Theme Introduction - FAITHBOOK: God's Social Network

Pastor Jeff's Sermon notes from 01-06-13

FAITHBOOK – God’s Social Network

Scripture:     Psalm 119:18  “Open my eyes to see the wonderful things in your word.”

2013 is the year I want to make you fall in love.  Fall in love with this (hold phone then bible) the faithbook.  It has been called many things but among those many things it is certainly unequivocally a book of faith – faith book.

SHARE MY BIBLE JOURNEY

I have said many times that the bible is about relationships.  Our relationship with God and our relationships with one another.  There are millions of books about human relationships so the most important aspect of this book is about our relationship with God and that relationship requires ‘faith.’

The spoken word became the written word to point us to the Living word.

ie) God spoke – Let there be light, Moses wrote it down – and there was light – Jesus lived it – I am the light of the world

The faith book shows us examples of faith

It teaches us what faith is

It inspires faith

It leads us into faith

It shows the importance of faith

Faith is everything.

I cannot empirically, existentially, scientifically prove to you that God is real and living but give me the next year to get you acquainted with this book and this book will give you a faith that proves God’s existence.

CHALLENGES:

          Read through the bible in a year

          Read through the New Testament in a year

          Read through the Old Testament in a year

          Memorize 50 verses of scripture

          Memorize the books of the bible in order

Memorize a chapter or book of the bible.

Attend the Scripture reader’s seminar.

Begin attending Sunday School or a small group.

          Write a drama, a song, paint or sculpt something related to the bible.

SERVICE:

          Distribute bibles for free (lifebook.com), Gideon’s, FirstB, etc.

 

Pray for your own desire to fall passionately, vitally in love with God's word this year.  Begin with the words of Psalm 119:18 "Open my eyes to see the wonderful things in your word."

Have you read Psalm 23 lately?

For me the 23rd Psalm is the last vestige from the King James Version that is difficult to read in any other version.  Have you read psalm 23 lately?

Psalm 23   (KJV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Do you have it memorized (probably, if you have been to many funerals)?  It is not a psalm for the dead, rather for the living.  It is a psalm of David written about his great trust in God - the good shepherd.  He applied what he knew - shepherding - to illustrate God's care for us.

How does Psalm 23 show God's care for us?  How has God shown his care for you lately?

From the Heart,
Pastor Jeff

I am bright! Who am I?

From the scriptures below, see if you can figure out what this week's message is about.  Once you do, explain what it could possibly have to do with our over all theme, "It's About Time."

Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.   

           Genesis 1:14-19   And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning — the fourth day.

          Revelation 21:22-25    I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. Rev 22:5 They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

          Hebrews 1:1-3a   In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being.

Matt 11:27 No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Col 1:15  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

          1 John 1:5-7    This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

          John 8:12   When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

          Matt 5:14-16   You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Have you discovered any treasure lately?

Matthew 6:19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Notice this is about action – it is not where your heart is there your treasure will be.  But where your treasure is, that is where you will find your heart.  Like basketball, dance, tv, computer, family, Church, etc.

Look at your calendar, your check book, your leisure time, your health, etc.  How you spend your TIME and resources reveals what you treasure.  One of the things I treasure is my boat.  It cost money to buy it, to put gas in it, to get the “stuff” you need for it, and it takes time to get it ready, to repair, to launch, to enjoy on the water, and to clean and put away.  I enjoy this because my dad always had a boat on the Scioto river and my grandparents had one on Lake Erie where I spent weeks every summer growing up.  I love the water and love boating on the water.

Before you get to spiritual and say you treasure your bible or your relationship with Jesus, consider one “earthly” thing – like a boat, that you treasure – revealed by how you spend your time and resources.  If you are willing, share with me about that thing in the comment section of this blog.

Matthew 13:44-46

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Two stories of searching for treasure, and when the person found that special treasure, they were willing to do anything and give all they had to get that treasure.  Is there anything you really wanted that you had to make major sacrifices to obtain – a treasure worth more than all your stuff?  In the stories above they wanted “that” treasure more than all their other possessions.

Isa 33:5-6

The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.  He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. 

Obviously our real treasure is Eternal Life which we receive by putting our faith in Jesus.  Our faith is the key to unlocking that treasure once we have finally discovered it.  How and when did you discover your real treasure?  Please share below.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Do you know what this is a picture of and what it used to be used for and how it is used today?

It's about time...to take a nap!

Are you familiar with love languages? My wife Kim says her love language is "sleep."  She loves to take naps - therefore my way to show her my love is to not bother her when she is taking a nap and to even make it possible for her to find time to take a nap.

I usually take a nap on Sunday afternoons.  One of the best places to nap is at our vacation home on Put in Bay (an island in lake Erie).  We have a large rope hammock with pads we hang between 2 trees near the cliff at the water's edge.  A warm afternoon with nothing that has to be done and time in the hammock is peaceful, serene, and amazing, slightly swinging back and forth in the gentle breeze.  What a perfect time to nap.

Do you take naps?  Why?  When?  Where?

Jesus took naps.  He took one in a boat.  Are you familiar with this story?  Can you retell it here in your own words?  Let's start there and I will continue our look at napping throughout the week...if I can stay awake long enough!

From the Heart,
Pastor Jeff Cooper

Pray with your mouth AND ears!

Pray with your mouth AND ears!

Scripture                                     Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7a

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

A time to speak and a time to be silent.

INTRO

Prayer – simply put is communication between people and God.  Speaking and Listening. Not all of us are good at communicating.

THE MEN’S THESAURUS (men don’t always say what they mean) – excerpts:

When a man says: "IT’S A GUY THING" He means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with this, and you have no chance at all of making it logical"

When a man says "UH HUH, SURE HONEY,” or “YES, DEAR"  He means: Absolutely nothing – It’s a conditioned response.

When a man says "IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN" He means: "I have no idea how it works"

When a man says "TAKE A BREAK, HONEY. YOU ARE WORKING TOO HARD’’

He means: "I can’t hear the game over the vacuum cleaner"

When a man says "YOU KNOW HOW BAD MY MEMORY IS."  He means: " I can hum every bar of the intro to Star Trek – original and TNG; the address of the first girl I ever kissed & the vehicle identification numbers of every car I ever owned – but I forgot your birthday"

When a man says ’OH, DON’T FUSS, I JUST CUT MYSELF. IT’S NO BIG DEAL"
He means: "I have actually severed my arm and I am about to pass out.

LISTEN

Ps 5:1-2

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

Ps 81:8-14

"Hear, O my people, and I will warn you — if you would but listen to me, O Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god.  I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt.  Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.  "But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.  "If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!

Eccl 5:1-2

  Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. (Jeanie, Bev, Paulette) Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.  Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

Matt 17:5-8                                 TRANSFIGURATION

While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.  But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid."   When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

James 1:22-25                          BE DOER OF THE WORD

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.

ABOUT PRAYER

In Acts we read that the first converts - devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2: 42)  In Thessalonians,

Paul says pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; (1 Thess 5: 17-18) In his letter to Timothy he urges that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone (1 Timothy 2: 1)  Jesus words - whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. (Matthew 6: 5)– hence – a prayer room.

SPEAK

CHILD’S PRAYER

A little girl was being punished by eating alone in the corner of the dining room. The family paid no attention to her until they heard her pray: “I thank you, Lord, for preparing a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”

2 Chron 7:13-16

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

Luke 19:35-40                              A TIME TO SPEAK

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.  As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"  "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"  "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Corporate Spoken Prayer

Eph 5:19-20

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God speaking to us Corporately:

Rev 2:7     

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Jesus speaking to us personally:

Rev 3:20

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Please visit our new prayer room and be in communion with our Lord Jesus Christ!

TO EMBRACE OR NOT TO EMBRACE? THAT IS THE QUESTION!

TO EMBRACE OR NOT TO EMBRACE?  THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Scripture                                     Ecclesiastes 3:1, 5b

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to embrace and a time to refrain.  We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth  —Virginia Satir, family therapist

Do you know when to embrace someone, and when to refrain from embracing them?

A time to embrace. Embrace to show support. Embrace to show love. Embrace a child to help healing from a scraped knee. Embrace romantically. Embrace Change.

What does it mean to embrace?

To clasp in the arms, to hug

To surround or enclose

To receive eagerly

To welcome

To adopt an idea…a faith.

Remember when you were a small child, and you and your parents visited your grandparents on the farm. Each summer they had that big "family reunion". Grandma would grab hold of you and squeeze you so hard. Her embrace was firm and her arms surrounded you. Then she'd pinch your tummy and say you had to put some meat on those bones!

And then there was Aunt Martha. She wasn't the embracing kind. Instead, she'd reach out and pinch both of your cheeks. Uncle Bob had his own brand of embracing. Actually it was much more of a headlock.

The day you left home, for college, for the military, or to strike out on your own - was it a memorable day? With hugs? And warm embraces? Or a day less memorable? Alone. With quiet? Or anger? Or just another day, without embracing?

Are moments of embracing pleasant, happy, memories? Does a smile come to your lips, or your heart, when you think back on them? Or look forward to them?

If there is a time to embrace, what about a time to refrain from embracing?

The image is one of contrast: being together with other people, and being alone. Sometimes refraining from an embrace could be a situation where it isn't appropriate or practical. Sitting in a classroom, or the office, would usually result in people staring at you it you hugged someone. Embracing while driving a car is just a bad idea, it's impractical.

What about "to refrain from embracing" does it mean to be alone? Is it ever good to be alone?

Yes. Solitude can be a time to reflect. To regroup. To work through processes in your mind. To meditate on the awesome power and love of God. To pray. Solitude can add necessary balance to the rest of your life.

Jesus understood this need for a time, to refrain from embracing. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."   ~ Mark 1:35

It is good to seek out and find times to embrace, and times to refrain from embracing.

COMMUNION

Participating in the commemoration of the last Supper is a perfect example of having a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.  It is not a stretch to think that the disciples embraced one another when they gathered for that Passover meal.  Remember, they didn’t know it was “the last supper.”  Then Jesus fully embraces who he is and who he wants his disciples to become.  Figuratively and literally he embraces them by getting a towel and a basin of water and washes their feet.

 Peter does not want to embrace what Jesus is doing, and then he wants to embrace it too much.

John 13:6-10        Jesus came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"  Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."   "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."  Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."   "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"   Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean.

          A large part of Jesus’ teaching at the last supper comes in John 15 “I am vine and you are the branches.”  John 15:4  Embrace me, and I will embrace you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must embrace the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you embrace me.                       Story of Welch’s Grape Juice

          Like the young man who was accepted for the African missionary field and reported to New York for “passage,” but found on further examination that his wife could not stand the climate. He was heartbroken, but he prayerfully returned to his home and determined to make all the money he could to be used in spreading the Kingdom of God over the world. His father, a dentist, had started to make, on the side, an unfermented wine for the communion service. The young man took the business over and developed it until is assumed vast proportions – his name was “Welch,” whose family still manufactures “grape-juice.” He has given literally millions of dollars to the work of missions.  Though he had to refrain from the mission field because of his wife’s condition, he also embraced God’s call in another way that probably did more good than his original plan.

          In the Garden of Gethsemane the disciples refrained when they should have embraced – they slept instead of prayed.  Jesus was fully embracing what was about to happen.

          The final embrace on the night of the last supper: Matt 26:48-50   Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."  Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.  Even Jesus embraced Judas.

What does this mean as we come to the table?  It means that we should refrain from sin and embrace the fruit of the spirit.

Gal 5:19-23

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

          As you come to the table today, what one thing do you want to refrain from embracing?  What one thing do you want to embrace?  Don’t try embracing or refraining with the whole enchilada.  One thing to refrain and one thing to embrace!

The Lonely Hill

The cross stood on a lonely hill, And Jesus was lonely, too,

The day they nailed Him to the cross,        To die for me and you.

The sins of every one of us lay heavy on His heart,

Yet He was not afraid to die for He had done His part.

Around Him all was loneliness, For few would stand Him by.

Ah, let it not be all in vain He suffered so to die.

If you will listen when He comes And knocks upon your door,

Then let Him in, so that He won’t Be lonely any more.

The cross is right before you now Not far from your side,

Memento of that blessed day When He was crucified.

Come to the lonely hill again, close enough to see his face

All loneliness will disappear when the two of you embrace.