Freedom

"I’m delighted you’re here," Brad said in greeting in greeting us this sunny summer day. Up at the front is a large red plastic 4x4 truck that will undoubtedly serve as an object lesson. And our theme this morning has to do with this question, “Who’s driving the car?”

It’s been a big week. Tuesday we bore witness to the Gospel with Peggy Wargin’s funeral service. It’s also been a big VBS week. First, a big “Thank you” to everyone who helped make VBS 2012 a huge success. There were 85 kids impacted this week, and only 43 come to our church, so it was a really great experience for the community. They also raised $460 to support missionaries. Brooke shared several great testimonials

There will be a Council meeting Tuesday at 7:00 and Wednesday the 27th we’re having an important meeting with the Church Council and Building Committee.

And finally, it’s Father’s Day, and some of the women of the church made pies for the fathers.

Chuck, Darlene and Ken opened the worship with “Heaven On My Mind.” Brad then dedicated the service to the Lord and the worship team followed with “God Is Good.” As the offering was being taken the trio sang “Somebody Touched Me.”

The Scripture reading by Vicki was from Mark 3:20-34.  

“Let’s turn our hearts to God in prayer this morning,” Brad stated after taking the pulpit. Many requests for needs and praise for the good things that have been happening, including Lillian’s 90th birthday this coming Tuesday.

Freedom

Brad pointed to the big red plastic vehicle at the front of the sanctuary and said it was given to them by Angela. He said that when his kids go to ride it, you can guess which seat they fight for. It's always the driver’s seat.

Brad then read the passage in Matthew 16 where Peter privately rebukes Jesus for saying He would be going to Jerusalem soon to suffer at the hands of the priests and then be killed. Jesus rebuke’s Peter in response and says "Get thee behind me Satan," then proceeds to talk at length about denying yourself.

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

When it was time to bring our first son home from the hospital, we put him in the car seat, wrapped with blankets, and he looked so fragile. It was a scary day. The next scary day will be when he turns sixteen and I hand him the keys to the car.

It’s a big moment when you hand someone the keys. Right now, I drive… but if I let someone else drive you have to trust that person. Sometimes I drive and someone says, “Why are you going this way? It’s the long way.” And I have to remind them that it’s my car, my keys.

I mention this and am reminded of the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Everyone was shouting to him to help them, heal them… Everyone cheers Jesus when He is doing something for them.

We all like Jesus when he is in the passenger seat. But Jesus came to drive. It’s His agenda, His life. My wallet is His wallet. My mouth is His mouth that must be used for His purposes.

Whose driving your life? Is Jesus in the car? If so, is He in the driver’s seat?

Jesus said, "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." (Matt 10:39) And in another place he said, "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24)

In several other places Jesus said "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me."

This does not mean you just have a que sera sera attitude or passively resigned "it is what it is" approach to life. Surrender is “the glad and voluntary acknowledgement that there is a God and it’s not me.”

There comes a kind of Copernican moment for our souls when we realize that we’re not the center of the universe. (Copernicus was the scientist who proved and announced that the sun, moon and stars did not revolve around the earth.)

Some Christian messages play well in any cultural context. “No matter how much you mess up, God loves you.” Or how about, “Come to me who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The general populous hears the comfort in these words and is not averse to being told God loves them. But some messages have a bit more bite and aren’t quite so exciting. “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me,” is one of these.

Brad shared his own personal story in this regard. He was a class president, and did many leadership things, but was covering up how internally insecure he was. He felt a need to project leadership and confidence, but the greater the gulf between his internal feelings and how he thought he should be, the more weight it placed on him so that the role was not a joy but a burden. The burden became great and he brought it to the Lord where he said he was willing to give up being a leader. He put it on the altar and gave it to God. It was hard, and painful, but on the other side of that cross was joy and freedom.

Though now in a leadership position, it is no longer need-based.

Unless that you trust that Jesus has your best interests in mind, you yon't turn everything over to Him. But there is no other way to freedom. Death to self is like discarding a useless shell to that the real person you are and were meant to be can thrive. Surrender.

Brad brought up the example of Alcoholics Anonymous and their twelve-step program. AA doesn’t say “Try really hard to not drink.” Nor does it say, “Try to quit.” No, the will fails. The solution is surrender.

Step one: Admit that you are powerless over your addiction, that your life has become unmanageable.
Step two: Believe that a Power greater than yourself could restore you to sanity. Step three is a decision to turn our will and life over to the care of God.

Surrender is the path to victory, not just with alcohol and addictions, but also with habits and sin in general.

Why does the will fail? Because our minds are crazy and will mess us up. We are unable at certain times to bring into our minds the suffering and grief that we felt even one week ago.
Temptation is a form of temporary insanity. But there is a path out. Surrender. “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny himself and take up his cross daily…” Paul puts it this way. “Offer your body as a living sacrifice…” This is an ongoing surrender.

Surrender is when I say, “I will seek to handle this in a way that honors You.”

A lot of times it takes courage to do what is right or required of us. It's not an inner feeling, but usually involves an external action. Brad shared another personal anecdote to illustrate this point.

Who’s driving? If you live with a divided heart it will result in a miserable existence. If you keep Jesus out of the driver’s seat it will knot you up inside.

In point of fact, the life you gain is way better than the life you lose.

“I have been crucified with Christ. That old false self lives, but Christ lives in me," Paul wrote to the Galatians.

Jesus was relentless with this. Whatever it takes… Your wallets? Your relationships? Maybe it’s a grudge or a habit or an attitude….

Jesus took this approach in the garden before going to the cross. “I don’t want this burden, this pain, this ordeal." But He ended with "Not My will but Yours be done.”

Maybe you’ve surrendered before and you need to surrender again. This is our day…

The service ended with the hymn Take My Life and Let It Be.

Free At Last

Summer's here, Brad is back... let's have a service! As church families and friends entered the sanctuary the decibel level kept climbing until at its peak Brad gave us a boisterous welcome, bringing our attention to the opening of today's service.

Announcements were numerous as we slide the downslope of summer toward autumn.
1) September 11 will be our 2nd annual Fall Fest. Volunteers are needed a variety of tasks including ushers, the arts and crafts table, scavenger hunt and more.... And we also need pies, too, for the pie tasting competition, a bit hit last year that promises to be a ongoing tradition.
2) The Twig 5K Run is next weekend. All who are able please join us as we give water to the runners and mountain climber carabiners that say, "Get Connecting to God's Hope." We're gathering at 8:00 a.m. at Twig Town Hall.
3) Building committee news: We're moving forward on obtaining a buildable plan, having signed a contract with Morton Builders.
4) October 8 is the annual women's tea/luncheon
5) October 22 will be conducting a bazaar at the Twig Town Hall... details to come.

After a time of worship and the offering, Brad read Romans 6 in preparation for today's message.

Free At Last

Pastor Brad began his sermon be relating a story about a man with whom he had shared his faith while at North Park University. They exchanged stories, and the man shared about his use of drugs, his deep personal debt and how he was entrenched in a group of friends who were pretty doped up all the time. The fellow was in an unfulfilling minimum wage job and saw nothing exciting in his future.

Brad thought this was a perfect candidate for the Good News of salvation in Jesus. At the end of their conversation Brad asked if he'd like to meet again so they could talk more. The young man said, "No, I prefer my freedom." The response was revealing. Despite all this fellows enslavements, he thought he was free and that becoming a Christian would be bondage. The story was an eye-opener for Brad and a perfect setup for today's message.

We've been listening to a series of sermons on Paul's letter to the Romans this summer. In Romans 1-5 Paul demonstrates the need for the Good News of the Gospel, and explain how to be justified, that is, to be right with God. In this chapter, he moves to a discussion of how to be sanctified.

Paul makes the point that outside of Christ we are all slaves of sin. When sin is a way of life we are slaves of sin, slaves to self-will. Slaves of sin and slaves of self-deception as well. They believe they are free. The only real freedom is through Jesus who broke the power of sin and death. As Jesus said in John 8:36, "If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

That people cannot see that they are slaves should not be a surprise to us. As Paul wrote in II Cornithians 4:4, the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see. Once we're saved, delivered from the deceptive power of the evil one, God's first act is to open our eyes to see.

When Christ frees us, three things happen.
1) Our perception of sin changes. It is no longer fun, and we're aware that what we thought was freedom is not freedom at all.
2) Our desires change. The patterns of sin lose their appeal.

Scripture calls it having a new heart. The new heart has a new disposition. Brad illustrated the point by noting how the animals at the State Fair are all dressed up looking their finest, in ribbons and bows. But when its over, the pigs will return to their slop, and the seep will avoid the mud, daintily avoiding the muck when it is in their path. So it is, that Christians follow the disposition of their hearts.

This is not to suggest temptation is gone, but there is a new awareness, a new sensitivity to God's voice which speaks to the conscience.

3) You are responsible to preserve your freedom. Trust, obey, follow.

There is only one Master in all the world whose enslavement liberates. God is doing a great work here. Let's walk out free.

After the message and a closing hymn we celebrated the Lord's Supper.

And Can It Be That I Should Gain

Today we kicked off our new schedule with Sunday School at 9:00 and the worship service at 10:15. Pastor Brad welcomed us warmly, then quickly summarized the main points of today's message before running through the announcements, which were as follows:
1. The Truth Project will begin next Sunday. If interested, see Brad to sign up. Cresman's will host two groups at their home. One will be held on Sunday afternoons and the other Monday evenings. Contact Brad or Walt & Gwen for more information.
2. Adventure Club is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 7 for children from age four to sixth grade. AC will meet Wednesday evenings from 5:30 - 7:00. If interested in helping, contact Brooke.
3. An Old Fashioned Hymn Sing and Potluck will be held at the Newmans on October 4 at 4 p.m. Meat will be provided... bring your favorite sides or desserts.
4. Anyone interested in making Christmas ornaments can join us on Thursday mornings now through Christmas. See Gail Brown for details.

After a period of worship and prayer, the Scripture reading was from Colossians 1:9-14.

And Can It Be That I Should Gain

Brad opened his message by re-reading the passage from Colossians chapter one.

9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The first verses, 9-11, were the focus for today's message. Paul here is telling the Colossians what he is praying for as he thinks of their community of believers. The four things are (1) that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will, (2) that they would live worthy lives, (3) bear fruit, and (4) have an enduring faith.

The context of Paul's letter to the Christians in Colossae was that were a number of false teachings creeping in to the church. It wasn't a single "great white shark" tearing them up, but a mix of smaller issues which needed to be addressed. One was that Jesus was not involved in the Creation, based on a false concept of the Trinity. A second was that certain people had special knowledge that was not available to the rest of the church. Lifestyle questions also were part of the mix. There was also a bit of angel worship as well as the notion that there were demons behind every bush.

As often happens with young churches with a lot of new believers, their lack of Bible training can cause them to take in ideas that seem religious or right but are not Biblical. Similarly, the Colossians needed help getting clarification in a variety of areas.

Brad then went into detail regarding the four prayers in this section.

1) Knowledge of God's will

The is a difference between knowledge of God and the knowledge of His will. We can know a lot of facts about God, but still miss what He expects of us. God's will matters. Do you know what God's will is for this world? You should be filled with is. God's will for the world is peace, that violence would end. That is all throughout Scripture. It is also that those who have more would feed those with less. God's will is that there would be a common community established in our world. Also, He has a will for lost people, that they be found.

And God's will for His church is that it would prevail everywhere. His will for the poor and oppressed is that they would be fed and set free.

Our prayer should be, "God, show us Your will."

2) Live a worth life

This piece of Paul's prayer deals with all the lifestyle debates which were occurring there. One group focused on very strict regulations and another group was saying it didn't matter how you lived. Paul's prayer was that they would live a life worthy of the calling on their lives. Ultimately, we're to walk as Christ walked. What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD)

3) Bear fruit

Brad noted that as we bear fruit we will grow in our knowledge of God. The goal of our Christian lives is not merely salvation. We're God's handiwork, a masterpiece... but also a work in process. That is why we need to persevere in our Christian walk.

4) Be strong, persevere by God's glorious might

"There is an enemy power out to thwart you," Brad said. Life has many hardships. That is why Paul continually encouraged the saints to persevere. In his letter to Timothy he stated, "I have fought the good fight, I've finished the race."

It never pays to drift. It's better to pay the price of endurance that to go through the pain of error and sin.

In summary, God has qualified you... that is, made you qualified to be in the Kingdom, not because you were good, but because of His mercy.

Brad then shared this illustration. "If you see a turtle sitting on a fence post, you know it's because someone put him there." It's a cute picture of grace. I'm heaven bound not because I can climb there on my own, but because Someone put me there.

Christ, Paul says, has transferred up from a bad place to a better place. He's paid the price to redeem us. There's always a price.

Another illustration of grace... In Sudan there's a civil war taking place. Women and children have been put into slavery and are victims of despicable deeds. European Christians aware of the situation risked their lives to meet with the warring factions to determine a price for the slaves so they could raise money to buy their freedom. For $33 each they redeemed as many as they were able.

Can you imagine what these women and children felt was they were relieved from their suffering by people they didn't even know? So it is with ourselves. We were bought with a price, and that price was a lot more than 33 bucks. It cost God the spilt blood and pierced body of His son, the second person of the Trinity.

You have been qualified, transferred and redeemed. And now you are safe and secure and relocated and forgiven forever through Jesus Christ. That's the message that we get to proclaim to our broken, messed up world.

Can Captives Be Set Free?

On a cool, but pleasant, August morning we gathered for worship with our pastor absent, on vacation. Chuck Vanderscheuren welcomed us this morning. Darlene was also out of town and Ed Newman filled in on piano. After opening announcements, the Trio led us in worship.

Joanne read today’s Scriptures:
Isaiah 51:1-6
Romans 12:1-8

After a time of giving praise for answered prayers, and hearing of other needs in our extended family, we turned our attention to hearing Leonard preach to us from the Scriptures.

Can Captives Be Set Free?

Leonard Armstrong opened by noting that the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel are often overlooked today, but their words are very important, and highly relevant to us in the 21st century. The focus of today’s message is a passage from Isaiah 49:22-26, culminating in the following words:

24 Can plunder be taken from warriors,
or captives rescued from the fierce?
25 But this is what the LORD says:

"Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,

and plunder retrieved from the fierce;

I will contend with those who contend with you,

and your children I will save.

By expanding on the context for these questions, Leonard unveiled their significance for us today.

In ancient times, the peoples of Israel existed as a relatively minor force in the midst of larger political powers. Palestine was a small strip of land that happened to fall along the trade routes between the Fertile Crescent where the Babylonian empire was situated was and Egypt.

At a certain point in Israel’s history, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon smashed the nation of Israel. The Temple was utterly destroyed, and the peoples were taken away as captives back to Babylon.

This style of destruction served a purpose. The state was dismantled, the economy quashed. By removing anyone who could be a potential leader, and by taking the skilled people away, the captured territories would be prevented from rising up in revolt and from creating resistance.

Hence, Isaiah’s words… "Can plunder be taken from warriors or captives rescued from the fierce?" The Babylonians had plundered Israel. And they were the fiercest peoples on earth. It was an apparently hopeless situation. The Babylonians had the best weapons, most powerful army. In addition to its mighty power it was considered the capital of science and learning.

According to Herodotus, often referred to as the father of history, the city of Babylon was an impregnable fortress city with walls 300 feet tall and eighty feet wide that chariots could ride atop of. To make matters even more challenging for attackers, the city was surrounded by a moat fed by the river Euphrates. There was no way even a well equipped army could rescue the captives from Babylon.

Yet, In Isaiah 44:24 -45:3 we read about a man whom God had anointed, chosen before birth, for this very purpose. Not a Jew, but in a very real sense a type of messiah, a Persian king named Cyrus achieved the impossible. Initially ruler of a small nation he gradually increased his power by conquering increasingly larger nation states. It came about that he set his sights on Babylon, the ultimate conquest.

As noted, this seemed an impossible task. Yet by manipulating the waterways, the army of Cyrus achieved a stunning victory, in part because the king and armies of Babylon were overly confident in their defenses, moat and walls.

Thus, at the end of II Chronicles 36 we read:

22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
23 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you—may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"

How does this all apply to us today? In Isaiah 49:5-7 we see a passage referencing the Messiah, formed in the womb to be the Redeemer for Israel. Cyrus was a type of the Messiah, but in Jesus we see the true Messiah who has come to set captives free as noted in this significant passage, Isaiah 61:1.

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners…

Today you may be a captive or know someone who is a captive. You may be a Christian but have been re-captured by chains that hold you back. Captive to unforgiveness. Captive to materialism. Captive to a wrong lifestyle. Captive to addictions. Or captive to a self-righteous attitude.

We were all slaves once. We were captives set free. Paul writes to the Galatians saying do not return to your captivity.

Isaiah asked, "Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives rescued from the fierce?"

The answer is yes. The plunder can be taken. Yes, this is what the Lord says.