Gardendale Nazarene Sermons

The End of the Age

Mark 13:1-13, 24-37

Apocalypse- the complete final destruction of the world

apo- un-

kaluptein- to cover

apokaluptein- to uncover, to reveal

Apocalypse- a revelation, a disclosure, an uncovering that shapes the way in which you see things

Mark 13:1-3

1 As he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!”

2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.”

3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 

The center of the religious institution was an elegant building- the Temple.

The Temple:

• where atonement was made

• where the sacrifice was offered

• where God was understood to be uniquely present

• the gathering point for the worshipping community

The apocalyptic moment in Mark's gospel is the passion (the death and resurrection) of Jesus the Christ. This is THE world-altering event.

The Cross:

• where atonement was made

• where the sacrifice was offered

• where God was understood to be uniquely present

• the gathering point for the worshipping community

What are our instructions? 

1. Watch out that no one deceives you (13:5).

2. Our calling is to preach to gospel (13:10).

3. The Holy Spirit is with us and will speak through us (13:11).

4. The world will not accept the message of Christ (13:13).

Mark 13:28-29

28 “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near—at the door.

5. God is near (13:29)

1 Peter 3:8-12

8 Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, 9 not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.

10 For the one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit,

11 and let him turn away from evil and do what is good.Let him seek peace and pursue it,

12 because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil.

6. Watch! Be alert! (13:5, 23, 33, 37)

From Regulations to Relationships

Mark 12:28-44

Mark 12:28 One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?”

"Which command is the most important?"

"What matters?"

Mark 12:29-31

29 Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one.30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.31 The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”

Mark 12:32-33

32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, teacher. You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one else except him. 33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Mark 12:34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question him any longer.

What does Jesus mean by 'not far' from the Kingdom?

• We are called to be people of love.

"The faith that we are called to live knows the God form whom all blessings flow is also the God to whom all alliance is owed."

• He is 'not far' because he can see that relationships, not regulations, are key in our relationships with God and man.

• Moving towards the kingdom of god means we understand the direction of our relationship with God.

Genesis 3:8-9

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

• We must become like children to receive the kingdom of God (10:14).

• "What must I do?" moves from law to love (10:17).

"I take upon myself the commandment, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And by this merit, I shall open my mouth."

Death to New Life

Mark 12:1-17

Mark 12:1-9

1 He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from them. 3 But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent another servant to them, and they hit him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He still had one to send, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others.

Mark 11:9-11

9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted:

Hosanna!Blessed is he who comesin the nameof the Lord!

10 Blessed is the coming kingdomof our father David!Hosanna in the highest heaven!

11 He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Psalm 118:25-29

25 Lord, save us!Lord, please grant us success!

26 He who comes in the nameof the Lord is blessed.From the house of the Lord we bless you.

27 The Lord is God and has given us light.Bind the festival sacrifice with cordsto the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks.You are my God; I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;his faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 118:19-24

19 Open the gates of righteousness for me;I will enter through themand give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the Lord’s gate;the righteous will enter through it.

21 I will give thanks to youbecause you have answered meand have become my salvation.

22 The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.

23 This came from the Lord;it is wondrous in our sight.

24 This is the day the Lord has made;let’s rejoice and be glad in it.

The final triumph of Christ (and now those who are 'in Christ') is not by avoiding death but by moving through death to new life.

Mark 12:13-16

13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Jesus to trap him in his words. 14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

15 But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” 16 They brought a coin. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them.

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Exodus 20:3-4

3 Do not have other gods besides me.

4 Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.

Ti[berivs] Caesar Divi Aug[vsti] F[ilivs] Avgvstvs

Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the divine Augustus

Mark 12:17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.

"Whose image and inscription is this?"

Beings bearing the image of God belong to God.

Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Mark 10:32-52

Isaiah 42:18-20

18 “Listen, you deaf!Look, you blind, so that you may see.

19 Who is blind but my servant, or deaf like my messenger I am sending?Who is blind like my dedicated one, or blind like the servant of the Lord?

20 Though seeing many things, you pay no attention.Though his ears are open, he does not listen.”

Isaiah 43:2

2 When you pass through the waters,I will be with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you.When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, and the flame will not burn you.

Isaiah 43:5-8, 10-12

5 Do not fear, for I am with you;I will bring your descendants from the east,and gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’Bring my sons from far away,and my daughters from the ends of the earth—

7 everyone who bears my nameand is created for my glory.I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

8 Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,and are deaf, yet have ears.

10 “You are my witnesses”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me.

11 I—I am the Lord.Besides me, there is no Savior.

12 I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed—and not some foreign god among you.So you are my witnesses”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I am God.

Prediction

Misunderstanding by the disciples

Corrective teaching

Call to the disciples

Mark 10:32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him. 

Mark 10:36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

Mark 10:37 They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.”

Mark 10:46-52

46 They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.” 50 He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

51 Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Rabboni,” the blind man said to him, “I want to see.”

52 Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.

What do you want me to do for you?

Mark 10:43-45

43 But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Lord, when I look around in this world, I see Your work, but they are like 'trees walking.' Lord, I want to see. I want to be aware of Your presence in my life. I want to see You working in the darkness. I want to live into what You are giving– Yourself.

Walking Away From Transformation

Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-22

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.”

20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.”

21 Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

Do not murder.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not steal.

Do not bear false witness.

Do not defraud.

Honor your father and mother.

You lack one thing ...

What is keeping you from totally relying on God? 

The focus of this story is not the act of selling possessions. It's about the fact that when you have nothing, you open yourself to be vulnerable to God.

The rich young ruler cannot follow because he cannot bear the transformation that following Jesus would bring. 

• Transformation seems elusive because we can't control it.
• Transformation begins when we leave one story for a whole new story with Christ at the center.
• Transformation is the impossible giving way to the impossible.

Losing One's Life

Mark 8:27-9:8

Mark 8:22-26

22 They came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people—they look like trees walking.”

25 Again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes. The man looked intently and his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

"I see people, they look like trees walking."

The man looked intently and his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly.

Mark 8:27-30

27 Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

28 They answered him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he strictly warned them to tell no one about him.

Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark 8:31-38

31 Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it. 36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? 37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

The coming of the Messiah ushers in a time that is fundamentally aligned with God's vision for the way the world should be.

The question Jesus asks is not just for His first disciples, it is for us. 

"Who do you say that I am?"

The Mission of Proclamation

Mark 6:1-29

Basic Outline of the Passage:

• Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

• The Commissioning of the Twelve

• Herod and the death of John the Baptist

Esther 5:3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked her. “Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be given to you.”

Esther 5:6 While drinking the wine, the king asked Esther, “Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be done.”

Mark 6:23 He promised her with an oath: “Whatever you ask me I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

We see in all of these stories the need to proclaim TRUTH even when the powers try to suppress the truth.

Mark 6:4-13

4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.” 5 He was not able to do a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. He was going around the villages teaching.

7 He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff—no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts, 9 but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt. 10 He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. 11 If any place does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Mark 6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught.

At the heart of these stories is a theme–hospitality.  

Mark 6:8-9

8 He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff—no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts, 9 but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt.

Christian Hospitality:

Christian hospitality is community-focused.

Hospitality and humility go hand-in-hand.

We are called to be people who:

• Enfold and embrace the lonely into the community

• Recognize and include those who feel invisible

• Allow God to sustain us through food, and also through the relationships He designed us to walk in

• Share the truth to prodigal sons and daughters that their Father is looking for them

Healing and Saving

Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21 When Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the sea.

Jesus

The sea

Jairus

Jairus' daughter

The bleeding woman

The disciples

The people at Jairus' home

Both Jairus and the woman bleeding have reached the end of their ropes. They are desperate.

Desperation: so helpless that the situation is impossible to deal with.

• Fear of abandonment or rejection
• Childhood trauma or neglect
• unmet emotional or physical needs 
• unfulfilled dreams or goals
• substance abuse or addiction
• chronic stress or anxiety 
• insecurity or low self-esteem
• depression
• financial difficulties 
• broken relationships 
• lack of purpose or meaning in one's life

Mark 5:23 and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she can get well and live.”

Mark 5:28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.”

Mark 5: 25-34

25 Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years 26 had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.” 29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

30 Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’”

32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

In our moments of desperation, what can we learn from this story?

1. There is a God who wants to rescue you.

2. The woman helps us understand the posture we should take.

3. Jesus desires to call you son or daughter.

What would change in your situation/life if the desperate places of your life were given over to the reign and rule of God?

We are joined this morning by Kristofer Labenske.

The Secret of the Kingdom

Mark 4:1-34

Mark 3:20-30

20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”

22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

23 So he summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Mark 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”[

Mark 1:16 As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.

Mark 2:13 Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.

Mark 3:7 Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee, and a large crowd followed from Judea,

Mark seems to use 'the sea' as a sign of a teaching concerning discipleship.

Mark 4:1 Again he began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.

The Parable of the Soils:

• The Path- the birds devoured the seed

• Rocky Ground- shallow roots, scorched by the sun

• The Thorns- the seed was choked out by the thorns

The Parable of the Soils:

• The Path- the enticement of evil is too much for their faith

• Rocky Ground- there is temporary faith, but the pressure of this world becomes too much

• The Thorns- genuine faith that falls short due to the demands of discipleship

Matthew 24:21 KJV For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Mark 4:17 But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.

If you live under the reign and rule of King Jesus and His Kingdom, you will have to live with the friction of the thlipsis (Kingdom Pressure).

Mark 4:20 And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”

Hear the word

Welcome the word

Produce fruit 

Mark 2:1-22

1 When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: 7 “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic— 11 “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

12 Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

13 Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 Then, passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.

15 While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him. 16 When the scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”

Blasphemy

• To say something untrue about God.

• To claim that another god is God.

The Christian Witness:

1. Who is Jesus?

Daniel 7:13-14

13 I continued watching in the night visions,

and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.

14 He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

Mark 14:62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

2. What does Jesus bring?

Mark 2:10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—

3. What does the fullness of His reign bring?

Mark 2:5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

The Beginning of the Good News

Mark 1:1-20

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

euangelion- good news, the gospel, an announcement usually pertaining to a victory in battle

If Jesus brought the 'good news,' what was the 'bad news?'

• Our world is filled with the brokenness of the human condition.

• This brokenness has led to great evil and a deep darkness.

• Humanity ceased to worship God and instead worshipped bankrupt idols–money, power, sex, and human pursuits of holiness.

2 Kings 21:2-5

2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed and reestablished the altars for Baal. He made an Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done; he also bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served them. 4 He built altars in the Lord’s temple, where the Lord had said, “Jerusalem is where I will put my name.” 5 He built altars to all the stars in the sky in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple.

The Good News:

• God was fulfilling His plan to save the world.

• Jesus is at the center of God's rescue mission to restore and give life to His people.

euangelion- good news, the gospel, an announcement usually pertaining to a victory in battle

Euangelion reminds us of conflict and announces a change in the powers that be.

Here's the good news, how will you respond?

Mark 1:14-15

14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Repent (metanoia)- a reorienting of what life is all about

• Repentance calls us to turn away. If we are turning away, what are we turning towards? 

• In repentance, we turn away from the powers of sin that have held people captive and we turn toward the power of God that sets us free.

How does the story of the grace of God become the center of the life that follows? 

Promises Kept

Luke 2:1-2

Jeremiah 33:15-16

15 In those days and at that time I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is what she will be named: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.

Jeremiah 33:6 Yet I will certainly bring health and healing to it and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance of true peace.

Isaiah 40:1-5

1 “Comfort, comfort my people, ”says your God.

2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and announce to her that her time of hard service is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”

3 A voice of one crying out:

Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.

4 Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain.

5 And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it,for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Ezra 3:11-13

11 They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord: “For he is good; his faithful love to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s house had been laid.

12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads, who had seen the first temple, wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple, but many others shouted joyfully. 13 The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from that of the weeping, because the people were shouting so loudly. And the sound was heard far away.

Luke 2:1-8

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. 2 This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

4 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.

Luke 2:10-11

10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The Good News:

• God was fulfilling His plan to save the world.

• Jesus is at the center of God's rescue mission to restore and give life to His people.

Luke 2:7 (KJV) And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Do you have room for the Good News that Christ has come? 

This morning, we are joined by our District Superintendent, Arnie Wilson.

The Promise of a King

Jeremiah 33:10-11; 14-18

Deuteronomy 6:10-15

2 Kings 22:15-17

Jeremiah 33:10-11

In the silence, the brokenness, and/or desolation can we imagine a God who still acts?

Jeremiah 33:1111 a sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride, and the voice of those saying, Give thanks to the Lord of Armies, for the Lord is good; his faithful love endures forever as they bring thanksgiving sacrifices to the temple of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as in former times, says the Lord.

Jeremiah 33:14-1614 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will fulfill the good promise that I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.15 In those days and at that timeI will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is what she will be named:The Lord Is Our Righteousness.

Jeremiah 33:15 In those days and at that timeI will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

The Lord Is Our Righteousness.

What is God up to?

Amy Robertson (Director of Lifelong Learning at Congregation Or Hadash):The thing about this text–the beauty and the really awfully challenge of it–is that it asks us to hold both the real, and legitimate suffering and fear and uncertainty alongside hope that a seemingly impossible dream will yet come true. It feels particularly pointed to me that at this moment in the text at this moment that the hope is offered, we have not yet hit bottom. We are far from the bottom. This text is not saying, “It’s all up from here, your suffering is over.” It doesn’t actually tell us anything about what will happen tomorrow or even what will happen to our bodies, or in our lifetime. It’s not that kind of prediction, and it doesn’t tell us not to be afraid, or that the suffering isn’t real. It says what seems impossible is not impossible. At any moment it could be the moment that God will break through and bring this vision of peace. It reminds me of our conversation about Sarah and how she laughed to hear that she’d have a child. Everything in her life, everything she had ever known, indicated very clearly to her that this was not the case. Sometimes in those painful moments, the certainty of resignation to that fate, to that loss, is more comfortable, is almost easier than perpetuating the state of uncertainty forever.So, Sarah laughed at this truly ridiculous prediction, and then the impossible happened to her. It sure did! As we talked about in that episode, though this doesn’t negate the suffering of women who cannot bear children. It doesn’t promise that God is going to make a habit of doing this kind of thing and it doesn’t tell anyone, except Sarah in this case, how things will turn out.All it says is the impossible is not impossible. Whether or not, you can hold that vast expense between the suffering of this moment, and the promise of relief from that suffering in some mysterious hazy future, they are both true. It is so easy and so tempting to try to use hope to erase the suffering or let the suffering take up all the space and leave no room for hope but this chapter asks us to hold both.Hope should never be wheeled as a weapon against those who are suffering, nor should we let our world become so small, that our imagination shrinks down so tightly that we can no longer dream of peace and envision it, and taste it, in our soul to remember what it looks like because peace is what’s coming.

Josiah Finds the Scroll

2 Kings 22:1-10; 23:1-3

Manasseh- 12-years-old, reigned for 55 years

Amon- 22-years-old, reigned for 2 years

Josiah- 8-years-old, reigned for 31 years

2 Kings 22:1-7

2 Kings 22:8-13

2 Kings 23:1-7

2 Kings 23:3 Next, the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant in the Lord’s presence to follow the Lord and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul in order to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book; all the people agreed to the covenant.

Deuteronomy 6:1-15

1 “This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. 2 Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all his statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life. 3 Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

10 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you—a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, 11 houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 13 Fear the Lord your God, worship him, and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the Lord your God will become angry with you and obliterate you from the face of the earth.

Mission Creep- a gradual shift in objectives during the course of a military campaign

• Mission Creep- a gradual shift in our purpose/focus during the course of our lives

• We return to the original mission.

• Ask two questions: What matters? Who matters?

• We must shed the cultural artifacts who have built altars in our lives.

If Christ is truly King, what does that mean for how we live out lives? What does that mean for how we spend our time and resources? What does that mean for how we live in the world and love our neighbors?

This morning, we have the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Tim Green.

Tonight, we have the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Tim Green.

God's Beloved Children

Hosea 11:1-9

Hosea 1:2 When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, he said this to him:

Go and marry a woman of promiscuity,and have children of promiscuity,for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuityby abandoning the Lord.

Hosea is the story of God's faithful love in spite of Israel's desire for other gods (promiscuity). 

Jezreel- son #1, vs. 1:4

Lo-ruhamah- daughter #1, vs. 1:6

Lo-ammi- son #2, vs. 1:8

Jezreel- "Valley of Massacre"

Lo-ruhamah- "No compassion" or "Not beloved"

Lo-ammi- "Not my people"

"I will put an end to the house of Israel."

"The Lord will no longer have compassion on Israel."

"For you are not my people, and I am not your God."

Hosea 11:1-4

1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,and out of Egypt I called my son.

2 Israel called to the Egyptianseven as Israel was leaving them.They kept sacrificing to the Baalsand burning offerings to idols.

3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,taking them by the hand,but they never knew that I healed them.

4 I led them with human cords,with ropes of love.To them I was like onewho eases the yoke from their jaws;

I bent down to give them food.

Hosea 11:5-7

5 Israel will not return to the land of Egyptand Assyria will be his king,because they refused to repent.

6 A sword will whirl through his cities;it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates,because of their schemes.

7 My people are bent on turning from me.Though they call to him on high,he will not exalt them at all.

Hosea 11:8-11

8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?

How can I surrender you, Israel?

How can I make you like Admah?

How can I treat you like Zeboiim?

I have had a change of heart;

my compassion is stirred!

9 I will not vent the full fury of my anger;

I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim.

For I am God and not man,

the Holy One among you;

I will not come in rage.

10 They will follow the Lord;

he will roar like a lion.

When he roars,

his children will come trembling from the west.

11 They will be roused like birds from Egypt

and like doves from the land of Assyria.

Then I will settle them in their homes.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

The story of Hosea 11 is the story of a parent who refuses to give up on their children.

God has chosen a people and loved these people. No sinfulness, no idol worship, no stubborness to repent, can overcome the love of a God who desires to pull you into Himself as a parent holds a child.

Jezreel- God sows/Valley of Massacre

Lo-ruhamah- No compassion/Not beloved

Lo-ammi- Not my people

Hosea 2:19-23

19 I will take you to be my wife forever.I will take you to be my wife in righteousness,justice, love, and compassion.

20 I will take you to be my wife in faithfulness,and you will know the Lord.

21 On that day I will respond—this is the Lord’s declaration.I will respond to the sky,and it will respond to the earth.

22 The earth will respond to the grain,the new wine, and the fresh oil,and they will respond to Jezreel.

23 I will sow her in the land for myself,and I will have compassionon Lo-ruhamah;I will say to Lo-ammi:You are my people,and he will say, “You are my God.”

Jezreel- God sows

Ruhamah- I have compassion, My beloved

Ammi- You are my people

We believe a child is a part of our community when he or she is prayed for.

My job is for ______________ to know they have a new name.

1. We pray for our children.

2. We live as people of character.

3. We remember that the Kingdom looks to children as the example of faith.

We must slow down and recover the delight of a child. Delight is peace.

Today we are joined by our youth pastor, Rev. James Dolinger.

Notes and Scripture:

• Provision

• Protection

• Power

Anytime I look outside of God for provision, protection, and power; I have made that an idol.

What do I place between God and myself?

1 Kings 11:43 Solomon rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam became king in his place.

1 Kings 12:1-17

12 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it, he stayed in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon’s presence. Jeroboam stayed in Egypt. 3 But they summoned him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam: 4 “Your father made our yoke harsh. You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

5 Rehoboam replied, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people left. 6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive, asking, “How do you advise me to respond to this people?”

7 They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

8 But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and attended him. 9 He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to this people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

10 The young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us!’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’”

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had ordered: “Return to me on the third day.” 13 Then the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice the elders had given him 14 and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice: “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.”

15 The king did not listen to the people, because this turn of events came from the Lord to carry out his word, which the Lord had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16 When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people answered him:

What portion do we have in David?We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.Israel, return to your tents;David, now look after your own house!

So Israel went to their tents, 17 but Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.

1 Kings 12:25-30

25 Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel. 26 Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom might now return to the house of David. 27 If these people regularly go to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, the heart of these people will return to their lord, King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and go back to the king of Judah.” 28 So the king sought advice.

Then he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 29 He set up one in Bethel, and put the other in Dan. 30 This led to sin; the people walked in procession before one of the calves all the way to Dan.

Both of these stories show us the inappropriate use of provision, protection, and power. 

Luke 22:14-34

Power in the Kingdom of God is countercultural service rather than domination, with Jesus as the pattern (or the incarnation of service).

Scripture and Notes:

1 Samuel 8:4-9

1 Samuel 8:19-20

2 Samuel 5:1-5

2 Samuel 6:1-19

6 David again assembled all the fit young men in Israel: thirty thousand. 2 He and all his troops set out to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah. The ark bears the Name, the name of the Lord of Armies who is enthroned between the cherubim. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart 4 and brought it with the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all kinds of fir wood instruments, lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.

6 When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled. 7 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God. 8 David was angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uzzah, as it is today. 9 David feared the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 10 So he was not willing to bring the ark of the Lord to the city of David; instead, he diverted it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in his house three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his whole family.

12 It was reported to King David, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s family and all that belongs to him because of the ark of God.” So David went and had the ark of God brought up from Obed-edom’s house to the city of David with rejoicing. 13 When those carrying the ark of the Lord advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. 14 David was dancing with all his might before the Lord wearing a linen ephod. 15 He and the whole house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of the ram’s horn. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

17 They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in the Lord’s presence. 18 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Armies. 19 Then he distributed a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake to each one in the entire Israelite community, both men and women. Then all the people went home.

What does it mean to place God at the center of your life?

What does it mean to place God at the center of your ____________?

"...if the being of God breaks into our lives through ministry in the shape of the cross, then faith is much more than just an epistemological shift. Faith is the very transformation of our ontological condition."

The first step in putting God at the center of your life is to move from a knowledge of God to allowing God to transform your life (or very being).  

Stop trying to be perfect on your own strength–you can't.

Start by keeping God at the center and see how God works.

1 John 3:16-18

16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.

Do not underestimate the power of God.

The transformation that God wants to bring about in your life, cuts to the very core of who you are as a person.  

Bitterness to Gentleness

Ruth 1:1-17, 4:13-17

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

Ruth 1:1-5

1 During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. 3 Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and without her husband.

Ruth 1:6-17

6 She and her daughters-in-law set out to return from the territory of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to his people’s need by providing them food. 7 She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah.

8 Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me. 9 May the Lord grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly.

10 They said to her, “We insist on returning with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons, 13 would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me.” 14 Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law.”

16 But Ruth replied:

Don’t plead with me to abandon youor to return and not follow you.For wherever you go, I will go,and wherever you live, I will live;your people will be my people,and your God will be my God.

17 Where you die, I will die,and there I will be buried.May the Lord punish me,and do so severely,if anything but death separates you and me.

Where do we turn in our times of bitterness, barrenness, and brokenness?

The book of Ruth is a story of God's hesed (lovingkindness, steadfast love).

It is in the brokenness of life where we most easily see God's hesed.

Psalm 31:7 I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love because you have seen my affliction. You know the troubles of my soul

Psalm 31:15-16

15 The course of my life is in your power; rescue me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors.

16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me by your faithful love.

Ruth 4:13-17

13 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him. 17 The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

How do we walk through the valleys of life? 

"For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God."

Today we are joined by our youth pastor, James Dolinger.

Mission and Naming 

Exodus 1:8-2:10; 3:1-15

Exodus 1:8 A new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

Exodus 1:9-22

Exodus 2:10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

Exodus 3:1-15

Exodus 3:14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

To know the name of God is to be an intimate friend; it is to have a place in God's being. 

"A pet name or nickname is allowed to be spoken only by those who share intimately in the other’s being. They share in that other person’s being by sharing in events. There is a shared history that allows us to use that single name. And using it becomes a way—with just that single word—of saying a whole narrative of love and encounter...Often these names are secrets, not just because the depth of intimacy makes them embarrassing but more so because they are sacred. Only the one who truly shares in the other’s being by being present in the most important of events can say the name."

Root, Andrew. The Pastor in a Secular Age (Ministry in a Secular Age Book #2) (p. 243). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

"To say the name is to have God’s being...Those who do not know the intimate acts of God’s saving love—not respecting the events of God’s arriving—haphazardly call him by name...For Moses to speak God’s name, then, is to say a whole narrative. The whole narrative of events of God’s past and coming arrivals is revealed in the speaking of the single name."

Root, Andrew. The Pastor in a Secular Age (Ministry in a Secular Age Book #2) (pp. 243-244). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Exodus 3:7-10

7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the territory of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 So because the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them, 10 therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

I have observed the misery of my people...have heard them crying out...I know about their sufferings...I have come down to rescue them from the power of the ...therefore, go. I am sending you...

Blessing and Naming

Genesis 32:9-13, 22-30

Motif- a dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition

Genesis 16:8 He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.”

Genesis 16:13 So she named the Lord who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?” 

Genesis 21:2-3

2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him. 3 Abraham named his son who was born to him—the one Sarah bore to him—Isaac.

Genesis 32:6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has four hundred men with him.”

Genesis 32:24-32

24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip. 26 Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 “What is your name?” the man asked.“Jacob,” he replied.

28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”But he answered, “Why do you ask my name?” And he blessed him there.

30 Jacob then named the place Peniel, “For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.” 31 The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel—limping because of his hip. 32 That is why, still today, the Israelites don’t eat the thigh muscle that is at the hip socket: because he struck Jacob’s hip socket at the thigh muscle.

"Jacob was left alone..." vs. 24

"What's your name?"

"Jacob"

"Who are you?"

"I'm a heel."

Genesis 32:28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Jacob's identity was defined by struggle, but that struggle was defined by his unwillingness to let go.

Important Statements:

• Jacob was left alone.

• Jacob's story is characterized by struggle.

• Struggle is a better descriptor for faith than comfort.

Genesis 32:30 Jacob then named the place Peniel, “For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.”

"For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared."

Genesis 32:31 The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel—limping because of his hip.

"limping"

Genesis 32:31 The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel—limping because of his hip.

Genesis 32:28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

"struggled with God..."

Let faith be characterized by the struggle.

Your name is _______________________.

Will you tell us about your limp/struggle?

We can trust the God who ____________________, ____________________, ____________________, and ____________________ struggled with because it is the same God who named Jacob, who gave him a limp, who delivered Israel from the slavery of Egypt and resurrected Christ on Easter morning.

When Promises Turn to Laughter

Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7

Stories between Genesis 2-18

Noah and the Great Flood

Tower of Babel

Call of Abram

Sodom and Gomorrah Introduced

Abram's Vision and Covenant

Ishmael and Hagar

Genesis 15:1-6

After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield;

your reward will be very great.

2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”

4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 17:15-16

15 God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name. 16 I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

"I will bless her.

I will give you a son by her...

I will bless her.

She will produce nations...

kings of people will come from her..."

Genesis 17:17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?”

Genesis 18:1-15

1 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. 2 He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, bowed to the ground, 3 and said, “My lord, if I have found favor with you, please do not go on past your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strengthen yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. Later, you can continue on.”

“Yes,” they replied, “do as you have said.”

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Knead three measures of fine flour and make bread.” 7 Abraham ran to the herd and got a tender, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then Abraham took curds and milk, as well as the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served them as they ate under the tree.

9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he answered.

10 The Lord said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.

11 Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 So she laughed to herself: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have delight?”

13 But the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old?’ 14 Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.”

15 Sarah denied it. “I did not laugh,” she said because she was afraid.

But he replied, “No, you did laugh.”

What has God promised you?

Abram believed the Lord... (Genesis 17:17)

Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed... (Genesis 17:17)

So she laughed to herself... (Genesis 18:12)

Is there something in your life when you think about it, you laugh? Not because it is funny, but the laughter is out of the deepest part of your soul and you don't know what else to do.

vs. 14- "Is anything impossible for the Lord?"

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

"Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?"

Genesis 21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

The First Family

Genesis 2:4b-25

"It's Him again, the Creator of the universe. It's Him again."

Genesis 2:4-25

Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.”

Genesis 2:20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found corresponding to him.

ezer (ayzer)- helper, ally

Psalm 33:20 We wait for the Lord;he is our help and shield.

Psalm 115:9-11

9 Israel, trust in the Lord!He is their help and shield.

10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!He is their help and shield.

11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!He is their help and shield.

Psalm 121:1-2

1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains.Where will my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord,the Maker of heaven and earth.

ezer (ayzer)- helper, ally

"someone who drops everything and comes running when a cry of distress goes out."

Genesis 2:22 Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.

Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

This creature is fundamentally like me in a way that nothing else is.

Genesis 2:15-17

15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

vs. 15- We are given a vocation.

vs. 16- We are given permission.

vs. 17- We are given prohibition/constraint.

Vocation

Freedom

God's Prohibition

Genesis 3:2-5

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

How do I live in the balance of vocation, freedom, and God's prohibition?

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

Galatians 5:13-14

13 For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.

1 John 4:18-19

18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

Learning as We Go

John 15:9-17

John 15:9-17

9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.

Matthew 7:13-14

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Matthew 7:15-23

15 “Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”

Summary:

•vs 14- How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

•vs 21b- …only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

•vs 24- everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Axiom 8: God transforms us through embodied participation.

Acts 1:4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about;

The first command given to the church was to wait.

Putting the teaching of Jesus into practice is more like learning an instrument than studying for a multiple-choice test.

Love is a capacity we mature into. Love is rooted in action and relationship.

Being a disciple is understanding that failure is part of the journey.

Power Redefined

Isaiah 2:1-4

Axiom 7: God's love always reckons with power.

Exodus 23:1-9

1 “You must not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked to be a malicious witness.

2 “You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. 3 Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit.

4 “If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

5 “If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it.

6 “You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit. 7 Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent and the just, because I will not justify the guilty. 8 You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous. 9 You must not oppress a resident alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be a resident alien because you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.

Psalm 103:6 The Lord executes acts of righteousnessand justice for all the oppressed.

Psalm 140:12 I know that the Lord upholds the just cause of the poor,justice for the needy.

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do what is good.Pursue justice.Correct the oppressor.Defend the rights of the fatherless.Plead the widow’s cause.

Justice is not something that God does. It is who God is. God is just.

God is Just:

• God loves everyone.

• God sees those who society overlooks.

• God comes to the aid of those mistreated.

• God's power is not the power to control, but the power to love.

Mark 9:35-37

35 Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.” 36 He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.”

Mark 10:35-37

35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.”

36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

37 They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.”

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:1-6

1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

Acts 2:6 NRSV And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.

"Native language"

"Mother tongue"

What do we learn about God's power in these passages?

• God's power aligns itself with the last, the servant.

• God's power is seen in valuing people.

• God's power is seen in the intimacy of the relationship.

What is a disciple?

• A disciple is one who follows Jesus

• A disciple is someone who has been changed by an interaction with Jesus

• A disciple is someone committed to the mission of Christ

You are invited to be a disciple, but it is not something we are left to accomplish on our own strength. 

We have an inner-life and an outer-life.

Isaiah 5:1-5

1I will sing about the one I love, a song about my loved one’s vineyard: The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

2 He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.

3 So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.

4 What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes?

John 15:1-17

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.

Axiom 6- God does the same work in us and through us.

Here is the heart of deepest spiritual struggles– we want people to see the outward fruit of our spiritual life but don’t want to allow God into the recesses of our hearts. 

Abiding is the only means for fruitful living.

• Abide in me and I in you (vs. 4).

• Abide in my love (vs. 9). 

• Jesus appointed you–to go, produce fruit, and your fruit should abide.

How do we abide in Jesus as He abides in us?

• As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love (vs. 9).

• If you keep my commands you will remain in my love...(vs. 10)

• This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you (vs. 12).

• This is what I command you: Love one another (vs. 17).

As a disciple, how do I give my entire self to God?

• The goal of abiding is to bring together through and in.

• Sin (or separation from God) begins in the heart.

• Love reorients our life away from ourselves and towards God and others.

• "If you seek holiness, you will not find it. If you seek Jesus, you will find holiness." –Rich Villodas

• You reproduce who you are.

John 11:17-27

"...when we open the Bible–we enter the totally unfamiliar world of God, a world of creation and salvation stretching endlessly above and beyond us. Life in the warehouse never prepared us for anything like this. 

Typically, adults in the warehouse scoff at the tales the children bring back. After all, they are completely in control of the warehouse world in ways they could never be outside. And they want to keep it that way.” 

Eugene Peterson, Eat this Book

Matthew 4:18-22

18 As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for[a] people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Matthew 4:19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” 

What is a disciple?

• A disciple is one who follows Jesus

• A disciple is someone who has been changed by an interaction with Jesus

• A disciple is someone committed to the mission of Christ

If the God who is love , who is always present and at work, who looks just like Jesus, is meeting us right in the middle of our messy reality, then it follows that God cares about all of it more than we do (Axiom 5).

You are invited to be a disciple, but it is not something we are left to accomplish on our own strength. 

Ephesians 1:3-14

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.[a]5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.[b]9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time[c]—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.

11 In him we have also received an inheritance,[d] because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

You are invited to see a new way to live. 

If God cares about all of it more than we do, that means the stuff that’s most important to you, your family and friends, your church community, your job and vocation, your neighborhood and world—all of it—is of keen and specific concern to God. Every good thing that’s worth caring about, everything that you care about, God cares about more.

In the Middle of Our Mess

(Romans 8:5-11)

Axiom 4: God meets us in our messy reality.

God doesn't despise the sinner. He desires to be with the sinner, to heal and forgive and save the sinner.

The God who is love, who is always present and at work, who looks just like Jesus, always meets us right where we really are, in the middle of whatever mess we find ourselves in.

Three Questions dealing with Axiom 4:

1. What do we mean by 'messy?'

2. Why don't I allow God into my messy reality?

3. How do I allow/invite God into my messy reality?

1. What do we mean by 'messy?'

2. Why don't I allow God into my messy reality?

• We hide our brokenness. 

• We conceal our mess with hypocrisy.

• We overlook our mess with spiritual bypassing.

3. How do I allow/invite God into my messy reality?

• Attune to reality.

• Accept God meeting you right here in the mess.

• God loves the actual you, mess included.

Romans 8:5-11

5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. 6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. 10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

• God delights in meeting you where you are–even in your messy life.

What if my reality is really messy?

• Acknowledge the truth.

• Name the bad stuff.

• Face the bad stuff.

Romans 8:26-27

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:27 (The Kingdom New Testament)

And the Searcher of Hearts knows what the spirit is thinking, because the spirit pleads for God’s people according to God’s will. 

Axiom 1- God is love, so it is all about love. Axiom 2- God is always present and at work. The bottom line of this second axiom is that God is present, actively working among us right now and always. This is not a nice idea to make us feel better; it is the bedrock reality of the universe. It is the truest thing about the world. We have all built a custom god who lives in our imaginations. These gods must be confronted with the light of the truth of who God is. My goal is to present the clearest picture of who God is, because, I believe that if you see who God really is, you can't help but fall in love with Him. The Distant Deity The Demanding Judge The Deterministic Micromanager Axiom 3- God is just like Jesus. Jesus perfectly reveals the true nature of God (Hebrews 1:3). In Jesus, the fullness of God dwells (Colossians 2:9) If you know Jesus, you will also know God (John 14:7-11). Jesus makes God known in a final, definitive way (John 1:18). The Distant Deity John 14:16-18 The Demanding Judge God doesn't despise the sinner. He desires to be with the sinner, to heal and forgive and save the sinner. The Deterministic Micromanager Exercise If we all have custom gods in our imagination, in what ways have you replaced the one true God for these lesser gods? Pay attention over the next few days whenever you are aware of your limitations, weaknesses, sin, flaws, or anything else you consider undesirable. Notice the moments when you weren’t at your best, or when you felt shame about something. Keep a list of these moments. This might be hard. You may need to do this as you go (keeping a journal or making notes on your phone), or you could do it at the end of each day, but make sure you write these moments down, rather than just try to remember them. When you get a few moments for reflection, perhaps at the end of each day, reflect on your list of “moments of badness” and ask yourself this question: How do I imagine and experience God responding to me right now? Not what you know about God, but how you actually experience God in your body, in your emotions, in your thoughts. Use your imagination and discern how you feel when you become aware of your badness. Whatever picture or feeling comes up in these moments (not on your best day) is likely who you think God really is. As you reflect on how you experience God relating to you in your badness, think about which false image of God it’s most like: Are you experiencing the Distant Deity? Are you experiencing the Demanding Judge? Are you experiencing the Deterministic Micromanager? Perhaps you’d characterize your false image of God in some other way (like the Doting Grandparent? The Disappointed Teacher? The Naive Idealist?). What image or words would you use to describe the God who shows up when you’re not at your best? Take some time to describe this God. Notice the God Jesus reveals. After spending a few days on noticing God in your imagination, set aside thirty minutes when you can be alone and quiet, without interruptions. Slowly read and meditate on the passages below in which Jesus gives us a picture of how God interacts with people in their badness. For each passage, see what you notice as you imagine the scene, and write down the good news Jesus decWhat lares in each passage. What does he say to people in their badness? What does he do for people in their badness? How does Jesus communicate God’s goodness to people in the midst of their badness? John 8:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 John 21:1-19 Luke 19:1-10 Think about other Gospel passages you know of. What do you notice about how Jesus regularly treats people he loves in their badness? How is this the same or different from how you experience God in your badness? Now go back to your list of “moments of badness,” and imagine a God who is just like Jesus meeting you in those moments. What changes about the way God relates to you in your badness? Take some time to describe this, and rest in it.

God is Present

Psalm 139

In our story, God creates the world on purpose and in love, providing for it, caring for it, and calling it all very good. This is God's own temple where He dwells with humanity. It is where we meet God because it is where God resides.

John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

John 1:10-14

10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Revelation 21:1-7

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

Revelation 21:22-25

22 I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never close by day because it will never be night there.

Axiom 1: God is love, so it's all above love.

Axiom 2: God is always present and at work.

1. Stop. Sit down.

2. Start with a reminder of God's presence in your life.

3. Remind yourself of the times when you didn't feel God's presence, only to see Him in hindsight.

4. Know that God is present. God is working, and it is more beautiful than you can imagine.

John 19:5 ESV

5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

The bottom line of this second axiom is that God is present, actively working among us right now and always. This is not a nice idea to make us feel better; it is the bedrock reality of the universe. It is the truest thing about the world.

God is Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Axiom- a statement that is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.

Eight Axioms to Cultivate a Robust Faith

• God is love, so it is all about love.

• God is always present and at work.

• God is just like Jesus.

• God meets us in our messy reality.

• God cares about all of it more than we do.

• God does the same work in us and through us.

• God's love always reckons with power.

• God transforms us through embodied participation.

1 John 4:7-19

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

God is love and love is the greatest power in the world.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

1 If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

What are we without love? 

I am a noisy gong.

I am nothing.

I gain nothing.

It seems like this has always been a temptation for Christians: to privilege knowledge and power at the expense of love.

Salvation cannot be separated from God's love.

It is hard for us to trust love to get the job done. 

• Living with clinched fists is exhausting.

• How often do you walk around with clinched fists and not realize it?

• What are you holding on to that hinders your ability to love?•Living with clinched fists is exhausting.

• How often do you walk around with clinched fists and not realize it?

• What are you holding on to that hinders your ability to love?

•_____________________________________

•_____________________________________

•_____________________________________

• Living with hands open enables us to live out love.

This morning we are joined by Rev. Kristofer Labenske.

The Opportunity for Freedom

Galatians 5:13-18

"God has given us a wonderful exercise for training in truthfulness. That exercise is called prayer. To learn to pray is to have our bodies formed by the truth and love that move the sun and the stars.ul exercise for training in truthfulness."

–Stanley Hauerwas, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godchild

John 8:30-38

30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. 37 I know you are descendants of Abraham, but you are trying to kill me because my word has no place among you. 38 I speak what I have seen in the presence of the Father; so then, you do what you have heard from your father.”

There is an important relationship between TRUTH and freedom.

Galatians 5:1-7

1 For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Take note! I, Paul, am telling you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to do the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth?

Two Types of Freedom:

• Negative Freedom- freedom 'from'

• Positive Freedom- freedom 'for'

• For Jesus and Paul, freedom is about choosing, choosing the good.

"Freedom isn't about autonomy from authority but about liberating loving relationshps from sin."

–John Mark Comer

Galatians 5:13-14

13 For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Paul's use of slavery leads us to a question, "What owns you?"

What Jesus and Paul call slavery, we call addiction.

Galatians 5:13-18

13 For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

16 I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:7 You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth?

The Law of Returns 

• Every cause has an effect.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Matthew 7:2 For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.

Galatians 6:7 Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap,

• The effect is often disproportionate to the cause.

Galatians 6:7-10

At Home in the Truth

Colossians 1:9-14

Here's my advice–

"Do not lie."

"A Christian is someone who is unable to lie."

–Stanley Hauerwas

“...the truth can be spoken only by someone who is already at home in it, not by someone who still lives in untruthfulness..." 

–Wittgenstein 

What does it mean to be at home in the truth? 

Colossians 1:9-14

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

...that you may...

be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding

walk worthy of the Lord

bear fruit in every good work and 

grow in the knowledge of God, 

being strengthened with all power... 

great endurance and patience

joyfully giving thanks to the Father...

share in the saints’ inheritance in the light...

Why would we ever lie? 

• Our lives are constructed of stories.

• We are often tempted to lie because of pride and power

"This distance between how we live and what we know to be true is painful and tempts us to change the truth rather than change our lives."

–Stanley Hauerwas, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godchild

• We often lie because we don't want our limits exposed. We fear our foolishness will be on display.

Ephesians 4:15-16

15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

Two of the richest fruits of truthfulness are trust and peace.

• Speaking the truth means we must be what we seem to be.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

• A life of isolation and lies deforms us into the image of the devil.

• The exemplary life of Christ is a life that is at home in the truth. It is a life that has undergone training to keep pride in check.

"God has given us a wonderful exercise for training in truthfulness. That exercise is called prayer. To learn to pray is to have our bodies formed by the truth and love that move the sun and the stars.ul exercise for training in truthfulness."

–Stanley Hauerwas, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godchild

Prowling Like a Lion

1 Peter 5:8-9

Two Truths Concerning the Devil:

• I believe in the devil because Jesus believed in the devil.

• The devil's end goal is to spread death.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

There is a devil.

diabolos- to slander, to accuse, "The Accuser"

Genesis 3:1-7

1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

"Did God really say...?"

"...you will be like God..."

Two statements that delve into the very core of the devil's deception:

1) to remove God's rule over your life

2) to redfine good and evil based on ourselves over trusting the will of God

These statements lead us to three questions:

Who is God? (or the gods? or is there a God or gods?)

Who are we?

How do we live?

Or to say in another way:

What role does God play in my purpose?

What does it mean to be human?

What is a life of meaning?

John 6:32-51

John 8:30-41

John 6:37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.

John 8:42-45

How are we transformed into the image of the Son?

We are transformed by the Holy Spirit and living in the truth.

A life of isolation and lies deform us into the image of the devil.

The Role of Virtue

Romans 1:20

Romans 1:18-25

18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, 19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. 21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.

24 Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

Points: 

• God's truth is evident (vs. 19).

• God's attributes have been clearly seen since the beginning (vs. 20).

• God's truth and life (attributes) were exchanged for idols (vs. 22).

• The truth of God was exchanged for a lie (vs. 25) and worshipped the created.

Bearing witness to Jesus as Lord is the central calling of the Church.

John 13:34-35

34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 17:20-23

20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. 21 May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

What would my life be like if I fully embraced God's divine attributes and allowed His truth to shine through me?

The Transcendentals:

• Goodness

• Beauty

• Truth

Goodness

• Goodness is that which works for the benefit of another.

• Human goodness has one important characteristic: love.

• To love is to will the good of another.

• Sin is the failure to love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Beauty 

• "Beauty is goodness made manifest to the senses." –Dallas Willard

• Beauty, when seen, pleases. Goodness, when experienced, benefits.

To love is to will the good of another, but it is also an act of beauty.

All good things are also beautiful.

Beauty, goodness, and truth point to something else–God. God is the creator of all things, so when we experience beauty, we need to thank God.

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

What would my life be like if I fully embraced God's goodness and beauty and allowed His truth to shine through me?

Three Theories for the Nature of Truth

1) The Correspondence Theory- A statement is true if it corresponds to the way the world is

2) The Coherence Theory- A statement is true if it is consistent with other statements we take to be true.

• The coherence theory is put under pressure when other truths are questioned.

3) The Pragmatic Theory- A statement is true if it works.

• The pragmatic theory values power over principle.

John 18:33-38

33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about me?”

35 “I’m not a Jew, am I?” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

38 “What is truth?” said Pilate.

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging him.

John 14:1-7

1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.”

5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

The Church is the people of God.

If you know Jesus, you know the Father.

Bearing witness to Jesus as Lord is the central calling of the Church.

Central to our call is proclaiming Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life.

John 18:37 

Beth Moore Story:

Years ago at an event during a Q&A, a woman asked, Beth, what’s the knot in your rope? I thought it was the best question. In other words, what do I hold onto when I’m sliding down a rope, palms burning & blistering & all my formulas failing? I didn’t even have to think about it.

The words of Jesus in John 15:9. “As the Father has loved me, so I love you. Now abide in my love.” Jesus follower, try to grasp the magnitude of what he is saying about you. In the same way God loves Jesus, Jesus loves you. Then he says, LIVE IN THIS TRUTH. IT’S HOME TO YOU.

This is how I think of it: no matter what is happening in my life, this truth must be firmly rooted and grounded, as Paul said in Eph 3, as the deepest belief and reality in my entire existence. In the whole of my day in and day out living.

This way, come what may, in all the losses & gains & tears & doubts & bewilderments & betrayals, & when my body aches with the pain of aging or I’m sick or depressed or worse yet, one of my loved ones is, I know this with all my being, none of this is because I’m unloved by God.

Jesus loves me like God loves him. And, man oh man, does God love Jesus. Let that sink down into the deepest part of you. Let that root deep into the soil of your consciousness and unconsciousness. Jesus loves you like God loves him. Live in it. Don’t leave it for a minute.

What's the knot in your rope?

In a world that says there is no truth, what do we hold on to?

John 18:38

What is truth?

We believe that Truth has a name, a face, a mother, a birthdate, a death date, and a resurrection date.

This morning, we are joined by our youth pastor, Rev. James Dolinger.

Freedom from Sin

Romans 6:1-14

Romans 6:1-14

1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

Romans 5:20 The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more

Three Misunderstandings Dealt with in Romans 6:

1) We don't understand sin.

2) We don't understand grace.

3) We don't understand the work of the cross concerning transformation.

1) We don't understand sin.

• Original Sin

• Personal Sin- the sin of commission and the sin of omission

The Sin of Commission

Galatians 5:19-21

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Sin of Omission

James 4:17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.

Nazarene Articles of Faith, Article 5.1

• corruption of the nature of all the offspring of Adam

• averse (opposition) to God

• without spiritual life

• inclined to evil

"It is impossible to be 'in Christ' and remain 'in Sin.' ...there is absolutley no place for cheap grace in the Christian life. In baptism believers have relocated. They have died to the power called Sin; they have terminated their bondage and alligence to it. Therefore, now we present our bodies to God, not to Sin."

–Michael J. Gorman

2) We don't understand grace.

2) We don't understand the continuing role of grace in our lives.

Romans 6:11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Grace makes me a part of a new movement in the world– "walking in the newness of life."

3) We don't understand the work of the cross concerning transformation.

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come.Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Romans 6:8-11

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

God Sought Life

Romans 3:28-30, 5:1-11

Romans 3:9-10

9 What then? Are we any better off? Not at all! For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin, 10 as it is written:

There is no one righteous, not even one.

Romans 3:23-24

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 

Romans 3:28-30

28 For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Both Jews and Gentiles are in need of God's saving grace because we all suffer from the same condition- SIN

How do we define "justify"?

Definition 1- "Can I find a good excuse for my situation?"

Definition 2- to straighten out

How does God straighten out relationships with humanity?

• Through a gospel that evokes faith

• If sin is a relationship with God gone wrong, then faith is the relationship with God set right.

• This 'setting right' is done through the power of the gospel

• The gospel brings about a trusting relationship with God and we are justified.

Romans 5:1-3

1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,

"We boast in what God does. Even when we suffer, because God's action is not limited because of my suffering."

Romans 5:4-11

4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.

Don't miss the repetition of 6-10:

vs. 6- ...while we were still helpless...Christ died for the ungodly. 

vs. 8- ...while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

vs. 10- ...while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son...will we be saved by his life.

God sought life.

Called to be Saints 

Romans 1:1-17

Romans 16:19-20

19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Romans 1:1-7

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures— 3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. 5 Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, 6 including you who are also called by Jesus Christ.

7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul, a servant (slave, doulos) of Christ (Messiah) Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God...

"Ultimately the source of each aspect of his identity is God, who has called him to set him apart to be an apostle, one sent with the authority of the sender as the sender's representative and agent."

–Michael Gorman

Romans 1:8-17

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world. 9 God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in telling the good news about his Son—that I constantly mention you, 10 always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I want very much to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 12 that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

13 Now I don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Paul uses the phrase, "obedience of faith" to bookend the letter to the Romans (1:5, 16:26).

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

In the culture of the New Testament, what was the most shameful thing?

Why would one not want to be publicly identified as a Christian? 

Who is the God you believe in?

• God is working to set things right (reconciliation).

• God is bringing life.

• God's new life starts with divine grace and leads to faith.

Stand on Your Feet!

Acts 13:1-3, 14:8-18

Acts Outline from Acts 1:8

A. ...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you (chp. 2)

B. ...you will be my witnesses...

1) in Jerusalem and Judea (chp. 2-7)

2) in Samaria (chp 8-12)

3) the ends of the earth (13-20)

Acts 13:1-3

1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2 As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

Acts 14:8-18

8 In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. 9 He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.

11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.

14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting, 15 “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own way, 17 although he did not leave himself without a witness, since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” 18 Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them.

Acts 14:15 “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.

What are the worthless things that you look to bring you value? 

Acts 14:8-10

8 In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. 9 He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.

What have you held on to for your entire life as "just the way it is," yet God wants to do something new? 

Acts 14:10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.

• Do you have the faith that God can create a new future? 

• Do you have faith that God can change your future despite your past? 

A New Vision

Acts 10:1-17, 34-48

Acts 1:8 as an outline for the book of Acts:

A. ...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you (chp. 2)

B. ...you will be my witnesses...

1) in Jerusalem and Judea (chp. 2-7)

2) in Samaria (chp 8-12)

3) the ends of the earth (13-20)

Three Beginnings in Acts:

• A Room (Pentecost)

• A Road (Saul's Conversion)

• A Roof (Peter's Dream)

Acts 10:1-17

1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God. 3 About three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.”

4 Staring at him in awe, he said, “What is it, Lord?”

The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him. 8 After explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

9 The next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof about noon. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. 13 A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”

14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”

15 Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.” 16 This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.

17 While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, right away the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate.

Acts 10:34-48

Acts 10:15 Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.”16 This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.

If the point of the vision was people, why were there animals in the vision instead of people?

Acts 10:9-10

9 The next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof about noon. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance.

Acts 10:15 Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.”

• Do we believe God has the power to make clean what was formally unclean?

• Do we pray and hunger to see God's transformative power in the lives of others?

• Does God have the power to transform someone who is loving the wrong things?

Acts 10:19-20

19 While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”

Resurrection Mission

Matthew 28:16-20

Genesis 12:1-3

1 The Lord said to Abram:

Go from your land,

 your relatives,

 and your father’s house

 to the land that I will show you.

2 I will make you into a great nation,

 I will bless you,

 I will make your name great,

 and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

 I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,

 and all the peoples on earth

 will be blessed through you.

Exodus 19:5-6

5 Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, 6 and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”

Isaiah 42:5-9

5 This is what God, the Lord, says—

 who created the heavens and stretched them out,

 who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

 who gives breath to the people on it

 and spirit to those who walk on it—

6 “I am the Lord. I have called you

 for a righteous purpose,

 and I will hold you by your hand.

 I will watch over you, and I will appoint you

 to be a covenant for the people

 and a light to the nations,

7 in order to open blind eyes,

 to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,

 and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.

8 I am the Lord. That is my name,

 and I will not give my glory to another

 or my praise to idols.

9 The past events have indeed happened.

 Now I declare new events;

 I announce them to you before they occur.”

Matthew 2:1-3

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

There is a deep calling in Scripture that God's calling and blessing are to flow out of His people into "all the people of the earth."

Matthew 4:8-10

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

Matthew 28:16-20

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Why is it difficult to live out the Great Commission?

We must begin by realizing SIN is an actual/real problem.

Sin is a problem that required the incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.

The Great Commission reminds us that the presence of the risen Christ is active in the world.