Grace is All Encompassing

It’s easy to believe God is always with us when our life is going well. But, what about when life seems to be throwing us curve balls left and right? What about when we have stress from all sides? What about when we don’t feel confident moving forward? Good morning church. How many of you today have experienced God’s grace in your life this week? Are you thankful for it? The reality of life is that we will not always find it easy to sense God’s goodness. In fact, sometimes we have trouble remembering just how good and gracious God really is. We all encounter seasons like this from time to time. This morning we’ll get a reminder on what God’s grace is. The Bible makes it clear – if you are a follower of Jesus, you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, God’s grace is clearly important. In fact, God uses His grace to strengthen and refine our faith, often through the fires and trials of life.

Read 1 Peter 1:6-7 The Message
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  7  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Our faith, Peter asserts, is even more valuable than gold. It is a precious commodity that is worth the struggles and trials of life. Through those struggles, we learn God is faithful and that His immeasurable grace is with us at all times. I want us to jump in this morning, looking at a somewhat familiar story from the Old Testament. Many of us have heard about a guy named Moses. He’s celebrated in many Christian settings like ours and rightfully so. However, toward the beginning of his time hearing from God, he had an experience that deepened his understanding of God’s grace. Specifically, he discovered how God’s grace is often showcased through God’s presence with his people.

Read Exodus 4:1-12
Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” 2  Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”  “A staff,” he replied. 3  The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.  4  Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.  5  “This,” said the LORD, “is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” 6  Then the LORD said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous [a] —it had become as white as snow. 7  “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8  Then the LORD said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.  9  But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.” 10  Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11  The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?  12  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

What a story, right? God was faithful enough to go with Moses everywhere he went, which allowed him to eventually accomplish incredible things for the Lord. But it didn’t come without the refining events like we read about in Exodus 4. God’s grace is with us even when we have questions. It is so interesting the first thing we see in this passage is a consistent question that Moses asks God: “What if?” Do we ever ask that question of God? Oftentimes in life, we can look back on decisions we chose to make or not make and ask “what if?” It’s sometimes easier to dwell in the “what if.” But, this “what if” from Moses is a little different. This question to God comes from a place of doubt not just intellectual questioning. Doubt is something we will get more in depth later on in this series, but we have to be aware of the questions we have for God, many of which originate from a place of doubt.

Mark 9:24…
..Jesus encounters a boy who was demon possessed.

 Demon possession was often a diagnosis when they had no other diagnosis. More than likely the boy had a form of epilepsy and suffered from a seizure disorder. He speaks to the boy’s father, who eventually says these amazing words: “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Is it possible to have faith and doubt? This man did. And I have as well. I believe God can do it, my questioning has to do with WILL He do it. It seems to be that God is alright with our questions. Doubt will slip in from time to time into our lives. God desires we trust that He is all powerful and we can trust Him to be with us even when we have questions.

Another great example of this is when the angel Gabriel visits Mary the mother of Jesus. After telling her she will give birth to Jesus, Mary says, “How can this be?” She had doubts, she couldn’t grasp how this amazing miracle of life would happen through her. But eventually, she spoke by faith and proclaimed, “I am the Lord’s servant…May it happen to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

How often do you bring your questions to God? Through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, God has made a way for us to connect with Him through prayer. We can tell Him what is on our heart anytime, anywhere, including the questions we have for Him. He’s big enough to handle each of them, showing us grace through every step and process. Even When We Don’t Believe with certainty. One of the most beautiful signs of God’s grace is that He’s willing to reveal Himself to us through an almost unlimited variety of ways and means. God is willing to show up in miraculous ways in order to get us to the place we need to be. Even when we don’t fully believe, God’s grace still shows up. 

Moses’ initial inquiry toward God has to do with the Israelite people. They were doubting that God ever appeared to Moses in the first place. So, the Lord provides two different miraculous signs for Moses to perform. These signs prove God is indeed with the people in this journey and that Moses is an able messenger. And maybe today, God brought you to this place specifically to hear these words spoken over your life as well. God not only is with you, but He is gracious enough to reveal His faithfulness time and time again. Each one of us is on a different journey, and along the way, we often struggle to believe God is present and working in the midst of our struggles and trials. It’s a human tendency and condition. But when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, things begin to change.

Read Romans 8:14 14  For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
When we begin to talk with God about our questions and doubts, we start to understand how our faith will be strengthened by believing God is for us. He is listening to us and aware of our questions. He is for us and with us. Moses sees God work two miraculous signs, both of which he is told to do; even if the people don’t believe his message. But prior to the people even seeing them, God strengthens Moses’ faith through these signs. I wonder if God has been working miracles in your life and your story that no one even knows about yet. Things that no one else has ever seen. Holding on to what God does for us in private can make us stronger. But even when we don’t understand what He is doing, God is showing us He’s with us, and this is a massive gift of grace to us. Even When We Don’t Know What to Say… and there are many times it is difficult to explain to others how God speaks and what we believe He is speaking to us.

Read Luke 12:12
… for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
God’s timing is perfect! When we most need the words, God will give us the words we need. Our Exodus 4 passage concludes with these profound words from God to Moses: “Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” That’s the call from God today. To go and share the good news of Jesus with others.

Who is He inviting you to go to this week? Who do you need to speak to this week? Have you been reluctant to have certain crucial conversations because you fear you won’t have the right words to say? Do you fear that you don’t have enough training or any training at all? It’s in these very moments we see the grace of God in our lives. We realize He is with us, has been with us, and will continue to be with us always… until the very end of time.

Today, we got a glimpse into the early life, and the growing faith of Moses. Yes, the same man who had doubts, who was frightened, and who couldn’t grasp how God would use him or could use him… this is the same Moses listed in the “hall of faith” found in Hebrews 11.

Read Hebrews 11:24-28 Hebrews 11:24-28 NIV By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. I can only imagine if Moses were here today. I imagine he would say it was only by the grace of God that he was able to accomplish the things he did in his life. And yes, Moses was an amazing human, but he was still just a human. The same kind of human you and I are. He was a broken, fallible, human who was saved by the grace of God. If you have doubts, questions, or fear here today, then I think you’re in good company. Give them all over to God today. Trust that He is for you and with you and he wants you to communicate with him and He with you. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith… it is the gift of God.” -Ephesians 2:8

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

53 South Dean Rd. Orlando, FL 32825

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Are you running on Empty?

Grace is God accomplishing in us that which we cannot accomplish by ourselves. In this passage we see the grace of God revealing himself to Peter, the grace of Jesus building his church, and the grace of the church’s victories over the gates of Hades.

We are going to learn some incredible truths today about how God works in our lives. The gospel is good news. It’s better than that, really. It’s actually mind-blowing great news. And we don’t have to wait until we die and go to heaven to experience it. God is eager to do amazing work in us and through us each and every day in this life. 

Gas can: I have a gallon jug. I want you to think about your car for a moment. Your car gets a certain amount of miles per gallon. If I fill this jug with gasoline, how many miles will your car get out of it? ( What kind of MPG does your car get? Some of you might get 15 miles out of a gallon of gas. Others of you might drive a hybrid and get 50! 

Now let me ask you a different question. How many gallons of gas do you think it takes a Boeing 747 to go from standing still to a full takeoff? A Boeing 747 is a jumbo jet that can carry over 600 people and fly over 9,000 miles, which is about as far as New York City is from Sydney, Australia. In other words, that’s a lot of people, a lot of distance, and a lot of weight! How many gallons of gas do you think it takes to get that 747 off the ground at takeoff? It takes one gallon for my car to go _____ (fill in the blank) miles. How many gallons of gas do you think it takes to get a Boeing 747 off the ground? 

The answer: roughly 1,300 gallons. Just for takeoff! That’s a lot of gasoline burned in a short amount of time just to get the jumbo jet into the sky.

Now that we understand that, I want to share a quote by a guy named Dallas Willard. Dallas was a theologian who wrote extensively about spiritual formation and the goodness of God the Father revealed through Jesus the Son. 

Dallas said, “The true saint burns grace like a 747 burns fuel on takeoff.”  That’s a lot of grace. In Dallas’ view, grace is more than God’s “unmerited favor,” which is typically how we define grace in church circles. Grace includes that for sure! But, grace goes further. Grace is God working in my life to accomplish that which I cannot accomplish on my own. To say that the true saint “burns grace like a 747” is to say that the true follower of Jesus will see God accomplishing more and more in their lives that they otherwise could not accomplish on their own. 

What has God accomplished in your life that you could not have accomplished on your own? 

Have you grown in self-giving love? Courage? Taking risks? 

• Have you experienced restored relationships? Deeper friendships? A healed marriage? 

• Have you learned to let others go first? To be willing to go last?

• Have you overcome addiction? 

• Have you experienced anything supernatural that’s difficult to explain but was a blessing in your life?

• Have you overcome challenges through prayer and faith and hanging on despite long seasons of uncertainty and pain?

• Have you received some provision of money or food or something material just at the right time and didn’t see it coming? 

All of that is grace. All of that is God working in your life to accomplish that which you could not accomplish on your own. 

If you were able to accomplish any of those by yourself, that would be works and not grace. But, because these were accomplished only through the presence, power, and provision of God, they are grace. 

Sometimes we reduce the idea of grace down to a legal standing or legal concept. In truth, grace is simply a loving Father actively working in my life. Grace is a relational concept, not a legal one. Jesus came to teach us that God is a relational Father, not a prosecuting attorney. 

And that is why we can burn grace like a 747 burns fuel on takeoff, because grace is not a substance or a scarce resource. Grace is a Person! And that Person gives Himself to us in relationship “without limit”.

Today’s passage from scripture involves a conversation between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus questions his disciples, asking them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds with a confession of faith in Jesus, stating, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” 

Let’s read the passage.

Matthew 16:13-20    

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

This passage holds an important place in Christian theology. A lot is packed into these verses. We have Christ’s identity, the establishment of the Church, and the impact of the Church. 

Let’s look at what this passage teaches us about the character and nature of God. 

Jesus leads us through a process of discovery First, I want us to notice how relational this interaction is between Jesus and the disciples. Jesus is leading them through a process of discovery about who He is and what work He is doing. He leads them through this process by asking them questions.  (asking open ended questions that promote conversation that have nothing to do with business)

Questions draw us into relationship

Notice that Jesus is asking them questions. Jesus frequently used questions as a teaching method. In this passage, he asks:

• “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (16:13)

• “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?” (16:15)

Some other examples of questions Jesus asked are:

• "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9). 

• "What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18:41). 

• "Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6). 

• "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk’?" (Mark 2:9-10).

Why do you think Jesus asked so many questions? He certainly wanted to be thought-provoking. He also wanted to challenge people’s assumptions. But there’s another reason he asked questions.

Questions draw us into relationship. They initiate conversation. They draw people out to share what’s on their minds and hearts. This is why Jesus asked so many questions. It wasn’t about catching them in the wrong answer, or about playing gotcha. Questions foster relationship, and our God is a relational God. He values the back-and-forth conversation with us when we are honest with him.

Parents of teenagers know this. They ask questions in order to elicit conversation and relationship. “How was your day at school today?” And how do teenagers usually respond? “Fine.” What’s the parent trying to do? Elicit conversation and build relationship. 

And notice Jesus was such a safe person that the disciples were willing to answer incorrectly without feeling ashamed, or embarrassed, or humiliated. They were being their honest selves in the presence of the Lord. We can do the same.

 B. The Father reveals Himself

Not only does God ask us questions, He also communicates with us. Communication is central to God’s character because God is a relational Father who loves us and works in our life. 

Jesus asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

“Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven’” (16:17). 

Jesus said Peter got a direct revelation from God the Father. God revealed to Peter who Jesus was - the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 

Do you see that God was actively working in Peter’s life to accomplish what Peter could not accomplish on his own? God was actively speaking to Peter, revealing Himself through Jesus. This is grace! Peter was burning grace like a 747 burns fuel on takeoff.

• What question is God asking you in this season of life?

• What is God communicating to you about Himself?

Listening to the voice of God and responding honestly to what we hear allows God to work in us, doing things we cannot do on our own. It’s all grace. 

2. Jesus builds His church

Peter’s confession was, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  It is to this declaration that Jesus says, “On this rock I will build my church” (16:18)

A. What is the rock?

On what “rock” will Jesus build his church? Peter? Is Peter the rock? No! The rock is the declaration, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  That’s the rock on which Jesus builds his church. Wherever Jesus is preached as Lord, as the Messiah, as the Son of the living God — Jesus will build His church. This declaration is the foundation upon which the Church is built. 

The Church is not built on dynamic worship, powerful preaching, and engaging programs. Those are all great things, but Jesus’ church is not built upon those things. 

The Church is not built upon a political platform or on social justice. Those are both great things, but Jesus’ church is not built upon those things. 

The church of Jesus, the Son of the living God, is built upon the rock-solid foundation that He is the Messiah, the Savior, the anointed One. He is the Son of the living God, our Father in heaven who he came to reveal and make known. 

Jesus is more than a good person, more than a prophet, and more than an idea. He is not a Democrat nor a Republican. He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 

He is the Lord. The word Lord means, “absolute authority.” When we call him Lord Jesus, we are not calling him “Mr. Jesus.” Lord is not a fancy word for Mister. We are calling him Lord Jesus, declaring him to be the one who has absolute authority over our lives and over creation. This is why the early church was persecuted for saying, “Jesus is Lord” because only Caesar was considered to be Lord. Only Caesar had absolute authority. To say otherwise was treason. Christians were pledging allegiance to a new Person, the risen Messiah who defeated death and who shows us the way into life. Caesar couldn’t do that. Our present-day Caesars can’t do that either. This is why we pledge our lives to Jesus, the Messiah who is the Son of the Living God. He shows us the way into life (see the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7) and one day we will endure and overcome death just as he did. 

B. Jesus’ job is to build the church, our job is to make disciples

Jesus says that it’s his job to build the church. It’s not our job. What’s our job then? Our job is to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). 

Sometimes we get those job descriptions backwards. We think it’s our job to build the church, and then once the church is built it’s Jesus’ job to make disciples. But that’s backwards. Jesus’ job is to build the church, ours is to make disciples.

You are meant to do things you cannot do. You are called to do things that seem impossible. How do you do the impossible? By burning grace like a 747 burns fuel on takeoff. We do the impossible by trusting God and moving forward. By taking risks. By loving others with radical, self-giving love. 

3. Jesus leads us forward

Jesus makes an interesting statement about His mission and the mission of the church.He said, “And the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (16:18).  “Hades” in the New Testament refers to the realm of the dead, or the state of souls after death. It’s not the same word as “Gehenna” which we translate as “Hell.” Jesus said Hades has gates. Gates are not offensive weapons. They are defensive.  And Jesus is saying that those gates cannot withstand the invasion of His church. 

Do you get what that means? It means the Church is meant to be on offense. We are to take action. It means we are to invade places of darkness, death, and despair with the declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and bring the love and light of Christ. We are on offense, not defense. 

Every week, men and women of this church, are on the offensive to bring the good news of Christ to the world around them. If you aren’t one of those then we have work to do. We haven’t finished teaching you about Christ and his work on the earth. 

Christianity is not a sport in which you participate by observing. This life calls for 100% participation. We are all to be about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and what he has done, can do, and will do in the lives of those that seek Him.

The true follower of Jesus will burn grace like a 747 burns fuel on takeoff. It is by grace that we discover more and more about the goodness of God. It is by grace that we make disciples and Jesus works alongside us building His church. And it is by grace that we are on mission with Jesus, overcoming the gates of Hades to bring light and love in dark places. 

The difference between the fuel Jesus offers us and the gas in a 747 is that eventually, the 747 runs out of fuel! It can’t keep going. But we followers of Jesus are given an endless supply of grace, and endless supply of God Himself. He is the living water that never runs dry. 

You have an endless supply of God’s activity in your life accomplishing things in you and through you that you cannot do on your own. 

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Amen!

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

53 South Dean Rd. Orlando, FL 32825

You can find us on Facebook

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Renewing Your Passion For Life

  Luke 24:13-21; 28-32
Today we start a series of messages entitled, Renewing Your Passion For Life. Jesus's passion caused Him to go to the cross. Jesus had a passion that caused Him to leave heaven; it caused Him to come to this earth. He had a passion for you and for me. And you and I are supposed to live life with passion. God wants us to have a passion for everything that we do, especially a passion for Him. And many times we lose our passion for living. We begin our careers and we have a passion for our career. We want to do our very best, we want to make it to the top, we want to be the best, we want to achieve, we want to do all that we can but somewhere along the way, we can lose that passion. And we find ourselves just barely getting by, just doing the minimum, and just doing the least that we can.

Sometimes people lose their passion for marriage. They find themselves in marriage at least maybe not as passionate as we were when we first got married, we had that honeymoon love, we had that spark, and we had that passion in our marriage. We could not wait to see our spouse when we got home at the end of the day, we couldn't wait to be with them, but some people lost their passion for their marriage. (Not me, that’s just what I heard.) But did you know that passion can be restored? 

Sometimes we lose our passion for Christ as believers. When we first became Christians we had a passion for Christ. We couldn't wait to serve Christ, we couldn’t do enough for Christ, and we could spend time with Christ. We wanted to pray, we wanted to teach a Sunday School class, we wanted to be in the word of God, but you know now we have lost that passion. But now, No longer do we want to do those things and now we just sort of go through the motions of serving Christ. We come on Sunday morning but there is really no feeling in it, there is no fire in it, there is no passion in it, we just sort of do our duty and go through the motions. But it is really dull and monotonous and there is nothing really passionate about it. And you know, that is not very much fun.  We really don't like living life that way, but there is just something about life, there is something about things that happen to us in life as we go on our way that steals passion from us.

So I am going to be talking about restoring your passion for life. Now today in Luke 24 we find two disciples who had lost their passion. In fact they had Shaken Faith and Shattered Hope. They were followers of Jesus. These disciples had seen the miracles of Christ, they had great faith in Christ, they had committed their lives to Him, they believed He was the Messiah, they believed He was going to deliver Israel from the Roman yoke, they believed He was going to bring in the kingdom of God, they saw Him raise the dead and open the eyes of the blind and straighten the lame limbs. They saw Him do all sorts of marvelous things, but now Jesus has been crucified and they lost their passion.

Luke 24:13-17 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were blinded that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?  Now this is after the resurrection and Jesus joins Himself to their conversation but they don't know it is Jesus. Maybe their eyes are filled with tears, maybe they are walking along and looking down at the ground because they are so downcast and sad, but any rate, they don't recognize that it is Jesus.

Luke 24:18-21 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.

Luke 24:28-32 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and broke, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

In other words, their passion was restored. Did not our heart burn within us? I want to tell you, that is what we need as Christians today, we need burning hearts, and we need a fire lit in our souls for Jesus Christ. And that is what we need in our job, that is what we need in our daily lives. We need burning hearts. We need hearts that are afire and ablaze. We need a passion for living because you see, that is what is behind every great life. Behind all great art, great literature, great music is someone whose heart is afire with passion. Passion makes the impossible possible. Passion energizes life. Passion is that which keeps life from being monotonous and boring. Now the dictionary says that passion is an intense emotion, it is a strong feeling, a great devotion, and an intense conviction, which fuels and motivates us toward compelling action. Now passion is the difference between going through the motions and doing something with all your heart. Passion is the fire in your belly that causes you to get up in the middle of the night to try to figure out how you can get something done the next day. The bible uses this word passion and it calls it zeal. It uses this word in a sense as a devotion to a cause, the cause of Christ. These disciples when they came to know Jesus had risen from the dead had passion. They said our hearts burned within us when we came to know Jesus had risen from the dead.

REASONS FOR LOST PASSION
Well, I want to talk today about restoring your passion for life. And I want first of all to examine the reason that we lose our passion. In verse 24 it says, and certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher and found it even as the women had said but Him they saw not. Now these two disciples of the Lord had lost their passion, why? Why do you and I lose our passion for living? Why does life become dull and monotonous and boring? These disciples had once had the fire, they once had the passion for life, but now they do not, why?

First of all it is because of doubt. In verse 21 notice it says, We trusted that it had been He which would have redeemed Israel. Now notice the word trusted is in past tense. We trusted, past tense, but now they are no longer trusting. Now that which had been faith has become doubt. And doubt will always cause you to lose your passion. If you have faith, passion will always follow. Passion follows faith like light follows darkness because doubt will always rob you of passion. Here are these disciples walking toward the little village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. And as they walk along their hearts are filled with doubt. They said we trusted in Jesus but now He is crucified, He is dead. We put all of our hope in Him, but now our faith has been shaken, our hopes have been shattered. This Messiah, this One who was to set up a kingdom is gone. And now, how can He fulfill the promise? And their hearts were filled with doubt. And they were so filled with doubt that Jesus unexpectedly joined them in the way and they didn't even recognize Jesus because of their doubt.

How many times does Jesus join us along the road of life and we don't even recognize that He is with us because of our doubt? They are so filled with doubt. Here are disciples who think they have all the facts but they have no fire because they doubt the word of God. Notice they also lost their passion for life because of disappointment. They said and besides all this, this is the third day since these things were done. Now Jesus had promised the Son of Man will be crucified and on the third day He will rise again from the dead. But they said this is the third day. The women went to the tomb and they saw the tomb empty but they didn't find the body of Jesus. And for all we know somebody stole the body. And nobody has seen Him. In other words, they were so disappointed. Jesus had joined their company but they were so disappointed they didn't even recognize that He had fulfilled the promise. And listen, do you know what happened? Jesus didn't act like they expected Him to act. And so they were disappointed. They had unrealistic expectations. Ladies and gentlemen, His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. As high above the heavens are His thoughts above our thoughts and His ways above our ways. And God does not always act on our timetable and God does not always perform the way we want Him to perform. And so many times, we are disappointed in life because we think God should do it one way and God does it another way. Or we think God should do it on this timetable and God does it on another timetable.  Oh, it is the third day since all of this has happened. And so they were disappointed. They lost their passion because of disbelief. Then He said unto them, in verse 25 O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. They did not believe the word of God. You see there was no reason for them not to believe. Did you know the greatest sin that any person can commit is not adultery, it's not lying, it's not theft, and it is the sin of unbelief, because the sin of unbelief is the root sin of all other sin. Jesus said that is the sin that sends people to hell. Jesus said you go to hell not because of what you do but because of what you don't do. Jesus said it is because they believed not in me. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him hath eternal life. But he that believeth not on Him have not eternal life but the wrath of God abides on him because he does not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. The greatest sin is unbelief.

And here were these disciples who did not believe. Jesus said, O fool and slow of heart who believe. The bible devotes one verse to atheism and it says,The fool hath said in his heart there is no God. Here were men who did not have passion because they had no hope. They had no hope because they had no belief. I would be sad too, if I had no belief. The atheists were complaining because of Christians having all these holidays on the calendar and they had no holiday. They said you Christians have Christmas, you Christians have Easter and we have no holiday. So somebody suggested April 1st for you atheists! You see the bible says, O fools, and slow of heart to believe. All they would have had to do was do their daily bible reading and they could believe. Slow of heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken. The prophets had prophesied that Jesus would rise again from the dead. Isaiah said that He would rise again from the dead. The Psalmist said He would rise again from the dead. Jesus Himself said He would rise again from the dead. Jonah was a picture of His resurrection from the dead. And yet these disciples who knew the word of God did not believe the word of God and because they didn't believe the word of God they lost their passion. And I will tell you why a lot of believers have lost their passion, I will tell you why a lot of believers have no fire, I will tell you why a lot of churches have no fire, it is because they do not believe and do not practice and do not spend time in the word of God!

I want to tell you something today all flesh is as grass. And the grass will wither and the flower will fade away but the word of our God will stand forever. Jesus said this, heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word will never pass away. Jesus said not one jot or one tiddle shall pass away from the law till all be fulfilled. Do you know what a jot is? To compare it to English a jot is like a little dot over an I.  jot is a little ole tiny mark in the Hebrew language. And Jesus said not a little dot, not even a little jot will pass away from the law of God until all be fulfilled. And so when you disbelieve the word of God you are going to be discouraged. You are going to be downcast, you are going to lose your passion for life. You need to go to the word of God. They had lost their passion because of disbelief. Now I know a lot of liturgical churches who never clap, who never get excited because they have nothing to get excited about. They no longer believe the word of God or the teaching of the word of God. And if you don't believe the teaching of the word of God, if you don't believe it is the inspired, infallible word of God then you have nothing to get excited about.

Dr. Criswell tells the story of a Cannibal tribe who became Christians. And these man-eating cannibals became believers, the chief became a Christian and they all became Christians. And a British officer was there and the British officer saw one of the cannibals reading the bible. And he said to the cannibal, we sophisticated people; we intellectual people don't believe that anymore. And the cannibal said, well, you are lucky that we cannibals do believe it or we would be having you for supper! Jesus said, O fools and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have written concerning Me. And last of all, they lost their passion because of discouragement. He said in verse 16, but their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. Jesus was alive from the dead but they did not know it. Their eyes were blind to it. Now listen, how can any problem get us down if Jesus is alive? If Jesus is alive from the dead, if Jesus has conquered death and hell and the grave, if there is life everlasting, if heaven is real, then what problem will Jesus have solving anything in our life? If Jesus has all power and authority, if Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father on high, then what problem will He have meeting the need in your life? That means He can answer any prayer, that means He can solve any problem, that means He can relieve any burden. You see Jesus has risen from the dead. And now He walks with us and He talks with us and He said I will never leave you and I will never forsake you. And here are these disciples; they were discouraged because they are blind to the resurrection of Christ. Jesus is love, Jesus is alive! And that changes everything.

And when you realize that Jesus is alive then it causes you to have a passion for life because you know that you are going to see Him one day. That you have a living Lord and that living Lord is with you and He hears you and He cares about you. And that living Lord has a passion for you and that passion for you gives you a passion for life. And it gives you a passion for others. 

II. REMEDIES FOR LOST PASSION
Now secondly, let's look at the remedies for lost passion. Those are the reasons for lost passion; let's look at the remedies for lost passion. Maybe you have lost your passion, maybe you have let doubt come in, maybe you have let discouragement come in, and maybe you have let some of these other things come in. What can we do? Number one, remember God's plan. Verse 26 Jesus said to these disciples,ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and entered into His glory? They were all down about the cross. They thought the cross was a disaster. They thought the cross was defeat. They were down in the mouth because their Savior suffered and died. He had been humiliated. He died the death of a criminal. But Jesus said to them as He showed them the scripture,ought not Christ have suffered?

Isn't this what the prophets said He would do? Isn't this what had to happen if sinners such as you and I were to be saved? He pointed out to them that the cross was not defeat, the cross was victory. The cross was not a tragedy. The cross was a triumph. The cross was not the end, the cross was the beginning. But had there been no Calvary there would be no resurrection. That the cross was necessary in the plan of God. And friend, had there been no cross there would have been no Easter. And He showed them; ought not Christ have to suffer these things? He had to suffer for you and me. This was God's plan. And so you must remember God's plan to recapture passion in your life. And God has a plan for you. His plan may be for you to suffer sometimes. His plan may be for you to fail sometimes. His plan may be for you to have a change of direction in your life sometimes. You must remember God's plan. You know really and truly all these health and wealth guys who preach that the only thing that should happen to a Christian is that he be rich and wealthy and have two Cadillacs in his garage and never suffer and never be sick. All of these guys would have said that the cross was defeat. But Jesus would say sometimes God's plan is to suffer. Sometimes God's plan is sickness, sometimes God's plan is sorrow, and sometimes God's plan is tears, sometimes that is the only way God can get our attention. Remember that God has a plan for your life.

Secondly, return to God's promises. Look at what He said in verse 26, and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. Now we know how Christ loved the bible, He discussed it with the doctors of law when He was twelve years old in the temple. He quoted it to Satan in the wilderness temptation. He preached the bible in His first sermon at Nazareth in the synagogue. He quoted it again and again in His ministry. Jesus loved the word of God, He knew the word of God, and He used the word of God. Have you ever sat at the feet of a gifted teacher? And your heart just leaped with joy as that teacher expounded the scripture and he dug into the caverns of scripture until he found nuggets of gold in the fathomless caverns of the word of God and your heart was thrilled as he dug out those nuggets of gold and he gave them to you. Can you imagine what it was like for these disciples as Jesus Himself expounded the scriptures to them, all of the things of the scriptures concerning Himself? Glory! Jesus Himself that day was the teacher and He expounded in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. What a lesson in the word they got that day. And you see they returned to the promises of God. And my friend, one of the ways to regain passion in your life is to remember all of the promises of God for you. And the promises of God will tell you that God has not left you, that you are not alone, that God cares for you, that God is with you, that God will not leave you, that God will not forsake you, that God will not let you down, that God is there, that Jesus is alive, that there is hope, that you don't have to give up, that God is there!

So, if you want passion restored, what did Jesus say? He said remember God's plan, He said return to God's promises and then last of all, recognize God's presence. In verse 31 it says, and their eyes were opened, and they knew Him Oh listen, Jesus had been with them all along as they walked down that road and yet their eyes were closed. But when they sat down with Jesus suddenly they knew Him. And when they knew Him, their hearts were filled with passion. They knew Him. Ladies and gentlemen, that is passion. Coming to know that Jesus was real. Coming to know that Jesus is alive, coming to know that Jesus cares for you. That God has a passion for you; He has a passion for your life. Jesus is alive and He wants to be alive in you. That is a passion. And that will restore the passion in you. When Jesus got to where they were going Jesus made like He was going to go further, that He had to go on to another town, but they begged Him and said, no stay with us, don't leave us, stay with us. And so Jesus did. They said, come on into our house, come on in here. You don't have to go now, come on in and let us fix supper for you. And Jesus did. They invited Him in to stay and Jesus came in and He stayed. And my friend that is exactly what Jesus will do for you. If you will invite Him into your life today He will come in and He will stay in your life and He will restore your passion. He will restore a meaning for your life. And if you have never invited Him in, He will give you a passion for life that you have never known for the very first time. He will give you eternal life. He said, behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, stay with him and he with Me. And He made as though He would go further. In other words, He was a perfect gentleman. He waited to be invited. That is what it says in the scripture, He made as though He would go further down the road, but they said, please, please don't go, and come in. Now if you want Jesus to pass you by, if you want Jesus to go further down the road and go into somebody else's life He will, but if you want Him to stop and come into your life, He will. And the choice is yours.

Let's bow together for prayer. Father, how we thank you for this time together. Now we ask this morning you would speak to hearts and lives. We know that there are those here this morning that have never invited Jesus into their heart. And how we pray this morning that You will speak to them. That this would be the day that they would say Jesus I believe you died for me and rose again. Come into my heart and be my Savior and my Lord. I wonder as we just bow our heads in prayer for a moment more, this morning if you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart, the bible says to as many as receive Him to them He gives them the power to become the children of God. Salvation is a free gift. It is not a matter of religion; it is a matter of accepting Jesus in your life as Savior and Lord. The bible says that if you receive Him, He will come. If you want Him to go by and go somewhere else, He will, but if you ask Him He will come into your heart. If you want Him to come into your heart He says, if anyone will open the door I will come in and I will stay with him and he with Me.

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

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The Importance of Being Faithful

Being faithful is important in every area of life we can imagine. Can you think of any area of life where faithfulness would not be important? How about your job? How about playing on a sports team? Could a student get by without being faithful to study? Today's question is, "What about being faithful to God and His work?" There is no doubt that God and our faith requires a greater level of faithfulness than anything or anyone else. 

2 Chronicles 16:7-10
7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8 Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this, you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars. 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time. This passage reveals three things about the importance of faithfulness.

FAITHFUL PEOPLE ARE BEING SOUGHT BY GOD
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him ...
The point of verse 9 is that God is actively looking for faithful people He can bless. There's no doubt that since God knows everything He also knows whether or not we've been faithful to Him. This verse is the Bible's way of telling us what God expects of those who belong to Him. According to Psalm 139 there is no possibility of hiding from God.

Psalm 139
Many today are being blessed by God but there are many more whom God cannot bless. He wants to but He can't because of a lack of faithfulness. When we make ourselves blessable, He will bless us and use us in His service. Since this is what God clearly wants, why don't we want the same thing? It's because of that thing in our lives that keeps God from being able to bless us. For each person it's something different. Why not leave it at the altar so God can bless you and yours.
FAITHFUL PEOPLE ARE BECOMING RARE
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him ....
Proverbs 20:6
6 Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

A lot of us talk the talk but do we really walk the required walk? I must say that it's a lot easier to trust our credit card or bank account than it is to trust God. We find it easy to trust God with the small stuff but what about the big stuff like our finances, health, or job? The inner circle of the truly faithful is getting smaller and smaller and not larger and larger. It seems that the world is capturing more of our hearts as time goes by. Too many of us are not becoming more like Christ but less and less.
Psalm 53:2-3
God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!

God longs to bless His people more than anything else. But in order for us to receive His blessings, we'll have to make ourselves bless-able. Our faith and faithfulness will be tested in many different ways on an almost daily basis. The result of those testings will determine whether or not God can and will bless us. Ever sometimes wonder where God is? Ever need something from God that only God can do and not get it? Just maybe it's not God - maybe it's me! Maybe I'm the problem. Just maybe there is something in my life that is keeping God from blessing me. Perhaps a lack of faithfulness is the real problem.
Hebrews 11:16
And without faith it is impossible to please God.

In our minds we might say “I just can’t believe it”… that is impossible! I understand that it might not be probable, but with certainty I can tell you it is possible. In our doubt, we might say, Lord I can’t afford to pay my tithe. And money
could easily be a challenge in your life. But scripturally God says that a tenth of your income belongs to the Lord. And sometimes the challenge of some who say…that is Old Testament…and if you want to make that argument it's ok. But the New Testament says…“they sold everything they had and laid it at the apostle’s feet.”

So do you want to give the Old Testament style or New Testament? But whatever you decide, give it in faith. This message is not about money. It is about being faithful to God with your life. Money is simply an example of how we struggle with one part of life. We struggle over many things in life. We can be faithless in small things as well as large things. And over all, we are still faithless.

How do we become faithful followers? Put God above your own will and desires, which is how you allow Him to show you how to live your life. You must be willing to submit yourself and follow his commands, even if it means that you have to become less in the process.

Father,
Today I put you ahead of my own will and desires in life. I submit myself to you and I will follow your instructions for my life. Use me according to your will, all that I am, and all that I have. I surrender it all to you. I know I cannot do this on my own, and I am asking you to fill me with The Holy Spirit, and empower me to live a faithful life for you.

Join us Sunday mornings at 10am as we Worship God together 

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Stop "Going" To Church

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK THE QUESTION, “Why must I be saved?” My prayer is that you have a greater understanding of what you must be saved from, the result if you aren’t saved and how you can be saved. It is also critical that we understand the clear message from God – Christ Jesus is the only one who can offer salvation. There is NOT more than one Jesus with whom we can find our way. There is ONE Jesus. Others may use the name Jesus. Some may even call Him the one of salvation. The Bible clearly describes Jesus in this way: He is the Christ. Messiah. Immanuel. God in the flesh. Eternal. Holy. Without sin. He is NOT the brother of Satan. He is NOT a man who achieved a position close to God. HE IS GOD.

As we continue our basic training, what do we do after we are saved from our eternal death and misery? The common answer is, you go to church! Why do you go to church? Well, that is where I meet God. That is where I go to hang out with good people. That is where I sing. That is where I serve. That is where I go for help. Let’s jump back to the Old Testament to determine why God’s people went to the temple and understand what it means for us today.

The Old Meeting Place (Exodus 25:8-9)
So, the tabernacle was the place where God would dwell in the midst of His people. For clarification, we can use the following terms interchangeably: Church, Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting. As the tabernacle was completed, God set forth the rules by which people could approach Him. In Leviticus 1-5, God explained that His people would meet Him with offerings. There were burnt offerings, grain offerings, fellowship offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings. The burnt offering was an act of worship that temporarily covered unintentional sin. The grain offering was an act of worship that acknowledged God's provision. The fellowship offering was an act of worship and thanksgiving. The sin offering was a mandatory offering for the covering of specific unintentional sin. The guilt offering was a mandatory offering plus a 20% fine for unintentional sin that required restitution. The church, then, could be described as a place of sacrifice. The animals from each family would not be the leftovers, nor would they be the weakest or ugliest. They had to be the best, the first and without blemish. They would be slaughtered in the church and the blood would be splattered on the altar.

Why? There were at least two reasons. First, because of their sin. We now learned about our sin and the just punishment of eternal misery … unless you are covered.  "There is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of innocent blood." (Hebrews 9:22) It is true now and it was true then. The people who lived prior to the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus continued to sacrifice innocent animals in their place, for their sin again and again and again. Why? Because God, in His holiness, commanded it as a temporary covering until the perfect sacrifice was made. Second, God foreshadowed Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, who would take away the sins of the world. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, He declared, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

Yes, there was a tent of meeting. No, it was not to meet other people. No, it was not for fellowship events. Yes, it was a place to deal with their sin to be right with God. Yes, it was a place to meet God. That is quite a different picture than what we experience today! I don't suppose we would have many in attendance if we began slaughtering animals and throwing their blood throughout the sanctuary. What does this mean to us? Why do we come here week after week?
In our basic training, I want us to be challenged in our thinking.

The buildings on Dean Rd are not the church;

…it is a place of worship.
…it is a place of equipping.
…it is a place of service.
…it is God's storehouse of our offerings for His ministry. So, if this is not the church, where do we find it?

The New Meeting Place (2 Corinthians 6:16)
WE are the temple of the living God. How is this possible? Last week's basic training taught how we can be saved. We must remember the miracle that took place when Christ came into our lives, forgave us of our sins as described in Romans 10:9-10 and 2 Corinthians 5:21. If I surrender to His lordship and believe God raised Him from the dead, Jesus will become my sin and I will become the righteousness of God. Understanding the transaction that took place with that promise, who am I? I am saved by grace. I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. I am a new creation in Christ. I am an heir with the Father and a co-heir with Christ. I am God's workmanship, created in Christ for good works. I am a citizen of heaven. I am a member of Christ's body. I am hidden with Christ in God. I am a temple, Say it – I am a temple of God.

We must stop the thought of going to meet God. Why? Ephesians 1:13-14 describes a guarantee of our salvation that occurred at the moment of our salvation - the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit dwells in every believer! This is why we are described as the temple of God –He dwells where we are. This has great implications to every one of us. We cannot compartmentalize the time we go visit God, and then go live how we wish the rest of the time. Everything you do and everywhere you go – you TAKE the church. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Our lifestyles matter. Our habits matter. The things we watch matter. The things we put in our bodies matter. The language we use matters. Our commitments matter. It ALL matters. We must stop “going” to church as if it is an isolated location where we meet God, and start being the church where we are.

The first weeks of Army basic training were the most difficult. We were voluntarily submitted under the authority of another. We were out of our comfort zone. We were abandoning our previous ways of life. We were overwhelmed and exhausted. But we were learning and training and getting stronger. We were becoming soldiers!

Since you are the church, bring Him the best. Make your life a living sacrifice. Remember you have been purchased by His sacrifice. Since you take Him everywhere; honor Him in all that you say, think and do.
Be the church!

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

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