New Ideas

I'm reading a book titled "The Complete Book of Discipleship", by Bill Hull. So far the book has been a very interest read and I love how he has gone back in history to see 'discipleship' has grown and evolved over the years. Being a history buff or a 'context' guy, the more I understand the past of something the better I grasp the concepts presented. He is a new idea I read. A young pastor looking at the church he was part of realized it needed a boost. It needed a new breath of life, it had grown cold and lacked zeal. So here is what he came up with:

• To encourage a more extensive use of the Word of God, it should be read and discussed in the collegia pietatis or small group.
  
• To encourage members to read the Scripture privately.
  
• To read books of the Bible from start to finish so they could be understood the way they were written.
  
• To conduct one's small group much like the Scripture instructed in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.
  
• To minister to one another as believer-priest.
  
• To hold each other accountable to live out the truth of God's Word with integrity.
  
• To help each other keep their commitments to God.
  
• To conduct themselves well, even among those they disagreed with.
  

This young pastor name is Philip Spener and he lived from 1635-1705. He helped bring about reform in the Lutheran Church which after a hundred years after Luther, which had grown in orthodoxy, cold, detached, in need of resuscitation. You see there isn't anything new, Solomon was right. This list is still needed today.

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Sermon: A Changed Heart Mark 7:1-23

We have finished our VBS and what a challenging week it has been. We learned about “God’s unshakeable truth”. The motto for the week was ‘know the truth, speak the truth, and live the truth”. The kids learned it was important to know the truth, but it was also important to speak it and to live it.

It’s not enough to know the truth, there has to be action behind the truth. Truth needs to be played out in front of the world around us. Truth needs to seen and heard. But the only way that can happen is by having a changed heart. Let’s read Mark 7:1-23

Jesus has just feed the five thousand; he has healed the sick, walked on water, and set the captives free. People are talking about him everywhere and he has gained the attention of the religious leaders of his day. In fact we see they have sent out a party ‘to check things out’. The first thing the leaders observe is the disciples not washing their hands before eating. In Jesus’ day, there was an elaborate ceremony before eating.

These Jewish rituals where performed before each meal. Devout Jews would perform a short ceremony, washing their hands and arms in a specific way. The disciples did not have dirty hands, but they were simply not carrying out this traditional cleansing. Jesus understood exactly what they where accusing him of and it was not following tradition. The cleansing wasn’t in scripture it was tradition. So Jesus uncovers this entire line of thought and he challenges them on this because he knew where their hearts were, their hearts were in the traditions they followed and not in God.

Jesus accuses them of hypocrisy in v.7. They are saying they worship God, but in fact they are worshiping rules made by men. Hypocrisy can be defined as pretending to be something you are not and have no intention of being. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they worshiped God for the wrong reasons. Their worship was not motivated by love but by a desire to attain profit, to appear holy, and to increase their status.

We can become hypocrites when we pay more attention to reputation than to character, or carefully follow certain religious practices while allowing our hearts to remain distant from God, and lastly anytime we over emphasize others' sins, by emphasizing our own “virtues”.
In fact the Pharisee’s and zealot religious followers had used the excuse of giving to God to get out of their obligation to care for their own parents. They thought it was more important to put money in the Temple treasury than to help their needy mothers and fathers!

Jesus is identifying the real problem; the Pharisees and religious leaders had a ‘heart condition’. It’s not what goes into a man that makes him unclean, but what come out from his heart that makes him unclean, v.20-21.

Today

Looking at this passage I think it is easy to see, even today the church has a ‘heart condition.’ We have become so locked on to our traditions, our ‘Christian Culture” we have lost our ability to influence the culture around us. It has become ‘good enough’ to listen to Christian radio, go to a Christian bookstore, and attend church once a week. But slowly our hearts have changed. Christians no longer influence our culture because we know the truth, but we don’t speak the truth and we don’t live truth.

Because of this we have slowly watched our freedoms slip away. 36% of evangelicals think ‘homosexuality’ is alright and the number is much higher in other Christian denominations. This week we will celebrate our “Independence Day”, when we as a nation fought off the shackles of religious oppression, taxation without representation. We fought for the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, for the right to govern ourselves…without government dictating what we were to believe.

Yet today those very ideals are being threatened. This week I attended a meeting of local pastors in a conference call. All over the state of California pastors gathered in conference rooms to hear about the threat to traditional marriage. See this threat is more than a man marring a man, or women marring another woman. It’s about telling you what you are to accept as normal. It’s about telling you what is acceptable in church and what is not.

What are we to do?

I believe it all starts with our hearts, before we can start to influence our culture, our
friends and our families, we need a change of heart. Jesus says this in verse 21-23 “For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man "unclean.” Yet these are the very things are being reflected in churches today. We need to repent as Christians and start to live the way Christ intended us to live. We need to repent of not setting the example in marriage, we need to repent of pornography in our homes, we need to repent of greed and materialism, we need to repent of arrogance. The list is right in front of us, we need to start living the truth.

Freedom

Freedom isn’t free, it has a price. It is a price as Americans we are familiar with. We have watched generation after generations give their sons and daughters for the freedom of others. Our faith is not different, you where bought with a price. Christ gave his life for you; Christ lived and died, so that you might live. Christ came to heal the “broken hearted”, He wants to fix our heart condition. It starts with putting our faith in Him, trusting him to remove our sin. It starts by trusting him to come into our hearts and to change us from the inside out. Freedom start with Christ in us, freedom comes from Christ changing us, freedom come from the spirit living through us in our lives.

Do you want to change to world? Do you want to see culture change, start by allowing Christ to live through you. Galatians 2:20 says this “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

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Who is He?

"Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—He is the King of glory

The psalmist had to answer this question at the end of Psalm 24. This after explaining how God is sovereign over all things, nothing exist without God. He created everything; everything was made by Him and through Him. So if God is who he says He is, where do you stand? Let's think about this for just a moment, what you believe about who God is will greatly impact your life. Because if you believe God is sovereign over all things, then it would be logical to submit to His will and not our own. But here is the rub, many of us say we believe but our live in no way reflect that belief.

I hear a lot about changing culture around us. I think about same sex marriage, abortion, materialism, individualism, and host of other "isms". How are we to change the growing tide of culture that is so set against Biblical truth? I think it starts with what you believe about God himself. Many of us in the Christian faith have abandoned the timeless practice of reading scripture on a regular basis, we have abandoned prayer and we have abandoned discipleship. As a pastor I see the results of this negligent in the everyday life of the church. It is becoming harder and harder to find people who are committed to the basic principles of our faith. With this said I do feel and incredible burden to teach people the truth and it starts with me setting the example. I firmly believe this and have to work harder at the basics. I struggle too with reading daily, praying daily.

Today I was convicted preaching a message for VBS (Vacation Bible School). It was a message provided by "Lifeway", the publisher who provides the material. The message was simply "Living God's Unshakeable Truth". I realized while preaching, I have been slacking. So tonight I spent the better part of three hours just reading the Bible. I have to tell you it stirred me, the scripture is so important to our lives and yet it seems we are so quick to move to other distractions. In the world around us there are hundreds of things to keep us busy. I can't help but to think of C.S. Lewis' book "The Screwtape Letters". In it you have a young demon writing his uncle Wormwood for advice about the man he has been assigned. In it the uncle tells the young apprentice to keep the man 'distracted', getting him playing cards, anything but learning more about the God he had surrendered to. I can almost hear the laughter from below as we hurry our busy lives to the beat of distraction.

So what is the point of this entry? I suppose it's simple, stop and take time to reacquaint yourself with "The Lord Almighty—the King of glory". Take a moment to give Him thanks for all he has done in your life.

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Sermon: Jesus is Watching Mark 6:45-52

Three boys are at school bragging of how great their fathers are. The first one says, "Well, my father runs the fastest. He can fire an arrow, and start to run. I tell you, he gets there before the arrow." The second one says, "Ha! You think that's fast! My father is a hunter. He can shoot his gun and be there before the bullet." The third one listens to the other two and shakes his head. He then says, "You two know nothing about fast. My father works for the city. He stops working at 4:30 and he is home by 3:45!

This morning we are looking are still in the Gospel of Mark and we are going to look at Jesus and the disciples. Mark 6:45-52 this is a rich passage. Jesus tells the disciples to go to the other side of the lake. He turns and dismisses the crowd himself. He then goes up the mountainside overlooking the lake and prays. Looking down he is watching the disciples, they are struggling. The wind has come up which was common on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus prays and watches until the fourth watch which would have been between 3AM and 6AM. He then walks out to them. They disciples struggling to row the boat, they are battling the wind, see Jesus walking on the water and they are terrified.

They Jesus walking on the water and they think he is a ghost, they cried out and Jesus has to speak to them to calm them. “Take courage! He yells, It is I. Don’t be afraid.” He then climbs into the boat and the winds die down and the disciples can’t believe their eyes. They are completely amazed at what Jesus has done. Yet they still didn’t understand. Four things we want to take from this the first being.

Jesus on the Mountainside

I love the imagery here, you can see Jesus talking to the disciple and then turning dismissing the crowd. He goes up on the mountain side and prays all the while he is watching the disciples. He sees them struggling and he prays. It give meaning to Romans 8:34 (NIV) “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

Two things I take from this. Jesus took the time to pray, prayer was important to him. He’s had a long day, he just feed over five thousand people, he must have been tired, but prayer was necessary for him. We need to develop the same attitude. When you have a long day what is it you do to ‘unwind’? Do you come home sit on the couch with the remote and maybe a beverage you like? I beat though it’s not go and pray. Think of the difference in your life if you spent some of your time praying for the day. Jesus was watching the disciples and praying for them I’m sure. We need to watch over our families and pray from them also. What a great Fathers Day idea. We need to pray for our children, our spouses, our homes, our finances, our lives.

Jesus on the Water

Jesus decides to go out to the disciples, so he walks out to them. Jesus is walking on the water and as he approaches the boat scripture says “He was about to pass by them”. I really struggled with this part of the verse, why it was in there. He sees them struggling and it looks as if he is going to walk right past them. There are two thoughts here. First it is written from the perspective of the disciples. From the disciples view it looked as if Jesus was going to pass them by. How many times does it feel like in the middle of our struggles, Jesus is passing us by? The second thought is he was ‘making himself visible’ to the disciples. He was encouraging them.

In the Old Testament, God told Moses in Exodus 33:19 “the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence” Moses drew strength from the presence of the Lord. Jesus may have been trying to do the same thing. He wanted to encourage them in the mist of their trouble. But notice he doesn’t stop the struggle.

Jesus during the Struggle

Jesus watches them and tries to encourage them, but doesn’t remove the struggle. It is only when the disciples panic thinking he is a ghost, does he step in. Tanner Bixler was recently in the Sacramento Bee telling about his climb up to the top of Mount Everest, the highest point on earth. Mount Everest stands at 29,035 feet high. He spent months in training for the climb. Running stairs with a backpack loaded with books. At the foot of the mountain he spent two months practicing the climb, before the actual one. When he got to the high camp right before the summit attempt he was exhausted. He had seven hours to rest in the death zone before they would move. He went to his tent and started to eat and drink water although he had no appetite. He began the final climb in the dark using headlamps. Bixler’s oxygen apparatus froze up, slowing him down and making him even colder. The wind picked up and his face mask iced up to the point he could hardly see. When he blinked his eyelids would freeze shut. His toes, fingers nose and ears where totally numb. One of the experienced guides fixed his oxygen and gave him a new hat. He had frost bite on his ears and face. At 7:30 a.m. May 24, Bixler reached the top. He stayed for ten minutes and had his picture taken.

I see this story and think about the guide, just when he felt he couldn’t go on the guide did just enough to get him over the top. He fixed his oxygen and gave him a new hat. I think in life Jesus does the same thing for us. He does take away the struggle but he does just enough to get us to the top. I think we need to struggle, we need the challenge. What would be the value of life if everything came easy? Our faith is no different, Christianity is easy, and living your faith isn’t easy. It’s not meant to be, but you can’t give up. You can never grow to maturity if you don’t work at it. That is why Paul use the pictures of farmers, athletes and military men to
describe the faith. It takes hard work; it’s going to be full of disappointments, but Jesus comes along side us and spurs us on to greater things. For the disciples Jesus got in the boat and calmed the storm, because they couldn’t fully understand who he was. This despite all they had experienced, all they have seen.

Jesus is watching us

What a wonderful picture this morning for Father’s Day. He gives us all a perfect model to follow. We need to watch over our families, pray for them and encourage them. We might even get in the boat with them if needed. Jesus did all of this and more. He continues to this day. From Heaven Jesus watches his children struggling and he comes along side us and encourages us. He prays for us and at times he gets in the boat. But the one thing is we are never alone. He never leaves us alone in our troubles. It might seem like we are alone, it might seem as if he has ‘passed us by’ but he doesn’t. What we need to fear is getting to the point where our heart become hardened and we can’t understand. The bible close this portion with “They were completely amazed, (52) for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

If we don’t believe, if we don’t think Jesus can do all things. If we believe he has left us behind, we can also harden our hearts. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and believe he can and is with us all the way because he is.

Fathers this morning I want to encourage you to watch over your family, to pray for them. Families do the same for your Dad, encourage him also and pray from him.

Rough Week

This has been one of those weeks. We have had a shakeup in our church and it's been difficult. We had a family leave the church and I hope them the best. I also had to make changes in our music, which was also very difficult. So what have I learned?

I learned I have a great church that has come along side me and has been a tremendous support. This despite my rookie mistakes, and many changes I have brought to them. I learned you can't put people in positions and trust things will just work out. You can get so desperate in a small church and you want things to work out so badly, you will over look short comings to keep the peace. Doesn't work….

I think my biggest disappointment was in people. I really tried to connect and I failed. I realized there are going to people whom I will not be able to connect to, for whatever reason. It's very much like entering a relationship, some of them work others don't. With that said I do think churches are battling our culture. We are up against the "McChurch" philosophy that makes the person a customer instead of a servant. It become all about them and not about God. It's about what they receive and not what they give. For that I don't think there is a quick solution. The older generation doesn't sing to the same tune, they will stick it out with you. They may disagree, but they don't leave you hanging. So to all you seasoned citizens out there supporting your church I say thank you.

Imagine church being like a family. You have the crazy uncle, all kinds of views. Some you like some you don't, but it's your family. You don't leave them, your there for them, you accept them for who they are. You love them because they are your tribe, your people. The problem is people are short sighted; they live in the right now. In reality right now is the short time, eternity is the future. So if you couldn't take me for a little while, you get me forever, eventually.

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Sermon: God Provides Mark 6:30-45

Trust is important. What is a relationship if it doesn’t involve trust? I read this passage this morning and I can’t help but to see an object lesson in trust. Jesus understands the importance of the disciples trusting in Him, with their time with everything. Let’s think about this for a moment, we say we believe in God, we say we trust him. But in really we are always praying with a backup plan or we only trust him as far as my wallet.
Trust has to be built up, trust must be invested. Trust has to be tested in order for trust to grow. We built trust like a savings account, over a long period of time we build our trust accounts with someone and any time we are let down we withdraw from that account. There is no difference with Jesus; He wants us to trust him. But to do that you have to invest, you have to actively trust him.

This morning passage is in Mark 6:30-45…

Jesus sent out the disciples, they return to Jesus and start to tell them about what had happened to them. But the crowd of people started to gather and it was impossible to eat, let alone share what had happened. So Jesus suggests they get into the boat and look for some where quiet. But the crowd still follows from the shore; in fact it starts to grow.
Jesus see’s the crowd for what it is, sheep without a shepherd and he has compassion on them. He begins sharing with them, teaching them and it starts getting late in the day. So the disciples start trying to convince Jesus to send the people away, telling him it’s too remote here, send them away so they can get some food, it’s getting late.

I love the disciples! Isn’t that how we are still today? You could have Christ standing right in front of us and someone will say “I hope he doesn’t preach past noon…I’m no different, it’s in all of us. But this is what the disciples do; they try and get Jesus to send the people away by mentioning they need to eat.

Jesus being who he is naturally sees and opportunity to teach the disciples and tells them to feed the people. Now this next part is so us v.37, the accountant of the group says it would take eight months wages to feed this crowd, are you suggesting we go and buy the food?

Jesus sizing the opportunity says how much food do you have? They come up with five loaves and two fish. The crowd in front of them numbers well over five thousand, because they only counted the men. So image for a moment the disciples where thinking when Jesus tells them to have everyone sit down. Jesus looks to heaven and gives thanks and feed the crowd, and afterwards there is twelve baskets full of bread and fish. Everyone ate to they were satisfied.

Trusting Jesus with our Time

The first point I take from this story is trusting Jesus with our time. The disciples returned and are excited to tell their stories. But Jesus slows them down, tells them to, “"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Jesus was interested in their stories, but he understood the importance of getting away and resting. How many of us run at break neck speed and never rest. Yet here is Jesus saying here let us get away.
When we think about time away most of us think vacation time, but what about every day time, weekly getting some time with Jesus. Jesus wanted to spend time with the disciples and hear their stories away from the crowd; he wants this from us even today. When was the last time you went away somewhere quiet and just prayed, just too spent time with God. The crowd was there, it was always there for Jesus, but here we see Jesus purposely trying to get away for some ‘quiet time”, just him and the disciples.

Compassion on the Crowd

But the crowd followed them and Jesus was moved by compassion. Jesus saw the need of the crowd and was moved to help. He took the time to teach the crowd, to meet their pressing need. He also took the opportunity to teach the disciples. The disciples where the ones who suggested to send the crowd away so they could get something to eat. Jesus just took what they had suggested and turned it into an opportunity to teach the disciples about trusting God to provide.

Jesus tells them to feed the crowd, which was impossible. Jesus takes what they have and feeds everyone and provides enough for the next day. Jesus takes what is equal to a dinner roll and two small dried fish and feeds over five thousand people. Jesus can take what little we have and do so much more. One area I think about is our finances.

I was reading a few days ago how only five percent of Americans give 10% of their income to their church or charity. Looking at the economy I’m sure that number will only shrink more.
I haven’t preached many sermons about money; I have never been comfortable with the idea. But I do believe it is a trust issue. If we say we trust Jesus with our lives, our children, our jobs, we need trust him with our money, which is hard for us. I have had to learn this by trusting Jesus myself.

Years ago I began tithing my money, giving 10% to my church right off the top. Sharon and I decided we were going to trust Jesus with everything. Through the years there has been times when it was very difficult, but through time we have learned to trust and God has never let us down.

Many of you know the story of how I got here, but some of you don’t. In January 2006 I was in the Air Force, pastoring a small church in Yuba City and going to school. I knew something had to give and I felt God calling me out of the Air Force. I went to my commander and said it was time for me to retire. So there I was, wife and three kids, nowhere to live, no job, no plan…I only knew God was calling me. As my retirement date approached, I got job offers from several defense contractors who wanted to pay me very well.

But I turned them down, because I felt called to ministry and I knew God would take care of us. On my retirement day, I still didn’t have anything lined up and people thought I was crazy. After my ceremony Pastor Neely was in attendance and he approached me and told me he had a possible ‘job’ opportunity if I was interested. A week later he told me how he wanted to have me work with him for a year and then take over as pastor of this church. Sharon and me sat down and figured out exactly how much money we needed to make it, no frills, just make it. We came up with the figure of $2000 dollars a month and I met with Pastor Neely the next morning. He had no idea of the figure Sharon and I had come up with and Pastor Neely didn’t waste time saying the church could offer $2000 a month. The rest is history, Sharon and I were able to buy a house and work here.

I believe God has blessed us and continues to bless us over and over again because we have trusted him. He is able to take what we give and do so much more with it and at the same time meet all of our needs and more.

So this morning...

When Jesus was alive no one believed him, when he said he was the Son of God. He was rejected by all and even the disciples had trouble believing. Yet Jesus took the opportunities to prove who he was. He looked at the crowd and had compassion, he took what little they had and turned it into a feast with baskets left over. He proved over and over again he could provide.

You find yourself looking at your check book, trying to figure out how you’re going to fill your tank with gas, buy food and pay the bills. You’re so busy and there never seems to be enough time and everyone is demanding more from you. Jesus see’s you and has compassion, he want to help you. But it starts by trusting him. Trusting him with the impossible, trusting he can take a little and turning it into something only he could do.

But trust has to be tested; trust has to be built up. This morning I’m asking to too trust Christ. If you don’t have a quiet time with, make it a priority. Find a time where you can spend time with God. Go for a walk, get up 15 minutes earlier, lock yourself closet…do what it takes and see what God can do. If you never have tithed before, start today. Trust God to provide for you when it seems impossible. Trust God to provide, trust God to meet your needs, trust him this morning.

Sermon: Who is Jesus? Mark 6:14-29

Who is Jesus Mark 6:14-29

Most people dislike having their sins pointed out, especially in public. Herod Antipas was a man experiencing both guilt and shame. Herod's ruthless ambition was public knowledge, as was his illegal marriage to his brother's wife, Herodias.

One man made Herod's sin a public issue. That man was John the Baptist. John had been preaching in the wilderness, and thousands flocked to hear him. It was no secret that John had rebuked Herod for his adulterous marriage. Herodias (Herod's wife) was particularly anxious to have John silenced. As a solution, Herod had imprisoned John.

Herod liked John. John was probably one of the few people he met who spoke only the truth to him. But the truth about his sin was a bitter pill to swallow, and Herod wavered at the point of conflict: He couldn't afford to have John constantly reminding the people of their leader's sinfulness, but he was afraid to have John killed. He put off the choice. Eventually Herodias forced his hand, and John was executed. Of course, this only served to increase Herod's guilt.

This portion of scripture (Mark 6:16-29) is the story of how Herodias had forced the hand of her husband. She had used her daughter to entice the king into a promise he couldn't back out of. She had asked for the head of John the Baptist. Something the king didn't want to do, but fulfilled her request to keep his word. In doing so he fulfilled John's mission, who was sent for one purpose. His job was to prepare the way for the coming messiah, to get people ready for Jesus.

A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3 NIV)

John was that voice and now he was silent. Jesus was here and Herod had heard of him. Maybe it was the guilt of killing John, but Herod had an opinion about who Jesus was.

King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him." Others said, "He is Elijah." And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago." But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!" (Mark 6:14-16 NIV)

Everyone even in Jesus' day had to answer one fundamental question and that question is one we still are trying to answer to this day. The question is

"Who is Jesus"?
We opened the service with a video, showing the many different views people have of Jesus. Even in today's world it seems people are just as confused as they were when Jesus was walking the earth.

So how do we answer this question, what does the scripture say about Jesus? In the gospel of John it says this…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3 NIV)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14 NIV)

Paul says this of Jesus in Colossians
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16 NIV)

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, (Colossians 2:9 NIV)

Jesus is God in flesh that came for the sole purpose of reconciling himself with all mankind through the shedding of his blood on the cross. He humbled himself and took on human flesh…Jesus

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8 NIV)

We are separated from God because of sin. The Bible says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23 NIV)
and it says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV)

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (John 3:16-18 NIV)

You see scripture is very clear to who Jesus is and why he came. There is no other way to read it. But we all have to make a decision.

Herod wrestled with the question, people all over the world have to wrestle this question, but we all have to make a decision. With Christ there is no middle ground, he forces you to make a decision, and you will either accept or reject him.

So where does this put you?

Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead. People throughout the ages have all had different opinions about who Jesus was. Today he is still widely talked about. He still commands attention. Even though he

lived over two thousand years ago, he is still the subject of documentaries, books and movies. Billions have put their faith in Him and still billions have rejected him. But we all have to decide.

On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed just after taking off from the Detroit airport, killing 155 people. One survived: a four-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, named Cecelia.

News accounts say when rescuers found Cecelia they did not believe she had been on the plane. Investigators first assumed Cecelia had been a passenger in one of the cars on the highway onto which the airliner crashed. But when the passenger register for the flight was checked, there was Cecelia's name.

Cecelia survived because, even as the plane was falling, Cecelia's mother, Paula Chican, unbuckled her own seat belt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter, wrapped her arms and body around Cecelia, and then would not let her go.

Nothing could separate that child from her parent's love—neither tragedy nor disaster, neither the fall nor the flames that followed, neither height nor depth, neither life nor death.

Such is the love of our Savior for us. He left heaven, lowered himself to us, and covered us with the sacrifice of his own body to save us.

So this morning you have been presented with a question one that you will have to answer. It is the question we opened our services with; it is the question Herod wrestled with. It is a question you will have to answer yourself, but there is no way around it, you will answer this question. So how do you answer the question of 'Who is Jesus"?

Prayer…

Sermon: Sent Out Mark 6:6-13

Pizza Dough

Sharon my wife is gone this weekend to the pastor's wives retreat. So for the last three years the boys and I have a pizza night while mom is away. The goal is simple buy all the ingredients necessary for a great pizza, pepperoni, Italian sausage, bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, black olives, pizza sauce, lots of cheese and pizza dough. The last few years we have bought the already formed pizza dough or boboli bread. But this year we went with the real deal pizza dough. Now pizza dough being worked by the professionals looks so easy. They toss it in the air, it thin and beautiful. Our experience was somewhat different, I would stretch the dough and it would come right back. It was a sight to see the three of us working this dough for the first time. It wasn't working, I tore hole and tried to patch them. When I finally worked the dough to cover the pizza pan , it was super thin and the thick around the edges. The boy's pizza had similar fates. Overall it was great, in the end it all worked out. But I have a lot to learn about pizza dough.

What does all this have to do with the message this morning? I didn't understand pizza dough until I experienced pizza dough. We need to experience thing before we can fully understand them. The disciples been with Jesus a short time, they had seen him work miracles, heal people and preach the good news. Jesus had decided it was time for the disciples to experience kingdom work. Now Jesus is going to allow them to put into practice what they have learned. It is time for them to experience what Christ is doing first hand. Jesus knows the disciples must learn to be dependent on God. So he gathers them together.

Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:6-13 NIV)

Jesus tells them they have authority, even though it will be God working through them. He tells them not to take anything with them, anything other than the clothes on their back and the sandals on their feet. They are simply allowed a 'walking stick' as an additional item. He tells them when they enter a town to stay at the first house they are welcomed at. They are to preach the gospel. If the people reject the message they are to leave and not look back.

Dependence

The first thought that comes to mind after reading this passage is the word dependence. Jesus is going to teach the disciple dependence on God. It interesting to me that Jesus seems to recognizes the disciples are not ready for the deeper understanding of being depended upon God in the spiritual, but has them focus on the material. They are not to take anything with them. They are to be totally dependent on God to provide for their most basic needs.

No food, no bag to carry anything, no money in their pockets. We all need food and the disciples are not to carry any with them, nor are they to have a backup plan to buy any. See so many of us say we trust God, but we have a backup plan in case he doesn't come through. So we carry a few 'provisions' for that just in case. If that runs out we'll have a little cash on hand. We do this just in case God is busy and forgets about us.

Dependence on God is a difficult thing for us in America. We are taught to be 'independent', not to rely on anyone. It's hard for us as we get older to accept the help from others. We take pride of our independence. Yet here we see Jesus teaching the disciples to be dependent. It is a lesson Jesus wants us to learn as well. To learn we can trust God to provide. Not to worry so much about having, when we should be worried about sharing.

See Jesus sent the disciples out for one purpose and that is to share. The disciple's primary focus wasn't to be on food or lodgings but on sharing their faith with others.

Sharing

Jesus sent out the twelve to share their faith. They were to be dependent on God to provide for their basic needs, but they were not responsible for people accepting or rejecting the gospel. The disciples were to live among the people and share their faith. That was their responsibility. They were not responsible for the people accepting or rejecting the gospel message. Many of us look at sharing our faith as a burden, because we fear rejection. We think they are rejecting us personally. But Jesus tells the disciples to shake the dust off their feet and move on. He's telling them to shrug it off, he telling them it's not their responsibility.

It's not that Jesus doesn't care about these people; the Bible says God wants all people to be saved. But we are given freewill and with freewill comes the ability to accept or reject the gospel message. Our job is to share, to be dependent on God and to share.

The other thing about sharing is the disciples were to live their dependence on God in front of others first. The disciples were to 'illustrate' the gospel in order to earn the right to 'articulate' the gospel. People are watching us; people want to see if we live what we preach. In other words we must show Christ's love in us, before we can share Christ love with others.

This isn't easy, living the Christian life is hard. I believe that is why Jesus sent the disciples out two by two. We need to support one another, to pray for one another, to be there for one another. The Christian faith was never meant to be lived out alone. It is meant to be lived out in community. You cannot do it by yourself, you need others around you.

But one thing is perfectly clear 'being a witness in not an option'. I often hear believers talk as if witnessing was an option part of the Christian life—like adding a six disk changer to the order of a new car. We are a witness first, it is what we experienced. The disciples where declaring what they had seen Jesus do, they were declaring what they experienced, they were witnesses first. A true encounter with Christ is life changing, you are not the same. You are changed forever; you are a witness to that change.

Lastly

The disciple went out and preached people should repent. This word has almost become a dirty word in churches. A simple definition of repentance is feeling regret, a changing of the mind, or turning from sin to God. We are to live our lives to encourage people to repent of the sin in their lives. We are to show people a better way to live. We are to stand against sin.

In today's world standing against sin is considered being judgmental and for the most part they are right. That is because we have lost our creditably with the world around us. We no longer live our faith, you can't tell a Christian from the rest of the world. We act just like everyone else, but expect people to do as we say and not as we do.

We have the greatest message in the world; we are to live out our faith in front of others. We are to be a witness of the change Christ has made in our lives. We encourage people to turn to Christ, to repent of the sin in their lives and turn to the only one who can save them. God hates sin because it destroys lives; it robs us of joy and peace. It separates from a relationship with Him. That is why God sent his only son into the world, that through him we would have eternal life, an eternal relationship with God.

Jesus sent out the disciples out into the world around them. They were to be dependent on God for everything; they were to live out their faith in front of others. They were to live out this faith in community, supporting each other and by doing so they encouraged people to repent. The last verse says this, "They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them". God used the disciple to change people lives forever. What we do now in our lives and in this generation, will echo in the halls of eternity.

-ps

Sermon: Faith of Timothy

"I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News" Php_2:20-22

Paul wrote this glowing report about a young man who had become like a son to Paul. Timothy had been Paul's traveling companion on the second and third missionary journeys, and Paul had left him in Ephesus to help the church there. Paul had learned his lesson with John-Mark and the relationship with Timothy was very different. Timothy probably became a Christian after Paul's first missionary visit to Lystra. By Paul's second visit, Timothy had grown into a respected disciple of Jesus. He did not hesitate to join Paul and Silas on their journey. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy and he wrote the letters from a Roman prison while he awaiting his death. 2 Timothy has a very somber mood, Paul was first imprisoned was in a house this time he was probably confined to a cold dungeon. Emperor Nero had begun a major persecution in A.D. 64, it was all part of his plan to blame the Christians for the divesting Rome fires. Christians were persecuted across the empire. These words we read were most likely Paul's last words. So Paul is looking to pass the torch, and Timothy is the one. What set Timothy apart? What was different about Timothy? In one verse in 2 Timothy, Paul gives us a clue to why Timothy was above the rest, why Timothy was who he was. Paul says this in 2 Timothy 1:5

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

(2 Timothy 1:5)

Paul is remembering Timothy's faith, his sincere faith. Timothy had traveled extensively with Paul. They had traveled, suffered, cried, and laughed together. They shared the intense joy of seeing people respond to the Good News and the agonies of seeing the gospel rejected and distorted. How did Timothy do it? John Mark left Paul and would take years to right the relationship. Paul was accused of being 'overbearing', 'uncompromising'. He never slowed down, he tirelessly worked to bring the people the gospel. Yet Timothy was able to grow and learn from Paul. He was able to build and important relationship with the Apostle. I think the key is found in the second part of the verse, it simply reads…as Paul reflects on the sincere faith of Timothy….

'which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice'

Timothy learned faith from his mother, his mother learned from her mother. The sincere faith was passed down to him. It wasn't something he was born with it was learned. Timothy was surrounded by this faith. He saw it in action; he witnessed faith being played out in front of him. Not only did Timothy get to see faith lived out in front of him, his grandmother and mother took the time to insure he knew and understood the scripture. They understood to live faithfully would require a firm foundation. Timothy would learn faith flowed from knowing and being grounded in scripture.

Today is mother's day, a day when we stop and thank the mothers in our lives. It should be a when we honor and cherish the gift we have in mothers. It is a time to remember the time they have invested in you and me. Where would we be without mothers, who loved us when no one else would? Mothers pick us up and encouraged us when life got us down; Mothers who clean our wounds and carried our hurts with us.

As I think about my own mother, I realize I would not be here without her constant support. All through my life my mother is the constant; she has always been there for me. Through the years our relationship has grown deeper. To this day she is an incredible influence in my life. Through the years she has taught me about faith, about prayer and about service. You can see how she 'lives' the scriptures out in her life. She is amazing!

She has taught me so much about prayer, because when she prays things happen. Let me share a story with you. I was in the Air Force stationed in England preparing to return back to the United States. I had orders to Minot North Dakota, in fact I had dates for my household goods to be picked up, I was leaving within a month. My mother tells me in a conversation I'm coming to California because she is praying for it. I tell it's impossible, the movers are coming, I'm heading to North Dakota. I remember how confident she was, she told me the church was praying for it and it was going to happen. Within a few days of talking to my mother the flight chief calls me into his office. As I enter his office he has this big grin on his face, which of course made me nervous. He says to me, "I don't know who you know, but you have been diverted to Vandenberg AFB, California. I remember standing there hearing my mother's voice in my head.

What was the result of me coming to California? While stationed at Vandenberg my mother would develop a deep relationship with my new wife, Sharon. It was at

Vandenberg I was deployed to the first Gulf war, which would push my back towards Christ. While deployed, Sharon was pregnant with our first child. For those six months Sharon was exposed to the gospel played out through my mother. She loved Sharon as her own daughter and through her, Sharon would begin seeking Christ on her own.

When I returned home, Sharon wasn't the same, I wasn't the same and we went to church together and never turned back. We have dedicated our lives to Christ and it all had its start with a mother praying for her child. A mother praying for an opportunity to share her faith with her new daughter-in-law, praying for an opportunity to have an influence on her head strong son. It is because of my mother I stand before you today.

Paul closes his thoughts with this, "I am persuaded, now lives in you also'. Paul knew about Timothy's faith because he had seen it. He had seen Timothy live out the faith he had learned. He stuck with Paul through the good time and through the hard times, until the very end. He knew this faith was learned, he knew his faith was passed down.

This morning I want to challenge the mothers, I want to encourage you today. You are the greatest influence in your child's life. Live your faith, let your children see your faith played out in front of them. Let them know the love of Christ, by seeing it displayed through you. Grandmothers, live your faith in front of your grandchildren. Let them see how much you love them, through Christ.

Timothy was able to live for Christ, because he first learned it from his grandmother and mother. He was able to be used by God to reach people for Christ, because of their faith. This morning we honor mother everywhere, we thank them for their love and continued sacrifice.

Sermon “Isn’t this the Carpenter”

Mark 6:1-5

Jesus has just left the area where he healed the demon possessed man, the women and raised the daughter from her death bed. He had performed these incredible miracles of faith. Now he finds himself home, the place where he grew up. The place he worked with father Joseph as the carpenter's son. I'm sure they had heard the stories and even seen him grown up.

Now he is a man and he has started his ministry, his life work, he is fulfilling his calling. He arrives with his disciples and he begins to teach and to perform miracles. The people are amazed! "What wisdom! And he does miracles"

Then there is a voice that rises above the crowd, a voice that everyone could hear a voice of "reason", a voice of doubt. "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't he the son of Joseph? Isn't this Mary's son? Aren't his brothers and sisters here? Who does he think he is, he is no different from me and you! He has the nerve to come in here to lecture us! He is one of us, he isn't above us…he has no authority here! The people now where offended!

Like a fast poison the hearts of the crowd change, this voice has managed to silence the crowd and has hardened the hearts of all who heard. Jesus now was unable to perform any more miracles, except just a few simple healings. The town he had grown up in had rejected him.

Hometown

Jesus was rejected by the people who knew him or thought they knew him. He was rejected by preconceived ideas. They had already made up their mind about who he was. He was a common laborer.

Looking at this story we can say it is a story about the lack of faith. The people didn't have faith in Jesus and his message. In fact their lack of faith hampered what Jesus was trying to do, to change people lives. The people lacked faith. Have you ever thought you can keep Jesus from working in your life because you lack faith?

The thought that if we lack faith in Jesus and what Jesus can do, who Jesus is, we keep him from working in our lives, we don't believe in miracles, so miracles don't happen. How about changing our church, how about changing Rocklin, how about changing the people in our family? If we doubt Jesus, we can stop his work in us. How many blessings have we missed because we didn't believe?

If we believe Jesus can do a mighty work in this church, he will do a mighty work! If we believe Jesus can transform the city of Rocklin, through this little church, he will change the city. If we believe we can raise $10,000 dollars to send out four missionaries to Czech Republic, He will do it. It's all in believing and having faith in the faithfulness of God. Jesus said if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. If we put our faith in Jesus he can accomplish anything, "with man it is impossible, with God all things are possible". We serve a big God who can do incredible works, if we believe. It's all about faith.

Rejection

Jesus was rejected by the people closest to him. He was rejected by his hometown, his brothers and sisters rejected him. They thought he was 'out of his mind" and tried to convince him to stop. So if Jesus was rejected by those closest to him what can we expect? Many of our closest friends and family are going to reject you for your faith. Jesus said, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.
From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.

They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
(Luke 12:51-53)

Our family members and close friends know our warts; they know where we came from. Some are going to have difficulty getting pass that, so all we can do is live our live consistently in front of them. Let them see you putting your faith into practice in front of them. Be the first one there when life has its turns, show them the love of Christ and be ready to share.

Missed Opportunities

The main point for me is simply missed opportunities. How many times do we miss something because we have preconceived ideas, we have thought about something in our minds, we have heard something and we simply don't see it. We opened with a video of a man playing a violin in a subway station…here is the rest of the story.

Joshua Bell emerged from the Metro and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript—a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play.

For the next 45 minutes, in the D.C. Metro on January 12, 2007, Bell played Mozart and Schubert as over 1,000 people streamed by, most hardly taking notice. If they had paid attention, they might have recognized the young man for the world-renowned violinist he is. They also might have noted the violin he played—a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. It was all part of a project arranged by The Washington Post—"an experiment in context, perception, and priorities—as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?"

Just three days earlier, Joshua Bell sold out Boston Symphony Hall, with ordinary seats going for $100. In the subway, Bell garnered about $32 from the 27 people who stopped long enough to give a donation.

How many times have we missed Jesus working in our lives because we were too busy? How many times have we simply missed Jesus trying to teach us something from service or through someone else because we didn't think the opportunity meant anything? In America we live our lives at break neck speeds. We feel ashamed if we stop or slow down. If we don't seem to be 'busy'.

People this morning I give you permission to stop, to slow down. Take time to look around! Stop and

spend time with your family! Stop and turn off the T.V., turn down the radio and just listen to God. Pray! And read your Bibles in the quiet somewhere, seek to know Christ. Rearrange your lives and stop to listen! Some of you are saying right now I can't Steve, I got to do what I'm doing. Here is what I will say to you, if it is important to you, you will find a way. If it means something to you, you'll find a way.

When that new T.V. show comes on, the one everyone is talking about, you find a way to watch it. People arrange their entire schedule, but they find a way. If you want to go see a concert, or watch a game you find a way. If you want that new car, you find a way. Why then when it comes to church, or reading our Bibles and praying we don't have time?

But what I fear the most is we simple don't see God working in and around our lives because we don't recognize him.

Cary Grant a famous Hollywood actor once told how he was walking along a street and met a fellow whose eyes locked onto him with excitement. The man said, "Wait a minute, you're ... you're--I know who you are; don't tell me--uh, Rock Hud--No, you're ..." Grant thought he'd help him, so he finished the man's sentence: "Cary Grant." And the fellow said, "No, that's not it! You're ..." There was Cary Grant indentifying himself with his own name, but the fellow had someone else in mind.

John says of Jesus, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him" (John 1:10 NIV). And even when Jesus identified who he was--the Son of God--the response was not a welcome recognition, but rather the Crucifixion.

This morning make it a priority in your life to know Christ.

-ps