No Scripture for October 31, 2010: Concert with Captive Free

On Sunday, October 31st, we will have a concert with the group, Captive Free. Therefore, we will not have a traditional sermon or Scripture text.

On Sunday, October 24th, we concluded a series of messages based on the book, "Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World," by Dr. David Jeremiah. Here's a summary of those messages:

Stay Calm, John 14:1-6: It is important that we focus on God and the place He is preparing for us, heaven, as we travel through this world. We are not of this world; we are citizens of a heavenly country, and as such, we need to remember as we go through the chaos of the world that it will not last forever - we are travelers heading home to be with our God.

Stay Compassionate, I Thess. 3:11-13: Christians can either become harden because of the chaos of the world. Instead, we should become more sensitive to others around us that are struggling and express our compassion to our family, church, community and even enemies. Ultimately, we should build a legacy of compassion through the way we live our lives.

Stay Constructive, John 20:15-22: Every Christian is given a mission by God to bless others in their lives. In order to do this, we need to focus on the needs of others and less on our own needs and desires.

Stay Centered, Colossians 3:1-3: God asks us to center our lives on Him and His will, not on the chaos of our world. God controls all things, and because He does, we can trust our lives and circumstances to Him as we focus on His will for our lives.

Stay Consistent, I John 2:10-20: God asks us to stay consistent in our faith and trust of Him. We need to base our lives on God's Word and determine to apply it to our lives on a daily basis.

Stay Committed, James 5:7-11: In order to stay committed, we need patience. The patience we are required to have is an active faith that looks forward towards the future with hope and believes in God's continues work in our lives.

Dr. Jeremiah concludes his book with this statement:

"I believe Christians all over the world are wide awake and more aware of the time than we've ever been. As followers of Christ, we must be alert, watchful, and vigilant, with one eye on the headlines and the other on the eastern skies. That's what Paul is shouting: 'Awake! Awake! He's coming! Live every single moment for Him as if you knew this would be your last on earth and the sweet moment of reunion. Do nothing you wouldn't want to be doing when the Lord of the universe comes to claim His bride. The victory will be overwhelming - let's put on the armor of light and take our stand.'"

Amen! Let us live in light of His coming and the fact that this world is not forever- Christ will soon rule and the chaos of the world will be forever ended.

Hope to see you this coming Sunday as we enjoy the ministry of Captive Free!

Scripture for Sunday, October 24th: James 5:7-11

Sermon Title: How to Live Confidently in a Chaotic World - Stay Committed

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You, too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the Name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."

Dr David Jeremiah, in his book, Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World, makes this observation:

"Without question, these are fearful days. Billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett has observed, 'I have never seen Americans more fearful. It takes five minutes to become fearful, much more to regain confidence.' He adds a profound statement, 'The financial system does not work without confidence.'

We see all these things and recognize, once again, the signs of a civilization edging toward its final climax. The more chaotic things become, the easier it is for us to gravitate toward some social extreme - a path of least resistance, whether it's despair, anger, or simply closing our eyes and pretending that everything is fine.

An alternate suggestion: what about sitting down, reflecting on the sovereignty of Almighty God, and reminding ourselves that nothing takes Him by surprise? He is in no way confined by the limits of the moment. He rules from outside the realm of time, which is simply one more element of His complex sovereignty. He foresaw this moment at the foundation of the world, and it has its proper place in His great plan. It is woven, along with everything else, into the infinitely fine tapestry of His will and work.

Knowing that fact brings profound peace. If the world believed it, people wouldn't turn to whiskey, gambling and narcotics. There would be less of a frenzy these days, and that would be good for everybody. People would understand that the true destiny of creation is in good hands, and believers would surge forward with new determination to seize the day for His glory. There are the times in which the hope of our Lord shines most brightly through the world's murky fog. Our destiny is decided: we will be reclaimed by the returning in Christ to spend eternity in His presence. For now, we have the exciting task of seeing how many people we can bring along with us on that journey."

This coming Sunday, I will speak on staying committed to the Lord by being patient as we await His return that Dr. Jeremiah writes about. Specifically, I will speak about the instruction, illustration and implications of being patient. This is a message that I need to heed personally. I hope to see you then.

Scripture for Sunday, October 17th: I John 2:10-20

Sermon Title:

How To Live Confidently In A Chaotic World -

Stay Consistent

"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. I write to you, dear children, because the darkness has blinded him. I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His Name. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him Who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, becasue you have known the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him Who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."

This coming week I will speak on the need to be consistent in our lives and faith. Dr David Jeremiah, in his book, Living With Confidence In a Chaotic World, writes the following concerning the consistent living:

"The truth is, the world itself is inconsistent enough. Our stock market is the very study of inconstancy with its roller-coaster gains and losses. Nothing is stable about international politics, and on a social level, we see marrriages struggling and careers going bust. The only consistent things about our world is that it's inconsistent. What about you? Are you the same person on Mondays that you are on Sundays? Do solid biblical principles guide each section of your life? These are hard questions, and issues that aren't always pleasant to consider. But one of the biblical essentials for getting through times like these is to live a life of solid consistency - to be one person through and through, to be an example of tough-minded integrity that does not throw out the game plan just because things have gotten tougher."

Consistency is in short supply in our world today. On Sunday, we will talk about how to be consistently confident, compliant and consistent. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Oct. 10th: Colossians 3:1-3

Sermon Title: How To Live Confidently in a Chaotic World - Stay Centered

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ Who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

Dr. David Jeremiah, in his book, Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World, makes these comments concerning this passage:

"I'm sure you've been through trying times, perhaps the loss of a job or a loved on. While surrounded by sorrow, you might have found that it helped to fix your mind on one thing, something positive and productive. For instance, work can be a true blessing. We call it "staying busy." But Paul counsels us to set our hearts on Christ in such a way that every facet of this life is transformed by its relationship to Him.

We know we are destined for heaven. We realize we are citizens of another world. Therefore we are to set our hearts on the things of God, which are perfect and beautiful, rather than the things of the world, which are in disarray even at the best of times. When Paul wrote this statement, he used a verb tense that means 'keep on doing this,' as opposed to a one-time action. In other words, it's not 'think about heaven at this moment.' It's 'Keep on keeping your mind immersed in God and His Word, all the time.' This is a discipline too few of us have mastered: the art of heaven-based thinking. Some call it the practice of the presence of God.

In times such as these we have to look somewhere for answers. The psychologist tells us we should look within. The opportunist tells us we should look around. The optimist says we should look ahead, and the pessimist says we should look out. But God says we should look up - even when we feel down.

Think for a moment about a compass that you might carry on a hike. You can turn your feet in any direction, but the arrow of the compass will faithfully point to magnetic north. That way, should you ever become lost, the compass will align your position for you. In life, our true north is Christ. Whatever direction our world's path may twist, however off-path it may wander, our lives should point faithfully to the One and Only Lord of every place, every time, every situation. When He is our determining point, everything will find its proper orientation."

Amen Dr. Jeremiah - our lives should truly "point faithfully to the One and Only Lord of every place, every time, every situation"! May each of us look towards our Lord this day for continued direction in the midst of whatever chaos we find ourselves in. On Sunday, I will talk more about being centered by focusing on God's control of our lives, His care for us and His commitment to us. Hope to see you then!