"The Ultimate Stress Test”

August 19th, 2018

Key Passage: Genesis 1:1-2:3

“In the Beginning … The Creation of Absolute Truth”

To be completely candid, I never thought the “Creation vs. Evolution” debate would become such a cultural lightning rod in our lifetime.  That said, it pales in comparison to the incredible condemnation being placed on the Church and, more notably, Christians who have the audacity (some would say “ignorance”) of believing the Bible is inerrant and absolute – especially when it speaks to God’s design for marriage.  It’s one thing to feel like a fish out of water in our society … much less a fish that’s being gutted, filleted, and thrown into the frying pan.  Yet here it is, the very epicenter of whether the Bible is Absolute Truth and the infallible Word of God, or a collection of cool poems, stories, and thoughts from men who really didn’t have a clue about life in the 21st century.  Why is society in such disarray?  Because people have left behind the fact that Genesis shows us the origins of the universe, order and complexity, the solar system, the atmosphere and hydrosphere, the origin of life, man, marriage, evil, language, government, culture, nations and religion.  Simply, if you believe Genesis 1:1, you really have no problem believing the rest of the Bible.

Genesis 1:1         “In the beginning…”

• What do the very first three words of the Bible tell us about God’s nature?

• Regarding the “Big Bang Theory” – we should believe in the Big Bang.  God said it, and, “Bang!” it happened.

• God’s first step (Day 1) is to create light … literally, the symbol for God throughout the Bible.  Important to note that this light came from God – not from the sun and moon (Day 4)

Genesis 1:4-25    “And God said…” (“bara,” the Hebrew word here, means to create out of nothing)

If everything around us, including ourselves, is the result of random, meaningless occurrences apart from the work of a creating God, then it says something about who I am, and where I, and the whole universe, are going. Then the only dignity or honor we bestow upon men is pure sentimentality, because I don’t have any more significance than an amoeba.  At this point, “survival of the fittest” becomes the greatest law in the universe.

Genesis 1:25-31  “in our image” (“Elohim,” used in verse 1, is plural for God – the Trinity)

• This means there is an unbridgeable gap between human life and animal life. Though we are biologically similar to certain animals, we are distinct in our moral, intellectual, and spiritual capabilities.

• This means there is also an unbridgeable gap between human life and angelic life. Nowhere are we told the angels are made in the image of God. Angels cannot have the same kind of relationship of love and fellowship with God we can have. (BTW, this is the primary reason Satan hates us …)

• This means human life has intrinsic value, apart from the “quality of life” experienced by any individual, because human life is made in the image of God.

Genesis 2:1-25   (“Yahweh” is used here to show His loving nature and desire for a personal relationship)

• Because He’s “Elohim,” we have to give him our all.  Because He’s “Yahweh,” we should want to.

• When you stray from the design of the architect, you weaken the structure.

• If God first created them male and female, and in a marriage relationship … when did he change his mind?  As we go through the rest of the Bible, when did God change his definition of marriage?

• Never forget, the number goal of Satan is to blaspheme and belittle the name of Christ.  Literally, the best way to do that is to mock the ultimate sacrifice of Christ … his death (as the Groom) for his bride (the church).  This is the primary reason gay marriage is wrong – it mocks Christ.

Q:  What responsibilities come with being made in the image and likeness of God?

Q:  How do we notice God’s intimacy in our lives on a daily basis?

April 30, 2017

Key Passage: Romans 6:1-23

“Grace is Dangerous”

Quick question: how many of us feel like we’ve been set free from the power of sin (and let’s be candid here - save the “Sunday School” answers for later)?  Really, how many of us feel dead to sin?  If you’re like me, it often seems we’re not the master – we’re the slave in this area.  And it doesn’t seem to matter how much we pray about it, or how much counseling we get, or how many articles we read or sermons we hear – we just can’t seem to conquer this area.  It could be anger, porn, materialism, gossip, or a critical spirit – but it’s in control, and we’re not.  Eventually, you get bogged down with a sense of guilt and weakness that’s hard to understand, given our standing in Christ.  Of course, this all boils down to feeding self rather than feeding the Spirit God has given us … and the flesh can be brutal, cracking a remorseless whip and driving us to even greater depths of depression.  Mastering self is the key difference between possessing eternal life (which all Christians have), and possessing that abundant life Jesus came to give.  And isn’t that what each of us really wants?

2 Secrets to an Abundant Life (starting with the “end in mind,” let’s start with 2 Corinthians 2:14-16)        

1.  Romans 6:1-10       Let’s get our facts straight, and trust them rather than your “feelings”

•  Romans 6:1-5             Fact #1 – Our Position in Christ     God never asks us to believe something without first giving the facts.  This is the great foundation of our Christian faith: IT RESTS ON FACTS.  Our old nature died with Christ – in fact, it not only died, but was buried as well – totally put away.

• Romans 6:6-10            Fact #2 – The Authority of Sin is Gone     See if this sounds familiar: we try to be good, but choose to do wrong and then we confess.  Then we do it again, and confess that.  Finally, we’re ashamed and give up, deciding that the best thing is simply to keep up as good an appearance as possible.  We actually become content with defeat.  But it’s not supposed to be this way – sin’s authority is gone!

2.  Romans 6:11-23     Breaking the cycle of sin that entangles and chokes the life out of us

• Romans 6:16-19          Fact #3 – Sin makes us a slave     Here’s a profound psychological fact: human beings are made to be mastered.  Somebody has to master us.  God is at work in us, and so is Satan.  We’re given basically two choices in life: who will we serve? 

• Romans 6:20-21          Fact #4 – Sin will make you ashamed    No matter how small or great, sin always leads to shame.  For Christians, it’s called conviction; for others, it’s condemnation. 

• Romans 6:22-23          Fact #5 - Sin leads to death     Sometimes it leads to a physical death (addictions; horrible choices); however, it always leads to spiritual darkness.

Q:  What do you do with the flashbacks and voices in the night that keep reminding you of past sins?

Q:  How does the knowledge of your death to sin affect your struggles with sin?  Your prayer life?

Q:  What does the phrase, “what you believe dictates how you will behave” mean?

Bottom Line: The abundant life is not about you doing your best for God – it’s about Christ doing His best through you!  Keep in mind, what you believe dictates how you behave.  It’s vital for us to understand and believe the truth about ourselves from God’s point of view – not ours, or our feelings.  We must see ourselves as those who are dead to sin and alive to God.  This is what dying to live means.  The question, then, becomes: who are you going to believe?  God’s Word or Satan’s whispers?  The devil comes along trying to convince you that you don’t have the power to resist sin.  Who will you believe?

“Being Thankful for the Passover”

• to resist the morality of the world and maintain the purity God commands 

• to give of our ourselves and our material wealth sacrificially 

• to act with integrity and report things accurately even though others aren’t

• to tell the truth even though a lie would keep us out of trouble 

• to forgive someone who hurt us 

• to trust God even though it feels that He has forgotten us

We should never forget the horrible consequences of sin – Passover reminds us that sin comes with a price.  It destroys relationships, leads us away from God’s perfect design for our life, and often hurts the people we love; however, it also puts a barrier between us and our Holy God that can’t be easily removed.  We don’t really have any idea how devastating and offensive our sin is to God … and until we face our sin head on, we won’t be interested in God’s grace.

We should never forget the astounding depth of God’s love – Just as the Passover reminds the Jews of his tenacious pursuit of them, it should continually remind us of his persistent affection for us even though we resist and disappoint Him time and time again.  Frankly, you’re here today because God is calling to your heart and asking you to follow Him in total surrender.

We should never forget the lasting benefit of obedience – Trusting Christ isn’t just a matter of “saying a prayer” – it’s an attitude of the heart.  It means coming to Him honestly with our sin, trusting He’ll provide exactly what we’ll need – namely, forgiveness.  And it means being willing to follow him wholeheartedly in the small, daily events of our lives – especially when things don’t make sense at all … in fact, it’s most notable when things DON’T make sense.  That’s faith.

“Been There … Done That …”

"But God …"

“The Fall of Man and the Rise of Grace”

November 23, 2014                                                                                          

Key Passage: Psalm 19

                                    “Loving Jesus by Loving His Word”

As complex as life can be, it all comes down to priorities.  Much of the time, mine are completely out of whack.  Instead of Jesus, Lynn, children, friends and work, I jumble the combo around – most notably, placing Jesus somewhere in the middle of the pack instead of #1.  Shockingly, that’s when the #2 usually hits the fan.  Which begs the question: Does my life revolve around Jesus, or do I expect Him to revolve around me?  Most of us here today say we love Jesus, but spend little time getting to know Him through His Word.  We have more Bibles in our house than verses in our heart.  Listen, if you take nothing else away from today’s lesson, I hope you’ll embrace this Truth: just as Jesus took away the option of “many paths to Heaven” when he declared He is the only way in John 14:6, so He takes away the notion that the Bible is a book of great principles but flawed truth because it’s written by men, in John 1:1.  If Jesus is the Word, then the Word is inerrant from cover to cover.  Either we believe Jesus is who he says he is and He IS the embodiment of the Word, or we don’t. 

1.     John 1:1                            God has revealed Himself through Jesus                     

• Ever heard someone say, “I’d believe God if he showed up in front of me and told me what to do!”?  Well… He did – through his Son – the Word.
• Much like Jesus, many people “respect” the Bible – it’s a holy book with some great suggestions and stories about how to live life.  Followers of Christ believe in absolute truth, which is God’s Word manifest in Christ; as such, they have a desire to know Him through his Word.

2.     Psalm 19:7-11                   God has revealed Himself generally in His Word        

• God’s Word is authoritative, adequate, accurate, absolute and abrasive.  Notice the nouns used in these verses: law, testimony, precepts, commandment, respect, judgment.  Now, notice the adjectives:  perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true.

3.   Luke 24:25-27                   God has revealed Himself specifically in His Word     

• Jesus interpreted ALL of Scripture, not bits and pieces.  The disciples he was walking with had chosen to pick and choose what they believed … most Christians do the same today.

4.     Hebrews 4:12-13               Jesus is the Word, and the Word is a double-edged sword

• “Living” – If the Bible doesn’t seem alive to you, we can draw one of two conclusions: 1) the Word is dead, or 2) your heart is in trouble.  Even Jesus says that hearing the Word is like a farmer sowing seed.  When the seed of the Word of God goes into believer’s hearts, it comes alive.  It takes on a life of its own.
• “Active” – It’s active, it grows, it affects, it moves us.  We get our word “energy” from the Greek form of “active.”  “News may inform us; novels may inspire us; poetry can enrapture us, but only the Word of God can transform us.”
• “Penetrates” – What’s the big deal about a double-edged sword?  It cuts both ways.  The reason why the Roman Empire was so powerful was because they created the double-edged sword – it was the atom bomb of its day (and it’s what Peter used to cut off the ear of the soldier).  No surgical technique can change bad attitudes, lust, hypocrisy, greed, hatred, and an unforgiving spirit.  Only the Word of God can change the hearts of people.
• “Judges” – “judge” here doesn’t mean “condemn” – it means “assess.”  Remember, every time someone met Jesus their heart was revealed to Him – and to them (e.g. the woman at the well).  The Word discerns the intentions and motives of the heart – and reveals them to us by conviction.
• “Lays Bare” – this is a sacrificial term – the phrase they used to describe an animal whose neck is being bent back before their throat is slit….there’s a nice visual for you, but that’s actually us.

Bottom Line:  As I’ve aged and studied God’s Word, I’ve learned that Jesus doesn’t call people to “accept” him, but to FOLLOW him.  The truth of the matter is that in the difficult, confusing, and painful times we are called to trust God.  When it comes down to it, faith is pretty simple: we either trust God at his word by being in his Word, or we don’t. 

“When God Speaks, Is Anybody Listening?”