Sermon Nuggets Mon Nov 9
Theme CHRIST AND THE CULTS
Verses- Col 2:1-9
1 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
Believer, Beware
All around us there are voices of deception. I am shocked by the ways people are mislead into believing all kinds of things under the pretence religious meaning. On national news recently was exposed the violence and coercion of the Scientology church made more popular by followers, John Travolta and Tom Cruise. Even some of the leaders have now left the organization to the threat of personal attack by the craze leader, David Miscavige.
The 50th anniversary of Rev Sun Myung Moon of the Church of Unification brought 1000s of couples in a united arranged marriage that was made public recently. He has been teaching for years he is the Messiah.
Within the Christian tradition many churches and pastors have sprung off into cult like teachings where their insights, and visions, and special interpretations lead folks away from Biblical teaching, including established groups like Jehovah Witnesses, and Mormons.
The health and wealth TV preachers who bilk 1000s out of their offerings allowing them to live lavish life styles resulted in many people reject all religion and give up on the Christian church.
Someone can might say, "What a minute, Christians believe in a man who came back from the dead. He ascended to heaven. He claimed to be the Son of God. He invites me to leave everything and even my family if necessary to follow him and join a community of believers. He invites me to take up my cross. The Lord tells us not to be surprised when people make fun of us or think we are foolish. He calls me to die so that I might live. And then he tells me he is coming back for me so I can join him in paradise the next level.”
I can ask how can so many New Age teachers and followers be so foolish? But there are people asking that of those who take the following of Jesus Christ seriously. We need to look at the differences of the claims of Christ and compare them to the claims of other voices saying there is a different way.
From the beginning of time people have been deceived from the truth. Satan did what he does best which is to lead people into lies. He takes the word of God and the relationship that people have with Him and distorts and confuses people into focusing their faith into other things than what is revealed. We have had members of our church visited by cult members who promise them personal attention and Bible study. With a certain amount of Bible twisting they are very good as taking new or uninformed Christians and winning them over to their group which denies the divinity of Jesus Christ.
The Bible even tells us in the last days there will be a multitude of deceivers who will do everything to keep people from faith in Jesus
Throughout the next three weeks as we study from chapter 2 we will be looking at many of the warnings from the Bible that cause people to be held captive with lies. Just because someone says they are teaching from the Bible do not believe it. Read it in context for yourself. I have said many time do not take my word for things, also check them out in the Bible.
This last weekend while I was at the Minnesota Baptist Conference Annual meeting in Duluth, the Hispanic church planter gave his testimony. He said some that although I didn’t like, it was true. He said, “Most people will seldom read the Bible. Instead they will find out and believe what the Bible says through their pastors.”
I frankly stopped listening to him since I spend my time pondering those words. People seek truth more through other people than through looking at the Scriptures themselves. If they follow a leaders who teachings something is from the Bible, they seldom check it out. Most do not feel confident enough to understand the Bible so leave it up to those who are better trained. But unfortunately it leads folks to follow those who are more articulate and have charismatic personalities.
Paul warns the Colossians about deceptive authority that misleads them from the truth of Christ.
Believer, Beware! If something seems fishy, check it out!
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Nov 10
Verses- Col 2: 1 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Beware of the Emotions of Experience
Paul wants his reader to be encouraged in their hearts and united in love. Those are emotional parts of our being. When we worship God we do worship Him in spirit and in truth. Many Christians are afraid of emotion. They are afraid of expressing their love or praise to God from their heart lest they be looked upon in our setting as out of control.
Our area, with strong Swedish roots, folks tend not to show much emotion. But of course that is changing as our culture changes. Our older churches and folks have a harder time showing their feelings in worship, whither by crying or laughing, or shouting, or clapping. That is not so in the South, or Latin American countries, or among some other ethnic groups. The showing of emotions can be a cultural thing.
It can also be a doctrinal thing. We are not what people call a charismatic church. Nor are we a liturgical church where every prayer and all responses are carefully scripted out before any service begins. A charismatic service generally implies lots of emotion which can include shouting, hand raising, clapping, and usually speaking in tongues. Sometimes it can include healings and anointing, fainting, dancing, visions and prophecies they say are from impressions from the Lord. Each church and pastor may handle those manifestations differently.
The fear of being emotional can also cause some people to quench the movement of the Spirit of God. There are many verses which speak of raising hands as expressions of praise to God. But you should see the looks on some faces when some people desire to raise their hands or clap with the music! True praise can exhibit itself in many forms. It can include musical instruments and also be without instruments; with organ or with drums. God wants to have people tell him they love him.
But there is also a warning that we need to take to heart. For some emotions of experiences take precedent over the revealed truth of God. He speaks about this also further v.(18-19) I will be writing on this later, but there are people who are having emotional experiences who take their trust and faith in the experience over the truth. Personal visions or tongues speaking become more important than being grounded in the Bible. Worship of angels apparently became an issue in Colossae. Their new messages based on those experiences were lead some astray.
Some people judge spiritual reality based on feelings or emotions. Some people question others salvation if they haven’t experienced tongues or some other feeling or emotion or revelation. Some people do not feel forgiven or not feel that God loves them, which goes against what the Bible says. If you are sincere in confession of your sins God is faithful and will forgive you. That is a faith based on fact not feeling. If you put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you that is fact, not feeling.
When Peter was on the Mount of Transfiguration, who wouldn't have enjoyed that experience of special revelation of Elijah and Moses and Jesus? Peter wanted to stay there all the time. "Let’s erect shelters for each and stay here" Jesus was not a made up story. The transfiguration was not a cleverly devised tale. But notice what Peter said in 2 Peter 1:19-21 he spoke of something being made “more sure”. What could be more sure than something he had witnessed in person? Nothing could be any more sure than what he personally experienced. Yet Peter said, “so we are even more confident of the message proclaimed by the prophets.”
In others words Peter was saying there is something even more trustworthy that what he saw and heard himself-namely the words written by men who were guided by the Holy Spirit of God. Then he says the Bible is not a matter of private interpretation. It is not a matter of human will. It is God breathed as men recorded it.
Apparently in Colossians some people had experiences of worshiping angels. Maybe someone met an angel and that experience is causing everyone to want to experience angels. There are supernatural things that happen beyond other explanations you know. Some want that same experience. We see crowds running all over to see a vision of the Madonna; people going to the other side of the globe to some water or some miracle rock or some woman who saw a vision. There are people wanting the experiences of speaking in tongues, or jumping in the spirit or laughing in the spirit or ecstatic behavior. Whether people worship angels, or take pride in some special revelation. There is the problem. It actually diverts one away from Christ, the rightful "Head of the body" - Co 2:19 The apostles saw it as wrong to be worshiped and so did the angels. Only God is to be worshiped. Only God is to be prayed to, not saints or angels.
There is a danger of emotional experiences that lead us away from truth to trust many spiritual leaders who claim God spoke to them in a vision, dream or even in a personal manifestation. Their faith is in the experience and not in facts of what Jesus Christ did and believing in Him.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Nov 11- Happy Veteran’s Day.
Verse- Col 2: 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
The Lures of Liberalism
Paul gives another warning again addressing man made philosophies. He warns them against fine sounding arguments. There are many who move the attention from Scriptures to use for one’s basis of authority what makes sense. I want to look at the Lure of Liberalism as one example. It is the philosophy of man, that is, man centered and filled with intellect. Whatever does not make sense according to the sciences and man’s view is simply discarded. There are many religious leaders that take the fine sounding principles that appeal to the sense of mankind but take away all the miracles, all the wonder of the eternal. Since it doesn't make sense that Jesus can be both God and man they have fine sounding arguments how he was a good prophet.
The lure of liberalism is that we recreate the Bible and the stories of Jesus to fit our preconceived ideas of what is true. We are the judges.
I was in a seminar with one well respected minister who was liberal. He presented various views how it makes sense that everyone is saved. I asked him about the Bible teachings on Hell. He simply dismissed them without any qualms as being myths. Why? He explained it doesn't fit with a loving God. When challenging him about the consistency of Paul's teaching how a loving God is also just God he simply writes Paul off as misguided Rabbi.
Many people determine to make their intellect their fine sounding human authority. Common sense becomes the final means of authority for religious beliefs. If it seems logical to me, then I will believe it.
Many love to argue the philosophies of atheism and evolution theories as if they are facts. How can anyone know there is no God? That seems to be an extreme position of pride that their wisdom and intellect is so superior it is above spiritual insight they know there is not God.
The entire history of human race is a reminder that man continually
uses poor judgment. Mankind seldom has the ability to make right decisions.
Liberal teaching may have some religious activities of helping others and working for peace and justice, but much of Scriptures are only considered an anthropological and sociological commentary on the uneducated and un-enlightened people of that day.
The Lord Jesus himself had to cope with this kind of thinking. In Mark 12 the Sadducees refused to believe in the resurrection based on reason. v. 24 Jesus analyzed their reasoning. They were wrong because they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. Were they really searching for truth when they came to Jesus? No. They were asking Jesus questions so they could display their superior knowledge.
Liberals today have denied the deity of Jesus, the resurrection. They have eliminated much of Scripture as being fables and stories that cannot be believed as literally true.
Paul knew that the proclamation of Jesus would be a message that is nonsense to liberals. For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
Now Christian faith that is honestly explored is definitely not anti-intellectual. Far from it. Paul had the most brilliant and highly educated minds of his century. He accused mankind not of having too much wisdom, but rather too little. He taught if they had enough wisdom they would not have crucified Jesus. If the Spirit of God understands the thoughts of God He is the only way to understand them.
Have you received the Spirit of God? It is impossible for a person to find God through his own intellect it comes down to a matter of the will.
While in Russia I read a most interesting book by Dr. Greg Boyd, Letters to a Skeptic. This was a series of letters back and forth between his father who had completely rejected Christianity, and Greg. Greg has a great mind and attended Ivy League schools and his father could not believe he could be a Christian and an intellectual. So the book was the correspondence of all the questions that his father had as to why he did not believe. Each one was answered by his son.
Finally Greg challenge his day, "It is like being in a house and someone outside house fire. You can choose to believe him or not to believe him-and you weigh the evidence carefully (do you smell smoke? Do you see flames? etc. ) You can choose to believe and risk looking foolish for running out of your house if it's a joke, or you can choose not to believe and risk being burned up. If you choose to suspend judgment you risk the same thing.”
God gave to us wisdom that is from above. To ignore it is to decide against Jesus. Satan is sly and wants to lure people into liberalism. Beware of how it moves it focus from Jesus to self.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thur Nov 12
Verses- Col 2: 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
The Trappings of Traditions.
There is a firmness in faith that delights Paul when he thinks of the church at Colossae. He gives them a further challenge to continue to live in Christ. Be rooted and built up in him. There were teachings that they needed to hang onto.
We have heard of struggles, especially recently between traditional and contemporary ways of doing things. There is cartoon where leaders of a contemporary church were discussing decisions for the following week and one objected, ”We never did it that way last week.”
One of the strengths of Stanchfield is it’s stability. When new ideas or thoughts emerge folks are not exactly going to give up what is tried and true to take on a new doctrine, teaching of spiritual fad. That is to the compliment of maturity.
Traditions based on truth of what we believe and how things are laid down orderly and firm is strength of church when it is Biblically based. The goal is developing strong roots so when opposition comes the plant or tree with strong roots is not blown away. That illustration is true for Christians. Knowing what you believe will prevent cult leaders from persuading someone to jump from doctrine to doctrine, church to church, and idea to idea.
But in verse 8 Paul warns against the hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. It is to be our warning that we need to look at what is the core of things that are of Christ and what are the things which we hang onto that need to discarded or through repeated practice start getting in the way of the movement of the Holy Spirit.
Not only do some people trust their experiences over Scripture and their own intellect with liberal leanings, Paul also warns against the traditions of men. Traditions can be very meaningful. Someone in the past decided that a particular teaching or custom or ceremony should be repeated again and again. For that person, that teaching, or custom or ceremony was extremely important. It had to be preserved. It must not be forgotten.
Often, however the deep heart-meaning of the tradition can get lost. Or it what also happens is the form becomes more important than the substance. It is observed as dead ritual and calls for no real heart commitment.
I am told of one true story of a church in Europe where for years people would come into the church and pause before a west wall. When asked why people did not know why? It was a custom, a tradition. Many people tried to reflect as to the original meaning but it was something people had done for years. When the church was to be renovated they scrapped off paint from the wall and discovered a painting of the Madonna with child. For 25 years before people would genuflect in front of the picture, but when the picture was covered with paint people still kept coming to the wall until folks forgot why.
In the Bible days there were lots of illustrations of traditions that get in the way of truth. The disciples broke traditions by failing to wash their hands in a certain customary way before eating bread. But Jesus pointed out they were ignoring a more important matter of breaking one the 10 commandments of not honoring their parents.
Man's activities cannot become the final source of truth.
As an outsider in the Russian Baptist Church it was interesting to see the richness of choir and fervency of prayer. The preaching had something to be desired. It was tradition that 3 men of the church be asked that day to speak in 10, 20 and 30 minutes sermons. With lack of preparation and trainer that tradition in my opinion weakened the effectiveness of communicating the word of God.
I was talking to one young man trained by the Americans in preaching. He tried to preach in a more understanding manner using illustrations and objects to get the Bible message across. In the privacy of his home he told me he was called before the deacon board who forbid him to do that. They said there are some privileges granted to the Bishop that is not granted to the preacher and some privileges granted to older preachers that are not granted to younger preachers and privileges granted to Americans that are not granted to Russians. Traditionalism says you must follow our custom and our style.
The songs, the style, the 2 hour service an even the way they are allowed to speak has nothing to do with effective communication, or meaningful worship. They are guided by traditions that have and will hamper the effectiveness in a society that so alienates the society from outward observations that many unsaved will not want to listen to the message. The trappings of traditions can get in the way with Gods’ movements. What we do and how we do that needs to be examined based on the Scriptures, not man’s traditions.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Nov 13
Verses- Col 2: 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Completeness in Christ.
The false prophets of this world claim they have the answers. They have the answers in the psychic hotlines. They have the answers in alcohol and drugs. They have the answers in money and material possessions. They have the answers in illicit sex with many partners. They have the answers in empty rituals, in idols. In times of trouble, these false prophets of this world are nowhere to be found. Jesus Christ claims to be the way, the truth, the life. He claims to be God. Jesus proved His claims. They were validated by God Almighty when He rose from the dead on that glorious Sunday morning!! Know Jesus, grow in Jesus. May He be your teacher, your friend, your power, your wisdom your life.
If there is one main clear and simple way to see if most religions are on target or off target is get right their teachings about Jesus. Is salvation found only in Jesus or other ways to God? Is their teaching that Jesus is the Son of God fully human and fully divine, or do they teach he was a good prophet or teacher? Is their understanding of Jesus that he died on the cross to redeem mankind from their sins or is their other teachings of what Jesus Christ came to do and say? Do they see his works as fables or believe in the reality of his works and teachings. Are his words authoritative for faith and for practice?
I am so glad that the Bible was given to us by God to become the plumb line by which we can judge truth from falsehood. I have heard lots of arguments that people can prove whatever they want through different Bible verses. Look at all the different teachings by Christian churches. How is anyone able to know what is right?
I have found most people who say such things to me do not read the Bible or they would know better. There are major differences and minor differences. Most of the differences fall into the minor categories not the major ones. If you want to determine which camp people fall into basically ask this question. "How does one find salvation with God?" You will get basically three answers.
One it is by good works. Another is by baptism into the church; or thirdly it is because of faith that is placed in the works of Jesus Christ.
Now the Bible is again very clear about those things. Eph 2:5,6 It is by grace that you are saved through faith it is a gift of God lest anyone should boast, 1 Cor says simples if God did not call me to baptism but to preach the gospel. If salvation is found in baptism certainly God called him to baptize and not preach the gospel. But every book in the new testimony except 2 and 3rd John speak of faith, Most books in the New Testament do not say anything about baptism. You figure it out.
When you read the Bible, read it in context, what goes before what goes afterwards and what do all the verses teach when you are looking at a subject. Many times the writing of one letter or one teaching is addressing a particular point and not give you full understanding of that passage. And let the clear and plain passages help you understand the difficult ones and not the other way around. What is said repeatedly and plainly believe strongly and where there is one verse or confusing ideas form an opinion but allow for freedom of various interpretations.
Paul is saying don't look to other people for your authority, look to Jesus and His word alone. There will be people who will want you to follow emotional experiences, Beware. There are people who will want you to follow the lures of liberalism, beware, and there are people who will want you to be trapped by traditions, beware. Focus on Jesus Christ. Be firm in your faith so false authorities will not betray you. Know what you believe.
Though these "philosophies" and "traditions of men" may possess a lot of truth, it is the error in them that can lead one away from the pure and simple doctrine of Jesus Christ! We need to keep in mind that in "Jesus Christ" are found ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge - and in "Jesus Christ" is to be found the FULLNESS of the Godhead bodily - Co 2:9
Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord continue to live in Him.
Pastor Dale
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Christ in You Col 1:24-2:5
Sermon Nuggets- Mon, Nov 2
Theme - CHRIST IN YOU
Verses- 24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness--
Our Mandate for Ministry
As we have reviewed before there have been Paul had a dramatic change in the Apostle Paul’s life. There was a vast difference between a religion to which he was committed, and a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. The first was in his head, the second was in his heart.
Although we will look more closely at vs. 24 a bit later, Paul was thinking about his ministry while he was imprisoned. He wrote this letter to the church at Colossae while under arrest. He had suffered for the cause of sharing Jesus Christ in a hostile world. He was not sorry he did so. He was willing to suffer and be in prison if the good news of Jesus Christ could be spread. Being a Christian in a non-Christian world meant that he had to accept suffering. He did so because of the mandate that He received from God.
But he wants them to know more about this ministry to which he was called. "I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness."
We are reminded how Paul hated Christians at first. He was so zealous to the Jewish traditions that he did all in his power to arrest, persecute and martyr followers of Jesus.
When I was in Russia awhile ago, I became aware how strong the traditions of the Orthodox church were. They had the power to influence the political government to stop and limit missionaries from coming into the country. They enforced the policy that no new religions or denominations would be allowed, only allowing those churches and denominations which had already established and registered during the communist control. They saw anything else as being a sect.
Truth was not allowed to confront traditions. Paul had traditions, but it wasn’t until his trip on the Damascus road that he met Jesus Christ in a personal way. After meeting with Ananias Paul had the commission, the mandate of God, to go and preach Jesus. Paul was especially chosen in a special manner for a special purpose to present the word of God in its fullness. Paul knew that he must never compromise on the word. He sought to be faithful to his charge that came not out of intellectual interest, or curious debate, or reading of many books, but it came from a face to face encounter and call from God that was life changing. Because of this Paul was ready to change roles from persecutor to being persecuted, from inflecting arrest to being arrested, from a profaner of the gospel to a proclaimer of the gospel.
God intends for all the world to hear about Christ and message will not spread unless people are dedicate to spreading it. You and I have a mandate also from God and it is similar. We are to be about making disciples. Go into all the world and preaching the gospel, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus says as recorded in the first chapter of the book of Acts. "Ye shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea, and other parts of the world.
The disciples were weak in faith too, until they saw the living Lord. Saul was opposed to Christianity until he encountered the living Lord. They can philosophize, intellectualize debate, theorize, and have discussion sessions all night in their seminaries and college dorms but when one meets the living Christ it puts things in a far different perspective.
Yesterday, Sunday morning, Dr. Lou Petrie told us how he was invited to preach in the prison at Souix Falls, S.D. The chairman of this unusual church in prison was a man who has lots of zeal for the Lord. When Lou saw the effectiveness of this man he mentioned to the chaplain that he hoped he could stay for awhile to help fellow prisoners. The chaplain laughed and said “It’s more than you think. This man has four life sentences he has to serve without any possibility of parole.
The serious crimes committed by this individual in the past required justice to be paid in prison. But while there he met the Lord and changed his life from darkness into day, from the old self into the new self, seeking to carry on the mandate to see other men come to know the freedom that lasts eternity by making Jesus Christ Lord of their lives. He understood the mandate. It is a joy for him to carry it out.
And for Paul even his prison did not stop him from sharing the good news that we can read thousands of years later.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Nov 3
Verses- Col 1: 26 ..the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.
27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Our Message for Ministry
Paul had a mandate, a calling, to go and spread the good word. We also have a message. Paul came to realize there was a message that was hidden and kept secret from the people in the Jewish faith for 4,000 years and now it is revealed. He had the privilege of telling God's mystery to the world. The interesting thing with people is that they listen to what is whispered more than what is shouted.
I was in a room and almost laughed one time when someone wanted to speak to me in confidence. He began to speak in a very low voice. Do you know what happened? Everyone in the room stopped talking. It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. They all wanted to know what was being whispered.
One person was dying to find out something said to his friend by another. He kept pumping his friend to tell him. Finally the friend said, "Can you keep a secret?" "Why, Of course."
"Well, So can I" he responded.
This message of Christ isn't so much a secret as it is a mystery. God had given people clues in the Old Testament but the time was not right to reveal the whole picture. He wanted folks to trust him by faith not by sight. Look at some of the clues. A lamb that was sacrificed; a serpent on a pole keeping people from dying; Manna from heaven; A messiah who would both suffer and reign forever; Then Jesus Christ came to earth. He was rejected by His people and was crucified. He rose again and returned to heaven. Did this mean God's promised kingdom for Israel was now abandoned? No, God had initiated a further understanding of his plan- His mystery which was not fully explained in the Old Testament prophets.
The mystery is that today God is uniting Jews and Gentiles into one body. The Gentiles were no longer excluded from the glory and riches of God's grace. The mystery is the Message for all mankind. Jesus fulfills the requirements set down by His Father in Heaven. God's plan is that Christ dwells in us. That is our hope of glory. In Jesus are hidden all the knowledge and wisdom to guide you into all truth. That is the power of the gospel message. God does not dwell in tabernacles, or temples any longer. Nor is he far from the sinful man, but makes us sinless through the blood of Jesus and dwell among us within our own hearts and souls.
The Colossians and Gnostics were concerned about knowledge and philosophy and theology and teaching and learning various new ideas that were going around. We don't need a teacher, nor do we need someone to give me more knowledge went it comes to my soul. It is not enough that Jesus be a great teacher of morals, what I need is a savior to free me from my bondage to sin. I need someone to tear down the barrier that is between me and God. I need love. I need forgiveness, and need to feel worthwhile. That is the mystery message: Christ in me, my hope of glory. Christ can be in you and be your hope of glory. He is a personal Lord and Savior for Jews, Gentiles, and for all people. God is in Jesus Christ reconciling us to Himself.
Every character attribute of Jesus Christ is now in you in the new birth. Our humanity is in conflict with our new nature. We have a new potential to love to demonstrate gentleness, to exhibit patience, and display peace. The reason so many people do not have that result is they are not claiming the promises by faith. The Message is the gospel of Jesus Christ who will live in every life who will repent and receive him.
Is He your hope for all eternity?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Nov 4
Verses- Col 1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
Col 1:28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
2:1 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
Our Method for Ministry
The Method of sharing this message as Paul reveals it is unusual. First Christ in us must be seen, by responding to situations in powerful ways so that people will know that something is different and special about Christians.
Look again at vs. 24. Paul is suffering and rejoicing for "filling up in his body that is lacking in regard to Christ afflictions for the sake of the body."
When I was a chaplain at General Hospital I was part of a group of four who met daily for study and evaluation. There was the supervisor, who I would describe as a liberal. A catholic priest who was home from a missionary assignment from the Fuji Islands and the third member was sister Brigitta, a catholic Nun, from a down town parish. I was the fourth member, an evangelical Baptist. What an interesting class!
We obviously discussed the topic of physical suffering often. The catholic theology was different than I imagined. They believe this verse means that when we suffer physically we have a divine purpose as Christians. In our suffering we are identifying with Christ on the cross. The cross was the beginning of redemption. But we humans are completing redemption of the world by taking some of Jesus sufferings upon ourselves which completes what is needed for salvation. They rejoice in suffering because it means redemption for both themselves and others.
The Bible teaches there is nothing we can add to Christ's suffering. It is complete in and of itself. He paid the price. As a sinful man I cannot suffer for the redemption of the world. But I can suffer in order than the world might know the Gospel and come to believe it.
Sometimes I would hear people say who are suffering with a disease that it would be worth it if some people could get saved as a result of the witness. I pray this prayer will be answered. I pray that people will see the faith that is real in us in our suffering situations to bring people to himself, whether in miraculous healing or faithfulness in suffering. But out suffering cannot complete what Jesus did on the cross.
Christ suffered for two reasons. He suffered for our salvation on the cross to complete the righteous requirements payment for our sin. Christ did that alone. Secondly Christ suffered because righteous godly people will be persecuted in a sinful world. That is also the experience for Christians often in this world.
Stephen suffered so others could hear. Right now we are praying for the persecuted church. There are many giving their lives so others can hear the gospel. Every time I pick up this Bible remember there are people who gave their lives to have it translated and produced.
Religious freedom is an item of discussion while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits many of the Middle Eastern countries. Christians seem to be most often the target of violence because Satan hates Christ. Truth cannot be stopped even with suffering. All the disciples of Jesus suffered persecution that the church might be established.
Acts 5:4`1 said "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for His name." Mark 13:9 Jesus said "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils flogged in the synagogues, On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witness to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations."
Paul said this is being completed because the whole world must know, and the command to go and preach is being completed. This will not be completed until Christ returns.
The methods of spreading the message also include proclamation and admonishing, and teaching everyone with all wisdom.
To this end Paul writes, "I labor, struggling with all energy. He gives his all in perching and teaching and warning and writing.
How can we get the message out in our community? Are we willing to accept the methods the Bible says are necessary?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Nov 5
Verses- Col 1: 28 29 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Our Means for Ministry
We looked at the methods Paul used to spread the message. His suffering and proclamations, his admonishing and teaching was in wisdom that came from God with the main purpose to bring people to wholeness in Christ, to be perfect by His grace. It was to elicit change into Christ likeness.
This spiritual activity is not possible without the power of Christ working in him. Paul had supernatural filling. He knew how to teach. He knew how to admonish; he know how to proclaim the torah and teachings of the Rabbis when he was a respected Pharisee, but he did not know how to change hearts, only enforce legal restrictions. Now he saw the power of God changing hearts and bringing insight into truths and mysteries not understood before Christ’s fulfillment of the prophecies.
The means of his ministry is the Holy Spirit's power. He is the vessel of the work of Christ in him. Christ is doing the work through Him. How can 25,000 people a day profess Christ in an Asian country where it is outlawed to preach the Gospel? It doesn’t happen with the best laid plans for evangelism. It happens when people are obedient to the word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Certainly there is teaching; Of course there is discipleship and training. People need to know truth, but it isn’t until the Spirit of God moves that anything of importance happens beyond human efforts. Paul saw God at work.
The director of the Bible school in Russia where I taught for two weeks told his story that was raised in a Christian home. His father was told that he would be taken away if he taught his children about Jesus Christ. Why would he risk losing his whole family for such a stupid thing? This official asked him. He continued to teach Michael and his sister about Jesus Christ because the power of the Holy Spirit is more powerful than the hand of Russian government.
How is it that John Wesley in the age 80 and 90 was able to speak three sermons a day, and write volumes of Christian helps? Because of the power with him, that is Christ in you. It is possible to work in all human activity, but that is our work not Christ. Spiritual revival is only possible when we are clean and holy, usable for His service.
But whenever there is blessing there is also a battle. Where there is growth spiritually, there is also Satan with the temptations and situations that want to hinder us. That is why we need the protection and peace that comes from above. Discouragement is so easily an arrow of the evil one. He makes active ministry and witness almost impossible. But we do not minister for Christ, rather we let Christ minister through us. That was Paul's means of ministry. He was obedient letting God use him.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Nov 6
Verses Col 2:1-5 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Our Motive for Ministry
Chapter 2 also talks about what I will call the purpose or motive for Paul which is to encourage the church and unite them in love and relay the complete understanding to know Christ, who has all wisdom and knowledge. He wants them grounded in truth so they not be deceived by false teachers. His motive for ministry is love for God and all people. He experienced love from Christ who dwells in him by the Holy Spirit.
The aim of seeing people mature in their devotion to the Lord excited him. It was not just to get them as members to get their name on the dotted line, but to bring them to a point of being discipled. He prays for them. He prays for their encouragement of heart. We all need encouragement.
While I was in India we had a travel guide who was very poor in riches, but very rich in faith. He would get up early and pray. He would fast before some speaking engagements. He traveled long distances on foot to villages to share the good news of Jesus. For lengths of time he was away from his wife and daughter. I asked him about rest. His response was "I am pleased I can do this for my Lord, for He has done so much for me."
Another believer I had the privilege to meet here in the U.S. was a man named Marcus from Sudan. As a business man he came to find salvation by faith in Jesus. He got a hold of the Jesus film by Campus Crusade and felt the Lord was calling him to go to villages and show the film. Indeed, many came forward to repent of sin and trust Christ. He began discipleship groups. While doing so he would take some from that first group of believers and go to another village and repeat the process. The principles of multiplication took place. In time thousands responded to Christ by faith. I asked him about danger. He looked at me somewhat surprised and said, “God told me to go, He never said anything to me about safety. If He says go, I go. What else He chooses to do is in His hands.”
Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Marcus, although very shy and quiet, is living Paul. He has the Mandate, the call to share. He has the Message to share Christ in you. His Method of spreading the Word was proclaiming even if by film. The Means is with the power of the Holy Spirit. His Motive is that people might know and be saved and become mature in Jesus Christ.
I have been with people who are willing to give their lives if need be for this great commission. They are examples of commitment to me. How about here? Are you are willing to go wherever He leads you?
Pastor Dale
Theme - CHRIST IN YOU
Verses- 24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness--
Our Mandate for Ministry
As we have reviewed before there have been Paul had a dramatic change in the Apostle Paul’s life. There was a vast difference between a religion to which he was committed, and a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. The first was in his head, the second was in his heart.
Although we will look more closely at vs. 24 a bit later, Paul was thinking about his ministry while he was imprisoned. He wrote this letter to the church at Colossae while under arrest. He had suffered for the cause of sharing Jesus Christ in a hostile world. He was not sorry he did so. He was willing to suffer and be in prison if the good news of Jesus Christ could be spread. Being a Christian in a non-Christian world meant that he had to accept suffering. He did so because of the mandate that He received from God.
But he wants them to know more about this ministry to which he was called. "I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness."
We are reminded how Paul hated Christians at first. He was so zealous to the Jewish traditions that he did all in his power to arrest, persecute and martyr followers of Jesus.
When I was in Russia awhile ago, I became aware how strong the traditions of the Orthodox church were. They had the power to influence the political government to stop and limit missionaries from coming into the country. They enforced the policy that no new religions or denominations would be allowed, only allowing those churches and denominations which had already established and registered during the communist control. They saw anything else as being a sect.
Truth was not allowed to confront traditions. Paul had traditions, but it wasn’t until his trip on the Damascus road that he met Jesus Christ in a personal way. After meeting with Ananias Paul had the commission, the mandate of God, to go and preach Jesus. Paul was especially chosen in a special manner for a special purpose to present the word of God in its fullness. Paul knew that he must never compromise on the word. He sought to be faithful to his charge that came not out of intellectual interest, or curious debate, or reading of many books, but it came from a face to face encounter and call from God that was life changing. Because of this Paul was ready to change roles from persecutor to being persecuted, from inflecting arrest to being arrested, from a profaner of the gospel to a proclaimer of the gospel.
God intends for all the world to hear about Christ and message will not spread unless people are dedicate to spreading it. You and I have a mandate also from God and it is similar. We are to be about making disciples. Go into all the world and preaching the gospel, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus says as recorded in the first chapter of the book of Acts. "Ye shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea, and other parts of the world.
The disciples were weak in faith too, until they saw the living Lord. Saul was opposed to Christianity until he encountered the living Lord. They can philosophize, intellectualize debate, theorize, and have discussion sessions all night in their seminaries and college dorms but when one meets the living Christ it puts things in a far different perspective.
Yesterday, Sunday morning, Dr. Lou Petrie told us how he was invited to preach in the prison at Souix Falls, S.D. The chairman of this unusual church in prison was a man who has lots of zeal for the Lord. When Lou saw the effectiveness of this man he mentioned to the chaplain that he hoped he could stay for awhile to help fellow prisoners. The chaplain laughed and said “It’s more than you think. This man has four life sentences he has to serve without any possibility of parole.
The serious crimes committed by this individual in the past required justice to be paid in prison. But while there he met the Lord and changed his life from darkness into day, from the old self into the new self, seeking to carry on the mandate to see other men come to know the freedom that lasts eternity by making Jesus Christ Lord of their lives. He understood the mandate. It is a joy for him to carry it out.
And for Paul even his prison did not stop him from sharing the good news that we can read thousands of years later.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Nov 3
Verses- Col 1: 26 ..the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.
27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Our Message for Ministry
Paul had a mandate, a calling, to go and spread the good word. We also have a message. Paul came to realize there was a message that was hidden and kept secret from the people in the Jewish faith for 4,000 years and now it is revealed. He had the privilege of telling God's mystery to the world. The interesting thing with people is that they listen to what is whispered more than what is shouted.
I was in a room and almost laughed one time when someone wanted to speak to me in confidence. He began to speak in a very low voice. Do you know what happened? Everyone in the room stopped talking. It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. They all wanted to know what was being whispered.
One person was dying to find out something said to his friend by another. He kept pumping his friend to tell him. Finally the friend said, "Can you keep a secret?" "Why, Of course."
"Well, So can I" he responded.
This message of Christ isn't so much a secret as it is a mystery. God had given people clues in the Old Testament but the time was not right to reveal the whole picture. He wanted folks to trust him by faith not by sight. Look at some of the clues. A lamb that was sacrificed; a serpent on a pole keeping people from dying; Manna from heaven; A messiah who would both suffer and reign forever; Then Jesus Christ came to earth. He was rejected by His people and was crucified. He rose again and returned to heaven. Did this mean God's promised kingdom for Israel was now abandoned? No, God had initiated a further understanding of his plan- His mystery which was not fully explained in the Old Testament prophets.
The mystery is that today God is uniting Jews and Gentiles into one body. The Gentiles were no longer excluded from the glory and riches of God's grace. The mystery is the Message for all mankind. Jesus fulfills the requirements set down by His Father in Heaven. God's plan is that Christ dwells in us. That is our hope of glory. In Jesus are hidden all the knowledge and wisdom to guide you into all truth. That is the power of the gospel message. God does not dwell in tabernacles, or temples any longer. Nor is he far from the sinful man, but makes us sinless through the blood of Jesus and dwell among us within our own hearts and souls.
The Colossians and Gnostics were concerned about knowledge and philosophy and theology and teaching and learning various new ideas that were going around. We don't need a teacher, nor do we need someone to give me more knowledge went it comes to my soul. It is not enough that Jesus be a great teacher of morals, what I need is a savior to free me from my bondage to sin. I need someone to tear down the barrier that is between me and God. I need love. I need forgiveness, and need to feel worthwhile. That is the mystery message: Christ in me, my hope of glory. Christ can be in you and be your hope of glory. He is a personal Lord and Savior for Jews, Gentiles, and for all people. God is in Jesus Christ reconciling us to Himself.
Every character attribute of Jesus Christ is now in you in the new birth. Our humanity is in conflict with our new nature. We have a new potential to love to demonstrate gentleness, to exhibit patience, and display peace. The reason so many people do not have that result is they are not claiming the promises by faith. The Message is the gospel of Jesus Christ who will live in every life who will repent and receive him.
Is He your hope for all eternity?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Nov 4
Verses- Col 1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
Col 1:28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
2:1 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
Our Method for Ministry
The Method of sharing this message as Paul reveals it is unusual. First Christ in us must be seen, by responding to situations in powerful ways so that people will know that something is different and special about Christians.
Look again at vs. 24. Paul is suffering and rejoicing for "filling up in his body that is lacking in regard to Christ afflictions for the sake of the body."
When I was a chaplain at General Hospital I was part of a group of four who met daily for study and evaluation. There was the supervisor, who I would describe as a liberal. A catholic priest who was home from a missionary assignment from the Fuji Islands and the third member was sister Brigitta, a catholic Nun, from a down town parish. I was the fourth member, an evangelical Baptist. What an interesting class!
We obviously discussed the topic of physical suffering often. The catholic theology was different than I imagined. They believe this verse means that when we suffer physically we have a divine purpose as Christians. In our suffering we are identifying with Christ on the cross. The cross was the beginning of redemption. But we humans are completing redemption of the world by taking some of Jesus sufferings upon ourselves which completes what is needed for salvation. They rejoice in suffering because it means redemption for both themselves and others.
The Bible teaches there is nothing we can add to Christ's suffering. It is complete in and of itself. He paid the price. As a sinful man I cannot suffer for the redemption of the world. But I can suffer in order than the world might know the Gospel and come to believe it.
Sometimes I would hear people say who are suffering with a disease that it would be worth it if some people could get saved as a result of the witness. I pray this prayer will be answered. I pray that people will see the faith that is real in us in our suffering situations to bring people to himself, whether in miraculous healing or faithfulness in suffering. But out suffering cannot complete what Jesus did on the cross.
Christ suffered for two reasons. He suffered for our salvation on the cross to complete the righteous requirements payment for our sin. Christ did that alone. Secondly Christ suffered because righteous godly people will be persecuted in a sinful world. That is also the experience for Christians often in this world.
Stephen suffered so others could hear. Right now we are praying for the persecuted church. There are many giving their lives so others can hear the gospel. Every time I pick up this Bible remember there are people who gave their lives to have it translated and produced.
Religious freedom is an item of discussion while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits many of the Middle Eastern countries. Christians seem to be most often the target of violence because Satan hates Christ. Truth cannot be stopped even with suffering. All the disciples of Jesus suffered persecution that the church might be established.
Acts 5:4`1 said "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for His name." Mark 13:9 Jesus said "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils flogged in the synagogues, On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witness to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations."
Paul said this is being completed because the whole world must know, and the command to go and preach is being completed. This will not be completed until Christ returns.
The methods of spreading the message also include proclamation and admonishing, and teaching everyone with all wisdom.
To this end Paul writes, "I labor, struggling with all energy. He gives his all in perching and teaching and warning and writing.
How can we get the message out in our community? Are we willing to accept the methods the Bible says are necessary?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Nov 5
Verses- Col 1: 28 29 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Our Means for Ministry
We looked at the methods Paul used to spread the message. His suffering and proclamations, his admonishing and teaching was in wisdom that came from God with the main purpose to bring people to wholeness in Christ, to be perfect by His grace. It was to elicit change into Christ likeness.
This spiritual activity is not possible without the power of Christ working in him. Paul had supernatural filling. He knew how to teach. He knew how to admonish; he know how to proclaim the torah and teachings of the Rabbis when he was a respected Pharisee, but he did not know how to change hearts, only enforce legal restrictions. Now he saw the power of God changing hearts and bringing insight into truths and mysteries not understood before Christ’s fulfillment of the prophecies.
The means of his ministry is the Holy Spirit's power. He is the vessel of the work of Christ in him. Christ is doing the work through Him. How can 25,000 people a day profess Christ in an Asian country where it is outlawed to preach the Gospel? It doesn’t happen with the best laid plans for evangelism. It happens when people are obedient to the word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Certainly there is teaching; Of course there is discipleship and training. People need to know truth, but it isn’t until the Spirit of God moves that anything of importance happens beyond human efforts. Paul saw God at work.
The director of the Bible school in Russia where I taught for two weeks told his story that was raised in a Christian home. His father was told that he would be taken away if he taught his children about Jesus Christ. Why would he risk losing his whole family for such a stupid thing? This official asked him. He continued to teach Michael and his sister about Jesus Christ because the power of the Holy Spirit is more powerful than the hand of Russian government.
How is it that John Wesley in the age 80 and 90 was able to speak three sermons a day, and write volumes of Christian helps? Because of the power with him, that is Christ in you. It is possible to work in all human activity, but that is our work not Christ. Spiritual revival is only possible when we are clean and holy, usable for His service.
But whenever there is blessing there is also a battle. Where there is growth spiritually, there is also Satan with the temptations and situations that want to hinder us. That is why we need the protection and peace that comes from above. Discouragement is so easily an arrow of the evil one. He makes active ministry and witness almost impossible. But we do not minister for Christ, rather we let Christ minister through us. That was Paul's means of ministry. He was obedient letting God use him.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Nov 6
Verses Col 2:1-5 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Our Motive for Ministry
Chapter 2 also talks about what I will call the purpose or motive for Paul which is to encourage the church and unite them in love and relay the complete understanding to know Christ, who has all wisdom and knowledge. He wants them grounded in truth so they not be deceived by false teachers. His motive for ministry is love for God and all people. He experienced love from Christ who dwells in him by the Holy Spirit.
The aim of seeing people mature in their devotion to the Lord excited him. It was not just to get them as members to get their name on the dotted line, but to bring them to a point of being discipled. He prays for them. He prays for their encouragement of heart. We all need encouragement.
While I was in India we had a travel guide who was very poor in riches, but very rich in faith. He would get up early and pray. He would fast before some speaking engagements. He traveled long distances on foot to villages to share the good news of Jesus. For lengths of time he was away from his wife and daughter. I asked him about rest. His response was "I am pleased I can do this for my Lord, for He has done so much for me."
Another believer I had the privilege to meet here in the U.S. was a man named Marcus from Sudan. As a business man he came to find salvation by faith in Jesus. He got a hold of the Jesus film by Campus Crusade and felt the Lord was calling him to go to villages and show the film. Indeed, many came forward to repent of sin and trust Christ. He began discipleship groups. While doing so he would take some from that first group of believers and go to another village and repeat the process. The principles of multiplication took place. In time thousands responded to Christ by faith. I asked him about danger. He looked at me somewhat surprised and said, “God told me to go, He never said anything to me about safety. If He says go, I go. What else He chooses to do is in His hands.”
Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Marcus, although very shy and quiet, is living Paul. He has the Mandate, the call to share. He has the Message to share Christ in you. His Method of spreading the Word was proclaiming even if by film. The Means is with the power of the Holy Spirit. His Motive is that people might know and be saved and become mature in Jesus Christ.
I have been with people who are willing to give their lives if need be for this great commission. They are examples of commitment to me. How about here? Are you are willing to go wherever He leads you?
Pastor Dale
Friday, October 30, 2009
Amazing Love Col 1:21-23
Sermon Nuggets Week of Oct 26 Col 1:21-23
Sermon Nuggets Mon Oct 26
Theme- Amazing Love
Verses: Col 1:21-23 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Amazing Love
When I attended Bethel I became introduced to on of the great hymns of the faith, “And Can it Be”. I was surprised that I never heard it before, but it was a moving experience to hear the various parts sung in a testimony of praise of a large student assembly in the field house turned into a chapel. That song seemed to me to be best suited for a mass choir.
The wonder of the grace of Almighty God that would save him, a sinner so overwhelmed Charles Wesley he penned these words shortly after his conversion:
“And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain for me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
'Tis mystery all: th'Immortal dies: Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries to sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore, Let angel minds inquire no more.
He left His Father's throne above. So free, so infinite His grace-
Emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam's helpless race:
'Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me!
Still the small inward voice I hear, that whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near, that quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart; I feel the Savior in my heart.
No condemnation now I read; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th'eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.”
The questions he asks in his song are reflections on the truths in the passage we will think about this week. How can it be that the shedding of Jesus’ blood 2000 years ago is relevant to me today? How was it possible for the Son of God to have died for me? Why should our Lord empty Himself of all His divine glory and become a man, in order to save Adam’s helpless race?
Charles Wesley was the younger brother of the famed preacher, John Wesley. He has been ordinate into the clergy and was pastoring a church for three years before he joined his brother on a missions trip to America. He was quite disillusioned and returned home a year earlier than John. He had taken ill was recuperating in a home of people whom seemed to have a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. This testimony of the inner witness of the love of Christ seemed to elude him.
He was reading his Bible. The words became life to Him as the Spirit of God spoke to Charles of his need for confession, repentance and faith in Christ’s works on the cross. On May 20, 1738, around midnight, Charles Wesley was saved. His journal reads "I now found myself at peace with God, and rejoiced in hope of loving Christ..... I saw that by faith I stood, by the continual support of faith.......I went to bed still sensible of my own weakness....yet confident of Christ's protection." On the following day, Charles strength began to return. He also commenced what proved to be the one of the first of some 6,000 hymns! He found the assurance of salvation that he never had before. It was the difference between a religion he followed, and a savior whom he now knew in a personal way. It is amazing that God would stoop to save each of us!
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Oct 27
Verses Col 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Alienation
In a Peanut’s cartoon Lucy addressed Snoopy: “There are times when you really bug me, but there are also times when I feel like giving you a hug.” Snoopy replied, “That’s the way I am, huggable and buggable.”
We all have our huggable days but we may have more buggable days. Did you ever alienate anyone with your buggableness or by bugging them?
One of the thoughts that we were looking at yesterday was the way in which Charles Wesley saw his sin and his need of a savior. He know about Christ, but did not have a personal relationship with him. When he repented things changed dramatically. He was overwhelmed by God’s great love for him.
Paul also was aware of the life he lived apart of Jesus. In fact all people start there.
A couple I was visiting was trying to get some insights in the differences of their church backgrounds. After describing the importance of making a commitment to Christ, the man wanted to summarize what he heard as a difference between the two churches. He drew a box that he called “salvation” and a person outside of that box. He understood me to say in effect we start outside the box and need to make a commitment and confession before we are “in the box”. Whereas at this other church we start in the box as a baby and much make some decision or action that moves us out of the box.
I had not heard it shared that way before. I told him I couldn’t answer for the other pastor, (without getting into the argument of the age of accountability) I said we do begin with a sinful nature that separates us from a holy and righteous God. IT is only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whereby we are made clean from sin and acceptable to Him. When we apply by faith His work for us on the cross can we be born again.
All of us were alienated from God. We were his enemies. Alienation sometimes happens between people because of some action or words that were shared that resulted in people no longer having a relationship together. People are no longer friends. Some have become enemies.
It could be that you have done something against another person whereby they no longer want to have anything to do with you. Did you ever know someone that just irritated you to the point where you couldn’t stand to be around them?
We are all alienated God with our minds and actions. We all have sinned and do sin. And because God is totally holy and cannot sin, it’s hard for Him to be in our presence. We have alienated Him with our sins and sinful nature. But that’s where everybody starts out before the cleansing blood of Christ is applied. Can you imagine sinful people presented God as Holy? There is something in the Greek that we don’t see in the English there is an intensifier on the word now. You once where far away from God but now…it’s different – but now through God’s amazing grace you’ve been given a new position – now you’re not far away from God but you’re in Christ.
Paul wants us to catch the gravity of our plight that we once were headed for doom, but through Christ we are headed for eternal bliss. If Christians could catch the vision of where they were headed and where they are now it would change the whole perspective of our Christian life. You were once hell bound. You were lost without any hope because you aliened God by your sin. You can justify yourself all you want, but until you saw your situation of standing condemned you will have a hard to appreciation the extent to which God went to change your direction. You once were doomed but you’ve been saved. You were not saved from loneliness, or hopelessness; you were saved from God’s wrath.
Even as believers we sometimes decide to live apart from Gods’ grace and truth and wonder where God is. We may be saved, but do not have the closeness nor love that we once had. We can again.
I think the opposite of alienation is united in friendship, close in love. That is God’s plan for you and me.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 28
Verses – Col 1:22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-
Reconciliation
Some of the thoughts for devotions on this passage have been with the help of Pastor Steve Shepherd’s sermon “The Cleaning Process.”
The teacher was checking her student’s knowledge of proverbs. “Cleanliness is next to what?” she asked. A small boy replied with real feeling: “Impossible.” Sometimes cleanliness does seem nearly impossible. I’m talking about soul cleanliness. Why does it seem impossible at times? Because sin is so strong, so never-ending. It appears that even once we are cleansed from sin it comes right back. It is so very hard to overcome certain sins: greed, lust, ill will, anger, gossip, etc. It is a never-ending battle. As a father came home from his work he saw his little daughter who had been playing in the mud. He said to her, “Honey, you’re pretty dirty.” In her childish way she replied, “Yes, I know daddy, but I’m prettier clean.” And we all are prettier when we are clean!
When Paul realized his lost condition there was nothing he could do about it. He was among the most zealous of religious men. He did all he could to be right with God but his sin separated him from God. But by God’s grace he was met in a dramatic manner on the road to Damascus and was reconciled with God by faith in Jesus Christ. We hope and pray that people will get reconciled to God through Christ death on the cross. Christ died to make it possible to come into God’s presence and have fellowship with Him. Christ died to cleanse us and make us pure in God’s eyes and unite us with Him.
One New Year’s Eve at London’s Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Seymour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. "You must," Hicks said to Lonsdale. "It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time. Go over now and wish him a happy New Year." So Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy. "I wish you a happy New Year," he said, "but only one." That’s not exactly what we would call full reconciliation. However, there may be some people that want that kind of reconciliation with God. I mean they may not want full or complete reconciliation and only want minimal fellowship with God and His church.
Frankly, some people just don’t want to get too close to God and go to church very much. Maybe they would be afraid that God will spoil their fun and plus it will cost them some money as well. Some people just don’t want to get too religious!
True reconciliation means that we believe in Christ and trust in His death on the cross to save us from our sins. We believe, we trust and we surrender by faith and obedience. We do what Christ asks us to do: repent, be baptized, seek His will in life, and commit to serve Him. And some people don’t want to do these things. Some people don’t want that kind of reconciliation or commitment.
The cross of Jesus brings us together with God for all eternity. With reconciliation also comes cleansing from all our sins, or reconciliation would not be possible.
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Thurs Oct 29
Verse- Col 1:23 “If you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”
Perseverance
Paul speaks of becoming holy in V. 22 and then he says, “If you continue in your faith…” Continuance is vitally important. Perseverance is part of being saved. Real faith is always a faith that is tested. This is not to be misunderstood as works salvation. It is rather the fruit of faith.
When Abraham was justified by faith there was nothing he did to earn grace. God initiated goodness upon him. But it is a mistake to think the path of obedience is without struggle. He was called upon to give God commitment of heart, mind, soul and spirit. He was tested through obedience to give up his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. God provided a substitute. Abraham did not put something of lesser value on that altar than what God told him. His walk was a faith walk believing that God would do what is best. It is active trust, not passive trust. Do we really believe?
Reconciliation came at a price. Christ’s physical body went through suffering and through death. What Paul is saying here is that salvation; even though it’s free it came at a great cost. Faith is the opposite of what health and wealth preachers teach. Instead of demanding more from God we are pleased to follow wherever and however He leads and that path will be through the valley of the shadow of death. That death will not only be physical in order to gain the glories of heaven, but it is the death of ego, self, greed, lusts, pride, desires that are focused on the counterfeit pleasures of this world.
Abraham was rich. But yet the Bible said he possessed nothing. There was nothing that was his, it was all God’s and so he could freely give up anything since it wasn’t his anyway.
I get very upset over the teaching of liberal pastors. Ralph Milton helps many pastors in his writings and teachings. Concerning the sacrifice of Jesus he wrote, “I don’t pretend to understand the Hebrew sacrificial system. The whole culture seems to have been living with a huge sense of guilt. Maybe we could do with a bit of that – a sense that we do carry the blame for what is happening in the world especially the suffering from several diseases and starvation n Africa. And I’m quite sure, if we really wanted to, we could find a better solution than killing an animal or a human, even if the human was Jesus of Nazareth.”
He teaches pastors that the cross was really a faulted system. When we bear the guilt of not feeding Africa, guilt is appropriate, but not the guilt that most of us carry for sinning against our brothers and sisters and against God.
Ignoring the poor is corporate sin. Discrimination is corporate sin. Pollution is corporate sin. All of which should be addressed in individual ways, but lying, stealing, sex outside of marriage, covetousness, ignoring God’s lordship in our personal lives are individual matters that also required the death of Jesus in order to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Now we need to continue in order to “take up your cross daily and follow me.”
When God called Paul to go to preach in unreached lands there was persecution, hardships, beatings, hunger, and discouragement. But the gift of this pearl of great price was so valuable that his passion was to share it at no personal advantage to himself from an earthly perspective but amazing value to his heart and soul in relationship to God and in the strengthening of his faith. He was full of joy in jail. He was full of praise in prison. He was singing in suffering. He was persevering in persecution.
Why? He tells us in II Tim. 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
The lies of Satan are to give up. The strength of the Spirit is to look up. If you are going through hardships, difficulties, discouragement then exercise the faith given to you. Trust in the one who promises to sustain you in your obedience.
The hymn writer said it well. “Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.”
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Fri Oct 30
Verses- Col. 1:22 “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
Glorification
Do we understand that from which we have been saved?
Last Tuesday at the Grindstone semi-annual meeting, Pastor Ivan Fiske spoke on the importance of two paths, two people, and two destinies from Matt 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
There is a broad path. The gate is popular; it is pleasurable; it is man-pleasing. There is a narrow gate that is hard, difficult, and unattractive from an earthly point of view.
There are two types of people- The many and the few. Multitudes of people follow the wide path. They seek the journey that is easy. It has little demands and little responsibility. It is self fulfilling. It is about the good life and uses religious ways to accomplish that. The are not many who are willing to give up the control and priorities of their life to another, Jesus Christ. They want to decide what to do and when to do it for the Lord and the concept of servant hood is unattractive. There are those who love sin and others who seek holiness. Those who want God and live however they want, and others who love God and delight in pleasing Him in all they do and say.
But the bottom line is destruction, devastation, and eternal suffering. You cannot sugar coat hell. It is real and it is where most people go. The second destination is heaven with glory and pleasure, peace and fulfillment forever more.
We tend to lose those eternal truths when only half of the story is told. When people find this journey is hard, they quit and go down the wide path. When people see the destination as heaven and hell and the unbelievable difference, there is joy and peace in the security knowing they are bound for glory and all their sin and condemnation has been taken away by the blood of Jesus. We are not holy and without blemish. There is no reason of holding anything against us for Jesus saved us from damnation.
The destiny of everyone who has put his or her faith in Christ has now been radically changed. Our salvation came at a high cost. Now you are presented to the father as a bride prepared for her husband, pure and holy in his sight. It is a love commitment in which there is joy and fulfillment forever more.
Now there are a lot of things you could accuse me of and rightly so, and not only that but the devil is the accuser of all Christians. But because of Christ death on the cross I have been acquitted of all charges, and no accusations will hold up. Now there awaits us the joy of our salvation. By grace we inherit all that God has prepared in glory. This truth so excites Paul that many commentaries say much of what he is writing is a hymn of praise for the hope that is our in Chirst. Glory is a place of great reward. It is that hope that kept him going. It is also ours, all because of God’s amazing love!
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Mon Oct 26
Theme- Amazing Love
Verses: Col 1:21-23 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Amazing Love
When I attended Bethel I became introduced to on of the great hymns of the faith, “And Can it Be”. I was surprised that I never heard it before, but it was a moving experience to hear the various parts sung in a testimony of praise of a large student assembly in the field house turned into a chapel. That song seemed to me to be best suited for a mass choir.
The wonder of the grace of Almighty God that would save him, a sinner so overwhelmed Charles Wesley he penned these words shortly after his conversion:
“And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain for me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
'Tis mystery all: th'Immortal dies: Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries to sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore, Let angel minds inquire no more.
He left His Father's throne above. So free, so infinite His grace-
Emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam's helpless race:
'Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me!
Still the small inward voice I hear, that whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near, that quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart; I feel the Savior in my heart.
No condemnation now I read; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th'eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.”
The questions he asks in his song are reflections on the truths in the passage we will think about this week. How can it be that the shedding of Jesus’ blood 2000 years ago is relevant to me today? How was it possible for the Son of God to have died for me? Why should our Lord empty Himself of all His divine glory and become a man, in order to save Adam’s helpless race?
Charles Wesley was the younger brother of the famed preacher, John Wesley. He has been ordinate into the clergy and was pastoring a church for three years before he joined his brother on a missions trip to America. He was quite disillusioned and returned home a year earlier than John. He had taken ill was recuperating in a home of people whom seemed to have a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. This testimony of the inner witness of the love of Christ seemed to elude him.
He was reading his Bible. The words became life to Him as the Spirit of God spoke to Charles of his need for confession, repentance and faith in Christ’s works on the cross. On May 20, 1738, around midnight, Charles Wesley was saved. His journal reads "I now found myself at peace with God, and rejoiced in hope of loving Christ..... I saw that by faith I stood, by the continual support of faith.......I went to bed still sensible of my own weakness....yet confident of Christ's protection." On the following day, Charles strength began to return. He also commenced what proved to be the one of the first of some 6,000 hymns! He found the assurance of salvation that he never had before. It was the difference between a religion he followed, and a savior whom he now knew in a personal way. It is amazing that God would stoop to save each of us!
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Oct 27
Verses Col 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Alienation
In a Peanut’s cartoon Lucy addressed Snoopy: “There are times when you really bug me, but there are also times when I feel like giving you a hug.” Snoopy replied, “That’s the way I am, huggable and buggable.”
We all have our huggable days but we may have more buggable days. Did you ever alienate anyone with your buggableness or by bugging them?
One of the thoughts that we were looking at yesterday was the way in which Charles Wesley saw his sin and his need of a savior. He know about Christ, but did not have a personal relationship with him. When he repented things changed dramatically. He was overwhelmed by God’s great love for him.
Paul also was aware of the life he lived apart of Jesus. In fact all people start there.
A couple I was visiting was trying to get some insights in the differences of their church backgrounds. After describing the importance of making a commitment to Christ, the man wanted to summarize what he heard as a difference between the two churches. He drew a box that he called “salvation” and a person outside of that box. He understood me to say in effect we start outside the box and need to make a commitment and confession before we are “in the box”. Whereas at this other church we start in the box as a baby and much make some decision or action that moves us out of the box.
I had not heard it shared that way before. I told him I couldn’t answer for the other pastor, (without getting into the argument of the age of accountability) I said we do begin with a sinful nature that separates us from a holy and righteous God. IT is only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whereby we are made clean from sin and acceptable to Him. When we apply by faith His work for us on the cross can we be born again.
All of us were alienated from God. We were his enemies. Alienation sometimes happens between people because of some action or words that were shared that resulted in people no longer having a relationship together. People are no longer friends. Some have become enemies.
It could be that you have done something against another person whereby they no longer want to have anything to do with you. Did you ever know someone that just irritated you to the point where you couldn’t stand to be around them?
We are all alienated God with our minds and actions. We all have sinned and do sin. And because God is totally holy and cannot sin, it’s hard for Him to be in our presence. We have alienated Him with our sins and sinful nature. But that’s where everybody starts out before the cleansing blood of Christ is applied. Can you imagine sinful people presented God as Holy? There is something in the Greek that we don’t see in the English there is an intensifier on the word now. You once where far away from God but now…it’s different – but now through God’s amazing grace you’ve been given a new position – now you’re not far away from God but you’re in Christ.
Paul wants us to catch the gravity of our plight that we once were headed for doom, but through Christ we are headed for eternal bliss. If Christians could catch the vision of where they were headed and where they are now it would change the whole perspective of our Christian life. You were once hell bound. You were lost without any hope because you aliened God by your sin. You can justify yourself all you want, but until you saw your situation of standing condemned you will have a hard to appreciation the extent to which God went to change your direction. You once were doomed but you’ve been saved. You were not saved from loneliness, or hopelessness; you were saved from God’s wrath.
Even as believers we sometimes decide to live apart from Gods’ grace and truth and wonder where God is. We may be saved, but do not have the closeness nor love that we once had. We can again.
I think the opposite of alienation is united in friendship, close in love. That is God’s plan for you and me.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 28
Verses – Col 1:22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-
Reconciliation
Some of the thoughts for devotions on this passage have been with the help of Pastor Steve Shepherd’s sermon “The Cleaning Process.”
The teacher was checking her student’s knowledge of proverbs. “Cleanliness is next to what?” she asked. A small boy replied with real feeling: “Impossible.” Sometimes cleanliness does seem nearly impossible. I’m talking about soul cleanliness. Why does it seem impossible at times? Because sin is so strong, so never-ending. It appears that even once we are cleansed from sin it comes right back. It is so very hard to overcome certain sins: greed, lust, ill will, anger, gossip, etc. It is a never-ending battle. As a father came home from his work he saw his little daughter who had been playing in the mud. He said to her, “Honey, you’re pretty dirty.” In her childish way she replied, “Yes, I know daddy, but I’m prettier clean.” And we all are prettier when we are clean!
When Paul realized his lost condition there was nothing he could do about it. He was among the most zealous of religious men. He did all he could to be right with God but his sin separated him from God. But by God’s grace he was met in a dramatic manner on the road to Damascus and was reconciled with God by faith in Jesus Christ. We hope and pray that people will get reconciled to God through Christ death on the cross. Christ died to make it possible to come into God’s presence and have fellowship with Him. Christ died to cleanse us and make us pure in God’s eyes and unite us with Him.
One New Year’s Eve at London’s Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Seymour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. "You must," Hicks said to Lonsdale. "It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time. Go over now and wish him a happy New Year." So Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy. "I wish you a happy New Year," he said, "but only one." That’s not exactly what we would call full reconciliation. However, there may be some people that want that kind of reconciliation with God. I mean they may not want full or complete reconciliation and only want minimal fellowship with God and His church.
Frankly, some people just don’t want to get too close to God and go to church very much. Maybe they would be afraid that God will spoil their fun and plus it will cost them some money as well. Some people just don’t want to get too religious!
True reconciliation means that we believe in Christ and trust in His death on the cross to save us from our sins. We believe, we trust and we surrender by faith and obedience. We do what Christ asks us to do: repent, be baptized, seek His will in life, and commit to serve Him. And some people don’t want to do these things. Some people don’t want that kind of reconciliation or commitment.
The cross of Jesus brings us together with God for all eternity. With reconciliation also comes cleansing from all our sins, or reconciliation would not be possible.
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Thurs Oct 29
Verse- Col 1:23 “If you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”
Perseverance
Paul speaks of becoming holy in V. 22 and then he says, “If you continue in your faith…” Continuance is vitally important. Perseverance is part of being saved. Real faith is always a faith that is tested. This is not to be misunderstood as works salvation. It is rather the fruit of faith.
When Abraham was justified by faith there was nothing he did to earn grace. God initiated goodness upon him. But it is a mistake to think the path of obedience is without struggle. He was called upon to give God commitment of heart, mind, soul and spirit. He was tested through obedience to give up his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. God provided a substitute. Abraham did not put something of lesser value on that altar than what God told him. His walk was a faith walk believing that God would do what is best. It is active trust, not passive trust. Do we really believe?
Reconciliation came at a price. Christ’s physical body went through suffering and through death. What Paul is saying here is that salvation; even though it’s free it came at a great cost. Faith is the opposite of what health and wealth preachers teach. Instead of demanding more from God we are pleased to follow wherever and however He leads and that path will be through the valley of the shadow of death. That death will not only be physical in order to gain the glories of heaven, but it is the death of ego, self, greed, lusts, pride, desires that are focused on the counterfeit pleasures of this world.
Abraham was rich. But yet the Bible said he possessed nothing. There was nothing that was his, it was all God’s and so he could freely give up anything since it wasn’t his anyway.
I get very upset over the teaching of liberal pastors. Ralph Milton helps many pastors in his writings and teachings. Concerning the sacrifice of Jesus he wrote, “I don’t pretend to understand the Hebrew sacrificial system. The whole culture seems to have been living with a huge sense of guilt. Maybe we could do with a bit of that – a sense that we do carry the blame for what is happening in the world especially the suffering from several diseases and starvation n Africa. And I’m quite sure, if we really wanted to, we could find a better solution than killing an animal or a human, even if the human was Jesus of Nazareth.”
He teaches pastors that the cross was really a faulted system. When we bear the guilt of not feeding Africa, guilt is appropriate, but not the guilt that most of us carry for sinning against our brothers and sisters and against God.
Ignoring the poor is corporate sin. Discrimination is corporate sin. Pollution is corporate sin. All of which should be addressed in individual ways, but lying, stealing, sex outside of marriage, covetousness, ignoring God’s lordship in our personal lives are individual matters that also required the death of Jesus in order to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Now we need to continue in order to “take up your cross daily and follow me.”
When God called Paul to go to preach in unreached lands there was persecution, hardships, beatings, hunger, and discouragement. But the gift of this pearl of great price was so valuable that his passion was to share it at no personal advantage to himself from an earthly perspective but amazing value to his heart and soul in relationship to God and in the strengthening of his faith. He was full of joy in jail. He was full of praise in prison. He was singing in suffering. He was persevering in persecution.
Why? He tells us in II Tim. 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
The lies of Satan are to give up. The strength of the Spirit is to look up. If you are going through hardships, difficulties, discouragement then exercise the faith given to you. Trust in the one who promises to sustain you in your obedience.
The hymn writer said it well. “Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.”
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Fri Oct 30
Verses- Col. 1:22 “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
Glorification
Do we understand that from which we have been saved?
Last Tuesday at the Grindstone semi-annual meeting, Pastor Ivan Fiske spoke on the importance of two paths, two people, and two destinies from Matt 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
There is a broad path. The gate is popular; it is pleasurable; it is man-pleasing. There is a narrow gate that is hard, difficult, and unattractive from an earthly point of view.
There are two types of people- The many and the few. Multitudes of people follow the wide path. They seek the journey that is easy. It has little demands and little responsibility. It is self fulfilling. It is about the good life and uses religious ways to accomplish that. The are not many who are willing to give up the control and priorities of their life to another, Jesus Christ. They want to decide what to do and when to do it for the Lord and the concept of servant hood is unattractive. There are those who love sin and others who seek holiness. Those who want God and live however they want, and others who love God and delight in pleasing Him in all they do and say.
But the bottom line is destruction, devastation, and eternal suffering. You cannot sugar coat hell. It is real and it is where most people go. The second destination is heaven with glory and pleasure, peace and fulfillment forever more.
We tend to lose those eternal truths when only half of the story is told. When people find this journey is hard, they quit and go down the wide path. When people see the destination as heaven and hell and the unbelievable difference, there is joy and peace in the security knowing they are bound for glory and all their sin and condemnation has been taken away by the blood of Jesus. We are not holy and without blemish. There is no reason of holding anything against us for Jesus saved us from damnation.
The destiny of everyone who has put his or her faith in Christ has now been radically changed. Our salvation came at a high cost. Now you are presented to the father as a bride prepared for her husband, pure and holy in his sight. It is a love commitment in which there is joy and fulfillment forever more.
Now there are a lot of things you could accuse me of and rightly so, and not only that but the devil is the accuser of all Christians. But because of Christ death on the cross I have been acquitted of all charges, and no accusations will hold up. Now there awaits us the joy of our salvation. By grace we inherit all that God has prepared in glory. This truth so excites Paul that many commentaries say much of what he is writing is a hymn of praise for the hope that is our in Chirst. Glory is a place of great reward. It is that hope that kept him going. It is also ours, all because of God’s amazing love!
Pastor Dale
Friday, October 23, 2009
Jesus is Lord of All Col 1:15-20
Sermon Nuggets Mon Oct 19
Theme- JESUS IS LORD OF ALL
Verses: Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Jesus is Lord of All
A little boy was drawing on the floor one day as his mother was working. She said to him "What are you drawing? He said, "I'm drawing a picture of God. "But no one knows what God looks like." she said, "They will when I get through" the boy replied.
Lots of people like to draw pictures of God and tell us what to believe about Him. "It really doesn't make any difference what we believe as long as we are sincere.” Or “All the religions are different roads to the same place”, or “basically we are all worshiping the same God and if we are good enough we do not have anything to worry about.”
Isn't the aim of every religious system to lead people to a better life?" No. The aim is to seek truth. Islam teaches that Allah has no son. Christianity teaches that God does and Jesus, God's Son, is the only way to Him. Both cannot be right. When one religion teaches that man is good and in fact divine, the Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Both cannot be right. It is foolish to think sincerity makes it true.
While attending Michigan State University I minored in Philosophy. It was interesting to hear the continued debates about the various philosophies as a search for truth.
The area near Colossia a Gentile community was very enamored by new thoughts, philosophy and theology. When much was being said about Jesus various people speculated as to who this one probably was. It had an impact on society for news about him traveled all over. He amazed people, attracted crowds wherever he went. He spoke with authority. They were impressed with His knowledge of Scripture. Enemies say he was possessed by the devil and performed miracles by his power.
There were philosophers in the area of Colossae who believed that spiritual things were good and physical material things were evil.
Therefore when they heard about Jesus and his claims, like that little boy drawing pictures on the floor, they recreated him according to their own idea. Some determined that Jesus must be another angel. Some concluded if Jesus was divine he could not be also a man for a human body was evil. They taught that the spiritual manifestation came on him after baptism and left him before crucifixion. These Gnostics were influencing the Colossian church.
There was a young Jew who was caught up in much of the debate and philosophy of the day. Saul was zealous for God. He learned the Shema, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" from Deut 6:4. When discussions about Jesus started surfacing he couldn't believe what he heard. The rumors that this man could do miracles and claimed to be God was upsetting to any learned Jew.
I have heard people talk about religious leaders today who can perform miracles and is divine. Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unificaton church was in the news again. At the age of 90 he was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beginning of his church. He teaches he is the Messiah. He fooled many evangelicals in the 60s until his teachings became public. In honor of his accomplishments he preformed a mass wedding for over 20,000 people last week. The marriages were arranged within the church.
I can sympathize with Saul when I hear of people claiming to be the Messiah like Rev Moon. Only Saul saw Jesus as a rabble rouser who was causing all kinds of trouble in Israel. He was upset Jesus was committing blasphemy was worthy of death. He was upset that people were listening to this new religion.
But what makes the difference between someone like Rev Moon and Jesus? In one moment Saul’s life did 180 degree turn around. On the Damascus Road he surrounded by a blinding light and heard a voice saying "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Then Saul asks this question, "Who are you Lord?" As He found out who Jesus was. He changed his own life as well as his name, and here states his discovery of who Jesus is.
The life and works of Jesus have never been duplicated. The fulfillment of the prophecies of the Scriptures written 1,000 years earlier are unprecedented. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit to those who commit their live to follow Jesus confirms the seal of God on our lives. Saul was changed to Paul and in this letter spells out why Jesus is Lord over all and there is no other.
Other religious leaders come and go. Other religious leaders have a place where their bones are buried. There is only one who is above all others and His name is Jesus.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Oct 20
Verses- Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
JESUS IS LORD OF CREATION
Paul tells them openly Jesus is the image of the invisible God the firstborn over all creation. The word "image" in Greek means representation, or reproduction with precise likeness, derived from a prototype. In other words, Christ is the exact likeness of God. Jesus not only shows what God is, but what man should be. Man was created in God's image. That doesn't mean eyes, nose, hands, and feet. That means the character. Man could love, man could think, man has a spirit and power. The question is how does he use that? Man has a free will, though limited to be sure. With sin, man marred that image, and now Christ came not only representing the image of God. Christ is holy as God is, man is not; Christ is all knowing as God is, man is not; Christ is perfect in all ways. He is all powerful. His human limitation kept him from being everywhere or all present of course, but the image. So is written. "You who have seen me have seen the Father. I and the Father are one."
He is "the firstborn over all creation." That doesn't mean as the Jehovah Witnesses assume that Christ was the first created being. That is a title that the people knew in that day meant preeminence or power or authority over all creation. The firstborn of all Jewish family became its head. So Christ is the head of creation with greater authority. He began it, governs it, judges it, and obedience is not an option, but eternal mandate. Psalm 89:27 (or 26) uses that idea saying of Solomon, "I will make him my first born, higher than the kings of the earth." How could David say that of Solomon if in fact he was not the first born? He had older sons, it was term of prominence, meaning he will be over all my kingdom and greater of all kings and speaking of Solomon also becomes a prophecy of Christ. Or again in Exodus 4:22 Lord calls Israel the firstborn of God meaning they were his chosen, honored, favored of God.
To the Gnostics false teachers, Paul is saying God loves the physical creation. The physical is not evil. In fact God himself came to earth in the physical body as the baby Jesus, this one who was also the creator of the universe. Jesus is above all, He created all even these things you think are spiritual manifestations.
The creator is mentioned also in John 1:1-4. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God the same was in the beginning...He was more than what their mind was making him. He created all things. No wonder the winds and waves obeyed Jesus. No wonder he could heal. No wonder he could walk on water. No wonder he could curse a fig tree and it whither and die. He created all things.
For all things were created by him and for him. I made a pot at camp. New attempt brought alive that passage in Bible of pot and clay, and vessels that aren't right and clumping all together and try again. I did that so many times. Until finally one worked. Getting the technique on the potters wheel. I was making a bowl. something to use to put stuff in. It was made by me and for me. The way I wanted it to be that I might either sit back and admire it, no one else would, or put food in it, or give it away if I want.
Jesus created all things and all things made by him and for him. We are like those pots for Christ's use, are we being used for his glory, or for ours. If it is cracked and unusable it must be discarded. Are you a vessel of use for Christ for we are part of his creation. The Greeks taught all things needed a prime cause, instrumental cause, and final cause. Or a plan and a separate power and separate purpose. Paul saying Jesus is all three here. He planned it and created it for he was before it. He produced it, and did it for His pleasure which was His purpose.
So creation is good and is used for God's glory and enjoyed by God's people. We understand as we compare other verses that the Trinity Father Son and Holy Spirit were involved in Creation. It is not evil as the Gnostics were trying to say. He holds all things together. He is the reason all this exists and consists. All the laws that hold the world together came from Him to express the mind of Christ. The law of gravity the scientific laws of consequence, that we have a reliable and dependable universe We have Christ to thank.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 21
Verses- Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Jesus is Lord of Powers
My devotional today can be troubling. It is meant to show the victory of our Lord over the events of the world. The world is in tremendous conflict as we approach the end times. The conflict is not with flesh and blood, but with powers and principalities of the dark forces.
According to a lecture on Oct 14th at Bethel University, Englishman Lord Christopher Monckton spoke on a proposed turn over of nations’ sovereignty in a treaty to be signed in Copenhagen, Denmark this December. President Obama promised to sign the treaty with many other countries that promotes a world government. In part it will be created to transfer monies from Western countries to third world countries for penalty of abusing C02 emissions. If what he says is true it takes precedent over our constitution. It cannot be reversed without the other member countries agreement. We will have lost more freedom. You can judge for yourself as it is recorded on Youtube.com.
There is a lot to be troubled over in this world. We have inflation. We have recession, unemployment, war, loss of savings, loss of jobs, as well as the larges debt that would be impossible to pay off for years and years if ever. The definition of marriage is changing. Restrictions on freedoms are increasing.
There is much over which people can feel despair. But the Word of God has something to stay to us loud and clear. Jesus Christ is Lord over all powers and authorities. The United States, nor armies of the world, nor powers of hell can change that fact. In a breath God does what God chooses to do when God chooses to do it.
As I am reviewing the stories of Exodus in the sermon series Sunday so we see illustrated God’s plan to redeem his people. In spite of the greatest forces of the world at that time, who could have predicted the waters parting and returning to free and destroy those whom God chose?
The fact of the matter is that tribulation is predicted in the Bible. There will be mass starvation, plagues, persecution, world government, inflation, and war. If nothing else the events upon us are pointers to the realities written 1,000s of years ago in the Word of God. Where is our comfort? It is in the sovereignty of God and putting our faith in Him and His truth alone. He is Lord.
His Lordship includes more than stars, galaxies planets and trees, grass and seas. It includes both visible and invisible. It would include all forces.
Electricity and nuclear power was invented by Jesus as the eternal Son of God before the creation of the world. It would include radiation, magnetism, and movement of electrons from one level of energy to another. He is Lord over all powers. He is one whose ability by far is superior and faster than the greatest computer
Jesus is Lord of the Universe whether we like it or not, or whether we recognize it or not. Let's remember who we worship.
The truth that we tend to forget is this world is passing away. God is preparing an eternal kingdom that by faith and commitment to His Lordship wins for us salvation and blessing that far outweighs anything w have experienced. The players on the world scene are but pawns in the plan of God. There are no surprises to Him. We do what we do to serve Him with our best understanding by doing works of love and ever responsibilities as citizens. But be of good cheer. Jesus says, “I have over come the world”.
When you life gets upside down. Remember who wins. Remember who you serve. Remember Jesus is Lord
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Oct 22
Theme- Jesus is Lord of All
Verse- Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Jesus is Lord of the Church
It stands to reason that if He is Lord of all He is Lord of the church. But this is a point that Paul wants to make very clear. Jesus is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead so that in everything he might have supremacy. That is the key verse to this passage. In everything He might be preeminent. God has actually given us a model to carry around with us, our own body, so that we may understand how the church is to function. The church is a body, and we all have bodies. The church has a head, and we too have heads. To understand the church and how it should function, think about your own body and how it functions. If you stand in front of a mirror you will see this knob up on top, with more or less hair, we call the head. It is the control center of the body. The rest of the body with things sticking out is all part of the trunk. If you had your head removed, nothing would work. You'd be dead.
When I was part of Trade Lake Baptist Church people were willing to give away some of their vegetables at the end of gardening season. We decided to set up a World Relief table when anyone who wanted to give something could and if anyone wanted to pick something up they could. If they wanted to make a donation all the money went to world relief. It was mostly on the honor system with a table outdoors by the road so people could stop whether or not they were part of the church family.
While was sitting at the table for a short time someone stopped by and asked if they could drop off anything even if it wasn't fruit or veggies. I said, “sure”. She returned with four live chickens in two cages. Someone stopped and took two. When the afternoon was done there were two chickens still there. So I put some money in the pot and brought them home.
I contacted the people who donated them and asked, “Now what do I do with these things?”
They said come on over and we'll show you how to kill prepare them. My mother was visited us and came out to the farm and took a picture of me with my first attempt as a city slicker chopping the head off a chicken. Now I've always heard of people running around with their heads cut off but that was the first time I had seen it. We tied the bodies on the fence to bleed while the body was still shaking without heads.
Some churches have lost their head and running around with activity but without the head.
Jesus isn't a dead leader whose body is in the grave like Mohammad, Buddha, Joseph Smith, or Jim Jones. Jesus is alive today. He is the source and origin of the body of believers. The church is not organized by men, or denominations. God may use people but if it is the body of Christ it is Jesus who heads it up. He is Lord of all for he is victorious over even death itself and will reign eternally. It is essential that the church have its Head in place and functioning, giving direction, maintaining order, solving difficulties. Jesus is the one who does that and the Word and Spirit gives us His will and direction.
You are the church. Each individual is directly related to the Head. He wants to direct each of us in our activities. That is where the church truly functions, not only in a building on Sunday morning. We function in our homes, schools, work places and neighborhoods.
I read an article by Juan Carlos Oritz from Argentina talking about the Argentinean church. He wrote in his book, Disciple,"One of the things we did right away was to change the focus of our message. Instead of urging people to come to Christ for all the blessings they would receive. We began to preach that people should come to Christ for Christ alone, not for a miracle, a blessing. We simply went back to preaching the person of Christ. One of the difficulties with our former worship was that people come to be blessed rather than bless. They come for self-service rather than His service. They come to take from the Lord instead of presenting themselves to the Lord as Paul talks about in Romans 12. Anything that takes the place of the Lord is wrong. For lots of people the structure takes the place of Jesus. They become meeting-centered instead of Christ-centered."
Do people come for videos movies, special singing groups, musicians, famous speakers, Christian celebrities or is Jesus the Lord of the church and the reason why we come? We can use all those things to attract people, but to seek church growth on what interests most people is like building on fluff. We need to have a relationship with Christ as Lord and if He is, those things don't matter. There is a big difference between being a believer in Jesus and a follower of Him. As Lord we submit to His authority and serve Him.
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Fri Oct 23
Verses- Col 1:16-20 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Jesus is LORD of Your Life
Conversion is the procress of not only accepting Christ to save you from sin, but to change you from sin and into a relationship with God. Conversion involves turning away from evil deeds and false worship and turning toward serving and worshiping the Lord. Conversion marks a person's entrance into a new relationship with God, forgiveness of sins, and his new life as a part of the fellowship of the people of God. Conversion is more than the exchange of one set of beliefs for another; it is a wholehearted turning to God.
The experience of conversion may differ with various individuals. The apostle Paul's conversion was sudden and radical, while the conversion of Lydia Acts 16:14-15 was apparently gradual and gentle. But the results of conversion are always a clear change of attitude and a new direction for life.
Conversion refers to the change of one's mind about God. But there was something that needed to be done before conversion was possible. It was the price for reconciliation. For salvation is of God and the Lord was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Christ. He was pleased because it was through Jesus that we can be reconciled to God. Whether things on earth or things in heaven, reconciliation is being brought into a right relationship. We need forgiveness so we can be friends again. This was done through the peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
There is only one who claims that he is both God and man. Because Jesus is both God and man he is able to bridge the gap to reconcile to Himself all things. There is a day coming when the hostility of evil against righteousness will be brought to a sudden halt. Satan and his demons will cease their activity.
Realizing that Jesus is Lord of all creation and Lord of the church brings us to this question personally. Is He Lord of your career, your home, are you living for Him, or for self, for Jesus or materialism, for Christ or for friends, for children, or marriage or for our Savior. Is He Lord of our attitudes including the church, our parents, our children, our attitudes about mothers-in-law, our neighbors, other races, other people in need materially, emotionally.
Pastor Jan Hettenga in his book. 'Follow Me' was relating the story of a conversation he had with a man he calls Jerry. Jerry had prayed the prayer to receive Jesus as his savior when he was 12. He messed up his life the booze, two divorces, gambling debts But she said to Jan "I've always been a Christian in my heart." Jan replied, Frankly Jerry, From what you've been telling me, it doesn't look like Christ has figured in any of your decision making at all. I don't doubt that you love Jesus and your ex-wives and your kids whom you can't see because of restraining order, but your story reveals to me that you love yourself a whole lot more than any of them."
"Well preacher, you sound just like my exes and my current live-in too for that matter. You don't know how I feel toward God and that's what matters."
"Sure you have a sentimental soft spot in your emotions for Jesus but it had to be on the same level you have felt for your favorite teddy bear when you were a child. You act as if you are in the driver’s seat of your life. God just evokes a warm feeling but you have no allegiance to God. Jesus make no difference in your decision making process. He hasn't been allowed to change your behavior. God wants to be God. He wants Jesus to be your Leader. He designed you to function best under His direction. That is what the kingdom is all about. What if you were to give Jesus complete control of your life? What if you totally surrendered to Him? What if you began to follow Him as your leader what do you sense would happen?”
"I suppose I'd have to make my child-support payment and wouldn't be able to make the card game at the poker club tonight and I've have to dump the bottle I've got stashed in the car, and I'd have to move out of Carol's place today."
They sat in silence as counted the cost of real conversion and repentance. Coming to Jesus Christ is coming to Him on his terms not ours. When Jesus calls you to His Kingdom he is calling us to making him Lord.
Where do I change? Pastor Jan lead him in the Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Three years later Jerry has followed through on his surrender of control of his life to Christ. His life has changed dramatically. How about you?
Pastor Dale
Theme- JESUS IS LORD OF ALL
Verses: Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Jesus is Lord of All
A little boy was drawing on the floor one day as his mother was working. She said to him "What are you drawing? He said, "I'm drawing a picture of God. "But no one knows what God looks like." she said, "They will when I get through" the boy replied.
Lots of people like to draw pictures of God and tell us what to believe about Him. "It really doesn't make any difference what we believe as long as we are sincere.” Or “All the religions are different roads to the same place”, or “basically we are all worshiping the same God and if we are good enough we do not have anything to worry about.”
Isn't the aim of every religious system to lead people to a better life?" No. The aim is to seek truth. Islam teaches that Allah has no son. Christianity teaches that God does and Jesus, God's Son, is the only way to Him. Both cannot be right. When one religion teaches that man is good and in fact divine, the Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Both cannot be right. It is foolish to think sincerity makes it true.
While attending Michigan State University I minored in Philosophy. It was interesting to hear the continued debates about the various philosophies as a search for truth.
The area near Colossia a Gentile community was very enamored by new thoughts, philosophy and theology. When much was being said about Jesus various people speculated as to who this one probably was. It had an impact on society for news about him traveled all over. He amazed people, attracted crowds wherever he went. He spoke with authority. They were impressed with His knowledge of Scripture. Enemies say he was possessed by the devil and performed miracles by his power.
There were philosophers in the area of Colossae who believed that spiritual things were good and physical material things were evil.
Therefore when they heard about Jesus and his claims, like that little boy drawing pictures on the floor, they recreated him according to their own idea. Some determined that Jesus must be another angel. Some concluded if Jesus was divine he could not be also a man for a human body was evil. They taught that the spiritual manifestation came on him after baptism and left him before crucifixion. These Gnostics were influencing the Colossian church.
There was a young Jew who was caught up in much of the debate and philosophy of the day. Saul was zealous for God. He learned the Shema, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" from Deut 6:4. When discussions about Jesus started surfacing he couldn't believe what he heard. The rumors that this man could do miracles and claimed to be God was upsetting to any learned Jew.
I have heard people talk about religious leaders today who can perform miracles and is divine. Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unificaton church was in the news again. At the age of 90 he was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beginning of his church. He teaches he is the Messiah. He fooled many evangelicals in the 60s until his teachings became public. In honor of his accomplishments he preformed a mass wedding for over 20,000 people last week. The marriages were arranged within the church.
I can sympathize with Saul when I hear of people claiming to be the Messiah like Rev Moon. Only Saul saw Jesus as a rabble rouser who was causing all kinds of trouble in Israel. He was upset Jesus was committing blasphemy was worthy of death. He was upset that people were listening to this new religion.
But what makes the difference between someone like Rev Moon and Jesus? In one moment Saul’s life did 180 degree turn around. On the Damascus Road he surrounded by a blinding light and heard a voice saying "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Then Saul asks this question, "Who are you Lord?" As He found out who Jesus was. He changed his own life as well as his name, and here states his discovery of who Jesus is.
The life and works of Jesus have never been duplicated. The fulfillment of the prophecies of the Scriptures written 1,000 years earlier are unprecedented. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit to those who commit their live to follow Jesus confirms the seal of God on our lives. Saul was changed to Paul and in this letter spells out why Jesus is Lord over all and there is no other.
Other religious leaders come and go. Other religious leaders have a place where their bones are buried. There is only one who is above all others and His name is Jesus.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Oct 20
Verses- Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
JESUS IS LORD OF CREATION
Paul tells them openly Jesus is the image of the invisible God the firstborn over all creation. The word "image" in Greek means representation, or reproduction with precise likeness, derived from a prototype. In other words, Christ is the exact likeness of God. Jesus not only shows what God is, but what man should be. Man was created in God's image. That doesn't mean eyes, nose, hands, and feet. That means the character. Man could love, man could think, man has a spirit and power. The question is how does he use that? Man has a free will, though limited to be sure. With sin, man marred that image, and now Christ came not only representing the image of God. Christ is holy as God is, man is not; Christ is all knowing as God is, man is not; Christ is perfect in all ways. He is all powerful. His human limitation kept him from being everywhere or all present of course, but the image. So is written. "You who have seen me have seen the Father. I and the Father are one."
He is "the firstborn over all creation." That doesn't mean as the Jehovah Witnesses assume that Christ was the first created being. That is a title that the people knew in that day meant preeminence or power or authority over all creation. The firstborn of all Jewish family became its head. So Christ is the head of creation with greater authority. He began it, governs it, judges it, and obedience is not an option, but eternal mandate. Psalm 89:27 (or 26) uses that idea saying of Solomon, "I will make him my first born, higher than the kings of the earth." How could David say that of Solomon if in fact he was not the first born? He had older sons, it was term of prominence, meaning he will be over all my kingdom and greater of all kings and speaking of Solomon also becomes a prophecy of Christ. Or again in Exodus 4:22 Lord calls Israel the firstborn of God meaning they were his chosen, honored, favored of God.
To the Gnostics false teachers, Paul is saying God loves the physical creation. The physical is not evil. In fact God himself came to earth in the physical body as the baby Jesus, this one who was also the creator of the universe. Jesus is above all, He created all even these things you think are spiritual manifestations.
The creator is mentioned also in John 1:1-4. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God the same was in the beginning...He was more than what their mind was making him. He created all things. No wonder the winds and waves obeyed Jesus. No wonder he could heal. No wonder he could walk on water. No wonder he could curse a fig tree and it whither and die. He created all things.
For all things were created by him and for him. I made a pot at camp. New attempt brought alive that passage in Bible of pot and clay, and vessels that aren't right and clumping all together and try again. I did that so many times. Until finally one worked. Getting the technique on the potters wheel. I was making a bowl. something to use to put stuff in. It was made by me and for me. The way I wanted it to be that I might either sit back and admire it, no one else would, or put food in it, or give it away if I want.
Jesus created all things and all things made by him and for him. We are like those pots for Christ's use, are we being used for his glory, or for ours. If it is cracked and unusable it must be discarded. Are you a vessel of use for Christ for we are part of his creation. The Greeks taught all things needed a prime cause, instrumental cause, and final cause. Or a plan and a separate power and separate purpose. Paul saying Jesus is all three here. He planned it and created it for he was before it. He produced it, and did it for His pleasure which was His purpose.
So creation is good and is used for God's glory and enjoyed by God's people. We understand as we compare other verses that the Trinity Father Son and Holy Spirit were involved in Creation. It is not evil as the Gnostics were trying to say. He holds all things together. He is the reason all this exists and consists. All the laws that hold the world together came from Him to express the mind of Christ. The law of gravity the scientific laws of consequence, that we have a reliable and dependable universe We have Christ to thank.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 21
Verses- Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Jesus is Lord of Powers
My devotional today can be troubling. It is meant to show the victory of our Lord over the events of the world. The world is in tremendous conflict as we approach the end times. The conflict is not with flesh and blood, but with powers and principalities of the dark forces.
According to a lecture on Oct 14th at Bethel University, Englishman Lord Christopher Monckton spoke on a proposed turn over of nations’ sovereignty in a treaty to be signed in Copenhagen, Denmark this December. President Obama promised to sign the treaty with many other countries that promotes a world government. In part it will be created to transfer monies from Western countries to third world countries for penalty of abusing C02 emissions. If what he says is true it takes precedent over our constitution. It cannot be reversed without the other member countries agreement. We will have lost more freedom. You can judge for yourself as it is recorded on Youtube.com.
There is a lot to be troubled over in this world. We have inflation. We have recession, unemployment, war, loss of savings, loss of jobs, as well as the larges debt that would be impossible to pay off for years and years if ever. The definition of marriage is changing. Restrictions on freedoms are increasing.
There is much over which people can feel despair. But the Word of God has something to stay to us loud and clear. Jesus Christ is Lord over all powers and authorities. The United States, nor armies of the world, nor powers of hell can change that fact. In a breath God does what God chooses to do when God chooses to do it.
As I am reviewing the stories of Exodus in the sermon series Sunday so we see illustrated God’s plan to redeem his people. In spite of the greatest forces of the world at that time, who could have predicted the waters parting and returning to free and destroy those whom God chose?
The fact of the matter is that tribulation is predicted in the Bible. There will be mass starvation, plagues, persecution, world government, inflation, and war. If nothing else the events upon us are pointers to the realities written 1,000s of years ago in the Word of God. Where is our comfort? It is in the sovereignty of God and putting our faith in Him and His truth alone. He is Lord.
His Lordship includes more than stars, galaxies planets and trees, grass and seas. It includes both visible and invisible. It would include all forces.
Electricity and nuclear power was invented by Jesus as the eternal Son of God before the creation of the world. It would include radiation, magnetism, and movement of electrons from one level of energy to another. He is Lord over all powers. He is one whose ability by far is superior and faster than the greatest computer
Jesus is Lord of the Universe whether we like it or not, or whether we recognize it or not. Let's remember who we worship.
The truth that we tend to forget is this world is passing away. God is preparing an eternal kingdom that by faith and commitment to His Lordship wins for us salvation and blessing that far outweighs anything w have experienced. The players on the world scene are but pawns in the plan of God. There are no surprises to Him. We do what we do to serve Him with our best understanding by doing works of love and ever responsibilities as citizens. But be of good cheer. Jesus says, “I have over come the world”.
When you life gets upside down. Remember who wins. Remember who you serve. Remember Jesus is Lord
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Oct 22
Theme- Jesus is Lord of All
Verse- Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Jesus is Lord of the Church
It stands to reason that if He is Lord of all He is Lord of the church. But this is a point that Paul wants to make very clear. Jesus is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead so that in everything he might have supremacy. That is the key verse to this passage. In everything He might be preeminent. God has actually given us a model to carry around with us, our own body, so that we may understand how the church is to function. The church is a body, and we all have bodies. The church has a head, and we too have heads. To understand the church and how it should function, think about your own body and how it functions. If you stand in front of a mirror you will see this knob up on top, with more or less hair, we call the head. It is the control center of the body. The rest of the body with things sticking out is all part of the trunk. If you had your head removed, nothing would work. You'd be dead.
When I was part of Trade Lake Baptist Church people were willing to give away some of their vegetables at the end of gardening season. We decided to set up a World Relief table when anyone who wanted to give something could and if anyone wanted to pick something up they could. If they wanted to make a donation all the money went to world relief. It was mostly on the honor system with a table outdoors by the road so people could stop whether or not they were part of the church family.
While was sitting at the table for a short time someone stopped by and asked if they could drop off anything even if it wasn't fruit or veggies. I said, “sure”. She returned with four live chickens in two cages. Someone stopped and took two. When the afternoon was done there were two chickens still there. So I put some money in the pot and brought them home.
I contacted the people who donated them and asked, “Now what do I do with these things?”
They said come on over and we'll show you how to kill prepare them. My mother was visited us and came out to the farm and took a picture of me with my first attempt as a city slicker chopping the head off a chicken. Now I've always heard of people running around with their heads cut off but that was the first time I had seen it. We tied the bodies on the fence to bleed while the body was still shaking without heads.
Some churches have lost their head and running around with activity but without the head.
Jesus isn't a dead leader whose body is in the grave like Mohammad, Buddha, Joseph Smith, or Jim Jones. Jesus is alive today. He is the source and origin of the body of believers. The church is not organized by men, or denominations. God may use people but if it is the body of Christ it is Jesus who heads it up. He is Lord of all for he is victorious over even death itself and will reign eternally. It is essential that the church have its Head in place and functioning, giving direction, maintaining order, solving difficulties. Jesus is the one who does that and the Word and Spirit gives us His will and direction.
You are the church. Each individual is directly related to the Head. He wants to direct each of us in our activities. That is where the church truly functions, not only in a building on Sunday morning. We function in our homes, schools, work places and neighborhoods.
I read an article by Juan Carlos Oritz from Argentina talking about the Argentinean church. He wrote in his book, Disciple,"One of the things we did right away was to change the focus of our message. Instead of urging people to come to Christ for all the blessings they would receive. We began to preach that people should come to Christ for Christ alone, not for a miracle, a blessing. We simply went back to preaching the person of Christ. One of the difficulties with our former worship was that people come to be blessed rather than bless. They come for self-service rather than His service. They come to take from the Lord instead of presenting themselves to the Lord as Paul talks about in Romans 12. Anything that takes the place of the Lord is wrong. For lots of people the structure takes the place of Jesus. They become meeting-centered instead of Christ-centered."
Do people come for videos movies, special singing groups, musicians, famous speakers, Christian celebrities or is Jesus the Lord of the church and the reason why we come? We can use all those things to attract people, but to seek church growth on what interests most people is like building on fluff. We need to have a relationship with Christ as Lord and if He is, those things don't matter. There is a big difference between being a believer in Jesus and a follower of Him. As Lord we submit to His authority and serve Him.
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Fri Oct 23
Verses- Col 1:16-20 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Jesus is LORD of Your Life
Conversion is the procress of not only accepting Christ to save you from sin, but to change you from sin and into a relationship with God. Conversion involves turning away from evil deeds and false worship and turning toward serving and worshiping the Lord. Conversion marks a person's entrance into a new relationship with God, forgiveness of sins, and his new life as a part of the fellowship of the people of God. Conversion is more than the exchange of one set of beliefs for another; it is a wholehearted turning to God.
The experience of conversion may differ with various individuals. The apostle Paul's conversion was sudden and radical, while the conversion of Lydia Acts 16:14-15 was apparently gradual and gentle. But the results of conversion are always a clear change of attitude and a new direction for life.
Conversion refers to the change of one's mind about God. But there was something that needed to be done before conversion was possible. It was the price for reconciliation. For salvation is of God and the Lord was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Christ. He was pleased because it was through Jesus that we can be reconciled to God. Whether things on earth or things in heaven, reconciliation is being brought into a right relationship. We need forgiveness so we can be friends again. This was done through the peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
There is only one who claims that he is both God and man. Because Jesus is both God and man he is able to bridge the gap to reconcile to Himself all things. There is a day coming when the hostility of evil against righteousness will be brought to a sudden halt. Satan and his demons will cease their activity.
Realizing that Jesus is Lord of all creation and Lord of the church brings us to this question personally. Is He Lord of your career, your home, are you living for Him, or for self, for Jesus or materialism, for Christ or for friends, for children, or marriage or for our Savior. Is He Lord of our attitudes including the church, our parents, our children, our attitudes about mothers-in-law, our neighbors, other races, other people in need materially, emotionally.
Pastor Jan Hettenga in his book. 'Follow Me' was relating the story of a conversation he had with a man he calls Jerry. Jerry had prayed the prayer to receive Jesus as his savior when he was 12. He messed up his life the booze, two divorces, gambling debts But she said to Jan "I've always been a Christian in my heart." Jan replied, Frankly Jerry, From what you've been telling me, it doesn't look like Christ has figured in any of your decision making at all. I don't doubt that you love Jesus and your ex-wives and your kids whom you can't see because of restraining order, but your story reveals to me that you love yourself a whole lot more than any of them."
"Well preacher, you sound just like my exes and my current live-in too for that matter. You don't know how I feel toward God and that's what matters."
"Sure you have a sentimental soft spot in your emotions for Jesus but it had to be on the same level you have felt for your favorite teddy bear when you were a child. You act as if you are in the driver’s seat of your life. God just evokes a warm feeling but you have no allegiance to God. Jesus make no difference in your decision making process. He hasn't been allowed to change your behavior. God wants to be God. He wants Jesus to be your Leader. He designed you to function best under His direction. That is what the kingdom is all about. What if you were to give Jesus complete control of your life? What if you totally surrendered to Him? What if you began to follow Him as your leader what do you sense would happen?”
"I suppose I'd have to make my child-support payment and wouldn't be able to make the card game at the poker club tonight and I've have to dump the bottle I've got stashed in the car, and I'd have to move out of Carol's place today."
They sat in silence as counted the cost of real conversion and repentance. Coming to Jesus Christ is coming to Him on his terms not ours. When Jesus calls you to His Kingdom he is calling us to making him Lord.
Where do I change? Pastor Jan lead him in the Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Three years later Jerry has followed through on his surrender of control of his life to Christ. His life has changed dramatically. How about you?
Pastor Dale
Friday, October 16, 2009
Prayer Requests Col 1:3-15
Sermon Nuggets week of Oct 12 Col 1:3-15
Sermon Nuggets Mon Oct 12
Theme- Prayer Requests
Verses- Col 1:3-8 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.
You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Prayer for Sowing of God's Word
Last week I started a series from the book of Colossians. As Paul heard about the stories of what was happening among a new church plant that he had never been to, he wanted to compliment them and also caution them. We will get to his word of caution as we go to another chapter, but the compliments are seeing the Christian essentials demonstration. In his prayers Paul offers his thanks to God for the way HE is working in their church. He prays for their growing faith, their real love, their enduring hope, and their abiding witness.
I am surprised that the prayers I read in the Bible such this apostle are so different than my prayers. If I was in Paul's shoes I would begin my letter to them by giving them a culturally appropriate compliment. "Dear friends in Christ" I am so happy to hear things are going well and God is blessing you."
Then I would say something like this, "As you know I have been put in jail because of my faith. Would you start your prayer chain and pray specifically that I can be released. Pray for me that I not be discouraged since this is taking so long and I can have strength for endurance."
Well I am in elementary school of prayer. Paul is on the college level. His experiences and walk with God have matured him to understand things I don't quite get yet. Paul has for us a great illustration of heartfelt prayer with depth that comes from an intimacy with the Lord.
Paul joy is greater than his personal circumstances. He is truly excited that so many people are becoming Christians, so instead of crossing them off his prayer list, he is prompted to pray unceasingly for them. This is what God desires of us all as well.
As we begin verse nine he says, "For this reason we have not stopped praying for you." What is the reason he prays for them? It is because they have responded to the truth of the Word of God as it was preached to them. This word is changing peoples’ lives. This word is giving to people understanding of who they might have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, Because of this word they have exhibited love, because of this word they have a hope and peace that they never had before. This is powerful.
Paul prays that this word be sown all over the world and that is done as people share it. That through our efforts together God's name is honored in our church and in our community.
The Word of God seems less important, less obvious and less central to many churches these days because the Bible offends people. But friends this truth is the good news of the love of God. It confronts us of sin, corrects us in wisdom, guides us in spiritual things, and my prayer is that it is central to the truth we preach and teach and follow. Pray for the sowing of God's Word that it will produce of harvest of righteousness.
I reflected over a prayer letter we received from Dr. Pat who ministers to Christians in persecuted areas of the world. She wrote how Christians in the Gaza Strip in Israel were in great need of Bibles. It is very difficult to get Bibles into that area. Through the efforts of Open Door ministries and Dr. Pat money such as we helped provide, purchased 500 bibles. Br Andrew himself the author of God Smuggler carried some of the Bibles. He said he almost broke his back carrying heavy plastic bags filled with Bibles that she provided. Two weeks later the Muslims burned the Baptist Library destroying 1,000 of books and many of the Bibles that were stored there ready to be given away.
She wrote “In the hands of our Palestinian Christian brothers, the Bible will reach the terrorist. Bring a terrorist to Christ, and he won't be a terrorist any more. We can make a difference by praying for them and by providing Bibles they need in order to bring others to Christ.”
Pray for these people and the people of the world that His word is sown and produces eternal fruit.
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Tues Oct 13
Verses- Col 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Prayer for Knowing of God's Will
Paul is not praying that that God does the will of the petitioner but that the petitioner might know God’s will and do it. His prayer request is that God will fill them with the knowledge of God’s wisdom and God’s will. His prayer request is that they not just get a little knowledge in a small measure but saturated, and overflowing. We cannot achieve what it is God wants unless we first know about it.
I got a part time job I had as a 10th grader one summer. I was hired along with two other students to work in the music department of the high school to go through a whole stack of music and get them in order alphabetically. Well, we took the music and first divided them so according to the song. Then we saw the sheet music according to instruments and sorted it so all trumpets were together and all the flute music together of the same musical number and so forth. We noticed the conductors copy had the instruments in alphabetical order so we continued to categorize this big pile of unsorted music.
Every so often the director would stop in and see us working. Mr Arnoldi was surprised it was taking us so long. Finally one day he came in our room all upset and accused us of loafing and turning in hours not worked. I was feeling pretty low, accused of loafing and not doing a good job. We defended ourselves by showing him what we were doing.
Then he surprised us by telling us he didn't want that. All he wanted was for us to put the stacks of songs together and put each of the different song stacks in alphabetical order. The next day we were done.
The whole problem was a lack of communication and understanding. We were working diligently at something that was not his will. We didn't understand what he wanted us to do. Since he went over his budget we did not accomplish what he hoped to get done that summer in other areas.
So often we don't even ask what God's will is. Often we assume what we should do and forget to pray for direction and guidance. John 14:26 "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all thing and will remind you of everything I have said to you." Do we wait to listen for the leading of God’s Spirit?
We begin knowing the will of God by reading the Bible and putting what we know into practice. It was Mark Twain who said, "it isn't he passage of the Bible that I don't understand that bother, me, it is the passages I do understand."
I get lots of requests from people who want me to pray for a loved one going through surgery or marital problem or financial difficult. I got an urgent call one week from a girl whose boyfriend wanted to break up with her. After spending a long time listening I shared, "You are looking for the longing of your heart in the wrong places and with the wrong people. You will not find in other people what only God can provide. The emptiness you have cannot be filled with the men you've had, but can only be filled with the one who loves you the most.”
Do you want to be filled with the knowledge of God's will for your life? Jn 6:40 tell us it is God's will that you be saved. Have you asked Christ into your life? Don't pray for all requests unless you are willing to give Jesus your life and decide that you will obey His teachings.
I Thes 4 tells us it is God's will that you be sanctified. What does that mean? Being saved brings us as close to God as we will ever get. We are made complete by the goodness of God's gift and nothing we can do to earn salvation. That's justification. Sanctification is the process that changes us to be more like Jesus. That is the work of God also that shows us his love doesn't want us to stay the way we are, but grow in being more like the character of love and joy and peach and patience and goodness and self control. We do that by getting rid of sinful practices and trusting in the power from above.
I Thes 5:18 tells us it is Gods' will to be thankful people, not negative full of complaints all the time. I Peter 2:15 tells us it in God's will that we do good works.
Our prayer is that you will know the will of God and then put it into practice. Staring with these basics opens the door for further listening and then moving on what we know to be true.
Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added as well.” Matt 6:33
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 14
Verses- Col 1:9-10 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
Prayer for Growing in God's Ways(10)
Paul prays that they might live a life worthy of the Lord. How in the world can anyone live a life worthy of the Lord? Isn’t that impossible? But fortunately he gives us some thoughts to illustrate the prayer he has for the church. I will look at some of these in the next couple of days, but what does it mean to please the Lord in every way?
I feel a bit like John the Baptist when he said, “"After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” John the Baptist was a worthy man in that he lived out his calling and spoke the words of God to bring repentance to men’s hearts. But if we look at one’s character we realize next to the Holiness of our Lord, all have sinned and are not worthy of his grace. There is nothing in ourselves to brag. So we begin with His worth who comes to receive us just as we are. We are made worthy by the sacrifice of Jesus and by his grace.
Knowing who we are in Jesus Christ and the freedom that is ours as children of God is a remarkable truth that many Christians never learn to understand and use. We need not be defeated, plagued people. Although there is an onslaught of temptations and discouragements, there is power to take it on that is available if we use it. For many they are like the man who bought a chain saw and returned it and said it actually slowed up his work in sawing trees and saved no time from using his old hand saw. The salesman was perplexed and pulled the chain and started it up. The startled customer asked, "What's that noise?" He had it. He didn't' know it, and was hindered from using it.
Oh we have resurrection power of God almighty but are content in our lives to work the old handsaw methods instead of continually growing in God's ways.
Fortunately there are other passages that help us understand how to live worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. King Solomon taught that our words are worthy when they are true and right. (Prov 8:8-9). Jesus points out faith in Him involves a love for Jesus which is greater than even family. Obeying means taking up one’s cross and following Him. It is dying to self and being filled with new purpose.(Matt 10:37-38)
Paul illustrates worthy living in his letters to other churches by identifying qualities where in Eph 4:2,3 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
He tells Timothy in chapter 3 and Titus to find worthy leaders who are respected, sincere, sober, honest workers. Someone worthy to lead seeks to live a life that says no to the temptations of sin. They will not participate in malicious talk but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
How often does Satan remind us that we do not live up to those standards? How often when we fail or fall are we discourage realizing we are not worthy? Yet the Bible is full of “faithful followers” who got up again and continued the path laid out before them. That was true with David when he committed adultery. It was true of Peter when he lied and denied knowing Jesus. Both become humbled and the grace of God picked them up and used them in more mightily ways.
I heard the story of a man who fell down in the snow and stayed there. "why don't you get up?" someone asked? He replied, "Because I might fall down again."
How many Christians need to get up again to continue after their fall to grow in the ways of God.
I pray that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. In the life the church I pray that all the events, clubs, programs, services were not be busy work, but well pleasing to God, honoring him, and helping others, and seeking to bring honor to our Lord. Live as Jesus would have us live in thought, speech, and action.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Oct 15
Verses- Col 1:10-12 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, 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, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Prayer for Showing God's Works
The works of God produce spiritual fruit in our lives. It should show. Doing God's work is not easy and living God's ways can be very difficult. It is hard to face hardships, persecutions, disease, death and how might we be strengthened to do so?
We grow by having the relationship of Jesus who produces fruit through us. As one teacher said, “We need God to do something TO us, so that He can do something IN us, so that He can do something THROUGH us. We need God to save us, to cleanse us to fill us and to use us.
He wants us to grow in knowledge, but strengthened by His power. He wants us to have great endurance and patience and joy in our service. God wants to work with our God given gifts and abilities, in the circumstances, and situations in which He places us.
I was reading this Steve Sjogren’s book, “The Conspiracy of Kindness”. He tells of being at an evangelistic seminar where the instructor challenged the youth workers to take their young people out witnessing. Some went to the malls and passed out tracts, some went to the park and starting preaching. Some went door to door and asked if people were churched. All of these methods are and can be used of God.
But Steve Sjogren got his kids together and they went to the mall and started doing acts of kindness to others who were strangers. Carrying their bags, opening doors, washing dirty car windows. Some even went to businesses and asked permission to clean their toilets all for free because God’s love is free.
People who were turned off with someone trying to sell them the message were moved when they saw kindnesses done to them. They were the ones that asked about their reasons. There were more positive spiritual discussions than anticipated. They were impressed with the youth who were kind, respectful and bout a God who prompts young people to be giving, and kind and respectful.
Willing servants become God's tools to accomplish great things. Do you feel like you can't do anything, no giftedness, no qualifications, no strong faith? Sharing the works by God are not just for those who are extroverted. You are just the person God is looking for. It is not you doing the work but God working in you. It is not your power but Gods'; Not your wisdom but wisdom from above.
Look at how God demonstrates this in so many of God's workers: Fishermen, who changed the world, not politicians. Shepherd boys to demonstrated faith, not powerful generals, Farmers, like Gideon, who under God's direction had 300 take on the multitude forces of the Midianites only to show that God gets the glory, Moses who stammered and stuttered used to led millions to the Promised Land; Namaan's slave girl told her master of a man of God in Israel who was used by God to bring healing to his leprosy.
Pray that you may receive God’s power to share in God's work. He will accomplish his will in ways that are unique to us.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Oct 16
Verses - Col 1:11-14… being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer for Glowing in God's World
Paul prays for the Colossians. His prayer request is that they stay on the move in their faith walk. Might the Word of God affect their daily lives; might they know and walk in the will of God; mighty they live a life worthy of the Lord in all they do and say; might the works of God’s grace be evidence in the fruit of the Spirit as they work and live together. Paul knows first hand that we are God's children by God's grace. We do not deserve it. We belong not to this world, but to God's world because He gave us the right to become His children by faith.
A wealthy English family once invited a friend to spend time at an estate. The happy gathering was almost plunged into terrible tragedy on the first day, when the children went swimming in the pool. One of them got into deep water and was drowning. Fortunately, the gardener heard the other children screaming and plunged into the pool to rescue the helpless child. That youngster was Winston Churchill. His parents, deeply grateful to this gardener, asked what they could do to reward him. He hesitated and then said "I wish my son could go to college someday and become a doctor, but we have no means."
"We'll pay his way." replied the Churchills. And they did.
Later when Sir Winston was prime minister of England, he was stricken with pneumonia. Greatly concerned, king George summoned the best physician who could be found to his bedside. Doctor Alexander Fleming, the developer of penicillin, was summoned. Fleming was the son of that gardener who had saved Churchill from drowning as a boy. Rarely has one man owed his life twice to the same person.
The Heavenly Father has given us the gift of physical life, and then through His Son, the Great Physician He has imparted to us eternal life.
Paul realized his great indebtedness to a great God who made him part of his world by qualifying him to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Paul lived in darkness. So did we. He lived in ignorance of spiritual power- so did we. He lived in sin- So did we. He lived in Satan's domain- So did we. But Jesus found us and gave us light to find our way and live in freedom from all the bondage this world has. He emancipated us as slaved to Satan and sin and literally bought us with his blood
The concept of redemption is one used for salvation. It means he bought our freedom by dying for us- even the forgiveness of sins. WE receive forgiveness for all we wished we had not done, all we are ashamed of, all we look at with embarrassment through God's holy eyes. All of the unrighteous actions and thought and speech and desires and lust are completely wiped clean and forgiven and forgotten. We don't deserve that, but that is what makes Christian glow. We are to joyfully exhibit our new life and love for God because God has done all for us.
Paul prays that our lives make a difference in a dark world that people might see the light in us.
We sing the song, “Awesome God”. It was written by a man who was tragically killed seeking to serve his awesome God by giving of his life in missionary work with the Navaho children. He wanted the glow of his love for Jesus to shine also through his musical skills not only to praise his Lord, but teach and connect with others to whom he witnessed in his concerts and on the Indian reservation. While he and his friend where driving there was an accident and he was thrown from the vehicle and left unconscious. A semi-truck seeing the vehicle swerved to miss it and unknowingly ran over Rich lying in the road.
Why tragedies occur that prematurely take the lives of God’s servants is beyond my understanding. I am too often reminded that it isn’t the quantity of days on this earth that matter but the quality that whatever days God allows we give to Him to let his light shine. Rich Mullins lived and sang of the hope he had.
The reason Paul prays with such fervency is that he knew the time was short. He wanted to live it for the Lord and prayed that request for the believers at Colossae. It is our prayer for our lives today.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Mon Oct 12
Theme- Prayer Requests
Verses- Col 1:3-8 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.
You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Prayer for Sowing of God's Word
Last week I started a series from the book of Colossians. As Paul heard about the stories of what was happening among a new church plant that he had never been to, he wanted to compliment them and also caution them. We will get to his word of caution as we go to another chapter, but the compliments are seeing the Christian essentials demonstration. In his prayers Paul offers his thanks to God for the way HE is working in their church. He prays for their growing faith, their real love, their enduring hope, and their abiding witness.
I am surprised that the prayers I read in the Bible such this apostle are so different than my prayers. If I was in Paul's shoes I would begin my letter to them by giving them a culturally appropriate compliment. "Dear friends in Christ" I am so happy to hear things are going well and God is blessing you."
Then I would say something like this, "As you know I have been put in jail because of my faith. Would you start your prayer chain and pray specifically that I can be released. Pray for me that I not be discouraged since this is taking so long and I can have strength for endurance."
Well I am in elementary school of prayer. Paul is on the college level. His experiences and walk with God have matured him to understand things I don't quite get yet. Paul has for us a great illustration of heartfelt prayer with depth that comes from an intimacy with the Lord.
Paul joy is greater than his personal circumstances. He is truly excited that so many people are becoming Christians, so instead of crossing them off his prayer list, he is prompted to pray unceasingly for them. This is what God desires of us all as well.
As we begin verse nine he says, "For this reason we have not stopped praying for you." What is the reason he prays for them? It is because they have responded to the truth of the Word of God as it was preached to them. This word is changing peoples’ lives. This word is giving to people understanding of who they might have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, Because of this word they have exhibited love, because of this word they have a hope and peace that they never had before. This is powerful.
Paul prays that this word be sown all over the world and that is done as people share it. That through our efforts together God's name is honored in our church and in our community.
The Word of God seems less important, less obvious and less central to many churches these days because the Bible offends people. But friends this truth is the good news of the love of God. It confronts us of sin, corrects us in wisdom, guides us in spiritual things, and my prayer is that it is central to the truth we preach and teach and follow. Pray for the sowing of God's Word that it will produce of harvest of righteousness.
I reflected over a prayer letter we received from Dr. Pat who ministers to Christians in persecuted areas of the world. She wrote how Christians in the Gaza Strip in Israel were in great need of Bibles. It is very difficult to get Bibles into that area. Through the efforts of Open Door ministries and Dr. Pat money such as we helped provide, purchased 500 bibles. Br Andrew himself the author of God Smuggler carried some of the Bibles. He said he almost broke his back carrying heavy plastic bags filled with Bibles that she provided. Two weeks later the Muslims burned the Baptist Library destroying 1,000 of books and many of the Bibles that were stored there ready to be given away.
She wrote “In the hands of our Palestinian Christian brothers, the Bible will reach the terrorist. Bring a terrorist to Christ, and he won't be a terrorist any more. We can make a difference by praying for them and by providing Bibles they need in order to bring others to Christ.”
Pray for these people and the people of the world that His word is sown and produces eternal fruit.
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Tues Oct 13
Verses- Col 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Prayer for Knowing of God's Will
Paul is not praying that that God does the will of the petitioner but that the petitioner might know God’s will and do it. His prayer request is that God will fill them with the knowledge of God’s wisdom and God’s will. His prayer request is that they not just get a little knowledge in a small measure but saturated, and overflowing. We cannot achieve what it is God wants unless we first know about it.
I got a part time job I had as a 10th grader one summer. I was hired along with two other students to work in the music department of the high school to go through a whole stack of music and get them in order alphabetically. Well, we took the music and first divided them so according to the song. Then we saw the sheet music according to instruments and sorted it so all trumpets were together and all the flute music together of the same musical number and so forth. We noticed the conductors copy had the instruments in alphabetical order so we continued to categorize this big pile of unsorted music.
Every so often the director would stop in and see us working. Mr Arnoldi was surprised it was taking us so long. Finally one day he came in our room all upset and accused us of loafing and turning in hours not worked. I was feeling pretty low, accused of loafing and not doing a good job. We defended ourselves by showing him what we were doing.
Then he surprised us by telling us he didn't want that. All he wanted was for us to put the stacks of songs together and put each of the different song stacks in alphabetical order. The next day we were done.
The whole problem was a lack of communication and understanding. We were working diligently at something that was not his will. We didn't understand what he wanted us to do. Since he went over his budget we did not accomplish what he hoped to get done that summer in other areas.
So often we don't even ask what God's will is. Often we assume what we should do and forget to pray for direction and guidance. John 14:26 "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all thing and will remind you of everything I have said to you." Do we wait to listen for the leading of God’s Spirit?
We begin knowing the will of God by reading the Bible and putting what we know into practice. It was Mark Twain who said, "it isn't he passage of the Bible that I don't understand that bother, me, it is the passages I do understand."
I get lots of requests from people who want me to pray for a loved one going through surgery or marital problem or financial difficult. I got an urgent call one week from a girl whose boyfriend wanted to break up with her. After spending a long time listening I shared, "You are looking for the longing of your heart in the wrong places and with the wrong people. You will not find in other people what only God can provide. The emptiness you have cannot be filled with the men you've had, but can only be filled with the one who loves you the most.”
Do you want to be filled with the knowledge of God's will for your life? Jn 6:40 tell us it is God's will that you be saved. Have you asked Christ into your life? Don't pray for all requests unless you are willing to give Jesus your life and decide that you will obey His teachings.
I Thes 4 tells us it is God's will that you be sanctified. What does that mean? Being saved brings us as close to God as we will ever get. We are made complete by the goodness of God's gift and nothing we can do to earn salvation. That's justification. Sanctification is the process that changes us to be more like Jesus. That is the work of God also that shows us his love doesn't want us to stay the way we are, but grow in being more like the character of love and joy and peach and patience and goodness and self control. We do that by getting rid of sinful practices and trusting in the power from above.
I Thes 5:18 tells us it is Gods' will to be thankful people, not negative full of complaints all the time. I Peter 2:15 tells us it in God's will that we do good works.
Our prayer is that you will know the will of God and then put it into practice. Staring with these basics opens the door for further listening and then moving on what we know to be true.
Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added as well.” Matt 6:33
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 14
Verses- Col 1:9-10 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
Prayer for Growing in God's Ways(10)
Paul prays that they might live a life worthy of the Lord. How in the world can anyone live a life worthy of the Lord? Isn’t that impossible? But fortunately he gives us some thoughts to illustrate the prayer he has for the church. I will look at some of these in the next couple of days, but what does it mean to please the Lord in every way?
I feel a bit like John the Baptist when he said, “"After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” John the Baptist was a worthy man in that he lived out his calling and spoke the words of God to bring repentance to men’s hearts. But if we look at one’s character we realize next to the Holiness of our Lord, all have sinned and are not worthy of his grace. There is nothing in ourselves to brag. So we begin with His worth who comes to receive us just as we are. We are made worthy by the sacrifice of Jesus and by his grace.
Knowing who we are in Jesus Christ and the freedom that is ours as children of God is a remarkable truth that many Christians never learn to understand and use. We need not be defeated, plagued people. Although there is an onslaught of temptations and discouragements, there is power to take it on that is available if we use it. For many they are like the man who bought a chain saw and returned it and said it actually slowed up his work in sawing trees and saved no time from using his old hand saw. The salesman was perplexed and pulled the chain and started it up. The startled customer asked, "What's that noise?" He had it. He didn't' know it, and was hindered from using it.
Oh we have resurrection power of God almighty but are content in our lives to work the old handsaw methods instead of continually growing in God's ways.
Fortunately there are other passages that help us understand how to live worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. King Solomon taught that our words are worthy when they are true and right. (Prov 8:8-9). Jesus points out faith in Him involves a love for Jesus which is greater than even family. Obeying means taking up one’s cross and following Him. It is dying to self and being filled with new purpose.(Matt 10:37-38)
Paul illustrates worthy living in his letters to other churches by identifying qualities where in Eph 4:2,3 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
He tells Timothy in chapter 3 and Titus to find worthy leaders who are respected, sincere, sober, honest workers. Someone worthy to lead seeks to live a life that says no to the temptations of sin. They will not participate in malicious talk but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
How often does Satan remind us that we do not live up to those standards? How often when we fail or fall are we discourage realizing we are not worthy? Yet the Bible is full of “faithful followers” who got up again and continued the path laid out before them. That was true with David when he committed adultery. It was true of Peter when he lied and denied knowing Jesus. Both become humbled and the grace of God picked them up and used them in more mightily ways.
I heard the story of a man who fell down in the snow and stayed there. "why don't you get up?" someone asked? He replied, "Because I might fall down again."
How many Christians need to get up again to continue after their fall to grow in the ways of God.
I pray that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. In the life the church I pray that all the events, clubs, programs, services were not be busy work, but well pleasing to God, honoring him, and helping others, and seeking to bring honor to our Lord. Live as Jesus would have us live in thought, speech, and action.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Oct 15
Verses- Col 1:10-12 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, 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, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Prayer for Showing God's Works
The works of God produce spiritual fruit in our lives. It should show. Doing God's work is not easy and living God's ways can be very difficult. It is hard to face hardships, persecutions, disease, death and how might we be strengthened to do so?
We grow by having the relationship of Jesus who produces fruit through us. As one teacher said, “We need God to do something TO us, so that He can do something IN us, so that He can do something THROUGH us. We need God to save us, to cleanse us to fill us and to use us.
He wants us to grow in knowledge, but strengthened by His power. He wants us to have great endurance and patience and joy in our service. God wants to work with our God given gifts and abilities, in the circumstances, and situations in which He places us.
I was reading this Steve Sjogren’s book, “The Conspiracy of Kindness”. He tells of being at an evangelistic seminar where the instructor challenged the youth workers to take their young people out witnessing. Some went to the malls and passed out tracts, some went to the park and starting preaching. Some went door to door and asked if people were churched. All of these methods are and can be used of God.
But Steve Sjogren got his kids together and they went to the mall and started doing acts of kindness to others who were strangers. Carrying their bags, opening doors, washing dirty car windows. Some even went to businesses and asked permission to clean their toilets all for free because God’s love is free.
People who were turned off with someone trying to sell them the message were moved when they saw kindnesses done to them. They were the ones that asked about their reasons. There were more positive spiritual discussions than anticipated. They were impressed with the youth who were kind, respectful and bout a God who prompts young people to be giving, and kind and respectful.
Willing servants become God's tools to accomplish great things. Do you feel like you can't do anything, no giftedness, no qualifications, no strong faith? Sharing the works by God are not just for those who are extroverted. You are just the person God is looking for. It is not you doing the work but God working in you. It is not your power but Gods'; Not your wisdom but wisdom from above.
Look at how God demonstrates this in so many of God's workers: Fishermen, who changed the world, not politicians. Shepherd boys to demonstrated faith, not powerful generals, Farmers, like Gideon, who under God's direction had 300 take on the multitude forces of the Midianites only to show that God gets the glory, Moses who stammered and stuttered used to led millions to the Promised Land; Namaan's slave girl told her master of a man of God in Israel who was used by God to bring healing to his leprosy.
Pray that you may receive God’s power to share in God's work. He will accomplish his will in ways that are unique to us.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Oct 16
Verses - Col 1:11-14… being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer for Glowing in God's World
Paul prays for the Colossians. His prayer request is that they stay on the move in their faith walk. Might the Word of God affect their daily lives; might they know and walk in the will of God; mighty they live a life worthy of the Lord in all they do and say; might the works of God’s grace be evidence in the fruit of the Spirit as they work and live together. Paul knows first hand that we are God's children by God's grace. We do not deserve it. We belong not to this world, but to God's world because He gave us the right to become His children by faith.
A wealthy English family once invited a friend to spend time at an estate. The happy gathering was almost plunged into terrible tragedy on the first day, when the children went swimming in the pool. One of them got into deep water and was drowning. Fortunately, the gardener heard the other children screaming and plunged into the pool to rescue the helpless child. That youngster was Winston Churchill. His parents, deeply grateful to this gardener, asked what they could do to reward him. He hesitated and then said "I wish my son could go to college someday and become a doctor, but we have no means."
"We'll pay his way." replied the Churchills. And they did.
Later when Sir Winston was prime minister of England, he was stricken with pneumonia. Greatly concerned, king George summoned the best physician who could be found to his bedside. Doctor Alexander Fleming, the developer of penicillin, was summoned. Fleming was the son of that gardener who had saved Churchill from drowning as a boy. Rarely has one man owed his life twice to the same person.
The Heavenly Father has given us the gift of physical life, and then through His Son, the Great Physician He has imparted to us eternal life.
Paul realized his great indebtedness to a great God who made him part of his world by qualifying him to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Paul lived in darkness. So did we. He lived in ignorance of spiritual power- so did we. He lived in sin- So did we. He lived in Satan's domain- So did we. But Jesus found us and gave us light to find our way and live in freedom from all the bondage this world has. He emancipated us as slaved to Satan and sin and literally bought us with his blood
The concept of redemption is one used for salvation. It means he bought our freedom by dying for us- even the forgiveness of sins. WE receive forgiveness for all we wished we had not done, all we are ashamed of, all we look at with embarrassment through God's holy eyes. All of the unrighteous actions and thought and speech and desires and lust are completely wiped clean and forgiven and forgotten. We don't deserve that, but that is what makes Christian glow. We are to joyfully exhibit our new life and love for God because God has done all for us.
Paul prays that our lives make a difference in a dark world that people might see the light in us.
We sing the song, “Awesome God”. It was written by a man who was tragically killed seeking to serve his awesome God by giving of his life in missionary work with the Navaho children. He wanted the glow of his love for Jesus to shine also through his musical skills not only to praise his Lord, but teach and connect with others to whom he witnessed in his concerts and on the Indian reservation. While he and his friend where driving there was an accident and he was thrown from the vehicle and left unconscious. A semi-truck seeing the vehicle swerved to miss it and unknowingly ran over Rich lying in the road.
Why tragedies occur that prematurely take the lives of God’s servants is beyond my understanding. I am too often reminded that it isn’t the quantity of days on this earth that matter but the quality that whatever days God allows we give to Him to let his light shine. Rich Mullins lived and sang of the hope he had.
The reason Paul prays with such fervency is that he knew the time was short. He wanted to live it for the Lord and prayed that request for the believers at Colossae. It is our prayer for our lives today.
Pastor Dale
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