Life and death

Life is about death. Recently I conducted funerals for a 29 and 49 year old. Today I attended a funeral for a 16 year old. Then later today I watched an 82 year old take his final breath right in front of me and his grieving family. The unifying factor in the death of the 16, 29 and 82 year old was a deep faith in Jesus Christ. As sad as those deaths were, there is a real hope and peace knowing they are with God. While conducting the service for the 49 year old, I couldn't say publicly that we all knew he was "in a better place." Although I spoke of the hope we have in Jesus, there was still a vagueness hanging in the air. My question is, "Where do you stand before God today and do you have that assurance and hope in Jesus Christ?"

Interesting stuff

Not Evil, Just Wrong’What’s Really at Stake with Global Warming

By Chuck Colson

Global warming is a fact of life. Not a fact in a scientific sense. Far from it. But a fact in that it is anissue—an issue that will shape public policy, international relations, and the economies of the world for decades to come.An eye-opening documentary called Not Evil, Just Wrong: The True Cost of Global Warming Hysteria is being released this week by the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation—an outfit I endorse.I dare say the film will be controversial because it tackles head on the sacred cows of the man-made global warming crowd.The film points out that the British High Court ruled in a lawsuit that Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth, “is scientifically flawed and has nine significant exaggerations and factual errors.” Among those exaggerations are the claims that sea levels could rise 20 feet by the end of the century, and that polar bears are disappearing because of global warming (in fact, they are not).Not Evil, Just Wrong also presents a number of scientists and a founding member of the radical environmental organization Greenpeace, who are unafraid to challenge the chief scientific claims behind global warming.For example, the arctic ice is not disappearing. In fact, in the last two years, it has expanded. (Bet you haven’t heard that in the media.) Another widely publicized claim is that 1998 and 2006 were the warmest years in the history of the U.S. Again, not true. 1934 was. In fact, as Professor Richard Lindzen of MIT says, “warming has not been increasing and has not even been present for 13 years.”The film also interviews the scientists who have discredited the famous “hockey stick” graph, which has been used by global warming alarmists. The “hockey stick” graph purports to show that for the last thousand years, global temperatures were flat, and then, in the 20th century, they shot up—like the blade of a hockey stick.That would be interesting and significant if the data had been analyzed and graphed properly. But, as the film shows, that is not the case.The film drives home the fact that the earth’s climate has always been in flux. That’s why 1,000 years ago, for example, during the medieval warm period, parts of Greenland were literally that—green! Vikings could settle and herd there successfully. Northern England could grow wine grapes. But there’s a reason why today you can’t find a fine Yorkshire wine. Today’s climate is too cold.So why should we care about all the global warming hubbub? If the so-called “solutions” to global warming being bandied about by the U.N. and Congress are put into effect, they could severely damage the U.S. economy and absolutely devastate the economies of the world’s poorest nations—potentially endangering the lives and livelihoods of millions. All in response to a faulty premise.Now that is a truly alarming claim. But I believe the film—half of which is devoted to the human and economic consequences of buying into global warming—makes the case persuasively.Come to BreakPoint.org, and we’ll show you how you can get a copy of this important and sure-to-be controversial film. Share it with friends and neighbors. Because the debate is far from over. And Not Evil Just Wrong shows how much is at stake.

Foundational Faith

Matthew 6:25-27 Foundational faith in times of uncertainty.

Intro..Screaming headlines
You don’t even have to be worried about the economy to be worried. You could be uncertain about your kids, family, neighbors, your future, your marriage…

Text: Matthew 6:25-27
Thesis: A solid foundational faith comes from time spent in the word, applying many Biblical principles and trusting God for your basic needs.

Matthew 5-7 gives us a picture of a godly life. Although we are focusing on 6:25-27, in reality, the topics covered in these three chapters will give us that foundational faith we are looking for.
· I’d like us to take a look at these other areas that are important in our Christian lives, before we see how we are doing with worry about uncertainties.
· I want to make this as practical as possible, so get ready to think and write.

Let’s take a look:
5:3-10, The Beatitudes, (from the sermon on the mount) present the way of righteous living…., hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers…
· How can you be more righteous, merciful and pure in heart?
· What is preventing you from having those qualities in your life?

5:22, Be kind to others, treating them nice.
· Who is it in your life that you are having a hard time with?

5:23-26 Reconcile to others
· Is there someone in your life you need to reconcile with?
· What is the first step in making that happen?

5:27-32 Stay committed in your marriage, getting rid of anything that would cause you to sin.
· What can you do this week to improve the commitment factor in your marriage?

5:33-37 Keeping your word
· When is it easy for you to “massage the truth?”

5: 38-42, Turning the other cheek
· Is there a situation in your life where you need to avoid revenge?

5: 43-48 Loving those who are not easy to love, even your enemies.
· Who is it in your life that is not easy to love?

6:1-4 Giving with a pure heart and pure motives.
· Are you giving of your time, talents and money? Y or N
· If so, are you doing that begrudgingly? Y or N

6:5-14 Proper prayer and forgiveness
· Do you have a consistent prayer life? Y or N
· Is there someone you need to forgive?

6: 16-18 Fasting
· When was the last time you fasted or withheld something important if your life so you could have a deeper time of godly reflection?
6:19-24 Having the right perspective on money and material possessions.
· What material possession are you really craving right now?
· Is it really necessary for your daily living and basic needs? Y or N

And then we get to our passage for today, (6:25-27) in relation to anxiety.
· I’d like you to take a moment and write down something that you are anxious about. Let’s make it personal.
· The reason I wanted us all to look at all these other godly characteristics listed is because sometimes these verses taken on their own almost seem too simple. Some Christians even like to use these verses flippantly.
· PIC “Don’t worry, there is more to life than food and clothes. God takes care of the birds, so he’ll take care of you.”
· “Don’t worry you’ll be fine.” Not always…often there are many tough lessons to learn in times of uncertainty.
· These verses are not promoting idleness…
· “I guess I don’t have to do anything since the Bible says God will take care of me! “
· God will take care of us when we take some action ourselves.
· I’ve already mentioned a lot of the actions we need to take in chapters 5-6 and we’ll look at some more in chap. 7.
· The key is we need to differentiate between worry and concern.
· Worry can damage our health, cause us to be unproductive, cause us to treat others wrong, and reduce our ability to trust God. Worry can immobilize us.
· Proper concern should move us to action. That action needs to be a godly, biblical response to uncertainty.
God is omniscient; nothing is a surprise to him. God allows every event to come into our lives. God has a plan to bring about his purpose in everything, no matter how random or senseless it may seem. (sprinkler story at church)
· The question we should be asking is: “What does God want to show me through this?” Instead of: “Why is this happening to me?”
· If we are overly concerned about the things of this world, then it shows where our treasure and heart is.
· Striking the balance between the need for basic necessities and trusting God for what we truly need takes time, maturity and a deep study of the Bible.
· The truth is, the “basic needs” will vary for each one of us, so let’s be careful with judging others…unless it’s obvious.
· I believe God is asking each one of us through these verses, to honestly evaluate our worries and concerns.
· If we all take an honest, biblical look at our lives, God will show us where we need to cut back and what we need to trust him for more fully.
· If we truly believe in a big God who takes care of the birds of the air and knows the number of hairs on our head, (Matt. 10:30)then we need to trust him that even in times of uncertainty, there will be something for us to learn.
· The rest of Matt. 6 helps us even more…
· Maybe these verses are too convicting for us. We don’t want to hear that in the midst of our troubles, we need to trust God to take care of us.
· It’s too tempting to shoulder the weight of our worries ourselves.

Let’s finish up with a few more practical nuggets from chapter 7: (and remember, all these qualities help give us a more rounded perspective on life and what we’re worried about)
1-5 Not judging others
· Who is it easy for you to cast judgment on?

6-8 Prudence
· The ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of (Biblical) reason.

7-11 Trusting God for what we need through prayer
· Through a consistent prayer life, are you giving all your concerns to God?


12 Doing unto others as you would have them do to you.
· The golden rule, treating others right.

7: 13-29 Proof of a godly life
· Are you choosing the narrow, godly path?

· We’ll be known by our fruits…what are you known for?

· How sincere is our Christian faith? Is it a 24/7 faith or only when convenient?

· Are we putting the words of God into practice and building that sure foundation, the house built on the rock.

Keeping faith in times of uncertainty requires a large package deal. It takes some action on our part.

Conclusion: OU QB, Sam Bradford quote: “I’m trusting God right now, I know he has a reason for this…”

Interesting people

"Do you smoke weed?"...asked the guy on his bicycle this morning. I had just got out of the water from a fun surf in sunny, glassy conditions and was changing by my 1960 VW Bus.
He liked my Bus, I told him it was practical for many reasons, one of which is hauling all my kids around. So tells me he's married to a millionaire wife, no kids, getting ready to buy a new house and then head off on Route 66 to Chicago in his RV. His reason for asking me if I smoked pot was that I was a surfer driving a old VW Bus. Ahh...sterotypes. Now you know why they call 'em Hippie Vans. He then proceeds to tell me that he loves to "get baked" before riding his bike and has no problems staying on the road. Oh, the people you meet in Encinitas by the beach.

The necessity of change

Nothing like a quote from the wise ones who have gone before us. I've been a fan of Chuck Swindoll for over 30 years. As we pray about the needed changes here at Pacific View, I thought his words were well worth the read.

Principles All Churches Should Examine and Apply-- Part Two
Last week, I shared with you the first two of three principles all churches should examine and apply. Here they are again, in summary:
Clear, biblical thinking must override secular planning and a corporate mentality. Think spiritually!
Studied, accurate decisions must originate from God’s Word, not human opinions. Stay biblical!
As promised, here’s the third principle and imperative: wise, essential changes must occur to counteract any sign of erosion. Please notice I did not use the word “easy.” Change is not easy when erosion has occurred—but it is essential. The imperative? Be flexible! Be ready and willing to make some changes—essential changes—especially if you hope to arrest the slow, silent, subtle slide of erosion. And stand alone through those changes, if necessary. The poet and artist E. E. Cummings wrote: “To be nobody-but-yourself—in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody but yourself—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.”1
As a pastor, you may find yourself standing alone against erosion in your church. If so, I commend you. And believe me, that isn’t an easy place to be. When I realized the erosion that had already begun to occur in our church years ago . . . when I realized how far we had drifted from God’s original, simple plan, I prayed: “Almighty God, give us that original vision again. Give me the courage to lead this flock back to the essentials. Make it happen again!” And He has begun to do so. It’s been marvelous!
But it has not been easy.
Course correction requires changes. It demands a devotion to the essentials of a church as modeled by the early church. Here they are:
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
It isn’t enough simply to have the essentials in our churches. We must continually devote ourselves to them. In the original language, that phrase translates a single Greek term that means: “to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of [doing so] despite difficulty.”
Will there be difficulty? Absolutely! Open your New Testament and revisit the early church. Just look at any church! The Adversary will stop at nothing to overcome the work of Christ. You can count on it.
—Chuck

Scary stuff

As we get ready for Halloween, I know that for some Christians it can be a worrisome time. In reality, we should be concern about Satan's scheme's all year long. I did my best to addresse the reality of both Satan and God's mighty power in this sermon. As always, love to hear your feedback.


Protection for Believers Ephesians 6:10-18
Our “Un-Haunted Halloween” event here at church…it’s a tricky balance
Satan is real and needs to be understood from a Christian perspective

Text: Eph. 6: 10-12
Thesis: The root of all evil is Satan and we fight a supernatural battle. God has equipped us with armor for the battle.

We need to dress for battle. V. 11
· Think about someone dressed in armor, standing firm, ready for battle. Roman soldier, Iraq. Fighter, lacrosse player
· Our battle gear is the word of God.
· The devil is definitely a schemer. Some of his favorite tools are doubt, deception and fear.
· One thing that needs to be clear, there is a devil and he’s going to do everything he can to destroy us.
· “Sheep and goats” article , from last week, a pastor was interviewed: What happens when we die? “After I retired,” said Villanueva, “I became a hospice chaplain. I have witnessed people make the transition. I have witnessed the peace that comes, the assurance that there’s something waiting for us. I believe there is an afterlife, and I believe we all go to the same place — in that regard, I don’t believe in hell. But I have no clue what it’s like.”
· Yet, when we put on the full armor of God, the Bible tells us that we will be able to stand against the devil’s schemes.

We need to remember what we are actually fighting against. V. 12
· Although it may seem like a physical battle, it’s actually a spiritual battle.
· Who remembers the book, “This present darkness” by Frank Peretti? He writes about angels, demons, prayer, and spiritual warfare as demons and angels interact and struggle for control of the citizens of the small town of Ashton.
· In general, the book puts together some interesting thoughts on Spiritual warfare, good stuff to think about.
· Behind every wicked ruler or authority there is a dark power and that power is Satan.
· V. 12 calls it “Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
· Charles Ryrie, “The believers enemies are the demonic hosts of Satan, always assembled for mortal combat.“
· It’s also important to remember that Satan and his host don’t always appear as something evil or wicked. In fact often the temptation we face is very attractive.

So, we can acknowledge that there is evil in this world, its name is Satan and that he’s out to get us.

We also need to acknowledge that our strength comes from God and his mighty power v. 10
· We need to remember that Satan’s power has already been broken by Christ’s death and resurrection, which forever conquered the power of sin and death.
· Yet, on this earth there are constant spiritual battles.
· The power of God and the force of biblical truth are required for victory.

How do you fight a spiritual battle?
· On your knees.
· Time in the word.
· Christian fellowship.

We also fight the battle with protection, prayer and foresight.
· Eph. 6:13-17 shows us the protection that is available. It’s up to us if we chose to wear it or not. We need to daily put on the full armor of God.
· Palomar Football game yesterday, QB got hit…imagine if he had not been wearing all the protection.
· These verses remind us that we will be able to stand our ground.
· Belt of truth (the gospel, Jesus is the truth, keep it close, right next to you, centered at your core, …the belt cinched up the loosely hanging material, anything that hinders needs to be tucked away.)
· Breastplate of righteousness (having a pure heart, the seat of emotions, protecting your heart, daily righteous becomes a spiritual breastplate.)
· Feet protected with the gospel of peace (the gospel, the good news of Jesus brings peace and points the way to eternal peace. This peace brings a sure foundation to stand on, like a good pair of sandals or shoes.)
· Shield of faith (basic trust in God, our faith, our trust in God, our growth in understanding the Bible is what extinguishes Satan’s flaming arrows) PIC
· Helmet of salvation (this one is obvious, it’s why race car drivers, motorcycle riders etc. wear them. Satan will try and get inside our heads with doubt and discouragement)
· Sword of the spirit (the sword was the soldiers only weapon, God’s word is the only thing we need in the fight against Satan.)
· Pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
· Be alert and always keep praying…

I’d like you to take a moment and think about a spiritual battle you may be in right now.
· It could be a battle to initially come to Christ, or a battle to stay strong in your faith and not give into temptation.

Important verses to keep in mind:
1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Romans 8:31, 37-38 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 118:6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Isaiah 8:10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

Jer. 20:11 But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.

Conclusion: (remember the thesis was )
The root of all evil is Satan and we fight a supernatural battle. God has equipped us with armor for the battle.

We have got to take action, use the brain that God gave us and take the appropriate steps to avoid getting knocked around by Satan.
· Situation with Bill…

2 Kings 6:16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."