A Pastor's Thoughts

Here is my sermon from this past Sunday.  It was the first in my 5 part series preaching through the Bible.

Bible in 5 weeks – 1

Here is the outline I included with the bulletin to help you follow along:

Beginnings, Promises, and Rescue

March 14, 2010

I. Beginnings

A. 6 Days of Creation – Genesis 1

B. Creation of Marriage – Genesis 2

C. Sin comes to the world – Genesis 3

D. Sin abounds – Genesis 4-6

E. Noah and the flood, with 1 way of escape – Genesis 6

F. Job – takes place prior to Abraham

1. Satan looks for one to tempt – Job 1-2

2. Job’s friends accuse him of sin – Job 3-37

3. God reminds Job who He is – Job 38-42

4. God restores Job’s possessions and family – Job 42

II. Promises

A. Tower of Babel – Genesis 11

B. God’s call and promise to Abraham – Genesis 12

C. God renews His promise – Genesis 15

D. Abraham has his first son, Ishmael – Genesis 16

E. God promises a son to Sarah and Abraham – Genesis 17

F. Son of promise, Isaac, is born – Genesis 21

G. Abraham is called to sacrifice Isaac – Genesis 22

H. Isaac marries Rebekah and has twin sons – Genesis 24-25

I. Jacob steals the blessing and promises to serve God – Gen. 27-28

J. Jacob marries Leah and Rachel; has a name change – Gen. 29-32

K. Favorite son, Joseph, is sold into slavery by 11 brothers – Gen. 37

L. Joseph’s Life – Potiphar, Prison, and Ruler – Genesis 39-41

M. All of Israel now safely in Egypt – Genesis 50

III. Rescue

A. 400 years later, Israelites are slaves – Exodus 1

B. Moses is spared and flees to the desert – Exodus 2

C. God calls Moses to lead people out of Egypt – Exodus 3-4

D. Pharaoh says ‘no’ and God sends 9 Plagues – Exodus 7-10

E. God gives His people instructions for Passover – Exodus 12

F. 10^th Plague, Death of Firstborn; Israelites leave Egypt – Exodus 13

G. Red Sea parts, God delivers His people – Exodus 14

H. God’s people sing to rejoice in His provision – Exodus 15

Our church family had a wonderful evening last night to learn more about our partnership with Ethiopia.  More specifically, we heard about the upcoming trip to Ethiopia in June/July of this year.  There are about 24 people, from 6 different churches, going to the Burji people in Southern Ethiopia.  I had the joy of being with those precious people in November 2008.  There are 4 team members from Cresset.  Last night we talked about the specific area of ministry that the Lord has called us to.  Our 4 will be involved in teaching men, women, youth, and children.  I realize that covers all the bases!  We shared with our church last night concerning what the Lord has impressed on our hearts to teach and encourage our brothers and sisters in the Burji church.  I have a few pictures from last night to share with you.

I shared last night as well about teaching men.  I showed pictures from my 2008 trip and closed with this one.  It is a constant reminder to me of our calling to partner with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  In this photo, I am seated with Worku.  He was my translator in Ethiopia.  Worku is a pastor of one of the Burji churches.

Our team departs June 30 and returns July 16.  Please pray with us as we prepare and go!

Last night we began our Prayer Meeting by sharing passages from God’s Word.  It was a great time together.  We are Baptist’s and that means we have a Wednesday Night “Prayer Meeting”.  For many this means we pray for 3 minutes and have a 30 minute Sermon/Devotional/Lesson/Message thing.  I appreciate the heart of the people who come out here each week.  They really want to pray!  I usually read a passage of Scripture to begin our prayer time.  Last night the Lord impressed on my heart to simply ask for volunteers to read or share a passage of Scripture that has spoken to their heart recently.  I just wanted people to share what God is doing in their lives.

We often have a “Praise Time” during our prayer meeting.  This is a time for people to share what God is doing in their lives.  Last night was much different.  Instead of praising Him for this thing or that thing, we were praising Him through His Word.  It was amazing to see how God is working in the lives of His people as they shared portions of God’s Word that He is using in their lives now.  It was good.

We His people share praises and answers to prayer it often encourages us to pray more. Last night has encouraged us to be in His Word more.  God is working in the midst of His people!  What a beautiful thing!

I have put together a new logo for our new Sermon Series.  We’ll be wrapping up Ephesians in the next month and starting a new 5-week series.  It’s called “The Bible in 5”.  I am planning to preach through the Bible in 5 sermons.  No, they will not be 5 hours each 🙂  We’ll start the series on March 14th and continue through April 11th.  Easter Sunday is April and we’ll talk about the Resurrection then.  Come out at 10:45 AM to Cresset Baptist Church.  We’d love to have you join with us

It has been far too long since I have posted anything here.

I was listening to a talk show on the radio yesterday and the guest was a medical doctor specializing in preventative medicine, specifically nutritional remedies.  I only caught a bit of the interview but one thing stood out that he said.  He was answering a question about which blood pressure medications have the least side effects.  His answer was, “we are asking the wrong question.  Too many people think the right medicine will solve their problem.  When in fact their problem is often due to lifestyle choices.  Most don’t do much of anything to change their diets and exercise routines.  Most people think they can keep doing the same things that got them into health trouble, take a pill, and continue the same lifestyle.  Medicine has become the new religion with ‘salvation in a bottle'”

I am in no place to debate the merits of his comments from a medical perspective (though he did say heart related deaths are on the rise even with the proliferation of heart medicines).  I think he is correct in his estimation of how people view medicines.  Instead of radical changes in diet and exercise, most people would rather continue living the way they live and simply take a pill once (or thrice) daily to “solve” their problem.  I thought about his phrase “salvation in a bottle”.  I wonder how may people who are followers of Jesus, view Jesus as a quick fix solution?

As a Pastor and Teacher I worry that I may ever give the impression that Jesus is a “quick-fix”, “say a little prayer”, “feel sorry for your sins”, and “want Heaven” kind of solution.  Too often people want to continue living exactly how they lived before and they have simply added Jesus in their life as a “salvation in a bottle” remedy.

We have a tendency to focus on Jesus as our way to Heaven.  Once we have that covered, it’s business as usual.  There are several problems with this outlook.  First, coming to Jesus for Salvation involves a radical transformation.  Not one brought by our own hands, but by Him.  We go from death to life, from darkness to light, from children of wrath to children of God.  It is a complete transformation of our standing before God.  Second, coming to Jesus for Salvation is about entering into a relationship with the Son of God.  It is not only about Heaven.  It is about a relationship with the Creator.  Jesus said in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only True God, and the One you have sent, Jesus Christ.”  There is nothing in this definition about streets of gold, angels, harps, or pearly gates.  Eternal Life is knowing God.

My prayer is that we as God’s children would understand the radical transformation that has already occurred when we came to Jesus; that we would live lives consistent with this transformation; that we would be a witness to the world that following Jesus means more than what we do on Sunday mornings.

Yesterday I had the joy of speaking to the High School students in chapel here at Cresset Christian Academy.  This is the best school in North Carolina (I’m not biased).  The students have chapel each Thursday and I get to speak to them at least once a month.  Yesterday we had a “Q&A” day.  I wanted to call it “stump-the-pastor”, but that would have been too easy for them.  I started the discussion with a question…and we stayed with the topic the entire time.  Here’s the question, “Can you lose your salvation?”

The correct theological answer is “no, you cannot.”  I often put it this way, “we are never good enough to receive salvation, so we can never be bad enough to lose salvation.”  The students were very engaged in the discussion and some of their questions were hypothetical like, “what if a person is a Christian and then turns their back on God and might even start following another religion? Are they still saved?”  You can make the case biblically that either they were never saved to begin with, or they are saved and living in disobedience.  I don’t believe biblically you can make the argument that such a person would lose their salvation

Unfortunately we ran out of time before we could finish the matter.  I think the premise of the question is troubling.  So many Christians think of salvation as their “ticket to Heaven”.  As long as they have their ticket when they die, all is well.  We miss so much when this is our mindset.  Jesus said that eternal life is to know God and His Son Jesus Christ (John 17:3).  We think of eternal life as mansions, streets of gold, harps, angels, and clouds.  We think the ultimate thing is to simple get there.  Jesus is far more concerned with how we live life each day.  He didn’t speak much of Heaven, as if He was some sort of eternal salesman.  Instead He spoke of following Him, sacrificing for others, showing love, and speaking truth.  We must follow this example.  When we live each day like this, we won’t be as concerned about our “ticket to Heaven.”

It is true that once a person is born-gain they cannot lose that, it cannot be un-done.  In our human condition we often ask, “how much can I sin before it gets me into trouble (or I might lose my salvation)?”  The real question is, “what does Jesus want for my life today?”  Eternal Life, knowing Jesus, is a relationship.  When we die there will be a change of location (earth to Heaven) but not a change in our relationship to Him.  Jesus will still be our Savior, the Father will still be our Father.

Satan loves to distract us from serving Jesus and walking in obedience.  He often does this by bringing in doubt.  The Bible says that you can know you are saved.  One of the primary ways we see this is the evidence of our works.  Do you see Jesus changing your life? Are your attitudes and thoughts and priorities changing?  This is the mark of a disciple of Jesus.  Sure we will all sin and have our struggles.  1 John 1:8 is clear on that.  But 1 John 1:9 says He will forgive our sins when we confess them to Him!

Let us determine together to not worry about losing salvation.  Let us walk with one another in obedience and seek to grow closer to Jesus.  Our salvation has an element that we will experience after death.  There is an element for us today.  It is for us to walk in obedience and live lives transformed by the power of the Resurrection of Jesus!

What is the goal?  It is not Heaven.  It is to know Christ and the power of His resurrection!  We can never lose that.  We can always grow closer to Jesus.

To those who visit here frequently, thank you and I’m sorry.  Thank you for visiting and reading the items I post.  Also, I am sorry that it’s been so long since I have posted anything.  Excuses are plentiful, but I’ll only offer a few.  First, our whole family came down with the H1N1 Virus at the same time.  Second, I ended up with pneumonia which then threw out my back from coughing.  Third, I have been trying to catch up with things.  And finally, this week is the least likely for me to post again since I have had meetings at church every night (some until 10:45PM).  But alas, here I am.  Back in the world of blogging.

I love spending time with my kids on these weekends when I am not as “busy”. They love spending time with me. It doesn’t matter to them what we’re doing. I wish I was as excited to be with my Heavenly Father as my children are to be with me. We can learn so much from the little ones He puts in our lives.

Here is part 4 of my series.  (It does not refer to Twitter, I’m sorry).  This is a follow-up to part 1, part 2, part 3.

4.  Remember the Goal

I do not consider myself a scholar, but I have graduated from 2 theological schools.  I have spent much time studying the Scriptures in an academic setting.  It can be a challenge when the Word of God is a textbook.  The goal of studying the Scripture is not simply to increase our knowledge of this book.  The goal is to teach us more about the character and nature of God so that we might live lives that glorify Him.  The Book is all about Jesus, and through Him we are able to bring glory to God.  As we study Scripture we should be moved to love Him more and to love others more.  After all, these are the 2 greatest commandments.  The goal is growth in my life, not growth in my knowledge.

Studying Scripture, learning Greek and Hebrew, reading theological books and commentaries are a means to an end.  The end is not only learning, it is about growing.  It is far too easy for God’s Word to become academic.  As the writer of Hebrews says, “the Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword.”  It is fine to spend hours seeking to determine the author of these words, but it is far better to take these words to heart!  May our goal never become knowledge for knowledge sake.  Studying Scripture is a means to an end, it is not the end in itself

Here is my third installment of Studying Scripture (this follows part 1 and part 2).

3.  Don’t put God in a box.

In other words, don’t assume that God must work in this way or that way only.  I am glad that He is more creative than I am.  Too often we approach the Scriptures (and our Christian lives) with simple, pat answers to hard questions.  Studying Scriptures with this approach can lead to legalism.  We assume this is what is meant, and this is all that is meant.  We deduce from it a simple maxim for our lives.  Be sure, God’s Word doesn’t change.  It doesn’t mean something today that it did not mean in years gone by.  But, His Word is living and active and sharper than a 2-edged sword.

Here’s an example.  Ephesians 5:18 says, “don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit.”  A simple approach to this would be to read this verse and walk away from it thinking, “ok, don’t get drunk”, and then move on to the next verse.  That kind of thinking only produces legalism.  You would then live the rest of your life in complete sobriety while missing the point of this verse.  True, drunkenness is a sin, the Bible is clear on that.  But here Paul is telling us to be filled, or controlled, by the Holy Spirit.  In the same way wine controls the drunk, the Holy Spirit is to control the believer.  To really live out this verse, we must spend the rest of our lives under His control and influence.

When we look at Scripture and ask God to give us a list of do’s and don’t’s,we fall into legalism and mis what He may have for us each day.  An amazing thing about studying Scripture is that God speaks to our hearts in different ways at different times in our lives.  Don’t assume you know what each verse teaches and you can cross it off your spiritual to-do list.  Dig into His Word and ask Him to speak to your heart fresh and new today!