Scripture for Sunday, October 3rd: John 20:15-22

Sermon Title: How to Live Confident in a World of Chaos - Stay Constructive

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?' 'Yes, Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.' Again, Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.' The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' He said, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.' Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, 'Follow Me!' Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, 'Lord who is going to betray you?' When Peter saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me."

Dr. David Jeremiah, in his book, Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World, writes the following concerning living in America today:

"We began the new millennium with terrorism on our own soil, with high school shootings, and with dramatic rollbacks of traditional moral boundaries. The Cleavers, the Brady Bunch, and the Huxtables no longer mirror our complex families. Diversity is the new state religion, with tolerance demanded in all things except for traditional Judeo-Christian values.

Paul tells us not to be surprised: 'Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherours, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people' (2 Timothy 3:1-5, MSG).

Does that sound to you like a picture of today's world? I realize it's easy to be discouraged. We could throw up our hands and simply quit. Such is not a godly attitude, according to the Scriptures. In a time of tearing down, we are to be about His work of building up. In a destructive world, we are to maintain constructive attitudes."

How do we maintain these "constructive attitudes" that Dr. Jeremiah refers to in the midst of our chaotic world and lives? Find this Sunday as we talk about living confidently by staying constructive. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Sept 26, 2010: I Thess. 3:11-13

Sermon Title: Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World - Stay Compassionate

"Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may He so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Fatehr at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints." I Thess. 3:11-13

This coming week we will be discussing another way to live with confidence in a chaotic world: by staying compassionate. Dr. David Jeremiah writes about the problems and difficulities faced by the Thessalonians (to which our Scripture passage was written), but yet he notes what Paul tells them to do in the midst of their chaos. He writes:

"Paul understands their discouragement, but he wants to bolster his friends, keep them from giving in to self-pity, and motivate them to serve God with deeper resolve. He wants to offer them a prayer, but what do you pray for people under intense pressure? Would you ask God for protection? Courage? Perhaps removal of the problem? Paul doesn't take any of those roads. He asks God to teach the Thessalonians to be more loving and compassionate toward one another. It seems counterintuitive, doesn't it?

Have you stopped and considered that the real purpose of your struggles, at a given moment, might be the heart of compassion that God is building within you? Smooth sailing doesn't develop such a thing, you know. Trials develop our humility, and humility opens our eyes to the needs of others. If we look to do His service during tought times, we will come out better rather than bitter. That's Paul's prayer for the struggling church at Thessalonica."

This coming Sunday, I will talk about the essence, expression, example and effect of compassion and how they each relate and build on one another. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Sept 19th: John 14:1-6

Sermon Title: Stay Calm

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

This coming Sunday we will start a new series of messages entitled, "Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World," based on a book that Dr. David Jeremiah wrote with the same title. Sunday, we will answer the question, "How can we live with confidence?" with the answer: Stay Calm.

Dr. Jeremiah writes this in his book concerning staying calm: "Some people believe that when they accept Christ, they will receive a Get Out of Stress Free card and live a life of uninterrupted bliss. To be honest, when I became a believer, I picked up a few new problems I hadn't had before. Jesus never offered a false promise. At every point, He warned us that troubles would follow our path and that obedience to Him would actually increase our persecution. But He is also the One Who said, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

He further writes: "But here's what I want you to know: as we await the Lord's return the atmospherics of your heart and mine should be calm. The Bible says we have a God who calms the storm and a Savior Who rebukes the wind and waves so they are calm (Psalm 107:29; Luke 8:24). The writer of Psalm 131 said, 'Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul.' Proverbs 17:27 tells us that a person of understanding has a calm spirit; and in Isaiah 7:4 (NIV), the Lord tells us, 'Be careful, keep calm, and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart.'"

So exactly how do we remain calm in the Lord in the midst of the chaos of our world? Find out this Sunday, as I share more of Dr. Jeremiah's insights, my own thoughts and most importantly, what God's Word has to say about this subject. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Sept. 12th: Luke 10:30-37

Sermon Title: Jesus, the Best Friend of Those in Need

On Sunday, Sept. 5th, we complete a series of messages entitled, "The Top Ten List of Principles for Christian Living." Here's a summary of that list:

10. It Works Better If You Plug It In!, Luke 18:9-14: The story is taken from the parable that Jesus taught about how a religious leader went to the temple to pray and said to God, "I am glad I'm not like other people - I am better!" and a tax collector went to the same temple and prayed, "Lord, have mercy on me, for I am a sinner!" Even though the religious leader looked like he was close to God, he was not plugged into Him. And so it is with you and I - we need not a form of religion, but a real relationship with God.

9. There Are No Perfect Situations, Psalm 118:19-24: This reminds us that no circumstances or people are perfect; every day and every person comes from God and we should rejoice in everything because of this fact.

8. You Can't understand If You Don't Know the Language, John 1:9-14: This means that we must understand the basic Christian terms of grace, mercy and salvation if we are to truly understand how God relates to us.

7. Remember Everybody Has an Empty Sleeve, Ephesians 4:25-32: This principle reminds us that everyone has a weakness or shortcoming and no one should demand perfection from others.

6. There Is A Land of Beginning Again, Luke 19:1-10: This tells us that God is a forgiving God and is always ready to forgive you and make you better than ever.

5. It's Important to Focus, Mark 8:22-26: This reminds us that there are some things more important than others, and living for God and others is what we should focus our lives on.

4. You Don't Have to Reinvent the Wheel, John 21:15-17: This means that God has taught us how to live and practice our faith and we don't need to recreate how we do this.

3. There is a Key to Unlock Yourself, Mark 10:17-22: This principle reminds us that God is needed in our lives if we are to experience life the way it was intended for us to experience it.

2. If You Catch the Wrong Bus, You End Up in the Wrong Place, Matthew 7:13-14: This tells us that we must be intentional in how we decide to live our lives otherwise we may end up doing something we didn't intend to do or become something whom we did not intend to become.

1. Love is the Best of the Best, I Corinthians 13: Love is the greatest attribute because God is love; without love, we cannot be the type of people intends for us to be.

This coming Sunday I will talk about how the Good Samaritan is like Jesus and He is better than religion or anything we can create apart from Him. Hope to see you (and one of your friends) on Sunday!