characters named Ned & Maude Flanders who live next door to Homer and his family. They are born-again Christians who constantly espouse a cheerful disposition and offer platitudes of faith that are often irrelevant to the everyday living of Homer and his family. In one particular episode, Homer has not seen Maude for a while and speaks to her when he sees her in her backyard. He says, “I haven’t seen you in a couple weeks. Where have you been?” Maude replies in a cheery voice, “Oh, I’ve been away at a Bible camp—learning how to be more judgmental.” OUCH! So, this is what America finds to be humorous? Is this what people see when they gaze upon Christianity? It would not have comic value if people could not relate to its basic truth.

Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (READ Matthew 5:13-16). These are distinct qualities that should draw people to God (Did you catch the end of V. 16?) Salt can certainly induce more thirst, and light illuminates and attracts. However, how often do we carry out our mission too well? Have you ever had salt in an open wound? Have you ever had to close your eyes to the light or turn away because it was so bright it hurt?

What do people see when they look at your life? Would you say they get a clear picture of Jesus, or is the image distorted? One of the main things Jesus says demonstrates we are His disciples is our love for one another (John 13:35). Will we be a body that goes beyond mere words and puts our faith into practice by putting the love of Jesus into action? It is really not that hard if we will just make time for it. How long does it take to call up someone on the prayer list to give them some personal encouragement? Would a 20-minute visit to the hospital be difficult to fit into this next week? How about spending some time singing at the Nursing Home? Do you have a neighbor who is dealing with a loss or significant struggle? A plate of cookies and a hug sure go a long way in providing relief.

Instead of getting mad about the media portrayal of Christianity, perhaps we should change the image so the world finds no humor in it! This morning as we consider the attire of the priest and what it says about the ministry we have, may we always bathe all we do in tender, compassionate love so that men may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven!

To listen to sermon click Garments of a Preist

Are We All Talk

2007-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Isn’t it great that we all have value? Paul puts it this way in the book of Ephesians: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” To be God’s workmanship is one thing; to actually fulfill the things He has called us to be and do is another. Take the election and inauguration of the ninth president of the United States, for example.

William Henry Harrison prepared a tremendously long inaugural address and, even though the weather was sub-freezing, he stubbornly spent close to two hours reciting every word of his address. The most prominent result of Harrison sharing his presidential philosophy was to catch pneumonia. Within thirty days Harrison was dead.

William Henry Harrison holds two records in America: one for the longest inaugural address and another for the shortest presidential term. Sadly, as a result of this, it has been said that Harrison talked more and did less than any other President throughout history.

How sad it would be if that was the analysis of the ministry accomplished by the Garden Ridge family. This morning we will see that God has called us to something special as His people. God will walk with us; work with us; even fight for us in order to empower us as tools, ministers and ambassadors in His hands. Are we prepared to fulfill His desire for our lives this week? You have been created for good works which were prepared beforehand by God Himself—AND THAT IS NOT JUST TALK!!! Will we commit to accomplishing His will as we serve as priests in His service?

Who Is God And What Does He Want?

Be praying about the Sunday sermon series we will begin in September that has a two-fold intention: (1) To reach the lost with an introduction of God according to the way God is introduced in the book of Genesis, and (2) To help those who are not comfortable with sharing the Good News of who God is recognize how easy it is to follow the Bible and show the reality, the power, and the relevance of God and His ways for our world today. This might just be the most important series of sermons I have an opportunity to preach here at Garden Ridge, so make plans to attend and start inviting your friends, family and neighbors to come hear these messages.

Click to listen to sermon, Where Are We Going?

The Gift of Discipline

2007-07-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Do you want to see a war? Would you like to witness a power struggle to define all power struggles? Whose will was going to win? This is what you might ask if you were able to use a time machine and venture back to the Jarvis dinner table when my mom was serving vegetables. If it didn’t moo, cluck, oink, or possibly bark (Hot Dogs—hey I was young; what did I know?), it couldn’t be good for you! About the only thing peas and Lima beans were good for was . . . I am still trying to figure that one out.

Anyway, you could depend on a skirmish of World War proportions when vegetables were the battlefield. I would normally try to hide them under some other food, but this often times didn’t work. Upon being discovered, my mom would instigate her patented discipline package which started off with grazing fire and moved steadily towards the large caliber artillery. The 1st step sounded something like this, “Think of all those poor, starving children in India who would give anything to have these vegetables to eat.” I wasn’t sure how my eating these vegetables would help those in India feel any better, but it was alright with me if she wanted to box them up and send them there.

If this step was unsuccessful (and it almost always was), she would move to the scare treatment. It sounded something like this: “If you don’t eat your vegetables you will get rickets or scurvy.” Now, I didn’t know what those were, and they sure sounded bad, but none of my friends had ever had rickets or scurvy and I knew they hated vegetables also. I guess I was willing to take my chances. Unless you were a pilgrim on the Mayflower, who ever heard of someone dying from rickets or scurvy?

Finally, we would reach the 3rd step which was the threat (and ultimate fulfillment) of punishment. (Why did it always come to this?) It took me years to figure out that my mom was not into abuse and torture, but that she really wanted what was good for me. She loves me and wanted to see me grow up to be strong and healthy!

Could it be that God operates in much the same way? I do not always realize what He is trying to do through the discipline and guidance He provides, but I see more and more clearly as I mature how His purpose is to help me develop into more of what he created me to be. This morning, as we look at the mystery of His guidance in our lives, may we develop more appreciation for where He is leading us, and why! -Scott-

Click to listen to sermon, Where Are We Going?

Making a First Impression

2007-07-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh—Jenny Caan! She was the prettiest girl in high school and all the guys wanted to go out with her! It took a lot of building up the courage to even talk with her, let alone ask her out on a date. But one day I finally got enough nerve and asked her out and she actually said, “YES”! Was I dreaming? A date with Jenny Caan was like the highlight of life! This couldn’t be any ordinary date. It had to be one for the annals of history!

I planned a special dinner—very romantic and high quality. After dinner, we went for a walk at the park as this was a great time to talk and share who we were. Things were going great! We were laughing and having a good time until we left the park and started walking in the parking lot to my car. I decided to pick her up in my arms and carry her (to show her how well conditioned I was), and even began running with her. (Can you see the doom rising on the horizon?) One small misstep later and what was an evening to never forget (positively) became an evening to never forget (unfortunately, not so positively). (Can anyone here say “road rash”?) Needless to say, it was a short relationship that Jenny and I shared. My 1st impression on a date was not so favorable!

Why do thoughts like this even come into my mind as I prepare to preach my first sermon here with the family at Garden Ridge? Let’s just say that I am hoping not to crash and burn like that poor date experience. How many opportunities does a person get to make a first impression?
It is my prayer that this will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship together as we strive to sharpen one another in our faith walks with the Lord! I pray we will build a bond of trust and fellowship with one another that allows each of us to truly be ourselves and not feel we have to posture with each other so we feel accepted or special or more than what we are.

Our Lord loves us for who we are, but wants to change us to become all He has created us to be. This is not done through casual acquaintance or fancy dates that are meant to impress, but through committed love. It is my promise to you, beginning with the sermon this morning and down through the years to come, to speak the truth of God in love as best as I understand how it fits with His nature and will along with our circumstances so that we will be better equipped to handle the pressures and trials of this life, even if they are as intimidating as one Jenny Caan.

Click to Listen to the sermon, What Did We Hire Him For?