5-26-19 With great victory comes great sacrifice!

Scripture   1 John 3:16-18

PLAY VIDEO - honor our military

SLIDE - Great Victory (Title Slide)

1 John 3:16-18

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

INTRODUCTION

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It provides is a long awaited, 3-day weekend. Grills will be fired up. Pools will open. Friends will gather. Summer begins. Memorial Day is much more than burgers, pools, beaches, and friends. Memorial Day marks a day of sacrifice, when we remember those who have paid the ultimate price in service to our nation. It’s a day that will be difficult for some, even unbearable for families who have recently lost family in service to our country.

Besides the picnics and fun, Memorial Day reminds us of an important Christian concept= sacrifice. Most of us don’t like the word, let alone the concept, the inconvenience, the struggle we face when we sacrifice something for Christ’s sake. Imagine where we would be if Jesus had not made the ultimate sacrifice? We can sometimes think that Jesus was God so it really wasn’t that bad. Jesus was as much human as you and I and he felt every slap, every whip of his back, every thorn in his brown, the nail in his hands and feet along with every insult, ridicule and humiliation - and yet - at 33 years of age, he sacrificed himself for our eternal freedom.

Besides the physical pain, he experienced a pain that none of us can fathom, his body bore our sin - whether we believe it or not, whether we accept it or not - all sin of all humans of all time were placed in his body when he voluntarily sacrificed himself for the world.

Do Christians ever offer their lives as a sacrifice? Absolutely, there are many who have died over 2000 years for the name of Jesus - in battle, as missionaries, in school and church shootings, others for beliefs they would not recant and were put to death by the very church they were living for.

Is that the only way to show your absolute devotion to Jesus? Must I die to show I am truly a Christian? I DON’T THINK SO! “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.”

          I am amazed at people who live this out in ways I could never imagine doing. I am inspired by people who truly make a sacrifice for someone else. Many of us hold so tightly to the things that are ours that we never experience the gift of sacrificial living. Like the family in this video.

PLAY VIDEO “The Joy of Sacrifice”

Military Illustration

During World War II a young soldier named David Webster of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne wrote his mother: "Stop worrying about me. I joined the parachutists to fight. I intend to fight. If necessary, I shall die fighting, but don’t worry about this because no war can be won without young men dying. Those things which are precious are saved only by sacrifice."

Scripture often refers to the Christian life as a war—a spiritual battlefield. To answer the question of hymn writer Isaac Watts, we will not be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease. And there is no victory apart from sacrifice. Just as our salvation was purchased at great cost, overcoming the enemy and walking in the Spirit requires that we be willing to live sacrificially in order to triumph.

People will not be saved if we insist on keeping the status quo and always do things the way we have done things. The church will not grow unless we give up our pew, our finances, our positions, our time, our preferences for the sake of others.  Living sacrificially is every person who has ever taken the time to study a lesson and teach it to others in Sunday School or a small group, anyone who has been willing to meet month after month to make ministry plans for the church, anyone who had something else they had planned on doing and left those plans to sit with a friend who just received some bad news. Living sacrificially means giving a tithe 10% of your earned income to the ministry of your local church, it means being present at church events to welcome guests even when it is an event that doesn’t particularly interest you. Living sacrificially is getting out of your comfort zone and serving on a prayer team or missing out on adult Sunday school so you can invest in the lives of our children and youth during that time.

PLAY VIDEO Usain Bolt

Preparation is the sacrifice that matters

It took less then ten seconds for Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt to cover the one-hundred-meter distance on the Olympic track and win the gold medal in London. Those few seconds cemented his status as the “fastest man alive” and placed him on the winner’s podium once again. But the race was not won in those seconds—it was won by hours and hours of practice, workouts, weightlifting, special diet, and coaching.

The race was not won in the performance but in the preparation. It is our desire for something greater that causes us to sacrifice some things, even some good things, for the sake of things that are better.

          Being a living sacrifice means the daily work of prayer, reading your bible, being in worship 52, not 40 Sundays a year, serving when no one else knows. The only way to make an impact for Christ on the big stage is to make an impact for Christ in your prayer closet where no one sees and knows except you and Jesus. To be victorious, it takes sacrifice.

          Jesus gave us the perfect example - the greatest victory in all of humanity is God’s creation being redeemed for eternity - that happened after Jesus did the daily work or preaching, teaching, miracles until he blasted away the sting of death by dying on a tree and destroyed the hold death had on us by being raised from the grave and will show that redemption in full when one day he steps out on the clouds with a trumpet blast reining as the King of kings and calling his church home to glory forever.

1 John 3:16-18 THE MSG

This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love.

Is there anything in the bible that shows us in simple terms what it looks like to live life as a living sacrifice?

SHEEP & GOATS were driven together.

Cain

Standard of Ur by Abraham’s time

Both source of meat. Milk, & fabrics

Large flock sign of wealth - Nabal had 3000 sheep 2000 goats

- The Day of Atonement you might bring a spotless lamb/sheep for your sin, but on behalf of the  entire people, the priest would bring a bull for himself and his family and two goats - one sacrificed who’s blood is mixed with that of the bull’s blood and sprinkled by hand on the altar - the priest with blood covered hands puts his hands on the head of the live goat which takes on itself the sins of all the people and is taken to the desert and released.

GOAT represents our sins.

SLIDE Sheep & Goats

Matt 25:31-46

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

To live a victorious Christian life - means to live like Jesus - become a living sacrifice for others - this is your spiritual act of worship!

With great victory comes great sacrifice!

5-19-19 Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this p_______!

Scripture  2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Cheryl Platvoet-Sansing

May 14 at 2:38 PM · 

I should be doing some work outside because it is such a beautiful day. But I'm not! Took dad out for a ride this morning. Came home and decided to sit outside on the deck and watch the birds and squirrels instead! The Apple blossoms smell so good! With 6 Apple trees, it's very fragrant out here!

Revelation 2:1-7

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

FIRST LOVE WITH ANYONE

Jesus commends them for being morally tough and theologically strong, but reprimands them for forgetting their first love and says do the things you did at first. Consider almost any relationship in life - be it a job, a friend, a boyfriend, a wife - when it begins, there is often this pleasant joy with little expectation - just joy, that evolves into love and reveals itself by simply spending time together. As time goes on, the love does not become weaker, but often becomes different - spending time is sometimes done out of duty with no joy or no feeling of love. Spending time together just for the sake of being in each other’s presence is no longer necessary - you know you love each other.

FIRST LOVE WITH GOD

Transfer that idea to your relationship with God. At first, it was enough just to spend time with Jesus - you didn’t have to work so hard or stress over how well you were doing or if you were doing enough or if God is pleased with you. It was simply a joy to be in relationship with Jesus - to be in his presence and that joy became love. But then you got busy doing things - noble things and ignoble things - things for God, things for others and things for yourself. It didn’t mean you loved God less, but the joy did seem to fade. Worship became routine more than that great anticipation of being together.

SERMON PREPARATION

I like to begin my sermon preparation on Monday - this week I did not get started till late Wednesday. So instead of stressing over it, I went to the park near the water and just sat in the presence of Jesus. It wasn’t immediate, but in a little bit of time, the anxiety of starting so late went away - that didn’t mean there was no work to do on a sermon, it meant a couple hours intentionally in the presence of Jesus is worth way more than many hours in my study.

I sat and watched people cast - yep they had fishing poles but they weren’t fishing - if by fishing we mean catching fish. They were just casting - dozens of people. After an hour or so I asked one if there were any fish in the pond and the response was  - well, I think those guys caught one. I asked, do they stock the pond? Yes. Have they stocked it yet? I don’t know. I don’t think so. What kind of fish do you catch out of here? Honestly, I don’t know. They were standing and sitting and casting. Not everyone at the park were casting - others were walking - a group of 5 girls all looking down at there phones on a beautiful day, others were pushing strollers and some were taking pictures of one another.

Jesus was there - I mean Jesus was there - I know he was, I spent time with him. What I don’t know is whether anyone else knew he was there. They were in a pleasant place doing enjoyable activities - nothing wrong with that - but for me, I was practicing FIRST LOVE. I was doing the things I did at first - I was simply worshipping Jesus - not trying to learn something - not trying to do something - not trying to get something - just spending time in His GRACE. In that moment, some words of Jesus came to me, but I could not remember where or when he said them so I made a mental note to look it up later. Those words from Jesus were: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." But which gospel were those words from? NONE

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

          To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When did Jesus say- “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”? Paul quotes Jesus - but we don’t know if it was part of an earlier document that the gospel writers didn’t include, that Jesus spoke directly to Paul again, that Paul heard it in a dream. We just don’t know - but what we are…is privileged to hear these words from Jesus that would have otherwise been lost. And powerful words they are.

PROBLEM - WEAKNESS / SOLUTION - GRACE

When you are stressed, perplexed, overwhelmed, confused, doubtful, anxious, penned in on every side, when you feel weak - it is very difficult to worship. Grace is the solution.

To learn the definition of God's grace, it is wise to understand the Greek and Hebrew words behind this term.

GRACE DEFINITIONS IN OT AND NT

A prominent Old Testament word describing God's grace is chesed. This word speaks of deliverance from enemies, affliction, or adversity. It also denotes enablement, daily guidance, forgiveness, and preservation.

The New Testament word is Charis. It focuses on the provision of salvation.

Grace means God’s love in action towards men who deserved the opposite of love. Grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves. Grace means God sending His only Son to descend into hell on the cross so that we guilty ones might be reconciled to God and received into heaven. ‘God has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him’.

                                                                                                                         (2 Corinthians 5:21)

YOU SAY MESSAGE

          Grace says you are loved even if you don’t feel a thing. Like right now in worship - you may not FEEL God’s love, but take a moment and recognize that you are loved by God anyway. God is loving you in this moment. Jesus death 2000 years ago is providing you forgiveness right now. Jesus’ resurrection is your guarantee for eternal life. Jesus is fighting for you to have an abundant life in the hear and now. Wow - even if I don’t FEEL it, the grace of Jesus can still be overwhelming.

          Grace says you are strong even when you are weak. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. You don’t have the mental or emotional capability to make it through the day - yet God says check this out - my strength will show up though your weakness. What you cannot do on your own God does through you - that is Grace.

          Grace says, even though you have again fallen short of God’s ideal, he holds you close, forgives you, and sets you back on the right path again.

          Grace says, even when you feel you don’t belong - you are His. You may feel you don’t belong with others in your family, your neighborhood, your school, your work, your church, or even in God’s kingdom. You may feel alienated and Jesus says - You do belong, not because you have earned it, but simply because you are mine.

          Think about that. Grace or JESUS says you are loved even when you don’t feel it, Jesus says you are strong even when you feel weak, Jesus says I hold you close you even when you fall short, Jesus says when you feel you don’t belong, I am yours! Does the Revelation First Love text and the power in weakness 1 Corinthians text bring you to a place of worship? Does what Jesus says to you right now - My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Can you to feel joy that you are simply in His presence? And no more than that is needed?

MEDITATION ON THE PRESENCE OF JESUS

Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this p_______!

                                                                     PLACE  -  PERSON  -  PEOPLE!

YOU SAY

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?
Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know (ooh oh)

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am Yours
And I believe (I), oh I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
I believe

The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me
In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity, (ooh oh)

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
And You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am Yours
And I believe (I), oh I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
Oh, I believe

Taking all I have and now I'm laying it at Your feet
You have every failure God, and You'll have every victory, (ooh oh)

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am Yours
And I believe (I), oh I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
I believe

Oh I believe (I), yes I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
Oh I believe (oh)

5-12-19 What does Momma remember?

Scripture  Isaiah 49:13-16

          13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

14 But Zion said, "The Lord  has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." 15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

MEMORIES FOR MOTHER

(Memories for God)

What are the memories you made for your mother who has passed away?

What are the memories you are making for mother who is living?

There are books (SLIDE memory making mom.) to help mom’s make and keep track of memories with their children.

EXAMPLE

MY BAD THINGS:  Shop lifting / Poison Ivy / Not taking out the trash

MY GOOD THINGS: Cleaning the basement when she didn’t ask for it

      Always being in at curfew or calling to ask to stay out later.

      Going to Starbucks or playing golf whenever possible - that is…

      …(spending time together)

What are the memories you made for God in the past?

What are the memories you are making for God now and until the end of your life?

We tend not to think about God having memory. God is so busy dealing with us in the present, He has no time to bring the angels around, along with the 12 tribes of Israel or the 12 disciples and bust out the 8 mm projector, the VHS tapes, the DVD’s or the digital footage of Creation and the fall of Adman and Eve; the crossing of the red sea and the worshipping a golden calf; or David having an affair with Bathsheba and having her husband killed and young David standing foursquare against the Goliath the giant when no one else would and trusting God for the victory.

Surely, God has no time to show the eagerness of the disciples when Jesus first called them to follow him, and then how they fumbled and bumbled their way through ministry with doubt. Or Peter showing great faith to walk on water but a complete lack of faith when he saw the waves and fell into that same water. Or when Saul was seeking to imprison and even murder Jesus’ followers and then to become the greatest missionary the world has ever known.

Of course God has memory. Of course, God has time to remember.

What does a mother’s memory, or God’s memory for that matter have to do with worship?

EVERYTHING!!! Most of what we do in worship is because we remember what God has done. What did Jesus say about the Last Supper Communion - “As often as you do this, do it ‘n remembrance of me.’”

What do I say about preaching? I don’t tell you anything new, my job is to remind you of what you already know. What memories do you want God to have once you are in glory? You will have no opportunity to go back and change them!

I want God to have the kind of memories of me that I shared with my mother (Doing good things when she didn’t ask, being in at curfew - Starbucks, golfing / likewise with God, I want him to remember that I did my best to serve him, that I worked to live a life holy and pleasing to Him, and more important than all that, that I wanted to spend time with him and His people - not only did I miss very few opportunities to be in corporate worship but I did everything I could to encourage others to spend time with Him as well, be that working hard on sermons to make them engaging or promoting a 40 Days of Worship challenge to encourage consistent worship.

Isaiah 49:13-16

          13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

14 But Zion said, "The Lord  has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." 15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

The original context was that over and over and over again the people of Israel were complaining and saying that God had forgotten them.

Isaiah 66:7-11

“Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son.  Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the Lord. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God. "Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance."

God does remember us and he has done things for us that he wants us to remember and pass on to others.

As an adult, who’s mother has passed away, I am sure there is much I will never know that my mother did for me. There are many things I am aware of - how a divorced single mother of 3 boys in 1962 (when divorce was much less common and a divorcee was looked down upon) that she sacrificed a lot for her 3 sons.

ILLUSTRATION OF A MOTHER’S SARIFICE

There was a teenager who didn't want to be seen in public with her mother, because her mother's arms were terribly disfigured.

One day when her mother took her shopping and reached out her hand, a clerk looked horrified. Later, crying, the girl told her how embarrassed she was. Understandably hurt, the mother waited an hour before going to her daughter's room to tell her, for the first time, what happened.

When you were a baby, I woke up to a burning house. Your room was an inferno. Flames were everywhere. I could have gotten out the front door, but I decided I'd rather die with you than leave you to die alone. I ran through the fire and wrapped my arms around you. Then I went back through the flames, my arms on fire. When I got outside on the lawn, the pain was agonizing but when I looked at you, all I could do was rejoice that the flames hadn't touched you.

Stunned, the girl looked at her mother through new eyes. Weeping in shame and gratitude, she kissed her mother's marred hands and arms.

          When I see Jesus with a crown of thorns, a back ripped open from being lashed 39 times, nail holes in his hand and feet and a hole form a spear thrust in his side, I REMEMBER that those scars were put there when he sacrificed himself for me to save me from death - and when I remember that, I can do nothing other than to bow down and worship.

In place of those nail holes - consider our text for today - Isaiah 49:14-16

          But Zion said, "The Lord  has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

5-5-19 Where did Jesus go to Church Camp?!

Scripture  Luke 2:41-52

The purpose of church camp is to help campers grow closer to Jesus through Physical, Mental and Spiritual activities.  Physical activities include fun times like group games, swimming in the lake or pool, walking around the beautiful campgrounds. Mental activities include group Bible Study, preaching, and personal Bible reading. Spiritual activities include worship, prayer, and campfire.

Kim Cooper, Gretchen Ingle, Nathan Cooper, Joanna Camick, and Dan Camick shared experiences about church camp and why it is so important to go to camp.

Matt 4:1-11

          Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

3 (PHYSICAL) The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

5 (MENTAL) Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

8 (SPIRITUAL) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.