8/21/16 Heaven: Experience It Today!

Have we missed something big about heaven?

     If we focus too much on heaven as a place for us to go in the future, then we might miss that heaven is special because it is full of God's presence. If we focus too much on heaven as a place for us to go in the future, then we might miss that God's presence can be found among us even today (we get a glimpse of heaven on earth).

     We sometimes get the idea that we will one day leave this cursed earth to go to the wonderful place called heaven. Notice some of the Scriptures we looked at within the last 2 weeks and what they focus on... Revelation 21:1-5, 10, 22-24; 2 Peter 3:10-13

I believe the key can be found the Lord's model prayer – Matthew 6:9-13

“your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (v.10)

Daniel2 – prophecy about God's kingdom spreading over EARTH! (see v.35 & v.44)

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17, 10:7)

Matthew 13 parables

- sower (3-9, 18-23): the entire parable takes place here on earth! (v.23)

- wheat & weeds (24-30, 37-43): “the field is the world...” (v.38)

- mustard seed (31-32): seed growth – takes place here on earth or in heaven?

- leaven/yeast (33): spread of the kingdom – does it happen on earth or in heaven?

- hidden treasure (44): Where was this treasure found? - heaven or earth?

- pearl of great price (45-46): Do we go to heaven before we find this pearl?

- dragnet (47-50): Where are the fish caught – on earth or in heaven?

    * Sometimes, when we focus the most on heaven is when we turn our attention to the earth! At least that's what ALL those parables indicate.

The Temple: God Among His People

John1:1, 14; 2:21; 14:17b

God was working in the early church

Acts 2:42-47

Acts 3:1-2, 19-22

Acts 4:13-14, 23-31, 32-37

Is God working among the church today? Is His presence here among us / within us?

If the answer is yes → why can't we enjoy this NOW & look forward to future

If the answer is no → what are we going to do to change it & what do we look forward to?

8/14/16 Heaven: Setting your mind on it!

Heaven: setting your mind on it...

What's Wrong With Us?

Why do we sin? (Why did Adam & Eve sin?)

1.) Not because it was within our hearts

2.) Not because creation was flawed

3.) It was because of temptation by serpent (our mind became corrupted through temptation)

What happened because of sin? (to Adam & Eve … and all of us)

1.) Innocent hearts were corrupted

2.) God's “very good” creation was cursed

3.) Pure minds were no longer focused on God

 

How do we fix this?

First: We must refocus our minds (this change is called repentance)

This is how to fix... Pure minds were no longer focused on God (#3)

Colossians3:1-4 The reverse of our downfall is seen in these verses. Our heart, life, and mind must be changed → it must start internally!

Peter3:10-14 Since everything will be destroyed (v.11) → what keeps us going forward is our hope!

Second: We must focus on the example of others

This is how to fix... God's “very good” creation was cursed (#2)

Hebrews11:8-10, 13-16 Abraham looked forward to / set his mind on the heavenly city. Other early followers of God looked forward to / set mind on heavenly country (v.16).

Then: We must focus on leaving an example of our own

This is how to fix... Innocent hearts were corrupted (#1)

Hebrews12:18, 22-24 , 25, 28-29 Are we leaving an example of faith that could be found among the examples in Hebrews chapter 11? These verses speak of our reality (v.18,22-24) Since these things are true... then let us be thankful and worship God in all we do v.28-29.

Conclusion: Now we know how to fix...

#1.) Innocent hearts were corrupted

#2.) God's “very good” creation was cursed

#3.) Pure minds were no longer focused on God

The question now is will you choose to fix these things in your own life?

07/31/16 He is Risen! Matthew 28

He is Risen! - Matthew 28:1-20

By Phillip Benshmuel (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Intro: We have looked at Jesus' teaching and His life for several weeks now. But THIS truth about Jesus changes everything!

Jesus has already died and been buried, then on the third day...

Matthew28:1-10

“... He is risen, just as he said.” v.6

This is the truth everyone wanted → but nobody expected it

this is connected to similar truth for us today – our hope of our own resurrection!

This is our journey → to follow Jesus in this life and trust Him to take us to the next life

“... afraid yet filled with joy...” v.8

When met with our own death → similar response

Matthew28:11-15

Those who are opposed... will be opposed

Some opposed Jesus, some opposed the early church, and some still oppose the church today. It never seemed to bother Jesus when peopl opposed Him because He knew the truth!

Matthew28:16-20

The Great Commission → our task today

- “make disciples” - a similar relationship is learning a trade from another

- “baptizing them” - washed clean through Jesus' blood

- “teaching them” - continue to follow Him for our entire lives!

7/24/16 Jesus' Seven Sayings From The Cross

Jesus' Seven Sayings From The Cross

Intro: If a certain character is about to die while you watch a play or a movie, then you know how they set the scene. It usually has some type of music that you know the end is near and time seems to just slow down nearly to a stop. This is the time that the character can say some words of wisdom with their final breath. Well, in the gospels we have some of the final words of Jesus Christ and they can help give us a clearer view of the cross...

By Miguel Angel Buonarroti para Vittoria Colonna. (Own work, Manuel Gómez (Magopi), 2006-12) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

1) Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they were doing.”

Jesus' first task with the cross was forgiveness for you... for me... for everyone!

2) Luke 23:43 “... today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Jesus showed just how great his forgiveness is!

3) Matthew 27:46 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

He is quoting Psalm 22:1 – At first he seems like he has been forsaken...

But Psalm 22:24 gives hope and the Psalm ends with “...he has done it!” (v.31)

4) John 19:26-27 “Woman, here is your son,” ... “Here is your mother.”

Joseph likely has died by now

it was Jesus' responsibility to take care of his family and especially his mother

Since his heavenly father had not forsaken Him (see Matt. 27:46 above)

he has been reminded of his responsibilities for his family

5) John 19:28 “I am thirsty”

See Psalm 22:15 & Psalm 69:21

This was to fulfil ALL prophecies & to allow us to see Jesus' humanity

He had no God-given pain killers

Jesus endured the full suffering of the cross → He did this all for us!

6) Luke 23:46 “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

even at the end He trusted his heavenly Father

7) John 19:30 “It is finished.”

Remember Psalm 22:31

the debt has been paid, freedom has come to all through Jesus Christ on the cross!

*All Scripture quotations from this sermon outline are from the New International Version of the Bible.

07/17/16 - The Last Supper - Matthew 26:17-35

Leonardo da Vinci [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Last Supper – Matthew 26:17-35

Intro: Since the last Lord's Supper came from the Passover feast, it only makes sense to look at it through a Passover lens. As we work our way through what has become known as the Last Supper, let us notice some Old Testament parallels.

Trust – v.17-19

New Testament: the disciples trusted Jesus with the Passover preparation. They might not have known what was going on, but they trusted him and did what he asked.

Old Testament: Moses displayed a similar type of trust in God's direction when he listened to his voice from the burning bush and was sent to Egypt.

Application: following Christ with full faith is what we must do today → not seeing yet still believing.

Trust? – v.20-25

New Testament: one of Jesus closest friends is the very one who betrays him (v.23).

Old Testament: there is a new Pharaoh who turned his back on God's people and enslaved them.

Twist – v.26-30

New Testament: the elements of the Passover feast now come to represent the body and blood of Christ Jesus. Jesus brought a new and unexpected meaning to an ancient feast.

Old Testament: the Passover was a reminder of punishment passing over God's people.

Application: let us never forget that it is by the blood of Jesus that we receive forgiveness & peace (Ephesians 2:12-18).

Scatter – v.31-35

New Testament: all disciples scattered – they chose to follow yet...

Old Testament: the verses here are a close parallel to the Israelites choice in the wilderness. Will they follow the one true God who brought them out of slavery?

Application: we must make the same choice today → we must choose to follow God today & stick with this choice throughout our lives!

12/20/15 "Unto us a child is born..." - Revelation 12

By w:Herrad of Landsberg ([1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Revelation 12

Intro: We tend to think of the birth of Christ from an earthly perspective: the manger, the shepherds, the wise men, etc. But there is much to learn from the cosmic perspective.

Genesis 3:15 starts our journey down this path, but it continues throughout the Bible...

Setting the Stage (identity of the Woman & Child): Revelation 12:1-6

“sign in heaven” - first time this term is used in Revelation & certainly represents a symbolic teaching will follow. So what do the following symbols represent?

The Woman – the faithful ones of God

Many suggestions have been made as to the exact identification of this woman. Some suggest Mary (the mother of Jesus), the nation of Israel, or the church.

It seems this woman is the faithful ones of God – she changes throughout the chapter. At first she seems to represent the faithful of Israel (v.1-6) but after she gives birth she seems to represent the church (v.13-17). The woman is not the main character of this chapter and we will not spend much time looking at her. It is more important to notice her children...

The Male Child – Jesus Christ

The identifying phrase “rod of iron” – see Psalm 2:9, Revelation 2:27, 12:5, 19:15

If this phrase was the only identifying mark of this child, then it would be clear the child is none other than Jesus Christ. He “was caught up to God and to His throne” (v.5) which most certainly happened when Jesus ascended into heaven.

The War in Heaven: Revelation 12:7-12

The Dragon – Serpent, Devil, Satan

“ancient serpent” - this phrase brings back memories of his first appearance in Gen. 3
“devil” - means accuser or slanderer

“Satan” - means adversary

All of the above titles give us a glimpse of who this dragon is and what his intentions are. There is nothing good spoken about him here and he is easily defeated by the Lord's angel (Michael). It is clear that God is in control and He is the only all-powerful being!

Application for today: How do we overcome Satan? v.11 clearly teaches it is by “the Lamb's blood and because of the word of their testimony”

The Others: Revelation 12:13-17

“devour” - this is what the devil does (see 1 Peter 5:8)

Satan's influence from v.1 to v.13 changes from heaven to the earth

“wings of an eagle” - see Ex 19:4, Deut 32:10-12, Is 40:31These wings represent God's protection given in times of need. The woman seems to represent the church in these verses because they are the faithful ones of God during this time.

The dragon sees his own incapability to destroy the woman or her son. He then turns his attention to the other children of the woman. These are the ones “who keep God's commandments and hold Jesus' testimony.” (v.17) Satan has decided to attack Christians and he is still trying to do this even today. But we can overcome him just as others have before us... by “the Lamb's blood and because of the word of their testimony” (v.11).

Conclusion:

Our Lord's birth, life, and death impacted not only life on this earth but also the heavens. The gospel message is bigger than this earth and its influence reaches everywhere! We have been blessed to be a part of God's plan!

12/13/15 God's Plan for the Remnant - Zephaniah 3:9-20

Zephaniah 3

Intro: Zephaniah 3:7-8 The Day of the Lord is a day all must face. The children of God thought that this judgment was only for the “other nations” and they looked forward to the others being judged harshly. Little did they know that they too would have to face God's judgment and God was not very happy with their actions.

Remnant of the faithful – Zephaniah 3:9-13

key verse: v.12b

God spoke here of an almost unimaginable time when the faithful remnant will return to the destroyed nation of Israel. This is possible because of God's amazing grace. This remnant consists of those who trust in the name of the Lord and call upon it (v.9&12). If God could restore a broken nation, then what would He do today if we will choose to be part of His “faithful remnant”.

Reason to rejoice – Zephaniah 3:14-17

key verse(s): v.14b-15 Notice the reasons to rejoice...

- punishment – has been taken away by the mercy of the Lord

- the enemy – He has turned them back (or changed their course away from you)

- the Lord is with you – Is there a better reason to rejoice then this! See also v.17

Notice that these reasons applied to them but they are also still reasons to rejoice today.

Restoration – Zephaniah 3:18-20

key verse: 20

Notice all the things that God says “I will...”. Ultimately there will be a total restoration of God's children. We can see from the Bible and from history that God did restore Israel. But more importantly than this temporary physical restoration of a nation, God sent His Son into that very nation to bring about a full restoration of all those who choose to be faithful to the Lord and call on His name.

Conclusion: Most of the above passage is speaking of a time when the faithful remnant of God will return from the exile among the nations and be restored as a nation once again. However, the points God make are very relevant to us today as well. This passage can also apply to God giving us a reason to rejoice and praise Him in the time of the New Testament.