Chesed LOVE! 2nd Sunday in Advent: "Celebrate: Be Fruitful & LOVE Mercy."

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We continue our journey in this new Church year as we look at Micah 6: ⁸ He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Today we begin the week of "Celebrate Week 2:Be Fruitful". We see that message of John the Baptist to the Pharisees and Sadducees "Bear Fruit in keeping with repentance" in Matthew 3:8. We are encouraged to "be a chip off the old block" as we discussed last week, as we got ready for the advent (coming or appearing) of the Christ. We recognize from Holy Scripture that we who belong to the Lord and have our identity in the Father and are obedient because of who we are in Christ, then we will be Fruitful and we will reflect HIS Love into the world.

This is why we are looking at the truth of "Chesed" which is the Hebrew word here in Micah 6:8.

 Biblical scholars have often complained that the word חֶסֶד in the Hebrew Bible is difficult to translate into English, because it really has no precise equivalent in our language. English versions usually try to represent it with such words as "loving-kindness," "mercy," "steadfast love," and sometimes "loyalty," but the full meaning of the word cannot be conveyed without an explanation.

"Chesed" is the covenant language of God with HIS people. It is undeserved mercy, Grace etc.. It is really beyond our comprehension and yet we are told to "do justice" and "Love Mercy."  It is inconceivable for us to truly LOVE as Christ LOVED us. We only make poor attempts but if you have been following our Celebrate Devotion you were just encouraged to live HOLY lives in Righteousness as a witness to Christ and God's love for us in waiting for HIS return as it says in 2 Peter 3:⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. In the Gospel lesson and our Old Testament Lesson from Isa 11 we see that the Lord has been our example and the KINGDOM that John and our Lord invites us to be part of is glorious. We are invited as New Testament believers to know the Spirit of the Lord is upon us and in us. We get to experience the wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord. This is the prayer that we use in the Confirmation Service.

Today we will look at the idea that even though we can never fulfill or truly on our own show forth "Chesed" Love, we are encouraged to strive to LOVE in a sacrificial way. The way of Jesus who showed us "Chesed" Love shows us how to seek after the LOVE of God so that we will be people known for showing Grace and Love with joy as we "Bear Fruit in keeping with repentance!" We do this because we have been Baptized with Fire and we are righteous because our God sees Jesus in US and forgives us our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). It is, as I heard in the musical play "One Sleepy Night," because of Love that Jesus was born in the manger of Bethlehem, lived his life as the Son of Mary and died on the Cross for us because of CHESED LOVE! He rose again to prove that HE has victory over Sin, Death and the Devil and can do what HE says HE will do.

Our desire this Advent Season to do Acts of Piety and Acts of Mercy are our attempt to emulate the "Chesed" Love of God toward us HIS Children and share this light with the world. May we be fruitful and repentant. May we LOVE as HE HAS LOVED US!

Love is the reason for Christmas! We use the phrase "KNOW CHRIST and MAKE HIM KNOWN!" to define our mission. It means we have the "Yaddah" intimate knowledge of Christ and we share what this means as we Belong to HIM, Believe in HIM and Desire to Become MORE LIKE HIM. May we take this time when the world is singing, speaking and sharing the Christ of Bethlehem to help HIS LOVE to be made known to ALL!

Love in Christ,
Pastor Bryan  

Happy New Year and our desire to be "a Chip off the old block!"

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Happy New Year! This Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent and we get to begin our Church year before the rest of the world. It is the one time we get ahead of things.

This year of our Lord 2013-2014 will be a time for us to focus on being "A chip off the old block!" This is the year we move forward in understanding the power of our Covenant relationship to our Lord with the Father giving us our identity and out of our identity we are obedient. We BELONG to God through Christ and therefore we BELIEVE what the Father reveals to the Son and the Jesus models for us! We want to BECOME like our Father and we want to be "a chip off the old block!" I never really minded when people said that about me in regards to my earthly father. I know some would not like to be compared with their earthly father but we should all desire to be compared and found compatible with our heavenly father.

Jesus modeled this by saying many time with words and actions that HE said what the Father told HIM and did what the Father did! This is why we are studying Micah, whose name means "who is like the Lord?" We are going to look at Micah 6 for our sermon text today:

6 Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
    and let the hills hear your voice.
² Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord,
    and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against his people,
    and he will contend with Israel.

³ “O my people, what have I done to you?
    How have I wearied you? Answer me!
⁴ For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
    and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
    Aaron, and Miriam.
⁵ O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

What Does the Lord Require?

⁶ “With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with^[a] thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
⁸ He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,^[b]
    and to walk humbly with your God?

We are going to be spending this year continuing our journey of the Christ follower striving to recognize our sin, celebrate our forgiveness and walk with the authority and power that belongs to us as disciples.

Jesus taught us what to do as Micah says that God the Lord has told us what is required..In John's gospel especially Jesus teaches us about how HE operates and how we will:

John 5:¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

¹⁸ This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
¹⁹ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father^[e] does, that the Son does likewise. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. ²¹ For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. ²² The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
²⁵ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
³⁰ “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. ³¹ If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. ³² There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. ³³ You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. ³⁴ Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. ³⁶ But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, ³⁸ and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. ³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. ⁴¹ I do not receive glory from people. ⁴² But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. ⁴³ I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

 

John 6:²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” ²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

 

John 7: ²⁸ So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. ²⁹ I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”

 

John 8: ²⁶ I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” ²⁷ They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. ²⁹ And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

 

John 12:⁴⁹ For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.

 

John 14: ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.¹² “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me^[e] anything in my name, I will do it. ¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,^[f] to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be^[g] in you. 

 

This is by no means exhaustive but you get the picture. This is why we are Kingdom people. We receive the authority from the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit and we will do "greater works than these!" We as Kingdom people want to walk in the Authority and Power of the King. May we begin this New Year with a desire to do what the Lord requires in Micah 6:8. We have the promise that when we "act justly or DO JUSTICE" we are simply reflecting what God who IS JUST and HOLY does. We are modeling what HE says and does through Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

May we be "a chip off the old block!"

 

Love in Christ Jesus our Way, Truth and LIFE,

 

Pastor Bryan   

R12 Christian 2: Wrestling with God; the Story of Jacob... Toward Blessings!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today we continue our journey of Becoming a R12 Christian. Not being conformed to the world but being TRANSFORMED.
Romans 

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^{[b] 2} Do not be conformed to this world,^[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[d]

We will study the life of Jacob and how he changed and his name changed. It is about wrestling with Esau, God and men.

Jacob came into the world wrestling with Esau. He tricked Esau out of his blessing. He fled to Laban and was tricked with Leah and then received Rachel. He was blessed and prospered. He fled from Laban and his family only to make a covenant with Laban in Gen 31 and then continue on to meet Esau.

He tries a number of things to make Esau aware of a change in Jacob's life. But before he comes face to face with his first wrestling partner, Esau, he wrestles with God.

Gen 32:
 ²² The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,^[e] and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. ²⁴ And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵ When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” ²⁸ Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,^[f] for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” ²⁹ Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. ³⁰ So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,^[g] saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

We want to look at the change that happened to Jacob over the years that made him tenacious, as the women in our Gospel lesson who is persistent in pursuing justice with the unjust judge. What happened that made Jacob be tenacious to wrestle all night and request or demand a blessing even though he was injured. His hip was out and yet he holds on to hear the response. The Lord blesses him and gives him the name Israel which means "strives with God and wins" or "prince" or "God's Fighter." God is faithful to the blessing Isaac gave to Jacob. He is faithful in giving Jacob a new name because he wrestled with God and Man.

This Jacob was not a saint by earthly standards. He was a weasel! He tricked his brother, he tricked his father, he tricked his father-in-law with his flock management, (Laban was a not much better when it came to dealing with Jacob over Rachel by substituting Leah to get 7 more years of work out of Jacob) He could not fool God. He had a history of fleeing.. from Esau, Isaac, and Laban.

So when he meets with the Angels and wrestles with God things have changed. He is not running away. He is not trying to take the easy way out and the tricking of others. He is heading home with his family and possessions ready to face Esau.

As we are striving to become R12 Christians by no longer conforming to the world but being TRANSFORMED we will wrestle with the World, our Sinful Nature, God's will and Satan.

The question for us is will we flee or stand? Will we be tenacious like the widow and persist? Will we pray and hear God speak? Will we surrender our will to HIS Will?

Will we know the power of Prayer and Listening as we surrender to the Lord's will?
Listen to our Gospel lesson:

Luke 18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

May we be a people who know we are God's People who belong to HIM. HE as our Father has given us our identity and we are obedient because of who we are! We are part of the Kingdom where we have been given authority by our King and we walk in HIS power! May we know we belong, trust or believe in our Lord's faithfulness and become more like HIM each day!

Look forward to worshiping our Lord and Savior tomorrow!

Love in Christ,
Pastor Bryan

R12 Christians: Reformation to Transformation 1: Ruth October 13, 2013

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Two weeks ago we had God-Sightings for the sermon and last week Lydia's Baptism was the Sermon. Today we begin our new series on being "R12 Christians." We are looking at our journey of discipleship from reformation to transformation. We will look at the response of Ruth to Naomi and the total sacrifice and commitment she has to God. This is the journey we want to go through in our Quest to become R12 Christians. Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^{[b] 2} Do not be conformed to this world,^[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Have you ever felt empty, alone, deserted etc... This is Naomi whose husband had moved his family from Bethlehem to Moab on the other side of the Dead Sea, because of a severe famine in Judah. They moved into Moab and then his two sons married Moabite women. This was allowed during the time of the Judges because Moab was the descendents of the incestuous relations between Lot and his daughters. This land was on a plateau and not suffering from the famine. Unfortunately all the men die leaving Naomi, Orpah and Ruth widows. This means they are in a really bad position. Naomi must feel as though the Lord has abandoned her. She decides to go home.

She tells her daughter-in-laws as they come to the Jordon River and she realizes that they will be foreigners in Judah. Naomi tells them to return to their mother's homes and they can get husbands and have children. They resist and weep but Naomi convinces them and Orpah leaves after again weeping. She respects Naomi and does what she is asked to do. Ruth on the other hand clings to Naomi and makes a huge sacrifice and shows total commitment in her poetic response and repentance (180 degree turn from going home) by saying:
 
¹⁶ But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Instead of being totally alone and abandoned Naomi now has a companion, which is one translation of Ruth.

When we feel abandoned we might want to give up but it at that time that we are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to present our bodies as a living SACRIFICE, holy and acceptable to God. This is the true repentance and response to God's call through the Holy Spirit. We are to be "ALL IN" by the mercies of God. We are to experience total sacrifice and surrender into the Arms of our loving Father. May we respond like Ruth, clinging to our Lord and trusting that he has great things for us!

May our repentance lead to a confession of faith like Ruth's so that we can walk not only as people who have gone through correction and reformation but we want to be truly transformed and renewed. We hope all of us know the truth that Naomi knew even when she felt empty and alone she still belonged to Judah and to God. She believed and trusted that God would provide and she became an inspiration for Ruth to sacrifice her identity, her god, her family and stay with her. 

We know that Ruth will be part of King David's family tree and then of course part of our Lord's earthly line. May we have the faith to present ourselves as living SACRIFICES each time we worship and respond to our Lord. He wants us to belong to Him, Believe and trust in HIM and Become more like HIM each day. This is the R12 Christian.

Join us on this journey!
Love in Christ,
Pastor

HIStory 103: The Knowledge of TRUTH

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today we are looking at what St. Paul says to young pastor Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1-8
 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man^[a] Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. ⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸ I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;









Today we will look at the word "Truth"

 Did you know? The word "Truth" is found 251 times in the Bible; this must indicate it's importance.

The first time the word "truth" is used, is in Genesis 24:27, and the last time is mentioned in 3 John 12. • Entry for Strong's #225 - ἀλήθεια

•Transliteration:  alḗtheia                Phonetics:  al-ay'-thi-a  

•Parts of Speech:  Noun Feminine

•Thayer's Definition  objectively

–what is true in any matter under consideration •truly, in truth, according to truth• of a truth, in reality, in fact, certainly– what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, moral and religious truth• in the greatest latitude  •the true notions of God which are open to human reason without his supernatural intervention– the truth as taught in the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of his purposes through Christ, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of the Gentiles and the inventions of the Jews, and the corrupt opinions and precepts of false teachers even among Christians

•subjectively

–truth as a personal excellence• that candor of mind which is free from affection, pretence, simulation, falsehood, deceit

• 
We hear in John 18: 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

•After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

 

Pilate was ahead of his time..

•      Today we are constantly told it is "Relative" or "Situational" Ethics and/or Truth?

 •      We normally hear things such as “that’s your truth” or “what’s true for you is true for you and what’s true for me is true for me”.

•      No “Objective” Truth just “Subjective” Truth.

What does this relative truth look like? I think about Falling from a building: just because we don't want to believe in gravity does not make gravity real and absolute!



I found this site of Christian Apologists called CARM who



•        CARM site:  1. All truth is relative.



•        If all truth is relative, then the statement "All truth is relative" would be absolutely true.  If it is absolutely true, then not all things are relative and the statement that "All truth is relative" is false.



•        2. There are no absolute truths.



•        The statement "There are no absolute truths" is an absolute statement which is supposed to be true.  Therefore, it is an absolute truth and "There are no absolute truths" is false.



•        If there are no absolute truths, then you cannot believe anything absolutely at all, including that there are no absolute truths.  Therefore, nothing could be really true for you - including relativism.



•        3. What is true for you is not true for me.



•        If what is true for me is that relativism is false, then is it true that relativism is false?



–      If you say no, then what is true for me is not true and relativism is false.



–      If you say yes, then relativism is false.



•        If you say that it is true only for me that relativism is false, then



–      I am believing something other than relativism; namely, that relativism is false.  If that is true, then how can relativism be true?



–      am I believing a premise that is true or false or neither?



•     If it is true for me that relativism is false, then relativism (within me) holds the position that relativism is false.  This is self-contradictory.



•     If it is false for me that relativism is false, then relativism isn't true because what is true for me is not said to be true for me.



•     If you say it is neither true or false, then relativism isn't true since it states that all views are equally valid; and by not being at least true, relativism is shown to be wrong.



•        If I believe that relativism is false, and if it is true only for me that it is false, then you must admit that it is absolutely true that I am believing that relativism false.



–      If you admit that it is absolutely true that I am believing relativism is false, then relativism is defeated since you admit there is something absolutely true.



•        If I am believing in something other than relativism that is true, then there is something other than relativism that is true - even if it is only for me.



–      If there is something other than relativism that is true, then relativism is false.



Check CARM.org



•      4. No one can know anything for sure.



•      If that is true, then we can know that we cannot know anything for sure, which is self-defeating.



•      5.That is your reality, not mine.



•      Is my reality really real?

•      If my reality is different than yours, how can my reality contradict your reality?  If yours and mine are equally real, how can two opposite realities that exclude each other really exist at the same time?

We hear HIStory 103: 1 Tim 2: 3-4

•      3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

What is the knowledge of truth?

•      5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

•      This was the TRUTH that stood in front of Pilate.. 

The Old Testament speaks of truth in Psalm 145: 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

John, Peter and Paul testify:



•      John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.



•      1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart

•      2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

What is the TRUTH you seek today?

•      John 14: 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

•      We have to ask if we believe the Bible?

•      If we believe what Jesus says about HIMSELF  or believe HIM to be as CS Lewis said “either Jesus is who HE says he is “LORD” or he is a Legend, LIAR and/or a LUNATIC.”

CS Lewis in Mere Christianity:



•       "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."




What Does Jesus say about HIStory?



•      John 4: 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”



John 8 and 15



•      8: 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”



•      15: 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.



John 16, 17 and 18

•      16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

•      17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.



•      18 we stated earlier before Pilate..



So what is Truth? You choose..



•      Did Jesus LIE about who HE was and is?



•      I hope you will look into more information so that you will do as St. Paul tells young Pastor Timothy in 1 Tim 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;



•      So why be a covenant people (HIStory 101),



•      A Kingdom People (HIStory 102) 
        or a People of Truth (HIStory 103)?



    




•      Why be a follower of Jesus and worship HIM?



•      John 4:22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”



•       



•      Why study the Word, Pray, Fellowship, Be Mentored in Discipleship and Serve if the JESUS is not the TRUTH?



•       



•      Now is the time to answer the question:      WHAT IS TRUTH?



  




•      And to trust and pray for Freedom, Salvation (Justification) and Truth (Sanctification)

Love in Christ,

Pastor Bryan

HIStory 102 "Salvation: Abundant Grace!"

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Here are the slides for my sermon as we continue our series on the basics:

 

HIStory 102: Salvation: Grace Abundant

1 Timothy chapter 1

•          Written to Timothy

•          Paul writes in Rome to Timothy in Ephesus.

•          Calls this young Pastor in Ephesus “My true child in the faith” (1 Tim 1:2)

•          Timothy was from Lystra in Modern Turkey..

•          Timothy accompanied Paul as we see in Acts 16:

16 Paul[a] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers[b] at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.

Timothy

•          Mother and Grandmother faithful Jewish Believers while his father was a Gentile Greek.

•          2 Tim 1: “ 2 To Timothy, my beloved child:

•          3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Last Week: HIStory 101: Freedom

•          This week: HIStory 102 Salvation

•          Last week we talked about Your and MY Story in relation to HIStory. The world religion: only 2:  

 All others: (Arrow up)                              Christianity  (Arrow Down)                 

This week “Salvation”

•          Today we are going to focus on our Vocation or CALLING…

•          We are Kingdom People

•          King gives us the Kingdom (UP=Belong)

•                                                King gives us HIS 

•                                                     Authority

•                Triangle                                   (IN=Believe)

•           

•                   

•          Expects us to walk in POWER (OUT=Believe)

So why do we concentrate on Sin?

•Paul acknowledges his sin. We acknowledge our Sin but this is not the end of the story.

•HIStory is so important because of the truth of your and MY=our story: Even though we are sinners we are also saints. We are the Weakest LINK! Blush!

•12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. 

Satan and our sinful human nature want us to stay with the sin:

•But this is not the end. We confess those sins and they are FORGIVEN! We are FREE…

•Here how St. Paul shared this truth of his salvation:

•13 But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

“overflowed”

•ὑπερπλεονάζω hyperpleonázō

•Phonetics: hoop-er-pleh-on-ad'-zo  

•Parts of Speech: Verb                               

•Thayer's Definition
to be exceedingly abundant

•to overflow

•to possess in excess

•ONLY TIME IN SCRIPTURE

We acknowledge our need for our Savior and HE gives us abundant GRACE!

•15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

This is the Attitude we should have:

•I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus. (Message)

Other translations:

•NIV: 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

•NKJV: 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

Why is this important?

•Because we forget the BUT…

•1 John 1: 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (BUT) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

So are you going to fixate on your and my sin or…

•Righteousness

•Authority

•POWER

•We are heirs of the KINGDOM, Chosen, Called, Appointed, Filled etc….

•HIStory: we are tasked with sharing the Author’s truth and move in HIS Power

What the world, Michigan, EMU, needs to hear:

•16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

•No matter what we have done, no matter what we are doing or will do as sinners we are supposed to know who we are and walk as examples of abundant grace and power.

God has a sense of humor: Len Sweet:

•Consider:

· Abraham and Sarah--A childless old couple become the parents of a nation.

· Moses--A stuttering shepherd becomes the leader who stands up to the greatest power in the world of his day.

· Esther--A dumb blonde who outwits a king, destroys his evil henchman, and saves her people.

· David--A scandalous Lothario, a dreamy-eyed musician, "the Elvis of his day" (so says U2's Bono) becomes Israel's greatest king.

· Rahab--A prostitute who provides Israel with the means for victory over deadly enemies.

· Jeremiah--A crazed and depressed prophet becomes the saving voice of sanity for the exiled Israelites.

· Hosea--A hen-pecked husband whose heart-wrenching marriage gave people of faith a new perspective on love and loyalty.

· Mary--A teenage unwed mother gives birth to the Son of God.

More:

•· Peter--A dense as granite fisherman with a bull-in-a-china-shop personality who even betrayed his Lord becomes the rock of the church.

•Do you get the joke? The biggest joke of all? God's ultimate ironic twist? Jesus, the rejected one, the crucified one, the stumbling block, became the "cornerstone" of faith and salvation for all humanity.

•The joke's on us. God uses the weakest to do the greatest.

So how do we live like this:

•Fixate on the right things:

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

•17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Fix your eyes on Jesus and pray:

•Phil 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me —practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you

Surround yourself with other believers:

•Think of these things,

•Practice these things,

•Spend time in Worship, Prayer, Study and Fellowship and Discipleship..

•SEE how it changes things…

•Challenge:

•MY Story of HIStory….. Goals achieved

What are areas that God wants to work on in your life?

•1.

•2.

•3

Love in Christ,

Pastor Bryan