Thursday, July 10, 2008
VBS
My favorite part of VBS is not just the children but watching the fun the adults have as they serve. In fact, standing back and watching I wasn't sure who enjoyed it more! Great job everyone.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Sermons on this blog
All sermons posted on this blog are unedited. They are strictly cut and pasted from my sermon notes. Therefore, they are not always in complete sentences. What comes out of the my mouth during the sermon is often different than what is on the page.
These notes are given as a guide to the message with the scripture verses I used.
They are for your viewing and reviewing and not to be passed around in any way.
Most of the posted sermons are preached at one church, Malaga Assembly of God and are hopefully timely to that congregation.
These notes are given as a guide to the message with the scripture verses I used.
They are for your viewing and reviewing and not to be passed around in any way.
Most of the posted sermons are preached at one church, Malaga Assembly of God and are hopefully timely to that congregation.
Doctrine - A Sure Foundation - Part I - God is
God Is -
I wrote in the messenger for this month my first memory of the word doctrine. It was in Sunday School and I thought “oh how boring.”
But what I have come to realize is that doctrine – teaching – specifically the teachings of God through His Word – are essential to life. We will act on what we believe. Therefore what we believe matters. Secondly, we live in a day where there are all sorts of crazy teachings all around us. If we don’t know what we believe we become very vulnerable to false teaching. Which can lead us away from Jesus.
One of the problems we face in churches today is that people don’t know what they believe.
That is one of the ways societal beliefs creep into the belief system of the Christian.
The Israelites never became Atheists
They just believed you could worship and Yahweh and other gods at the same time.
An article in USA Today from the end of June states, Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies – like strict doctrine – behind.
The article goes on to give some startling statistics
• 78% of people believe in absolute standards of right and wrong
o Only 29% rely on their religion to delineate these standards
o 52% turn to practical experience
• 74% say “there is a heaven, where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded”
o This is the exact opposite to Christianity
o We are miserable, rotten, stinking sinners, enemies of God
o Christ died on the cross to forgive us of our rotten, stinking sins
o We are not good – God is – then he makes us righteous and holy when we accept what Christ has done on the cross
• 70% including a majority of all major Christian groups say, “many religions can lead to eternal life
o We belief the opposite
o There is only one way to God
o That is through Jesus Christ
o That is why He died a sinners, suffering death on the cross because there was no other way
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
I want to show you a clip from one of the most famous and influential people in the world.
You might be startled by this but I wanted you to see it yourself.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬______________________________________________________________________________
Today I am starting a series on Doctrine – A Sure Foundation
In the next several weeks we will walk you through the major doctrines of Christianity
1. God is – we believe in God
2. God Speaks – we believe in the Bible
3. Man Sins – We believe we are not good apart from Christ
4. God Saves – Jesus is the Only Savior and acceptance of his finished work on the cross is the only way to be right with God
5. God Sends – He established the church to be His hands in this world.
6. God Fills – God the Holy Spirit fills us
7. God Returns – Jesus is coming back
We begin with – God is
God is – we believe in God’s eternal existence
He has no beginning and no end.
In the beginning – God -
• Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Bible doesn’t seek to prove there is a God. It just states it emphatically.
But there are some thoughts that taken in totality show there is a God.
1. God is - He is the First Cause of everything – everything has a cause, all events are dependant on some cause, if you push the causes back far enough you will eventually get to the first cause, God is the first cause
2. God is - He is the Designer of creation - the detail, intricacy and design points to a designer
3. What is made that doesn’t have a designer
4. God is – He is the Law giver – there is a universal sense of right and wrong throughout cultures
We believe - There is a God
Then we ask, what is God like?
He has Divine Attributes
God is Infinite – no limitations – not limited by space or boundaries
God is Eternal – no beginning and no end – he is not bound by time
God is Unchanging – there is no need to change – he doesn’t lack or make mistakes
God is All- Knowing – Omniscience – He knows everything
God is All – Powerful – Omnipotent – He can do anything
God is Everywhere – Omnipresent - we cannot flee from His presence – We cannot be in a circumstance where he is not there
God is Holy – without imperfection of any kind
God is Just – He does what is right
God is Good – He treats us with kindness, “He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people” – God is not against you He is for you.
God is Sovereign – He is in charge of His creation – no one rules Him is the ruler of all
God is Transcendent – He is above Creation because He created
• Pantheism – there is only one reality – Creation – the universe is all there is. The universe is God
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life
Christianity – there are two realities – Creator – Creation
The Creator is above creation
He is greater than creation
God is Immanent – He is involved with His creation
The opposite of this is Deism
God created and then left everything alone - The disinterested clockmaker who got the universe started and then went away to let it run itself
• Acts 17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
• Acts 17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
This is the essence of Christianity
When Jesus was born – God pierced Creation and was physically born
Although he is transcendent – he condescended to rescue us from our sin
He condescended so far as to die as a sinner on the cross. The humiliation of Christ.
Phil 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Phil 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Phil 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Phil 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Phil 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Phil 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God is –
God is Worthy to be praised
God is worth living for
God is worth dying for
God is
Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Eph 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
Eph 1:20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
Eph 1:21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Eph 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
Eph 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
This eternal – invisible – all powerful God wants to be known.
Therefore He speaks – Come back next week. – God Speaks
I wrote in the messenger for this month my first memory of the word doctrine. It was in Sunday School and I thought “oh how boring.”
But what I have come to realize is that doctrine – teaching – specifically the teachings of God through His Word – are essential to life. We will act on what we believe. Therefore what we believe matters. Secondly, we live in a day where there are all sorts of crazy teachings all around us. If we don’t know what we believe we become very vulnerable to false teaching. Which can lead us away from Jesus.
One of the problems we face in churches today is that people don’t know what they believe.
That is one of the ways societal beliefs creep into the belief system of the Christian.
The Israelites never became Atheists
They just believed you could worship and Yahweh and other gods at the same time.
An article in USA Today from the end of June states, Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies – like strict doctrine – behind.
The article goes on to give some startling statistics
• 78% of people believe in absolute standards of right and wrong
o Only 29% rely on their religion to delineate these standards
o 52% turn to practical experience
• 74% say “there is a heaven, where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded”
o This is the exact opposite to Christianity
o We are miserable, rotten, stinking sinners, enemies of God
o Christ died on the cross to forgive us of our rotten, stinking sins
o We are not good – God is – then he makes us righteous and holy when we accept what Christ has done on the cross
• 70% including a majority of all major Christian groups say, “many religions can lead to eternal life
o We belief the opposite
o There is only one way to God
o That is through Jesus Christ
o That is why He died a sinners, suffering death on the cross because there was no other way
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
I want to show you a clip from one of the most famous and influential people in the world.
You might be startled by this but I wanted you to see it yourself.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬______________________________________________________________________________
Today I am starting a series on Doctrine – A Sure Foundation
In the next several weeks we will walk you through the major doctrines of Christianity
1. God is – we believe in God
2. God Speaks – we believe in the Bible
3. Man Sins – We believe we are not good apart from Christ
4. God Saves – Jesus is the Only Savior and acceptance of his finished work on the cross is the only way to be right with God
5. God Sends – He established the church to be His hands in this world.
6. God Fills – God the Holy Spirit fills us
7. God Returns – Jesus is coming back
We begin with – God is
God is – we believe in God’s eternal existence
He has no beginning and no end.
In the beginning – God -
• Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Bible doesn’t seek to prove there is a God. It just states it emphatically.
But there are some thoughts that taken in totality show there is a God.
1. God is - He is the First Cause of everything – everything has a cause, all events are dependant on some cause, if you push the causes back far enough you will eventually get to the first cause, God is the first cause
2. God is - He is the Designer of creation - the detail, intricacy and design points to a designer
3. What is made that doesn’t have a designer
4. God is – He is the Law giver – there is a universal sense of right and wrong throughout cultures
We believe - There is a God
Then we ask, what is God like?
He has Divine Attributes
God is Infinite – no limitations – not limited by space or boundaries
God is Eternal – no beginning and no end – he is not bound by time
God is Unchanging – there is no need to change – he doesn’t lack or make mistakes
God is All- Knowing – Omniscience – He knows everything
God is All – Powerful – Omnipotent – He can do anything
God is Everywhere – Omnipresent - we cannot flee from His presence – We cannot be in a circumstance where he is not there
God is Holy – without imperfection of any kind
God is Just – He does what is right
God is Good – He treats us with kindness, “He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people” – God is not against you He is for you.
God is Sovereign – He is in charge of His creation – no one rules Him is the ruler of all
God is Transcendent – He is above Creation because He created
• Pantheism – there is only one reality – Creation – the universe is all there is. The universe is God
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life
Christianity – there are two realities – Creator – Creation
The Creator is above creation
He is greater than creation
God is Immanent – He is involved with His creation
The opposite of this is Deism
God created and then left everything alone - The disinterested clockmaker who got the universe started and then went away to let it run itself
• Acts 17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
• Acts 17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
This is the essence of Christianity
When Jesus was born – God pierced Creation and was physically born
Although he is transcendent – he condescended to rescue us from our sin
He condescended so far as to die as a sinner on the cross. The humiliation of Christ.
Phil 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Phil 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Phil 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Phil 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Phil 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Phil 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God is –
God is Worthy to be praised
God is worth living for
God is worth dying for
God is
Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Eph 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
Eph 1:20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
Eph 1:21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Eph 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
Eph 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
This eternal – invisible – all powerful God wants to be known.
Therefore He speaks – Come back next week. – God Speaks
PGC Announcement
This is an announcement I have been waiting to make for several years now. And I couldn’t be more excited. We have sold the baseball field side of the PGC property. It has been a long time coming. Throughout the process of the sale there have been many ups and downs. Times we thought, this is it” and it ended up falling through. Last Monday June 30th the sale was completed. Hallelujah!!
Now the work begins. A word of caution first, the camp didn’t get in disrepair in a year it will not be updated in a year. It will be very important that we take our time before jumping in feet first. We will take time to pray, time to think and time to plan. We will do all of these things and then we will move forward.
Next, we will not accept dreams and vision from outside sources. For years people have had all sorts of dreams but there is a difference between having a dream and having the capacity to set a direction with the determination and resources to get it done. We have the people and the pieces in place to see the camp functioning again. The money we received for the sale will enable us to accomplish some of our immediate goals at the camp. This will include finishing the bathrooms, maintaining the tabernacle, building a pavilion, putting a roof on the pumphouse and updating the basketball courts. This will all take time and patience because we want it done right. We want it to last.
What does this mean for the church? First, my priority is Malaga Assembly of God. I am the pastor of Malaga Assembly of God. Should the Lord allow, I will continue the pastor of Malaga Assembly of God. It is essential to keep the church the main priority. If the church is not strong the camp will kill the church because of the amount of work and upkeep it will involve. Sometimes the emphasis was the camp at the expense of the church we are turning that around. The emphasis is the church with the camp as a tool. The camp will be added to the tools God has given us to reach out in this community. We are a strong church right now and we must continue to be in order to be an effective outreach in this community.
Secondly, as a church we need to renovate. Our platform works against our philosophy of team ministry, our décor is outdated, the bathrooms are embarrassing and we need some lobby space. We have never stopped working toward this goal, we have just shifted gears. The good news is with the pattern of giving to the building fund over the past couple of months it is obvious that the people want to see this renovation happen. If we could get a few more people on board with their monthly giving we can see the renovation happen.
What does the money we received from the property have to do with the renovation? Whether we borrow some from the sale or not we still need to pay for the renovation from this church and this people. We cannot and will not exhaust the money for the sale of the property in order to renovate. Should we borrow we must pay it back to continue the ministry of the church and the camp.
Let me reiterate, this is an exciting time! God has been and He is good. If we take our time to be good stewards we can see all of this happen and more. Let us maintain the spirit of unity as we work to reach this community, surrounding communities and around the world with the message of the gospel. Hallelujah!!
Now the work begins. A word of caution first, the camp didn’t get in disrepair in a year it will not be updated in a year. It will be very important that we take our time before jumping in feet first. We will take time to pray, time to think and time to plan. We will do all of these things and then we will move forward.
Next, we will not accept dreams and vision from outside sources. For years people have had all sorts of dreams but there is a difference between having a dream and having the capacity to set a direction with the determination and resources to get it done. We have the people and the pieces in place to see the camp functioning again. The money we received for the sale will enable us to accomplish some of our immediate goals at the camp. This will include finishing the bathrooms, maintaining the tabernacle, building a pavilion, putting a roof on the pumphouse and updating the basketball courts. This will all take time and patience because we want it done right. We want it to last.
What does this mean for the church? First, my priority is Malaga Assembly of God. I am the pastor of Malaga Assembly of God. Should the Lord allow, I will continue the pastor of Malaga Assembly of God. It is essential to keep the church the main priority. If the church is not strong the camp will kill the church because of the amount of work and upkeep it will involve. Sometimes the emphasis was the camp at the expense of the church we are turning that around. The emphasis is the church with the camp as a tool. The camp will be added to the tools God has given us to reach out in this community. We are a strong church right now and we must continue to be in order to be an effective outreach in this community.
Secondly, as a church we need to renovate. Our platform works against our philosophy of team ministry, our décor is outdated, the bathrooms are embarrassing and we need some lobby space. We have never stopped working toward this goal, we have just shifted gears. The good news is with the pattern of giving to the building fund over the past couple of months it is obvious that the people want to see this renovation happen. If we could get a few more people on board with their monthly giving we can see the renovation happen.
What does the money we received from the property have to do with the renovation? Whether we borrow some from the sale or not we still need to pay for the renovation from this church and this people. We cannot and will not exhaust the money for the sale of the property in order to renovate. Should we borrow we must pay it back to continue the ministry of the church and the camp.
Let me reiterate, this is an exciting time! God has been and He is good. If we take our time to be good stewards we can see all of this happen and more. Let us maintain the spirit of unity as we work to reach this community, surrounding communities and around the world with the message of the gospel. Hallelujah!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
