Pause, reflect, look back, look forward

Pause, reflect, look back, look forward
Proverbs 16: 1-9

(To hear this sermon live, please go to www.pacificviewbaptist.com and click on "sermons" from the menu on the left.)

Intro… Game of life/ life maps etc. These are games where the risks aren't quite so high, but we learn lessons nontheless from these games.
• We hit this time of year and we can’t help but to pause, reflect, etc.
• Sometimes it seems like God places us in a holding pattern between Christmas and New Years. I think it’s for the purpose of evaluation.
• Christmas, family gatherings, old year passing, new year coming etc.

Big Pic: Let’s take advantage of the natural seasons God gives us to evaluate our lives according to a biblical standard.

Text: Proverbs 16:1-9

It’s so easy to rush ahead with our plans. Let’s take a look at some good, solid, practical, biblical advice when it comes to planning our lives.

v. 1, 9 There is an important balance between the plans of our heart and the directions the Lord gives us.
• On one hand, we have to go with what seems right in our hearts.
• On the other hand, we need to base our decisions on biblical study.
• Three ways God has revealed himself throughout history (OT, Jesus and the Holy Spirit)
• The more time we spend in the word, the more we know God’s character.
• We also learn from all the saints that have gone before us.
• We learn from the mistakes and victories of those in the Bible and other great Christians throughout the centuries.
• We just need to be careful that our emotions or heart doesn’t get too carried away and make decisions that God would not be pleased with.
• The heart-action with God’s guidance is an important connection.
• God has given us emotions and logic.
• Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t.
• Sometimes we step out completely in faith, other times we are more sure of God’s direction.
• Questions/thoughts?

v. 2-8 give us some practical advice on how we combine the two. (heart/logic)
v. 2 Reminds us that we can justify just about anything…but we’ve got to let God weigh our spirits or hearts.
• Listen to the Holy Spirit. Usually you know if it’s right or wrong.
• This comes with more time in the Word, being around other Christians etc.
• That’s the value of the church community…

v. 3 Commit your (life) work to the Lord…
• Baby dedications…that should be the pattern for your whole life.
• Dedicating everything, everyday to God, asking for his guidance and blessing.
• When we’ve given everything to God, or dedicated it to him, then our plans will be established, in the way God wants them to be.

v. 4 God “allows” everything.
• Just think about this last year—or better, the last two or three years.
• Things haven’t gone at all like you expected, have they?
• As an example, you may be living in a completely different city than where you lived three years ago.
• In fact, you may have assumed you would be living in that previous location all your life.
• But you’ve now come to realize there are other places to live . . . and that God’s grand plan for you includes a complete change of scenery.
• As we ask God to guide our lives each year, be open to the changes he may bring that you weren’t expecting.

v. 5 Pride comes before a fall.
• Maybe you’ve had a great year and are giving yourself too much credit.
• Taking too much credit (arrogance) is an abomination to the Lord!
• Abomination: anything greatly disliked or abhorred, a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit.
• I think we’ve all experienced the punishment from too much pride.

v. 6 There is power in steadfast love and faithfulness.
• The ultimate example of steadfast love and faithfulness is God.
• Because of that love he atoned or paid for our iniquity, or sins through Christ’s death on the cross.
• That should give us such respect and fear of God that we will turn away from evil.
• The right response to God’s grace is moral effort…continually trying to do the right thing.
• And that helps us make good life choices, year in and year out.

v. 7 When our plans please the Lord, all will be at peace.
• So as we face a whole new year, we all want peace, right?
• That peace comes when our ways, our paths, our choices please God.
• Sometimes that path is easy and sometimes it’s hard…
• When the path gets rough... tragedy strikes, a dark shadow has been cast across your life . . . or perhaps within the life of someone in your family…
• At such times, it helps to cling to the perspectives of Joseph and Paul, who factored God’s sovereignty into the struggle of their lives. (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28)
• And somehow, we even make our enemies at peace.
• That one I can’t really explain, but it’s right here in the Bible, so I’m going to believe it.

v. 8 Even a small bit of righteousness goes a long way.
• At times it seems like evil wins out over righteousness, but God is ultimately righteous and that will win out.
• That’s why we want to keep doing what it right. It’s the right (godly) thing to do.

v. 9 Just have to remember that tricky balance.
• I’ve been a Christian my whole life and never heard an audible voice from God…
• Yet I’ve also spent my whole life studying the Bible…
• I’ve made good and bad decisions, thankfully nothing to disastrous.
• Whatever we might say about the events of the past few years, we have to confess that most of these things have come without announcement.
• We really had no way of knowing they would occur.
• As we close out the old year and prepare for the new, we often find ourselves shaking our heads in amazement as we look back . . . and lifting our eyes in faith to heaven as we look ahead.
• The future remains a vast, unknown, open space. Yet it lies completely in the hands of our sovereign Lord. “Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Psalm 115:3).

As you step out into the unknown, stay close to Him.

Questions/thoughts?

One way to God John 14:1-6

Vintage Jesus, “One way.” John 14:6

Intro… there is really only one right way to fix things…(goofy things guys do when trying to fix stuff)
• Vintage Jesus series…this is a HUGE one…
• Contrary to what some people think, all religions or paths don’t lead to God…
• It sounds good and “politically correct” to think that all paths lead to God…but in reality, there is only one way to God.

Big Pic: Jesus makes the claim the he is the only way to God. What each person does with that claim will determine their eternal destiny.

Text: John 14:1-6
There are a lot of people today who don’t know where they are going. They may know what their career is, where they should live, etc. but when it comes to eternal things…

Let’s look at some of the key statements Jesus makes leading up to John 14:6
v. 1 “Don’t let you hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in me.”
• Life is troubling, times are hard, things can get confusing….trust in God.
• That’s the first step, being willing to trust in God…
• The way to eternal life, though unseen and tough at times is secure.

v. 2-3 Heaven is full of rooms and Jesus is preparing those rooms or house for us.
• Since the way to eternal life has been prepared, the only question is are you willing to believe Jesus’ words?

v. 4-5 Jesus reminds the disciples (us) that they/we know the way, yet doubting Thomas says, “How can we know the way?”

v. 6 Then Jesus makes it very simple and clear:
• “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
• Isaiah 45:21


"Are you saying Jesus Christ is the only way, and that if someone doesn't believe in Him they're actually going to hell? That's so narrow! So insensitive! So intolerant!"
• I’m not saying it, Jesus said it in John 14:6. So…we’ve all got to deal with that statement.

Well, all religions basically say and teach the same thing. They're all true. And besides, if a person is really sincere in what they believe, they'll get to heaven."
• “They’re in a better place…”
• You can’t make the most important decision of your life based on feelings and opinions.
“If a person truly is sincere in what he believes and tries to live a good life, then he will get to heaven.”
• So Adolf Hitler is in heaven, right? He sincerely believed what he was doing was right.
• "No!" you protest. "He is not good!" Really? According to whose definition?
• Why is it wrong to lie, steal and murder? As much as we may hate to admit it, it's because God said it.
• Sincerity is never enough. We have to have a set of absolutes to live by. We can't simply make up the rules as we go along. You may want to believe that "all roads lead to God."

It helps if we distinguish between "matters of truth" and "matters of taste."
• Taste: In-N-Out has the best burgers in SD. I love the Dave Matthews Band. SDA is the best high school in north county.
• Truth: Barack Obama is our current president. The Titanic sunk into the icy waters of the Atlantic on April 15, 1912 about 2:20a.m. Over six million Jewish men, women and children perished in the holocaust.
• Matters of truth require us to make a decision anytime the "mass of evidence or weight of reasons point in one direction rather than another.”

So…with all due respect, all religions don’t teach the same thing. We don’t need to get ugly about it or argumentative, just take a look at the facts.

Let’s look at three basic areas:
• The existence of a personal God. Buddhists deny it altogether. Hindus believe that God is formless and abstract, taking the form of a trinity as well as millions of lesser gods. In Christianity, the Bible teaches that God is a personal deity, who created man in His own image, loves us and wants to have a relationship with us.
• Salvation. Buddhists believe salvation comes by self-effort alone – with no personal God to help or guide you. Hindus believe you achieve salvation by devotion, works and self-control. Muslims insist that man earns his own salvation, pays for his own sins, and that you can never be certain if you have achieved salvation or not. In Christianity, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and if we will turn from our own way and follow Him, we can be forgiven and have the hope of heaven.
• Jesus Christ. Buddhists believe Jesus was a good teacher, but less important than Buddha. Hindus believe Jesus was just one of many incarnations, or sons of God. They teach that Christ was not the one-and-only Son of God. He was no more divine than any other man, and He did not die for man's sins. Muslims will tell you that Jesus Christ was only a man, a prophet equal to Adam, Noah or Abraham, all of whom are below Muhammad in importance. Christians believe that Jesus is God, was crucified for our sins and rose again.

They can’t all be true.
Acts 4:12, 1 Tim. 2:5

Christianity does not teach that only Christians deserve to go to heaven.
• It teaches that no one deserves to go to heaven, because we have all done wrong during our lives (Rom 3:23…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God).

We can gain admittance to heaven by repenting of our wrongs, accepting Jesus Christ's death as payment for our wrongs and deciding to follow and worship him as Lord.
• John 14:6 reminds us that Jesus is the only way to God, not any particular church or denomination. (John 6:40).
• Salvation is accessible to everyone and is intended by God for everyone: “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 45:22)

Actually all paths do lead to God, but all paths don’t lead to heaven.
• Everyone of us will stand before the judgment throne of God..
• Unfortunately for many, God won’t be pleased with them.
• Some will get Grace. Some will get what they deserved.

Conclusion:
C. S. Lewis "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. ... You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to" ("Mere Christianity," 52).

To hear this sermon live, go to: www.pacificviewbaptist.com and click on "sermons" from the menu on the left.

File this under bizzare San Diego news

Escondido Bomb House: Controlled Burn Of Explosives
After several weeks of planning, the San Diego sheriff's department, ATF , and other authorities began a controlled burn of the so-called "Bomb House" in Escondido. The home came under scrutiny on November 18, when landscaper Mario Garcia stepped on an explosive device in the yard. He sustained injuries to his chest, eye, and arm. Investigators stumbled upon a home that was packed with bomb-making chemicals, hand grenades, and other explosives.

How strange is it that; A. The guy was building bombs in his house. B. There was so much explosive materials they had to burn it all the ground. C. They had to burn the entire house down...and they did! Not sure I want San Diego on the national map for this one.

Mindbending Jesus statements

“Mindbending Jesus statements” Luke 12:1-12

Intro…Turn the other cheek, the meek will inherit the earth, the first will be last and the last will be first, take up your cross and follow me, hate your father and mother etc. These are “Mindbending Jesus statements.”
• “Vintage Jesus” series…these are famous quotes many people are familiar with…and only someone like Jesus is qualified to make a statement like these.
Text: Luke 12:6-12

Big Pic: God has a personal interest in our everyday affairs.

Background:
• In the first 4 vs. Jesus is warning people to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. Why?
• The Pharisees had a bad habit of trying to appear holy when their hearts were far from God.
• These attitudes couldn’t be hidden forever (v. 2-3).
• The Pharisees where just power hungry
• Speaking to a crowd of many thousands trampling on each other.
• In vs. 6-12 Jesus reminds this crowd of what is really important.

v. 5 “Fear him…who has the power to throw you into hell.”
• Yikes! But that has to be recognized.
• God alone has the power to decide who enters heaven and who enters hell. Rev. 20:10
• Yes, we make choices, but there is predestination. Remember, we don’t know who God has chosen, so let’s not guess…
• God’s personal interest is that we make the right choice.
• Just make sure that you aren’t going to hell.

v. 7 “The very hairs of you head are all numbered.”
• What? Actually? Yes, God could tell you the exact number of hairs on your head if he needed to.
• Our true value is what God thinks of us, not others.
• God cares for us, as he does all of his creation, because we belong to him.
• God cares about every detail of your life.
• God’s personal interest is that nothing is too small or insignificant.
v. 8-9 “Whoever disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.”
• We need to be willing to make a public stand for God.

• Initially that means becoming a Christian…but we also deny or disown Jesus when we:
• Hope that no one will find out we are a Christian
• Decide not to speak up for what is right
• Are silent about our relationship with God
• Compromise culturally

• What we should be doing is:
• Living a godly life, look for opportunities to talk about our faith, serve others, take a stand for justice, acknowledge loyalty to Christ, carry out God’s desires instead of our own.
• God’s personal interest is that we are proud of our relationship with him.

v. 10 “Anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
• We may think there are other unforgivable sins, but this is actually the only one. What exactly is it?
• It’s denying or rejecting the Holy Spirit’s prompting of your heart, or his power in your life.
• Closing your heart to God.
• It’s the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God and his power, having nothing to do with God.
• A deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. Turning your back on God and rejecting all faith.
• This person can’t be forgiven because they will never ask for forgiveness. It’s called pride and ego.
• The first step to coming to God is admitting your fault and need of God.
• If you are afraid you’ve committed this sin, that actually a good sign that you haven’t!
• So remember, blasphemy is a serious offense!
• We should all look at this word in a different way now…
• God’s personal interest is that we don’t reject his offer of salvation.


v. 11 “Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
• Just imagine the disciples a bunch of uneducated fishermen going at it with the educated Jewish leaders…
• They might have been rough around the edges, but what God did in their lives was undeniable. Same with all of us today.
• This is actually a very comforting verse, especially when it comes to talking to others about your faith.
• Even if we “had all the answers,” the Holy Spirit still needs to speak to people and soften their hearts.
• However, this isn’t an excuse to not be prepared.
• We are still called to diligent study of God’s word etc.
• God’s personal interest is that we trust him and let his power show for itself.

Conclusion: The sayings of Jesus are important to understand. They give us a deeper insight into our faith and the Christian life.

Vintage Jesus

Vintage Jesus
“Next time you think you’re perfect, try walking on water.”
Matthew 14:22-33

Intro….When it comes to “Vintage Jesus”, the story of him walking on the water is one of the best known.
• There are countless cultural references to walking on water.
• I think you could go up to most people and ask them who was the only person to ever walk on water and they’d say Jesus.
Text: Matthew 14:22-33
Big Picture: The story in Matthew 14 is “Vintage Jesus” because it is well known, is truly miraculous, proves that Jesus is God, and teaches us about faith and trust in God.

The boat full of disciples is now in the middle of the lake, in the middle of a storm and check out this statement:
• (v.25) “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.”
• Yes, I fully believe Jesus walked on water. I also believe he fed the “10,000” etc.
• Vintage Jesus is the Jesus who is miraculous.
• And I’m talking miraculous in a God way, not a way we use the term today to describe a full court basketball shot at the buzzer, or grand slam in the 9th inning to win the game…
• This was no big deal to Jesus, he wasn’t showing off. He was just doing what he does best, perform needed miracles to make a point.
• The miracles of Jesus always served a purpose. He didn’t walk around “blowing stuff up, or setting things on fire” just to show off…
• Jesus had just fed at least 5000 people to show them that he will always provide and that there will always be enough.
• In the miracle of Jesus walking on the water, Jesus teaches about faith, trust and staying focused on him.
• The miracles of Jesus should lead us to worship him, to awe and wonder.
• Jesus used miraculous power to heal the sick, feed the hungry and raise the dead.
• (Tim Keller “The reason for God” on the importance of miracles.) “Jesus’ miracles are about more than just about the suspension of natural order, they are about restoration of the natural order.
• God did not make the world originally to have disease, hunger and death.
• Jesus has come to redeem what is wrong and heal what is broken.
• “His miracles are not just proof that he has power but amazing foretastes of what he is going to do with that power.”

Now all this miracle stuff sounds great to the casual observer…

v. 26 “They were terrified, it’s a ghost, they cried out in fear.”
• Who can blame them? It was sometime between 3-6am and it’s not like you see someone walking on the water every day. As far as we know, this is the first and last time this ever happened.
• This part of the story, we can all relate to…image driving down the freeway in the middle of the night on your way home from a Thanksgiving gathering and you see Jesus walking down the freeway in the middle of all the cars…
• However, “Vintage Jesus” wants us to trust him…to know that this actually is him wanting to show us something important.
• The natural tendency is to shrink in fear or amazement when the miraculous happens.
• Instead, Jesus wants us to follow him, to trust in him.

v. 28 Peter is such an important part of this story. He represents all of humanity.
• What do you see in this picture? (fear, faith, trust, cheering on..)
• We know God is asking us to step out and have faith.
• That first step can be easy or hard, but what’s really hard is to continue to keep focused, keeping our eyes on Jesus.
• Doubt is not the absence of faith it is a test of faith.
• Peter had faith to step out but he did not count the cost and he looked down. He got distracted by the “world around him.”
• It was only then that Peter began to falter and sink.
• Yet, the hand of grace pulled Peter to safety.

So, when we talk about “Vintage Jesus, ” here are some important things to remember:
• Jesus has control over the situation. Wind and waves obey Him.
• We must keep our eyes on the LORD rather than the situation that threatens to engulf us.
• That will give us the confidence we need to walk through the raging storms in our lives.
• Christ's hand is always extended to the lost.
• We all need to reach out in faith to the LORD for salvation.
• Jesus walking on water is a principle that the invisible realities of faith in Christ are victorious over the visible threats of this world, regardless of the form they may take.
• This story of Jesus walking on the water is one that just about everyone has heard of.
• It’s a great chance to have a conversation with someone about why this is possible, why Jesus can do this.
• It affirms his deity.
• It shows he is asking us to keep our eyes on him and have faith.
• “Vintage Jesus” is not just a challenge to our minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming.

v. 27 If we listen we can hear the soothing voice of Jesus, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Growing up a skate rat of the 70's I kinda idolized skaters like Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta etc. It was pretty cool having Jay at our church this morning. He's lived a rough life, but by the grace of God, he's coming out strong in Christ. Skip Frye has been a great friend for many years and it's always great having him help out with events at our church. It was a good day for those of us who grew up surfing and skating.

Questions

We are excited about having Skip Frye and Jay Adams at our church on Sunday. Here is a sample of some of the questions we'll cover during the interview process.

• One of the things you enjoyed most when you were “young and famous.”
• When did you become a Christian and what led to that choice?
• What caused you to walk away from God for a period in your life?
• What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from your failures?
• Jay, are you in touch with the Dogtown crew and what do they think about your Christian faith?
• Skip, can you explain the fascination the Japanese have with your boards?
• How are you able to share your faith with fans who want to know more about your “fame” then your Christianity?
• Jay, what was the hardest thing about prison?
• Skip what was the hardest thing about your time in France?
• What advice do you have for us today in regards to helping people keep the faith?
• What do you want your legacy to be?

If you have any other questions you would like to ask these guys, we'll have a time for Q & A after the service. See you all at 9:30am tomorrow morning!

Skip and Jay

This Sunday is our official "grand opening" of Crossroads, the contemporary service at our church. We are honored to have Skip Frye and Jay Adams as our guest speakers. They are both legends in the surf and skateboarding worlds. Skip is a world famous shaper/surfer and Jay is from the Dog-Town Z boys era. Come hear their stories of how they have gone from fame and success to meaning and purpose. Service time is 9:30am. Our church is located at 845 Sante Fe. Dr., Encinitas, Ca. 92024

Flexibility

(Once again, Chuck Swindoll says it well. This article applies to all of us who are resistant to the changes God wants to bring in our lives and churches.)

Flexibility
Are you open to change?

People who make a difference can be stretched, pulled, pushed, and often changed. You heard it from me: traditionalism is an old dragon, bad about squeezing the very life out of its victims. So never stop fighting it. Watch out for those age-old ruts!

Let’s be careful to identify the right opponent. It isn’t tradition per se; it’s traditionalism. I’m not trying to be petty, only accurate. The right kind of traditions gives us deep roots—a solid network of reliable truth in a day when everything seems up for grabs.

Among such traditions are those strong statements and principles that tie us to the mast of truth when storms of uncertainty create frightening waves of change driven by winds of doubt. For example: believing in the authority of Holy Scripture, knowing and loving God, bowing to the lordship of Jesus Christ, committing ourselves to others, filling the role of a servant-hearted leader, and becoming a person of genuine encouragement. Such traditions (there are others, of course) are valuable absolutes that keep us from feeling awash in a world of relativism and a culture shot through with uncertainty.

However, a great deal of difference exists between tradition and traditionalism. By traditionalism, I have in mind mainly an attitude that resists change, adaptation, or alteration. It is blindly and forcefully holding fast to a custom or behavior. It is being suspicious of the new, the up-to-date, the different. It is finding one’s security, even identity, in the familiar and therefore opposing whatever threatens that. And if you’ll allow me one more, it is substituting a legalistic system for the freedom and freshness of the Spirit—being more concerned about keeping rigid, human-made rules than being flexible, open to creativity and innovation.

By now, you’ve guessed where I stand. Clearly, my position is on the side of openness, allowing room for the untried, the unpredictable, the unexpected—all the while holding fast to the truth. Believe me; there are plenty of people around who feel it is their calling to tell others what to do and what to say. They are self-appointed wing-clippers who frown on new ways and put down high flight. They work hard to squeeze you into their mold.

Whoever decides to soar must first fight through the flatland fog that hangs heavy over the swamp of sameness.

—Chuck

Where are we going? What are we doing?

Why we are doing what we are doing.
Matthew 22:34-40, 20:26-28

Intro…I’m sure to the average person looking for a church it can be confusing…so many options…
Text: Matthew 22:34-40, 20:26-28
Big Picture: PLove God, love others and serve the world.

Here we are, almost 4 months into Crossroads.
• How did we get here? (Easter, combined service, pleased nobody, Look what God has done! )
• Where do we want to go? (We’d like to see our entire church grow healthy, both the contemporary service and the traditional. What a great opportunity we have to offer both!)
• How do we get there? By keeping it simple: Love God, love others and serve the world.

Let’s break that down:
We love God through our worship of Him.
• The Sunday morning service is still the primary front door to most churches.
• Through our corporate worship we learn the value of setting aside time for God, koinonia, communion, prayer, teaching, fellowship etc.
• It should be both our duty and our pleasure to worship God.
We love others through our small groups/bible studies.
• Right now we offer two mid week small groups…
• We will create new small groups as the need arises.
• We can be accountably in these groups and really get to know each other, pray for each other etc.
• I know it’s hard to get out on a weeknight…but it’s worth it!
Serve the world.
• That can start locally (SOS, outreach events etc.) and eventually expand to missions trips around the world.
• How many of you have been to other countries on mission trips?
• Be creative with how you serve others. It can happen in so many ways on a small scale and a large scale.
• Start in your home, your neighborhood, your work place, your school, your community.
• The power of service can never be denied.
• Jesus sets the ultimate example in Matt. 20:26-28

In our text today, the Pharisees tried to trick Jesus into making things more complicated than necessary.
• This expert in the law, a scribe said, “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment?”
• They were actually more interested in debating Jesus than learning the truth.
• They had over 600 laws they were trying to keep, so to them which one was the most important was huge.
• Jesus basically said, “Love God and love others.”
• The entire OT hangs on these two commandments.
• If we can love God, we’ll do the things that please God and live a morally upstanding life and naturally keep the other commandments.
• This is a positive spin on God’s laws instead of worrying about what we should not do.
• If we can love others, then we won’t be so selfish, and that naturally leads to wanting to:
• Serve others.
• Sometimes we want to make the Christian faith such a complicated deal.
• It doesn’t need to be. That’s why I’m trying to keep our mission as a church as short and simple as possible
• It’s a mission statement you all can easily memorize and repeat.
• That way we all know where we are going and we can track peoples spiritual growth or discipleship through those three basic steps.
• We always want to be moving people through those stages of Christian maturity. Each step builds on the other.
• The reason? It’s because we naturally tend to shift towards complacency and what is comfortable. Change is never easy.
• Sources of complacency. (This is what we want to avoid in our own Christian lives and in the life of our church.)

Nov. 14th Outreach
• Skip Frye, Jay Adams
• Article in The Coast News
• Flyers to houses, on business windows etc.
• New sermon series that Sunday, “Search for the Vintage Jesus.”
• Social networking (Please help!)
• Website
• We want people to know we are here, that we’ve made changes.

Plant new churches

Let’s keep the vision right on front of us as to why we are doing all of this.
• We want to see people become Christians and live their lives fully for him.
• It’s about a movement and getting people to follow Jesus.

Conclusion: Dancing nut video

Children obey your parents

Children obey your parents Eph. 6:1-3
Intro…Christian fish comic…parents set the rules.
Text: Ephesians 6:1-3
Big Picture: Children obey your parents in the Lord…so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy a long life on this earth.


Our series: Husbands love your wives, Wives submit to your husbands, Children obey your parents…
• Notice how these are all short, simple commands from God. Let’s not make things more complicated than need be.

Review: Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church.
Wives submit to your husband’s as to the Lord.
Children obey your parents in the Lord.

Common theme?
As Christians we serve God first. Loving our wives, submitting to our husbands and obeying our parents is the duty of all Christians. We do these things because they are right in God’s eyes…
• It’s not just about loving your wives, submitting and obeying, it’s really about loving God, submitting to Him and obeying Him.

So…in light of all that (today’s sermon)
Ephesians 6:1 Children obey your parents in the Lord…because it’s the right thing to do!
It's like our kids are in the Marines…first time obedience
• When children learn to obey their parents, it sets a precedent for the other authority figures in their lives later on.
• I say to my children all the time (when they complain about doing tasks/chores around the house) “It’s not like I’m asking you to do something that is unreasonable.”

Eph. 6:2 Honor your father and mother.
• It’s also the first commandment with a promise!
• Exodus 20:12 …”so that you may live long in the land the Lord is giving you.
• Obedience sets the stage for a long life. How so?
• Because proper order in the family is the basis for a solid social structure.
• Deut. 21:18-21
• Kids, when you are young and under the authority/influence of your parents, learning to obey them brings a sense of order to your life.
• It teaches you from a young age the line of authority. And what is that line?
• It starts with kids and goes all the way up to God.
• From Old to New Testament, God wants us to obey and honor our parents.
• The general lack of respect that kids have for their parents today is ridiculous. When that respect is established and maintained early on, it will reap benefits for years to come.
• Proverbs 6:20-22
• This is a passage that warns against adultery!
• These verses are similar to Deut. 6:4-9

BTW, we should honor our father and mother all throughout lives. (We are all “kids” until our parents die.)
• For some of you that’s easy, talking, phone calls, emails FB etc.
• For others, parents represent pain. Yet I still believe we can honor them, somehow.

Let’s look at a few other important verses on this topic of children obeying their parents.
• Leviticus 19:3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
• Proverbs 1:8-9 ,
• Prov. 13:24, (when you see a 6 yr. old throwing a temper tantrum in the store…ages 1-5 are critical and can set a pattern for life)
• Prov. 22:6, (Our children need constant training, they aren’t going to get disciplined on their own!)
• Prov. 23: 13-14 (our “rod”) What did your parents use?
Prov. 30:17 We used to quote this verse as youth pastors to put the fear of God into the kids…(the body will lay unburied for the birds to feed on. Duet. 28:26 “Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.)

• 2 Timothy 3:1-5

• Luke 2:48-52 The example of Jesus.


Conclusion:
• To bring this all full-circle (v. 4) the responsibility always comes back to the Father.
• (Living) “And now a word to you parents, don’t keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather bring them up with loving discipline the Lord himself approves with suggestions and godly advice.”
• So there is the balance. Children need to obey their parents and parents are not to exasperate your children.
• What a tricky balance.
• All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting to encounter yourself.
Gore Vidal

Wives submit to your husbands.

Relationships part 2, “Wives submit to your husband’s as to the Lord.”

Intro…The perfect couple
The Perfect Story: There was a perfect man who met a perfect woman. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding. Their life together was, of course, perfect.

One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve this perfect couple was driving along a winding road when they noticed someone at the roadside in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help. There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on the eve of Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle. Soon they were driving along delivering the toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident. Only one of them survived the accident. Who was the survivor?

Answer: The perfect woman. She's the only one that really existed in the first place. Everyone knows there is no Santa Claus and there is no such thing as a perfect man.

A Male's Response: So, if there is no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving. This explains why there was a car accident.


Text: Eph. 5:22, Colossians 3:18
Big Picture: “Wives submit to your husband’s as to the Lord.” (Husbands, be the godly man your wife would want to submit to!)

Eph. 5:22-24 and Col. 3:18
• Let’s get it out in the open. It’s right there in the Bible…
• It doesn’t need to be that scary of a concept when understood within the entire framework of a healthy, godly marriage.
• If the husband is doing his job (last week’s sermon) then the wife will want to submit to his leadership.

A parallel that will help: (Eph. 5:23-24)
• Husband: head of the wife
• Christ: head of the church
• So…as the church submits to Christ, wives submit to their husbands.
We follow Christ because we want to, we know it’s right. And that’s the way it should be in a healthy, godly marriage.
• As the husband provides godly leadership, the wife submits because she wants to, knows it’s right (most of the time).
• It helps to point out that this type of godly marriage with mutual submission only works if both partners are fully committed Christians, living their lives for God!

4 main points to this passage I’d like to point out:
Wives submit to the leadership of their husbands.
Wives are to respect their husbands.
Wives are to love their husbands.
Wives are to be committed to their husbands.

v. 22 & 24 Wives submit to the leadership of their husbands.
• “As to the Lord, as is fitting to the Lord.”
• Good wife/husband relationships bring glory to God.
• Woman I told we were married 20 yrs…”I’ve never done anything for 20 yrs!”
• “You have 5 kids! All from the same wife?
• Yes, by God’s grace we’ve been married “all these years.”

1 Peter 3:1-6
• Submission could bring your husband to Christ!
• When a husband sees Christianity lived out consistently in the life of his wife, the purity and reverence for God, it can’t be denied.
• This is the inner beauty that comes from God.
• “The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s eyes.”
• Like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master…
• Women, you are daughters of Sarah…”Do not give way to fear!”
• Fear of what people may think of you.
• Don’t forget vs. 7!

v. 33 Wives are to respect their husbands.
• Husbands need to earn the respect by being godly, servant leaders.
• Men, we can’t expect that respect, unless it’s earned.
• Remember, men want respect, women want security. What a tricky balance.

Before I go any further, I thought it would be good for you to hear this from a woman’s perspective. Kelley…

Titus 2:3-5 Wives are to love their husbands.
• This point should be a no-brainer…tips to the older and younger women..
• Older: be reverent in the way you live…
• Younger: Train the younger women to love their husbands…
• Getting to the point where you love, respect and submit to your husband takes time, training and mentoring from older women.
• Seek out some of the great older women we have in our church.

Romans 7:2 Wives are to be committed until death.
• “Til death do us part”
• “As long as we both shall live.”
• “I will love you faithfully from this day forward.”
• “I give you my life to keep.”
• “I vow to love your forever”
Now obviously this applies to both the wife and husband.
• I’ve used many of the same words today to the women that I did last week to the men: love, commitment, respect, honor.

Conclusion:
• “Mutual submission” is the key phrase I want you to go home with today.
• We need to fight the cultural trend of divorce.
• Let’s reverse the statistics: almost half of Christian couples divorce, just like non-Christians couples.
• George Barna, president and founder of Barna Research Group: "While it may be alarming to discover that born again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time. Even more disturbing, perhaps, is that when those individuals experience a divorce many of them feel their community of faith provides rejection rather than support and healing. But the research also raises questions regarding the effectiveness of how churches minister to families. The ultimate responsibility for a marriage belongs to the husband and wife, but the high incidence of divorce within the Christian community challenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages."

• That’s one of the reasons I’m preaching this series…
• Men, it is our job to be godly leaders in the home.
• Women, it’s your job to submit to that godly leadership.
• As couples, if we can work together as God has intended, we’ll see some beautiful marriages.
• What an example to others!

Husbands love your wives

Relationships part 2, Husbands love your wives.
Ephesians 5:25-33

Intro… God said to Adam, "I am going to make you a helper, a companion. What would you like your companion to be like?" Adam replied, "Well I want someone that is humorous, witty, intelligent, compassionate, caring, loving, trusting, polite, generous and beautiful."

God paused a moment after Adam's wish list and told Adam that a companion like that 'would cost him an arm and a leg.' Adam seemed a little dejected and then brightly replied: "What can I get for a Rib?"

• Today I want to talk to the men about being Super Dads/husbands.
• Part 2 of our series on relationships…last week…
• Women, wives, women who want to be wives…hold your men to these Biblical standards!

Text: Ephesians 5:25-33

Big Picture: Men, young men, boys, husbands, future husbands, men who want to be better husbands, guys who are considering the possibility of being a husband someday… love your wives.

v. 25-28 Love your wives (simple and straightforward)
• Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
• What did Christ do for the church? He died for her.
• Husbands are you willing to die (to yourself) for your wives?
• Is she that much of a priority to you?
• Does she come above any other woman in your life? Even your mother?
• Colossians 3:19, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”

How are we to love our wives?
• As we love ourselves. V. 29
• Not all of us are in great shape physically, but think about the other things that you do that you love, things that make you feel good about yourself. (recreation, tech stuff, mechanical, work, books…etc.)
• Just as you are going to make that a priority in your life, (loving yourself) love your wife in the same way.
• Paul devotes twice as many words to telling husbands to love their wives than telling wives to submit to their husbands. (Next week’s topic.)
• I’ve always said that in these passages on marriage, the husband has a much greater responsibility.
• V. 26 Just as through baptism we are prepared for entrance into the church, in the Near East, brides were prepared for marriage by a ceremonial bath.
• It is God’s word that cleanses us. John 17:17, Titus 3:5
• So when we love our wives as Christ loved the church, then we are building them up spiritually.

v. 23 Lead your wives
• This may not be politically correct, but it is Biblically correct!
• And here we are talking primarily about being a spiritual leader.
• Men, it’s your job to be the head of the home. Lead, guide, give direction. Set the course, make decisions.
• Unlike most bumbling husbands on TV…(Al Bundy, John Goodman, Jim Belushi, etc.)
• 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
• “Weaker partner,” yes women may lack some of the physical advantages of a man, but in the new life that we are both heirs to, we’re equals.
• Check list: Initiate prayer with your wife, make church a priority, lead by example, be the spiritual leader in your family.

v. 29 Nurture your wives (in the things of Christ).
• “Feeding” and caring for her. We to need make our wives well-being of primary importance. Anticipate her needs.
• Not so much feeding her with food, instead, feeding her emotional needs and spiritual needs.
• We nurture our wives spiritually by following the guidelines above in point #2, “Lead your wives.”
• Active listening, “Really, how did that make you feel?”
• I said it last week, chivalry (gallant or distinguished gentlemen) never gets old. Most women love to be nurtured, loved and taken care of.
• I always remind husbands that they can tell their wives 10 times a day that she is pretty, looks good etc. and she’ll say, “tell me again.”


v. 31-33 Be committed to your wives.
• Besides the grace and power of God, you know what makes a marriage last? Flat-out commitment!
• Marriage vows never get old. Maybe you need to review them.
• Sometimes that commitment needs to be revisited.
• Commitment is the engine that pulls the train of marriage.
• Like the church (us) and our relationship to Christ, marriage is a holy union, a biblical living symbol, a precious relationship that needs tender self-sacrificing care from the husband and wife.

Conclusion:
• I’m overwhelmed by these standards! Every man in this room should be!
• We are seeing each week that God’s standard for human relationships is set high.

Relationships

Relationships, part 1, Ephesians 5:1-22
Intro… “Dr. Phil, Oprah, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” etc. There is endless advice out there on relationships.
• They are confined to the limits of public television, etc.
• Let’s take a look at the Biblical standard for human relationships. Warning, the bar is set high!
• This series is straight up solid advice from the Bible, most likely stuff we don’t want to hear.
• Today we’ll start out with general guidelines for all us, single or married.

Text: Eph. 5: 1-3, 5, 11, 15-16, 18, 21.
Big Picture: When you need relationship advice, go right to the source, the Bible. From there, counsel with godly Christian people/couples you respect.

5:1 Be imitators of God. (not the latest celebrity or great book you’ve read)
• Unless that book is rooted in solid, biblical advice, don’t take it too seriously.
• Imitate God In every area of our lives.
• Start with that premise and it will positively affect all areas.

5:3 No sexual immorality (not even a hint)
• Greek word: porneia, “unchasity, prostitution, fornication (sexual intercourse between a man and a woman not married to each other)
• This covers everything from our thought life to what we see on TV, movies, magazines, the internet, our language, how we interact with others….
• Sexual purity is the duty of all Christians! Men, women, boys, girls, single, married, engaged, divorced, looking for love, confused about love, confused about your sexual identity.
• God’s design for human love relationships is one man, one woman married for life. Gen. 2:24, Mark 10:7-9
• No sex outside of marriage…

• Sexual immorality and impurity is improper for God’s holy people. It just doesn’t make any sense. ( End of v. 3)
• That’s why it’s so sensational when a high profile Christian has a sexually immoral fall.

v. 4 And if you think you are doing ok because you are not presently sexually immoral…we also need to avoid:
• Obscenity
• Foolish talk
• Coarse joking
• These are all out of place (don’t make sense) for the Christian.
• Once again the Bible does a great job of nailing all of us.

v. 5 Here comes a harsh warning:
• No one that is immoral, impure, greedy or an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
• This doesn’t mean that people who have lived this way can’t ever go to heaven…v. 8
• It does mean that if someone continues to live an immoral life, it could keep them from being humble enough to realize the error of their ways and accept God’s forgiveness.
• “God never tolerates sin which has no place in His kingdom, nor will any person whose life pattern is one of habitual immorality, impurity and greed be in His kingdom because no such person is saved.” John McArthur
• These are the things that incur God’s wrath.
• Therefore, have nothing to do with them!

v. 8-14 As Christians, we should know better!
• Live as children of light.
• Think of all the adult clubs or men’s club out there.
• All the windows are darkened…partly to keep minors or others from peering in, but also to hide the guilty parties on the inside.
• Everyone is guilty of wrong doing, from the owners, to the dancers, to the customers!

• Imagine if you were to walk in there with a bright spot-light…that’s what it means to be children of light.
• That’s what v. 11-13 is telling us to do…

v. 18 And here’s something that will really help…
• Don’t get drunk. When you fill yourself up with performance altering drink or drugs, that when stupid happens.
• It leads to debauchery. (extreme indulgence in sensuality, seduction from virtue or duty.)
• Synonyms: corruption, vice, depravity, immorality, iniquity, licentiousness, profligacy, sin.
• I know the concept of getting drunk seems appealing (for various reasons to various peole), but the Bible is telling us not to do it.
• Instead be filled with the Holy Spirit.

v. 15, 19-21 So, how is the Christian supposed to live?
• It’s not that complicated, it’s the opposite of what we just read.
• Live as biblically wise people.
• Make the most of every opportunity (to be godly).
• Don’t be foolish, continue to seek what the Lord’s will is.

v. 19-21 Look at these beautiful words in stark contrast to words like debauchery, depravity or iniquity:
• Speak to one another in hymns and spiritual songs
• Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord
• Always give thanks to God for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
• What a beautiful concept, putting our own needs aside and submitting to one another.
• “How can I help/serve you?”
• “How can I treat you kindly and with proper respect?”
• “How can our relationship bring honor to God?”


Conclusion: The Eddie Fisher article, his life, many marriages etc.

"Hipster Christianity: Where Church and Cool Collide"

The Perils of 'Wannabe Cool' Christianity
By BRETT MCCRACKEN(Please see Corrections & Amplifications item below.)
'How can we stop the oil gusher?" may have been the question of the summer for most Americans. Yet for many evangelical pastors and leaders, the leaking well is nothing compared to the threat posed by an ongoing gusher of a different sort: Young people pouring out of their churches, never to return.
As a 27-year-old evangelical myself, I understand the concern. My peers, many of whom grew up in the church, are losing interest in the Christian establishment.
Recent statistics have shown an increasing exodus of young people from churches, especially after they leave home and live on their own. In a 2007 study, Lifeway Research determined that 70% of young Protestant adults between 18-22 stop attending church regularly.
Statistics like these have created something of a mania in recent years, as baby-boomer evangelical leaders frantically assess what they have done wrong (why didn't megachurches work to attract youth in the long term?) and scramble to figure out a plan to keep young members engaged in the life of the church.
Increasingly, the "plan" has taken the form of a total image overhaul, where efforts are made to rebrand Christianity as hip, countercultural, relevant. As a result, in the early 2000s, we got something called "the emerging church"—a sort of postmodern stab at an evangelical reform movement. Perhaps because it was too "let's rethink everything" radical, it fizzled quickly. But the impulse behind it—to rehabilitate Christianity's image and make it "cool"—remains.
There are various ways that churches attempt to be cool. For some, it means trying to seem more culturally savvy. The pastor quotes Stephen Colbert or references Lady Gaga during his sermon, or a church sponsors a screening of the R-rated "No Country For Old Men." For others, the emphasis is on looking cool, perhaps by giving the pastor a metrosexual makeover, with skinny jeans and an $80 haircut, or by insisting on trendy eco-friendly paper and helvetica-only fonts on all printed materials. Then there is the option of holding a worship service in a bar or nightclub (as is the case for L.A.'s Mosaic church, whose downtown location meets at a nightspot called Club Mayan).
"Wannabe cool" Christianity also manifests itself as an obsession with being on the technological cutting edge. Churches like Central Christian in Las Vegas and Liquid Church in New Brunswick, N.J., for example, have online church services where people can have a worship experience at an "iCampus." Many other churches now encourage texting, Twitter and iPhone interaction with the pastor during their services.
But one of the most popular—and arguably most unseemly—methods of making Christianity hip is to make it shocking. What better way to appeal to younger generations than to push the envelope and go where no fundamentalist has gone before?
Sex is a popular shock tactic. Evangelical-authored books like "Sex God" (by Rob Bell) and "Real Sex" (by Lauren Winner) are par for the course these days. At the same time, many churches are finding creative ways to use sex-themed marketing gimmicks to lure people into church.
Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville, Georgia, created a website called yourgreatsexlife.com to pique the interest of young seekers. Flamingo Road Church in Florida created an online, anonymous confessional (IveScrewedUp.com), and had a web series called MyNakedPastor.com, which featured a 24/7 webcam showing five weeks in the life of the pastor, Troy Gramling. Then there is Mark Driscoll at Seattle's Mars Hill Church—who posts Q&A videos online, from services where he answers questions from people in church, on topics such as "Biblical Oral Sex" and "Pleasuring Your Spouse."
But are these gimmicks really going to bring young people back to church? Is this what people really come to church for? Maybe sex sermons and indie- rock worship music do help in getting people in the door, and maybe even in winning new converts. But what sort of Christianity are they being converted to?
In his book, "The Courage to Be Protestant," David Wells writes:"The born-again, marketing church has calculated that unless it makes deep, serious cultural adaptations, it will go out of business, especially with the younger generations. What it has not considered carefully enough is that it may well be putting itself out of business with God.
"And the further irony," he adds, "is that the younger generations who are less impressed by whiz-bang technology, who often see through what is slick and glitzy, and who have been on the receiving end of enough marketing to nauseate them, are as likely to walk away from these oh-so-relevant churches as to walk into them."
If the evangelical Christian leadership thinks that "cool Christianity" is a sustainable path forward, they are severely mistaken. As a twentysomething, I can say with confidence that when it comes to church, we don't want cool as much as we want real.
If we are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because it's easy or trendy or popular. It's because Jesus himself is appealing, and what he says rings true. It's because the world we inhabit is utterly phony, ephemeral, narcissistic, image-obsessed and sex-drenched—and we want an alternative. It's not because we want more of the same.
Corrections & Amplifications
Pastor Mark Driscoll at Seattle's Mars Hill Church has talked about sexual topics in church services but says he has not delivered sermons with sex-themed titles. An earlier version of this column mistakenly used the word sermon.
Mr. McCracken's book, "Hipster Christianity: Where Church and Cool Collide" (Baker Books) was published this month.

Is it ok to be angry at God?

Jonah 4:1-3 Jonah’s complaint to God

Intro…VIDEO The Fray, "You found me"
• Is it ok to get angry at God?
• Most of us have had plenty of opportunities in our lives to be mad at God.
• Life doesn’t always go as we have planned it. In fact, there is often more to be confused about and even angry at in life then the things that make sense.
• Sometimes life just stinks.

Big Picture: The bible tells us to not let the sun go down on our anger. That applies to human relationship as well as our relationship to God.

• Yet anger is a God given human emotion.
• Ephesians 4:26-27
• Being a Christian is no guarantee of a happy life.
• I do believe God wants us to express all our emotions to him.
• It’s not like he doesn’t know what’s going on anyways…

Text: Jonah 4:1-3

v. 1 Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry (with God).
• Did Jonah have a right to be angry at God? (Yes and No…)
• It really comes down to Jonah’s immaturity and disobedience.
• Jonah was selfish, looking out for his own interests.
• He still hated the Ninevites. That’s something he needed to deal with.
• Jonah was like many of the Jews that did not want to share God’s message with Gentile nations.
• They had forgotten their original purpose as a nation, to be a blessing to the rest of the world. (Gen. 22:18)

It’s actually Biblical to be honest before God. Let’s look at a few examples.
• Psalm 13:1-6, 35:17-18, 42:9-11

So let’s say you are plenty mad at God for whatever reason. What to do?
• Read the Pslams…
• Many of the Psalms offer brutal honesty before God.
• When you are full of emotions, that is a great time to read the Psalms. You’ll relate to the lows and the highs of human emotion.
• We don’t want to make the mistake as Christians to fake it like everything is ok, just because we “trust in Jesus.”
• We DO trust in Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we won’t feel some pain and confusion as we go through life.
• It is better to get it all out and let God help us work through our feelings and learn how to deal with the problem.
• Confession is good for the soul…even when the confession is expressed in anger towards God.

v. 2 Jonah is again wrestling with God, just like he did at the beginning of the story.
• He ran from God out of disobedience, but also because he didn’t want to see God save his enemies.
• How could God save such a wicked people? Yet, that’s exactly what God specializes in…
• It’s like Johan doesn’t even realize what he’s saying here, “I know that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”
• Just because we may be mad at God, it doesn’t mean we need to abandon our relationship with him and forget all that we know about him.
• Think about those in your family, close friends etc. You disagree, fight and even get angry with them, right?
• Yet, you usually work it out and come back together.

v. 3 O Lord, take away my life.
• Jonah had run from the job of delivering God’s message of destruction to Nineveh, then he wanted to die because the destruction didn’t happen.
• O how quickly Jonah had forgotten God’s mercy for him when he was in the fish.
• Jonah may have been expressing the reality of breaking his vow in 2:9.
• In essence he’s saying, “I’d rather die than comply with your will.”
• Oh…that is a dangerous place to be.
• If we ever get to the point where we are fighting with God so much that we’d rather die than follow his will, we are in serious trouble.
• Being real with God, even angry at him can actually deepen your relationship with him.
• God is not obligated to give us anything, much less what we desire. We’re all sinners and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), so they only thing we deserve from God – what our works merit – is death and judgment.
• That we don’t receive this from God is a testament to his abundant grace.
• Continual anger at God reflects an extreme lack of gratitude for what he has done.
• Yes, I know some of life’s situations seem dire, but once you’ve worked through the grieving process, there is much to be thankful for.

Conclusion:
• Jonah was angry because his will did not prevail; rather, God’s will did.
• Yes it’s ok to be angry at God initially, but not to stay angry.
• We need to come back to human relationships.
• In the same way that you don’t want to hold a grudge against someone, you should only be angry at God for a certain period of time.
• Otherwise you continually break that fellowship with God
• Job 19, 42:1-6

Of the 7 deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back--in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.
Frederick Buechner,


































I found God On the corner of First and Amistad
I said, "Where you been?" He said, "Ask anything".

[Verse 2]
Where were you When everything was falling apart?
All my days Were spent by the telephone
That never rang And all I needed was a call
That never came To the corner of First and Amistad

[Chorus 1]
Lost and insecure You found me, you found me
Lyin' on the floor Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait? Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late You found me, you found me

[Verse 3]
In the end Everyone ends up alone
Losing her The only one who's ever known


I've been callin' For years and years and years and years
And you never left me no messages Ya never send me no letters
You got some kinda nerve Taking all I want


Surrounded, surrounded Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?

Just a little late You found me, you found me
Why'd you have to wait? To find me, to find me

Big Wednesday 2010

This is the annual "Big Wednesday, skip work and surf day" that our VW club puts on every August. People have stood by this shack at San Onofre and had their picture taken since at least the 1940's. Always nice to be a part of surfing lore.

Contrite before God Jonah 3:4-10

Contrite before God Jonah 3:4-10

Four preachers met for a friendly gathering. During the conversation one preacher said, "Our people come to us and pour out their hears, confess certain sins and needs. Let's do the same. Confession is good for the soul." In due time all agreed. One confessed he liked to go to movies and would sneak off when away from his church. The second confessed to liking to smoke cigars and the third one confessed to liking to play cards. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn't confess. The others pressed him saying, "Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?" Finally he answered, "It is gossiping and I can hardly wait to get out of here."

Big Picture: Who knows, God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.
Text: Jonah 3:4-10

3:4 God’s message of repentance is for everyone.
• In this case the message was; “Repent and turn to God within 40 days or you will be overturned.”
• God wanted the Ninevites to repent and turn to him.
• Jonah still hated them and was a reluctant prophet (as we’ll see next week in chapter 4).
• Yes, Jonah finally obeyed God but he still need to repent of his hatred toward the Ninevites.
• We tend to think of Jonah as this great prophet who helped bring the Ninevites to repentance.
• Actually, Jonah had plenty to repent of even after he was thrown off the ship, swallowed by a large fish and spit out onto dry land.
• God needed to get his attention…continually!
• As a result, the wholesale repentance of the Ninevites was a miraculous work of God, not Jonah.
• “Pagan sailors and a pagan city responded to the reluctant prophet, showing the power of God in spite of His servant’s weakness.”
• At times we think “Oh that person will never come to Jesus.” Or,
“Those people are so wild, they are going to party all the way to Hell.”
• God’s message of repentance and the need for a savior is for everyone. No one is beyond his grasp.

3: 5-6 The response of the Ninevites serves as a great example for us today.
• They listened to God, changed their ways and took His message seriously.
• The repentance of the Ninevites stood in stark contrast to Israel’s stubbornness.
• The people of Israel had heard many messages from the prophets, but they refused to repent.
• The people of Nineveh only needed to hear God’s message once.
• Matthew 12:39-41

As a sign of obedience to God, the people of Nineveh declared a fast, put on sackcloth, sat down in the dust and ashes.
• Fasting
- Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food.
- Instead, the purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God.

- Distress and Grief. David fasted as a sign of grief when Abner was murdered (2 Samuel 3:35). There was a seven-day fast at the death of Saul (1 Samuel 31:13).

- Spiritual Preparation. Fasting is a self-sacrifice that makes one humble and more accepting of God's will. Moses fasted for forty days in preparation for receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). Daniel fasted for three weeks before receiving his vision (Daniel 10:2-6). Elijah fasted forty days before speaking with God (1 Kings 19:8). Jesus fasted for forty days in preparation for His temptation by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13).

- Repentance and Atonement. When Jonah predicted the downfall of Nineveh, The Ninevites fasted as a sign of repentance in hopes God would spare their city (Jonah 3:3-9). The Day of Atonement was an annual obligatory day of rest and fasting for the Israelites (Numbers 29:7). When the Israelites had sinned, they often humbled themselves and fasted in hopes of regaining God's favor (Judges 20:26, 1 Samuel 7:6).

Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him.
- Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.
- Anything given up temporarily in order to focus all our attention on God can be considered a fast.
- What are some things you could fast from in your life to better focus on God?
- 2 Corinthians 7:1

• Sackcloth and ashes (Job)
- A symbol of sorrow and repentance,
- It was a course, dark cloth unfit for normal wear, think burlap sack. Made of coarse black goat's hair. Rev. 6:12
• Sitting down in the dust
- A sign of helplessness and despair.
- Job 2:8, 42:6, Esther 4:1, Micah 1:10

v. 7 There was such a need for repentance that the King made an official decree:
• He traded his royal robes for sackcloth and ashes.
• No eating or drinking (fasting)
• Man and animal covered in sackcloth
• Everyone call urgently on God, give up their evil and violent ways.
• And then, who knows, God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.
• This is called a holy fear or respect for God.
• “Correct me Lord, but only with justice, not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing.” Jeremiah 10:24

v. 10 Sure enough, God saw their seriousness, how they turned from their evil ways and he then had compassion.
• He didn’t bring upon them the destruction (they deserved) and he had threatened.
• God responded in mercy.
• God can respond either way though, when it comes to our wickedness and disobedience.
• He can just as easy go ahead with his planned destruction…and we never want to forget that.
• Jeremiah 18:7-8

Conclusion:
• In verse 4, The Hebrew word for overturned (hawfak) could be taken two ways: destroyed or turned around (brought to repentance).
• God still has the ability to either flip our lives upside down (overturn) or bring us to full repentance.
• The question is, “How do we respond when we know God is asking us to change?”
• All of Nineveh was converted despite Jonah’s reluctant, half-hearted preaching.
• Psalm 106:43-45

Communion intro…

Second chances Jonah 3:1-3

Jonah 3:1-3
Intro…The tree fall, God giving me a “second chance”
• I’m sure many of you have had “second chance” experiences in your lives.

Big Picture: God, in his grace and mercy will give us a second chance when it come to following His calling for our lives. However, let’s not let it get to that point.

Text: Jonah 3:1-3

v. 1 And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time…
• Jonah had run away from God, but is now given a second chance to participate in God’s work.
• I’m sure there are times we feel disqualified for God’s work for whatever reason…. ”O, God could never use me.” Past mistakes etc.
• God is all about forgiveness, redemption, mercy, second chances.
• And the thing is, we all need those second chances many times throughout our lives.
• None of us are really qualified to be on mission for God…yet all of us are qualified.
• God specializes in using fallible humans to get his work done…and Jonah is a prime example.
• Serving God is not an earned position, we are privileged and blessed to be used by God.
• There is nothing we can do to earn his favor.
• God gives us all second chances to hear his voice and respond.
• God was gracious in giving Jonah a second chance.
Jonah is the only prophet actually sent by God to preach repentance in a foreign land.
• It was over 500 miles from Joppa to Nineveh.
• There are so many great missions that God wants us to be a part of.
• What is God calling you to do? Are you on your second call from God?

v. 2 Go to (Nineveh) and proclaim the message I give you.
• Jonah was told by God to speak a message of doom to one of the most powerful cities in the world.
• This certainly wasn’t an easy thing to do, but bringing God’s message cannot be hampered by social pressures or fear of people.
• The girl Zach meet at orientation last week, sharing her faith...
• We are called to preach the message of God’s truth no matter how unpopular it may be.
• Where is God calling you to go preach the message?
• God will give us the words to speak…
• Matthew 10:19-20, Luke 12:11, 21:14-15

v. 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord…
• Such an important group of words.
• Our lives would be so much easier if we would just do that.
• When God calls us on a mission, the task or journey doesn’t always make sense.
• VIDEO “We’re on a mission from God.”
• I know that’s a silly video, but as we understand God’s calling on our lives, it’s with a sense of mission that we too are sent out.
• If you remember from that movie, nothing was going to stop Jake and Elwood Blues from delivering the money.
Jonah ran from God the first time around because he hated the Assyrians and Ninevites…
• However, God is persistent…God got his man in Jonah.
• God will “get” us to. It’s just a matter of how much we’ll resist him initially.

v. 3 Now Nineveh was an very important city…
• Every city is important to God. Why? Because cities are full of people!
• God knew the wicked people on Nineveh needed him.
• God knows the wicked people of Encinitas need him.
• Let’s pray that God will use our church to bring people to him.
• God also loves all of San Diego.
• CityFest Sept. 11th…VIDEO

• The reason it took Jonah three days to cover Nineveh…it was about 60 miles around, 175,000 people.
• Unfortunately, the Ninevites repentance was temporary.
• They eventually reverted to their wicked ways and were overthrown in 612 BC.
• However, We serve an extravagant God who is interested a people who don’t retain their repentance.
• This story reminds us that God cares about us enough to turn our hearts to him.
• The story of Jonah is an amazing reminder of the love that God has for his creation and his radical willingness to seek out the most distant, rebellious people and restore them to His grace.

Conclusion:
Watching a trapeze show is breathtaking. We wonder at the dexterity and timing. We gasp at near-misses. In most cases, there is a net underneath. When they fall, they jump up and bounce back to the trapeze. In Christ, we live on the trapeze. The whole world should be able to watch and say, "Look how they live, how they love one another. Look how well the husbands treat their wives. And aren't they the best workers in the factories and offices, the best neighbors, the best students?" That is to live on the trapeze, being a show to the world. What happens when we slip? The net is surely there. The blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, has provided forgiveness for ALL our trespasses. Both the net and the ability to stay on the trapeze are works of God's grace. Of course, we cannot be continually sleeping on the net., If that is the case, I doubt whether that person is a trapezist.

A pattern for prayer

A pattern for prayer
Jonah 2

Intro…"Life is work, play and prayer. Prayer, once you get past the crying, asking and begging... is listening." Jock Southerland
• Prayer is an important part of our lives…even for those who don’t pray… “Man, I really hope this works out…”
• This Bible gives us some great examples of what the pattern should be for our prayer life.
• Today we’ll look at the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, the 23rd Psalm and Jonah 2.

Big Pic: Prayer is all of who we are and is an elevation of the soul that can dispense with speech.

Text: Jonah 2

The Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:9-13 (read together)
Hallowed be your name.
• (Holy, consecrated, sacred, revered) Giving God his due, his rightful place.

Your kingdom come, your will be done.
• Trusting God for his outcome

Give us this day, our daily bread.
• Asking God for the basics, after we’ve revered him and trusting him for the outcome.
• We usually get this backwards… ”God I need ___________!”

Forgive us our debts…
• Asking God to forgive us as we learn to forgive others.

Lead us not into temptation…
• Keep us out of Satan’s path.

The 23rd Psalm (read together)
• (actually a song, sung or quoted in times of need)
• This song/prayer is a reminder of God’s goodness and provision.
1-2 God is our shepherd, leading, guiding providing, “green pastures and quiet waters.”
3 He will restores our souls and lead us in the paths of righteousness…if we let him.
4 We know that the hard times will come, yet God is with us.
5 God provides all we need.
6 As we continue to trust God, goodness, love and mercy will follow us

Back to our prayer for today, Jonah 2 (there is good theology in this prayer)
2 In our distress we want to call out to God, not doubt his presence
3 Recognizing God’s involvement in this process of learning. Yes, God can hurl us wherever he wants to. “Your waves and breakers swept over me.”
4 At times we feel like we’ve been banished from God’s site because of our sin, yet that’s exactly when we need to look towards him.
5 The engulfing waters of life do often feel threatening. At times it does feel like we’re sinking to the roots of the mountains, barred in forever.
6-7 When we can recognize our helpless state and call on God, that’s when we get rescued. “You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God.”
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
9 Instead, with a song of thanksgiving, a sacrifice to God, making good on your vows to God…salvation comes from the Lord.

And finally Jonah’s ordeal inside the big fish ends…v. 10

What to learn from these prayers?
• It’s not about us, it’s about listening and trusting God.
• Prayer is about spilling your guts before God, being honest.
• There is so much more to recognize than our need.
• God is to be revered, we want his will to be done, he will supply our basic needs, we need forgiveness.
• God is our shepherd leading and guiding every step of the way, through all of life’s journeys.

When we pray, remember:
The love of God that wants the best for us
The wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.
The power of God that can accomplish it.
William Barclay

The ideal prayer is asking for God’s will to be done. “Oh God, please show me your plan…”

Daniel 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting.

Conclusion:
The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. C.S. Lewis

Summer fun

We are officially breaking all the rules that came with this pool. And yes, that's me throwing my four year old into the pool from the roof. I wanted to make sure he made it all the way in, safety first!

Wresting with God, Jonah 1:1-3

Wrestling with God, a study of Jonah

Intro…Jonah and the “whale” What thoughts go through your mind when you hear this story?
• It is a fantastic story, one that takes faith to believe.
• Today I’m going to introduce this book/story of the bible
• I’m going to call this study of Jonah, “Wrestling with God, a study of Jonah.”
• I believe there is some of Jonah in all of us.
• We tend to run from God at different times in our lives.
• Jonah ran from God, was saved by God, and then got angry at God, a pattern many of us tend to repeat over and over…
• I believe there are lots of great life lessons in this OT book.
• The bigger picture in this story of Jonah is God’s love for all people, even those people we despise and don’t want to be around.

Text: Jonah 1:1-2 Prayer
Big Picture: When God tells us things we don’t want to hear, we need to fight the urge to run from Him.

Intro to the book (good stuff to know)
• It’s tempting to look at this story as an allegory (a symbolic representation) because it’s so crazy.
• …that this book was written about 430 B.C. to counter the exclusivism of Ezra and Nehemiah…
• In this view, Jonah represents disobedient Israel; the sea represents the Gentiles, the great fish, Babylon; and the three days in the fish’s belly, the Babylonian captivity of the Jews.

HOWEVER…according to 2 Kings 14:23-25, Jonah was not only a real person, but an accredited prophet from a town near Nazareth.
• During the reign of Adad-nirari III, there was a swing towards monotheism, which may have been a result of Jonah’s preaching.
• The plague of 765, the eclipse of the sun in 763 and a second plague in 759 were events regarded as evidence of divine judgment and could have prepared the people to receive Jonah’s message.
• The story of Jonah is one big miracle, a story of God’s calling, man’s running, God’s provision and man’s rebellion/complaining/anger.
• It’s a pattern we’ve seen repeated throughout history.
• This book was written about 760 B.C.

Jesus mentions Jonah in Matthew 12:38-41, 16:4, Luke 11:29-32

Jonah was a proud, self-centered egotist, willful, pouting, jealous, a good patriot and lover of Israel, but without proper respect for God or love for his enemies (the Assyrians in Nineveh).
• He’s the kind of guy who needed a big wake-up call from God and got one in this fantastic story.
• God asked Jonah to take the gospel to his worst enemies and his initial reaction was to flee.

The purpose of this book is primarily to teach us that God’s gracious purposes are not limited to Israel, but extended to the Gentile world.
• Jonah was prejudice towards the Ninevites (he favored his own people, the Israelites).
• He balked at God when God asked him to love these “heathen” Assyrians.
• Nineveh was a large important city in Assyria and posed a grave military threat to tiny Israel.
• Why did Jonah hate the Ninevites in Assyria?
• The book of Nahum gives us a clue. It describes the Ninevites as a ruthless and bloodthirsty people.
• The Assyrians themselves left monuments to their cruelty, long, boastful inscriptions describing their torture and slaughter of people who opposed them.
• The Israelites had reasons to fear and hate Nineveh…but God love Nineveh.
• He wanted to save the city, not destroy it. He knew it was ripe for change.
• God had a great love for the Ninevites, as he does for all people on the planet.
• The ready response of the Ninevites shows that “heathens” are capable of genuine repentance.
• Even through Jonah’s weak preaching, the people of Nineveh responded to God’s call and were spared.
• In the end, God confronts Jonah about his self-centered values and lack of compassion: 4:11…
• I know it’s a crazy story that is hard to believe…(esp. the whale part)
• but to discredit it does not do justice to the fact that Jesus held to its historicity….
• and that our God is capable of pulling something off as big as this.

So, getting back to our text: Jonah 1:1-2
• When we run from God, we are running from his greater purposes which we can’t always see.
• God always has a bigger plan than our limited view offers.
• God will do whatever it takes to get our attention.
• The bigger story in Jonah is about obeying God and loving our enemies.
• God loves every single person on this planet regardless of race.
• The story of Jonah is the story of God’s profound mercy and grace for us humans that tend to run away and disobey Him.
• This is the story of God’s love and compassion and that no one is beyond redemption.
• The gospel is for all who repent and believe.
• God is asking you and I to pray for those we don’t like, people we don’t want to talk to.

Wrestling with God, Jonah 1:4-11

Wrestling with God, a study of Jonah
Jonah 1: 4-11

Intro…Friday’s wedding…told Groom to be a leader, bride cries…
• Why it’s so devastating when our spiritual leaders fall…
• How our running from God can affect others…those close to us, in our family, even strangers in Jonah’s case.
• Jonah was called by God for a specific task…
• He ran from God and it affected others.
• We are all called by God for specific tasks too…

Big Picture: Jonah’s disobedience to God endangered the lives of the ship’s crew. Our sin and disobedience can affect others too.

Text: Jonah 1: 4-11

How God gets our attention
• v. 4 The Lord sent a great wind…a violent storm.
• Jonah’s flight to Tarshish (the opposite direction of Nineveh) marked the beginning of a serious theological argument with God.
• God had clearly commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against the wickedness there.
• Jonah may have believed that God could save the archenemy of the Israelites, but deep down, he couldn’t fully agree.
• God is sovereign, in control of life, nature and circumstances.
• God will use whatever he needs to in order to get our attention.
• If we don’t listen to God, we may end up taking others down with us (initially).


v. 5 The sailors reacted in typical human fashion, the each cried out to their own god.
• What are some of the “gods” people cry out today before they find the one true God? (things that offer security)
• These poor sailors weren’t looking for trouble. They had set out for a routine trip.
• Yet their lives were imminently threatened. These were sailors, used to storms and even they were afraid.
• Although they may have initially turned to their gods, they eventually turned to the one true God (1:16).
• This is a great example of how God can turn our mistakes into good. God used Jonah on that boat to bring those sailors to him.
• This story reminds us that in spite of our sinfulness and disobedience to God, God still brings people to himself.
• God doesn’t need us to save people, however when we are not sinful and obedient, sometimes we have the privilege of being part of the process when someone comes to Jesus.

v. 5 Jonah is in denial, sleeping below deck.
• Even as he ran from God, apparently his actions didn’t bother his conscience. (this is a dangerous place to be)
• The absence of guilt is not a good indicator as to whether we are doing right or wrong.
• Because we can so easily deny reality, we cannot measure obedience by our feelings. (the train diagram)
• Jonah evidently doesn’t even realize the effect his disobedience to God is having on others.
• Sin is a selfish act and when we are selfish, we aren’t thinking of others.

v. 7 God orchestrates Jonah’s next move.
• Lots were cast, they fell on Jonah.
• Casting lots was a common form of divination used by pagans and Hebrews alike.
• They would mix small stones in a container and then pull one out. (Lev. 16:8, Joshua 18:6, 1 Sam. 14:42, Neh. 10:34, Acts 1:23-26)
• The crew thought they were relying on chance and superstition to give them the answer. In reality, God directly intervened.
• “Coincidences’ are situations in which God chose to remain anonymous.”
• God is always working his ways even when we are messing up.
Jonah finally fesses up as to his real identity and invites God into the situation.
• “I am a “Hebrew,” the name Israelites used among Gentiles.
• These sailors were most likely from Phoenicia, the center of Baal worship.
• The title “Hebrew” bears significant weight, especially when coupled with the phrase, “He who made the sea and dry land.”
• Since these pagan sailors didn’t have scripture, this was an appropriate identification for Jonah.
• This terrifying storm led these Sailors to recognize that there had to be a creator. Rom. 1:18-20
• Beginning with creation is a always a good starting point when talking to skeptics….”OK, how did we all get here?”
• That is such a wise move for Jonah and all of us. We need to come back to what we know is right.
• v. 10 They were terrified at his answer because they now recognized exactly what they were dealing with.

Today is a wake-up call for all of us. We may think our sinful habits are only between ourselves and God, but in reality, those sins affect many more people than we realize.

So even though Jonah tried to mess up God’s plan, God used him to bring the other sailors to Himself.
Jonah and the Sailors
Jonah
He was a Hebrew with a rich history of God’s faithfulness
Sailors
They were gentiles with no history of God
Jonah
He was monotheistic, believing in the one true God
Sailors
They were polytheistic, worshipping many false gods.
Jonah
He was rightly related to the true God
Sailors
They had no relationship with the true God
Jonah
He was spiritually insensitive, running in the wrong direction from God
Sailors
They were spiritually sensitive, moving in the right direction toward God.
Jonah
He was indifferent towards God’s will in spite of knowing Him.
Sailors
They were concerned before God in spite of little or no knowledge of Him.
Jonah
He was uncompassionate towards Nineveh.
Sailors
They were compassionate towards Jonah
Jonah
He was rebellious and therefore disciple, but not destroyed.
Sailors
They were brought to worship and commitment.
(Nelson’s complete book of the Bible, 1993 Thomas Nelson)

Conclusion: Lives ruined by disobedience to God