The Power of the Cross

Today is Palm Sunday and the theme of Pastor Brad's sermon was the power of the cross. Brad opened the service by noting that Palm Sunday has a tension in it because it recalls for us the adoration of Jesus and celebration of his triumphant arrival in Jerusalem. But as we celebrate it we know the rest of the story. His kingdom ended up being very different from the kingdom they expected.

Announcements included the following:
1.Prayer sheets from the last couple bulletin inserts will be collected for next few weeks.
2. There will be a special Good Friday service at 7:00 p.m. this week. There is no Easter without the cross.
3. Easter Sunday there will a breakfast here at the church from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. and an Easter egg hunt for the young 'uns right after.
4. We were invited/encouraged to bring Easter Lilies to decorate the sanctuary next week.
5. The VBS Website is up. You can register online. Brooke has also been very busy putting together a church calendar to help communicate and coordinate church activities. You can see it here at the blog below, as well as here on our church website.
6. A relatively new multi-church men's ministry called Northland Sharpening Iron is hosting a workshop on April 14 from 9:00 a.m. till noon at Clyde Iron Works. You can see details at their website. They are hoping men will register by April 4 in order to secure an estimate of how many to expect.

The worship officially commenced with Darlene playing "Jerusalem" on the piano.

Today's Scripture readings were from Psalms 31:9-16, Isa. 50:4-9 and Phil. 2:5-11. Te taking of tithes and offerings followed.

There many prayer requests again today, as there are many needs in our community and fellowship. There were also words of thanks and praise as well. Health issues, decision issues, … we worship a great God who is active and meeting those needs. After this time of prayer, Brad took the pulpit to deliver the message.

Power of the Cross
After reading to us Luke's account of the crucifiction of Jesus as found in Luke 19:28-40, Brad began his message by singing the Lenny LeBlanc worship song Above All with the congregation joining in on the chorus: “Crucified, laid behind a stone, you lived to die rejected and alone, like a rose trampled on the ground you took the fall, and thought of me, above all.”

He began his sermon by talking about how companies use logos as symbols to establish their brands. The symbol links an image of the brand with the minds of consumers. Brad cited three for us.

First, Nike's Swoosh. The swoosh is a symbol of victory, he said, and noted for us that the word Nike originated from a Greek word that means victory. The Swoosh symbol increases the value of the shirt it is emblazoned on.

Then he cited the giant golden arches that adorn McDonald's. That logo has become a symbol that designates its restaurants as home of the happy meal, meal of joy. It is a sign of abundance, and cheap, fatty, artery-clogging food that you can get fast.

The third symbol, Mercedes-Benz, which bears some similarity to a Peace sign, is a sign of status. "You can’t buy happiness, but now you can lease it." The business world is all about compelling symbols that make people respond, “I want to be associated with that.”

For 2,000 years, the most widely recognized symbol of Christian faith happens to be an instrument of death, made of two pieces of wood upon which criminals were hung. This begs the question, “Why a cross? Why would you choose a cross as your logo?”

Brad asked how people would respond if an electric company used an electric chair as a symbol, with the slogan, “The power is on.” No, that wouldn’t go over well.

Yet we see the cross as the symbol for believers now for two millennia.

The cross is a sign of a death, not a sign of status, abundance, or happiness. It’s one of the most profound mysteries of our Christian faith that the God of the universe would choose a cross as the ultimate expression of His character.

Brad wants us to have a clear understanding of the meaning of the cross, and what it means to be a people of the cross. Next week is Easter and we will celebrate that, but there would be no resurrection without the cross.

He then shared a little background about the cross. Ancient cultures knew how to kill people in a variety ways. Socrates was poisoned in a less public manner. There were less messy ways to kill people. Why crucifixion?

First, crucifixion was a way to maximize pain. Second, Romans utilized crucifixion to maximize public humiliation. The man to be condemned would be forced to carry the cross beam across his back, led by soldiers, one of whom carried a sign announcing what crime he committed. The aim is to make the condemned man a public spectacle. One reason for doing this was to help subdue foreigners over whom Rome ruled.

The average criminal would suffer severely. The condemned would be beaten and whipped with whip that had pieces of bone or metal affixed. This was a cruel form of punishment designed to do maximum flesh-tearing. The team of soldiers managing this pre-execution brutality had to take care not to cause so much bleeding as to kill the victim before he'd reached the crucifixion itself.

But the most terrible part was what followed after the spikes were nailed into the hands and feet. Hanging by the arms caused the rib cage to push the air out of the lungs. In order to breathe, the condemned would lift himself up in order to breathe by means of pushing up from the spike through feet. This caused excruciating pain. And "Jesus did this for you and me," Brad noted.

The four Gospels say little about the details. Mark simply says, “And they crucified Him.” It was His spiritual suffering that was the greatest and most painful aspect of this profound event. “He who knew no sin became sin for our sake.”

Think about the darkest thing you’ve ever done that would bring shame if projected on a screen in front of everyone here. Place the weight of this and every sin ever committed by every human ever committed, every sin of abuse, every betrayal, ever genocide, every murder, every mean spiteful word, every sacrifice of integrity, every lie… Imagine the weight of all that sin weighed down in one human heart. This is what Jesus bore on our behalf.

Throughout His whole life He had never been lonely, never knew a moment of feeling unloved by the Father. Yet here, on the cross, He cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

On the cross Jesus experienced something impossible for us to imagine, utter abandonment by God. Even people who walk in sin experience God’s goodness as God wakes them each morning.

Scripture says that on the cross Jesus freed us from the curse by becoming cursed for us.

A second aspect of the cross is this. We easily see the pain of the cross, but the power of the cross was also present in this story. Darkness came over the land, the ground shook, the curtain separating the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom.

On this one man was the collective guilt of the human race was laid. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from every sin. Not because we deserve it.

When the veil was split in two, it was a symbol of our being given full access to God as if God were now saying, “You can approach My throne with boldness.” We are invited, sin-stained as we are, to come to God any time we like.

Where do we get this power? That’s the power of the cross.

It is also about reconciliation, not just reconciliation to God but to one another. In Ephesians 2 Paul writes about the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles, between races, between men and women, parents and children. This dividing wall was torn down at the cross. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. When people recognize this, they get reconciled.

Third, there is victory over evil through the cross. When Jesus died, Satan was disarmed. The Romans thought they were making a spectacle of Jesus, but Jesus was defeating sin and death and making a spectacle of the evil one. We do not have to be trapped by sin. We don’t have to be stuck. It’s the power of the cross.

That’s why the symbol of faith is not a candle or a star, it’s a cross.

Paul wrote, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it’s the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:18)

I believe Jesus’ main desire is that we become a people of the cross. This does not mean wearing symbols on our bodies, but by the manner of our lives.

“If any one would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up up his cross daily and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24)

Have you chosen to become a person of the cross? Whatever it is that is keeping you from this, pick it up and nail it to the cross. Do you have the courage to say, “I’m going to be a man or woman of the cross”? I hope that you will choose this. Because if you do, then you will really understand what Easter is about next week.

Brad then stepped down to lead us in the sharing of Communion. “Friends, it’s now our sacred privilege to celebrate this supper…”

Leaving Our Water Jar Behind

The harsh chill of the past few days let up and our day began with above zero weather out in this neck of the woods. Pastor Shannon's warm welcome helped defrost any chill left over from the past few days.

The theme of these several weeks was highlighted in his opening remarks. We're studying the story in John 4 about the Lord's encounter with the woman at the well. The message today would be about surrender.

The one important announcement today was with regard to next Sunday. Susie and Gwen, with the youth of the church, will be doing some painting to liven up the Sunday School rooms. Think fun, food, friends, bright-colored paint and hippie art! Bring a bag lunch and a change of clothes. Snacks will be provided.

Ed Newman played an introit on the piano to lead us into worship, which was led by Brad and Elsa this morning. Leonard read from Mark 1:14-20 after the offertory. We then presented our needs in prayer to the creator and sustainer of the universe.

Leaving Our Water Jar Behind

Brad began by giving a re-cap of last week's highlights. It was a remarkable situation, Jesus breaking barriers not only by talking to a woman, but also a Samaritan woman with a shady reputation. She's come at mid-day to get water, but after an introductory exchange Jesus points out that drinking from this well will leave you thirsty again, but "I can give you living water," He says.

Then, He goes past the external surface of things and drills into her deeper situation, speaking very directly. It's our tendency to spend (or waste) a lot of energy trying to conceal our secrets. Jesus directs the conversation toward unburying the truth, getting down to the heart of the matter.

Once the truth comes out, many people feel a great sense of relief. For this reason Brad directed us to I John 1:7-10 which talks about confessing our sins and walking in the light. We were all urged to go before God to unburden ourselves in this way. But it can also be very healing to find someone we can trust to share our struggles with and confess our sins. As verse nine in this passage states, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Returning to the story, we find that after Jesus revealed to the woman who He was, she left her water jar to head back into town to tell people about Jesus. Brad asked what our water jar was? What is it that we're doing that we need to leave behind? Is it the intoxication of thrilling work? Pleasure? Addictions of one kind or another?

Brad invited Duayne Anderson and Gwen Cressman to take seats in front of the congregation to be interviewed regarding their various paths from childhood to following Christ. Gwen shared how she was raised by parents who were missionaries in Cameroon. She remembers life in the bush and seeing her father preach the Gospel. Duayne shared that his parents were not church-goers, but his mom and dad modeled Christian values. They sent him to Sunday school. Even though his parents didn't attend themselves, he knew they were believers. He later went to youth group at Westminster Presbyterian.

Brad asked, "Was there a time in your life when you made a decision to follow Jesus?"

Gwen described her difficult year at a boarding school while in third grade. Yet it was during this time she came to understand that, "Jesus will never leave me or forsake me."

Duayne explained how the seeds that were planted while younger resulted in his being baptized later with his wife Cindy. Duayne mentioned something about failures, but "Christ has always been there for me."

Brad then asked, "Is there an area of surrender that is a struggle?"

Gwen shared how there have been seasons in her life. She said the Lord has revealed many things at various times. She's been learning not only how to speak up but when not to speak. Duayne commented on his failing each day in some ways and that surrender has to be daily. He said the hardest thing is learning to let go... forgiveness.

Brad noted some of the common themes in their stories. Then said, "What the world has to offer will not quench our thirst. Surrender is a lifelong journey. The woman at the well had to surrender if she was to receive living water.

The new path is not a quick drink. The Greek word used in this phrase is "a perpetual fountain... once for all and forever."

A quote from Malcolm Muggeridge provided a fitting summing up:
"I may, I suppose, regard myself, or pass for being, a relatively successful man. People occasionally stare at me in the streets—that's fame. I can fairly easily earn enough to qualify for admission to the higher slopes of the Inland Revenue—that's success. Furnished with money and a little fame even the elderly, if they care to, may partake of trendy diversions—that's pleasure. It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently heeded for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time—that's fulfillment. Yet I say to you, and I beg you to believe me, multiply these tiny triumphs by a million, add them all together, and they are nothing—less than nothing, a positive impediment—measured against one draught of that living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty, irrespective of who or what they are. What, I ask myself, does life hold, what is there in the works of time, in the past, now and to come, which could possibly be put in the balance against the refreshment of drinking that water?"

After meeting Jesus, the woman at the well ran back into town saying, "Come, see a man who told me everything I did!" She was stunned not because He knew her, but because He knew her and still offered her living water.

In closing, Brad said, "God knows your story, and He loves you still."

Resolution #3 -- Jenny Craig vs. Jesus

On a cold winter morning, sun brightly glistening on the fresh snow, Pastor Brad welcomed us warmly and said that today he was going to talk to us about the mirror. What do we see when we look in the mirror? But first...

Announcements
1) Next week the adult Sunday School class on finances will commence. This is a six week course and Brad asked that everyone planning to attend make a commitment for the duration.
2) The Valentine's Banquet is scheduled for Saturday February 12. Leonard will again prepare a gourmet delight. Live entertainment will follow.

The quartet opened the service with a wonderful rendition of "Keep Me In Your Will." This was followed by several songs from the silver song book and then the offering.

Scripture reading: I Corinthians 1:1-9

Resolution #3 -- Jenny Craig vs. Jesus

What do you see when you wake up in the morning? Someone beautiful? Someone handsome?

Today Pastor Brad addressed a third issue that is stealing our joy. We live in a culture that is obsessed with external appearance. There is great pressure exerted on us to conform to society's notions of beauty and value.

In his usual engaging manner Brad told stories that made us laugh but also made a point. The culture we live in repeatedly tells us our value is directly proportional to our external beauty or physical perfection, a message directly at odds with God's perspective of value. The harder we try to follow the messages of our culture, the further we get from hearing God's message: "I love you as you are."

Brad then presented four principles which he called Victorious Secrets, in direct opposition to the messages of our culture.

1) Know What God Says
Henri Nouwen once said, "Even though you may not be chosen by the world you are chosen by God. Every time you listen to His voice you will discover within yourself a desire to hear that voice longer and more deeply... it's like discovering a well within the desert."

In order to know what God says about us we must fill our minds with His words. Romans 12:1-2 states, "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

What we need to do is run all of our internal messages through the Truth Grid of Philippians 3:8. "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."

God has been intimately involved with us from conception. As David states in Psalm 139:13-14... "Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something."

2) See What God Sees
Beauty, from God's perspective, is an inside-out thing. God looks at the heart.

Who among us has not encountered a person who was outwardly beautiful but when you got to know them even a little they were ugly inside.

Some people note that Esther in the Old Testament received praise for her beauty. Brad pointed out that her physical beauty was mentioned but once, and that the next ten verses highlighted her courage, a real value in that challenging time, because it revealed her character.

While our culture implores us to wear the hip brands, God reminds us that there is better attire to wear. "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

3) Love What God Loves
Audrey Hepburn once offered beauty advice. “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

God loves people. When we love others, we forget about ourselves in a way that is quite liberating. There is so much self-loathing in our culture because even though we are supposed to wear smiling faces, we hate ourselves for not "measuring up." God loves you.

4) Reflect Who God Is

In I Corinthians 6:19-20 we're reminded that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit and that we were bought with a high price... It is our privilege and responsibility to reflect God's image and reveal His heart. As Paul states it, we are God's love letter to the world.

As the moon reflects the sun, so we are to reflect the Son. The only time the moon goes dark is when the world gets in the way.

Images of Light

With a little warm spell (the weather was above zero) and the sun sparkling off the new fallen snow, we gathered together for worship without Pastor Brad, who was speaking at Covenant Pines this morning. Chuck Vanderscheuren welcomed us to begin the service.

A number of announcements preceded a time of worship led by the Trio (Chuck, Dale, Ken) with Darlene on the keyboards. These announcements included:

1. Women's Bible Study begins Friday at 6:30 here at the church.

2. Though still many months off, we're planning a June rummage sale to raise funds and awareness for "Breaking the Chains," a program intended to help end human trafficking.

3. The Women's Circle is encouraging all women to participate in the "Secret Sister" program.

4. Paula also shared that the Women's Circle is making blankets for children in need.

5. Before starting his sermon, Leonard reminded us that the Valentine's Banquet will be held again this year on Feb. 14. As Scripture, and especially the Song of Solomon, declares, "the love between a man and a woman is to be celebrated."

Several sign up sheets were also presented for volunteers to help with coffee hour and for women interested in receiving the e-newsletter.

Today's Scripture readings:

I Samuel 3:1-10

John 1:43-51

After an offering and hymn, Leonard Armstrong delivered today's message.

Images of Light
Leonard began by telling how he'd discovered an interesting book by Anthony Flew, a renowned atheist who in 2004 wrote a book stating his beliefs had been altered and he was now a theist. Leonard returned to Barnes & Noble with the aim of buying Flew's book but it was no longer on the shelves. Flew, he said, felt that the discoveries of modern science seemed to leave an earnest inquirer with a single conclusion: the world was created by a Creator and did not just happen.

Leonard then shared an insight about Bertrand Russell, the 20th century's other most famous atheist. Russell's daughter had affirmed that her father's life was a continuous search for God.

The passages from which the message was drawn were as follows:

Isaiah 50:10-11

10 Who among you fears the LORD

and obeys the word of his servant?

Let him who walks in the dark,

who has no light,

trust in the name of the LORD

and rely on his God.
11 But now, all you who light fires

and provide yourselves with flaming torches,

go, walk in the light of your fires

and of the torches you have set ablaze.

This is what you shall receive from my hand:

You will lie down in torment.

John 1:1-9

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.

3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

And John 8:12

12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

The Bible talks a lot about light. In Bible times, the world was darker. In contrast, today we have light pollution, almost too much light.

Even when there is no light at all, in the military we have night vision goggles so people can see when there is limited light, or none at all.

The point Isaiah makes in the passage cited is that we don't make our own light. We are to seek God's light. The false light which we create will burn out. God's light is eternal.

On the cross, why did Jesus cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It is because he was in darkness. It is in that moment of darkness that we're tempted to make our own light.

Having, creating your own light can seem good at first. But there are consequences, and there is always more to the story.

In Leviticus 9:23-10:3 we read an incredible story of the how God revealed his glory through fire that consumed an offering, initiating the priesthood. Two of Aaron's sons followed this up by putting fire in their own censers and offering them to the Lord. In God's displeasure they were slain. Leonard used this story to highlight the difference between God's light and our own.

One of the problems with making or following our own light is that we can become so blinded by it that we become deceived. We all know how it is when people choose to hear what they want to hear instead of hearing the truth, God's still, small voice.

He pointed out that one reason Madoff's Ponzi scheme succeeded is because people were so receptive to the opportunity he offered, guaranteed above-average returns on their savings. Unfortunately, in the end what is true will be revealed in God's light.

The classic passage on this subject is found in Matthew 5:14-16

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

The Gospel of John opens by noting that John the Baptist was a witness to the light, but never claimed to be the light. Jesus alone was able to say, "I am the light." (John 8:12)

Today, are you walking toward God's light or making your own light? Does the light within you point toward God?

When the Market Crashes

“I’m glad you’re here today,” Pastor Brad Shannon said as he welcomed us this morning. As has been his custom he briefly summarized the message he would be sharing this morning. “We’re going to talk about money.” In particular, some of the perils of money.

Announcements included an invitation to all to have a pork loin dinner at the Swamp Sisters on November 2 after the service. The free will offering will go toward the church building fund. Also, on Wednesday November 5 everyone is invited to the church for Operation Christmas Child, in which shoe boxes will be decorated and assembled for needy children. In addition, on November 16 the conference superintendent will be joining us.

Darlene played a loving, delicate interpretation of Fairest Lord Jesus to begin the service. After a time of worship, Pastor Brad gave a children’s talk about money noting that our worth as people is not based on how much money we have.

The Scripture readings were from Psalm 99 and Matthew 22:15-22, which was followed by a time of prayer, a hymn and our practical pointed message.

When the Market Crashes

The way we handle our money is a spiritual issue, Pastor Brad began. To a large degree our lives revolve around money to some extent. Money plays a key role in our lives, and the Bible is realistic about it.

Half of Jesus’ parables deal with money. And there are nearly 2000 verses in Scripture that deal with every facet of money, from how to earn it and spend it to how we can abuse it, or share it.

Many people look for money to save them from pain, but no amount of money can insulate you from trouble. This message today was about the perils of money, drawn from I Timothy 6:6-10.

6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

The first peril is lack of contentment. “But godliness with contentment is great gain,” wrote Paul to Timothy. Contentment is an inward disposition unrelated to external circumstances. You don’t need anything outside of your self to make you happy.

Columnist John Rosemond once wrote about boredom amongst affluent suburban kids. He stated that the typical kid these days has 250 toys by age five, an average of nearly one a week.

Does contentment for you come from having more “toys” and more clothes, etc. Seeking contentment in that manner can never be achieved, because how many or how much is enough? Contentment comes from within.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, noted that he had found the secret of contentment. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

In other words, trust Jesus with your life as Savior and Lord, that is forgiver and leader.

For Paul, contentment was a learned disposition. He had learned the habit of gratitude.

It is also important to stop teasing yourself by going to malls, paging through catalogs. The world will always push your to need more, bigger or newer things.

A second peril of money, Brad noted, is the serious issue of loving money. The love of money is a root of evil. If our favorite indoor sport is shopping, we’re in trouble.

Money loving leads to sin, he said, including lying for money, shading the truth for personal advantage on our taxes, coveting (One of the Big Ten, as in Commandments), becoming angry or hateful due to money, spending too much, working too hard to have more things. Many sins can be traced to love for money.

Paul pointed out that many sins can be traced to love for money. As verse nine puts it, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” And in verse ten he warns, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

The story of the rich young ruler is a case in point. In Mark 10 a rich young ruler came to Jesus, and Jesus knew what ruled this man’s heart. He was told to choose, money or Jesus. In this tragic instance, the man turned his back on the freedom and joy set before him, and chose instead his designer clothes.

In another passage Jesus pointed out to His disciples that you can gain the whole world and lose your own soul.

In Paul’s admonition money is a sword of sadness that pierces us through with many griefs. Actually the word “pierced” that Paul uses is akin to a spike or spit upon which a pig is roasted over a fire. It’s a graphic image.

Debt, workaholism, foolish investments and get rich quick schemes, gambling are just a few of the troubles we are roasted by when we pursue our love for money.

Years ago Brad saw a list of ten reasons why Christians don’t give. Number two was that they can’t. Too much debt.

What can we do? There are two things Brad cited. First, get serious about it. It’s a serious matter. Second, get help from others if you need help with financial management and money related matters.

Don’t let the perils of money put you on the spit and roast you. Ask yourself the question, “How can I do things God’s way?”

It is a practical message. God cares about our practical needs.

Sardis

After a warm welcome and announcements, Darlene opened the service today with a beautiful medley, weaving together “As the Hart” and “Fairest Lord Jesus.” It was a quite moving introduction to our worship time.

Today’s sermon was a continuation of the messages we have been hearing based on the letters to the seven churches, from Revelations chapters 2 and 3. This morning’s message was drawn from Rev. 3:1-6, the letter to the church at Sardis.

1"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Pastor Brad opened with comments about one of the number one TV shows today, CSI, which stands for “Crime Scene Investigation.” This popular show has expanded to include CSI Miami, CSI New York and CSI Las Vegas. Brad jokingly noted that the show’s popularity is such that we may even have a CSI Twig one day.

The show always begins with a death. Then it’s the job of the CSI team to do an autopsy and find the real cause of the death.

Then Pastor Brad turned the tables toward the direction of his message. “At one time in my life I was on a Crime Scene Investigation,” he said. “Only is was a Church Scene Investigation.” Instead of a murder victim, there was a dead church body. “One of the saddest things in the world is to see a church dying,” he explained, a fitting intro to his exposition on the letter to the church at Sardis.

“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (vs 1)

Sardis had been a wealthy city. It had been a cultural trendsetter. This was a city which had been formerly filled with splendor, a city of wealth and luxurious living, something akin to another TV show, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

The church of Sardis, too, had initially been a beacon of light. It had been a vibrant witness for Christ, making a difference. In the past this church had been a trauma center for wounded people and a lighthouse for the lost. But no more.

In this brief letter to the church at Sardis there are no words of commendation. Where it really counted, this church was dead.

Interestingly enough, unlike the troubles at some of the other churches, the downfall was not due to false prophets, persecutions, pressures from outside. The problem was from within.

Referring back to his own life lessons, Brad stated, “I learned that if a church is not being continuously renewed, it will die.” He said he labored hard to make the church relevant. He had a great vision for the church, but its methods were old fashioned and ineffective.

It is an interesting oxymoron: Dead Church. Because Jesus once said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

In point of fact, the Church, the body of Christ, has prevailed through the ages. But individual churches can, and do, die. Currently, in this country, 2700 churches a year close their doors, permanently.

Brad’s passion for New Life Covenant is that we be continuously renewed, for we can die, too.

Typically, historically, churches expand and decline over a course of thirty years. He said that when he arrived at the church he has been referring to, it had been dying for five years.

To the church at Sardis Jesus says, “Wake up… Strengthen what remains.”

Brad aimed to make five points based on this passage.

1) Wake up.
Death in the future comes by living in the past. The church at Sardis had become self-centered and apathetic by resting on its laurels, self-satisfied based on its previous reputation. This letter is a wake up call, a call to spiritual vigilance.

Something is at stake. Living in the past makes it impossible to move forward. We cannot glamorize the past.

Brad noted that learning from the past is different from living in the past. “I’m proud, thankful, to be in a place where people matter more than whether a pastor wears a tie or not,” he said.

This was a lead in to another church killer, being inflexible.

2) Strengthen what remains.
A church needs to hold fast to its core values. Being flexible does not mean letting go of unchangeable truths or realities. Some things should never change.

Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

In the culmination of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says that our lives must be founded on a rock, on the unchanging truths, God’s word. The Bible is an unshakable, immovable rock.

And in Luke 21:33 Jesus declared, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

On the other hand, we need to be flexible in our methods. Living churches evaluate their methods in an effort to stay relevant. Because one of the most dangerous things that a church can do is fall in love with its methods instead of being in love with the lost people those methods are used to reach.

3) Remember what God alone can do.
The only way to be continuously dynamic is to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, there is a supernatural piece to church growth.

4) Hold on.
Hold on the primary mission. Hold on to the core value: people are what matters to God. Lost people matter to God.

5) Repent.
Jesus says this with urgency.

At this point it was evident Pastor Brad had much more to say than his heart could contain. With passion he exhorted us in a flood of heartfelt words that this scribe was unable to record. Lost people matter. God wants to us to stay vibrant, to be concerned about the things Jesus is concerned about.

Jesus says whoever has ears to hear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

With this, stepping to the communion table our pastor said, “Communion is our sacred privilege…”

Gwen then offered up a beautiful song to usher us into the celebration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.