The Bridge Church (www.bridgechurch.ca) : Blog

God Talk

The Bridge Church — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:48:00 -0700

There is lots of talk about God or gods today, some purposefully, some inadvertently, but God comes up in a lot of conversations. People are willing to talk about God and nearly everyone has some take on God, who he is and what He is about.

Nicodemus was a leading man in the Jewish community in his day and he came to talk to Jesus about who Jesus was and who God was.

This story must begin where we left of last Sunday

John 2:23-3:1

Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.

Nicodemus was one of these ‘believers’ who sincerely desired to learn more. Nicodemus was one of the people Jesus would not trust himself to (2:24)

And while he believes enough to want to inquirer further, he also comes to Jesus “by night”

This is an understandable precaution…

Profile of Nicodemus –

He comes from “Jerusalem” instead of Galilee; educated & cultured
Pharisee; a ruler of the Jews”. Nicodemus would have been a member of the Sanhedrin, the distinguished group of leaders of the Jewish culture, responsible to interpret and judge according to the Mosaic Law.
Pharisees were the more popular party to the Saducees by the general public, considered more democratic. As a leading Parisee, Nicodemus would have had a large popular following by the people and he would have been very interested in what the people were interested in.
He was a theologian – one who studies to know God
He was a theological insider; adept at spiritual things; famous for his skill at teaching.
Between his theological education and training and his popularity among the people he would have had a lot at stake to come to Jesus.

He would have been an expert at walking the theological, political and popular tight-ropes. One could wonder if his theological education and skill and public reputation becomes an impediment to his ability to become a disciple.

Should Nicodemus serve as a mirror for some of us to see ourselves?

2 He came to Jesus at night

Jesus speaks to Nicodemus at night – Jesus’ work extends to those in darkness even though he is “the light”. Jesus must step into the darkness itself inorder to redeem those captivated to it. The only other character who comes to Jesus at night is Judas Iscariot and he departs into the night to betray Jesus.

Jesus mission is to enter the darkness and find us.

Nicodemus comes to the light of Jesus to ask three questions

1 – “Who are you?” His first question shows admirable respect, acknowledging Jesus as a teacher. This is his ‘opener’ launched by one theologian to another. He is hoping to “open Jesus up” to reveal more about who he is – where he came from – who was his teacher

2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

Nicodemus flatters Jesus and expected Him to begin talking about himself – personally – and how he is able to perform such miraculous signs.

Nicodemus is hoping to have a serious theological conversation among equals, man to man; by addressing him as Rabbi. Nicodemus is building him up by talking about miraculous signs and some ‘connection’ with God. Jesus diverts the conversation and does not respond as Nicodemus expected – If anyone knows anything about what comes down from God – it’s him - and he is not going to allow Nicodemus the conjecture about His Father or his mission.

Jesus is not interested in talking about himself or the divine authentication of signs but He wants to talk about the reality of someone’s relationship with God.

3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Jesus used a phrase that is quite unusual for theological conversations – “born again”

John 3:3 Gennhqh= | a&nwqen = genneetheé ánoothen

a&nwqen anothen (an'-o-then); from above; by analogy, from the first; by implication, anew:

KJV - from above, again, from the beginning (very first), the top.

born again is also understood as “born anew from above”

There are two important points that Jesus makes regarding signs and a relationship with God – Being Born Again is…

an act of God himself.
1. It is always a miracle, a mystery and action “from above” – God “breaks in and acts”
2. It can never be the direct result of the reasoning of a theologian or the technique of a successful teacher
a matter of revelation, but it is a matter of regeneration.
1. God is making himself know to us for the purpose of changing us and making us new
2. b. It is not a matter of “seeing” a new way of living - but living as a new being, a new person

Jesus is getting at something that is completely different than Nicodemus expected or had ever experienced before. Where someone (like Nicodemus) is interested in what God can do for them - Jesus was looking to make the person new; the complete renewal of the whole person.

Nicodemus is bewildered by Jesus and asks his second question…

2 – “How can a person really change?”

Nicodemus understands Jesus to say “born again” because he says

4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Perhaps Nicodemus was asking…

wistfully - “Can human nature really be changed? Can we really start over?”

Or maybe more cynically – “And I should return to my mothers womb? I don’t think so”

Nicodemus reduces Jesus point to the physical absurd. Birth cannot be repeated.

“I am the person who was born on a certain day and has grown up in a certain way. All of that cannot be cancelled. It is as this person that I am that I want to see the Kingdom of God.”

“I have experienced this environment; I have been shaped by the experiences of my life. How can I God? I can’t crawl back to my mother, I can’t go back in time”

Nicodemus reveals by his answer that he is outside the Kingdom of God, and doesn’t understand the deeper truths of what Jesus was taking about

Jesus responds to explain that this “Divine birth” is a birth of water and Spirit.

5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus has shown his mind is moving in a ‘flatland’ world, but the world is actually round.

Jesus said “you must be born anew / from above” and he begins to unpack that for Nicademus…

He clearly says “No one is coming to God unless he is…“Born of water and the Spirit”

There are a couple of ways to understand what Jesus was saying about being born of water & Spirit

Physical birth –

As if to say, “your half way there, you are physically born, now lets get you spiritually born.”

Some have said that born of water meant to be born physically, a birth of the flesh; then to have a spiritual birth. That the amniotic fluid was the ‘water’ of birthing process.

That can work for a western mind thought, but Nicodemus would not have thought like that. If Jesus was referring to the physical birth, in ancient greek literature, semen from the man was called water.

Regardless, John refers in 1:13 that this new life that Jesus was to bring was not about a physical birth at all – to Jesus, the fact that a person is here, physically born, is not part of the issue of being part of God’s family and being born spiritually

Baptism -

Some have said that “born of water” refers to Christian baptism – a faith in Jesus that is accompanied by spiritual regeneration. John, our author, certainly would know that his readers would have the background of the fuller story of Jesus death, but Nicodemus – at this point in the story – would not.

A more likely view would be Jesus was referring to John the Baptist’s baptism. We have already seen the important role of John’s baptism in the life and ministry of Jesus. John was calling Jews to a baptism of repentance and a new & completely different way of encountering God. It was the inauguration of Jesus earthly ministry that as he came up from the depths of the water there was a voice from above and the Spirit of God descended upon Him.

What Jesus was offering was the opportunity to become a child of God from above and the flesh does not evolve into the spirit. Flesh is one thing and the Spirit is another all together. God is Spirit and to be born of God is to be born spiritually. However to experience this spiritual birth we cannot ignore our physical lives. The Word that was spirit and with God eternally became flesh.

Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist was a way of saying “there is a new way of living life and it is found only through me” You are going to have to enter the waters of repentance and let that experience change you, and then you will have to live trusting me – alone – to lead you to the kingdom of God.

Baptism of repentance becomes the doorway to the Kingdom of God – the experience of repentance - turning my life from the ways I used to think and live, and the ways of this world, and walking out in a relationship with Jesus who is making me into a new person who is living very differently than from before, where I am experiencing God’s blessing and the Spirit coming into me and empowering my life.

Nicodemus is now baffled and asks his third question

3 – Can change really Happen? 9 "How can this be?"

Nicodemus is baffled, disturbed and confused. His commitment to the Torah – the ways of his culture, his obedience to prayer and sacrifice – his ‘good works’ that he believed would make him acceptable to God; , his role of responsibility and priviledge – that God will be ‘good to him’ because of who he is - have all been challenged.

Jesus responds…

10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Jesus first response is a sharp charge – “you are supposed to know these things and be leading your people to know them – but you aren’t”

You have been listening to the wrong people and the wrong ideas about who God is and what is important to him. The testimony of God by God’s children are the keys to God’s Kingdom.

The realities of God can only be known by those who are born “from above”, in fact there is really only one way to know the realities of a spiritual life from God and that is to attend to the “earthly things” that he has provided – the Son of Man - ME – Jesus says “I am the only one who has born of him, been with him and come from him to provide you a way to know and be with Him.”

You cannot go to heaven on your own , you will have to listen to and follow the only one who has come from there –and your sin has to be dealt with

Moses lifted up a bronze snake in the desert. The serpent expressed in symbol the very character of that which was destroying the people. Jesus, the son of Man, must be made sin on our behalf. He must share the place of sinful – God-forsaken humanity, so the righteousness of God can become ours. Apart from this we could not grasp it because our understanding is distorted.

For the Son of Man to be “lifted up” he goes to the depths of a death on the cross and only those who embrace who Jesus is and what he accomplishes for them are the ones who will ever see God.

Nicodemus came wanting to talk about theology – knowledge and ideas about who God is and how he works – but Jesus says theology is about living, and dying, not ideas.

Nicodemus was a man who is drawn to the light but not yet able to leave the darkness.

Nicodemus portrays a person whose life has not been completely penetrated by Christ, who asks questions but does not become a disciple, who listens but does not believe.

Disciples confess Jesus identity, remain with him and tell others – Nicodemus does none of these. He comes to Jesus in the dark and leaves in the dark.

The Point: Apart from Jesus you cannot live in God’s kingdom

New life comes as we work in partnership with God

We – willfully choose to follow Jesus, in his baptism of repentance; choosing a new way of living, trusting in him

God – lovingly and graciously offering us the gift of new life that we must receive.

Today, have you experienced those waters of repentance – being baptized into Jesus where his death destroys your sin and you are born anew – from above – living a new life in a new way. You will have to trust him and look to him to do that – it is miraculous, mysterious and real.

Spiritual X-Ray's

The Bridge Church — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:32:00 -0700

Does anyone really know what is in your heart? What you deal with, what makes you happy, what stress you. Does anyone really know what you fear or what motivates you?

In this passage, we are going to consider the reality that Jesus knows you like no one else knows you

John 2:12-25

Two pieces of theological trivia…

Jesus earthly family…

V 12 – is a reference to the siblings of Jesus, in the mention of his brothers = Catholic religion would have us believe that Jesus’ mother, Mary, was “perpetual virgin” and had no other children. Here it clearly identifies brothers of Jesus

Jesus earthly ministry…Another feature of this passage that has been important to the understanding of Jesus and his ministry is in v 13

13 “When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”

John is unique to the other gospels in it identifies 3 Passover events = it is from this that it is recognized that Jesus earthly ministry spanned 3 years.

Two stories / one message

The connection between Cana and Jerusalem

In the story of Jesus cleansing the temple John purposefully sets it in a theological context with the miracle of turning water into wine – that we looked at last week.

Connection to the story in Cana

John juxtaposes these stories quite purposefully – he is making a point from the very beginning of Jesus ministry – that knowing Jesus for who he is, as both man and God, and being in a relationship with him as the one who brings you to God.

In Cana, John shows us that the purification jars of water at the wedding feast become the vessel of the new wine that Jesus provides. Previously, Jews would rely on their Jewish religion and culture to bring them to God, but Jesus dramatically alters that picture when he turns the water into wine.

He himself becomes the purification for us to be clean and before God himself

Jesus is the sign of God present and at work in our world

Those who see the glorious signs of Jesus, place their faith in him

The disciples put their faith in him, not because he performed a miracle but because of the sign of who he was. Their faith was more than ‘believing in him’ but they “put their faith in him” and that was life altering. They recognized him as God and were willing to live their lives trusting in that reality of Him.

Now John shifts the scene from Cana to Jerusalem and this story has 3 distinct scenes …

The trip from Capernaum to Jerusalem – about 90 mi

In the story in Jerusalem – there are three important scenes that occur

The temple (V 13-17)

Scholars debate over whether there were 1 or 2 temple scenes. All four gospel accounts speak of only one scene of Jesus cleansing the temple. In the synoptic gospels, they each refer to a scene that occurs only days before Jesus crucifixion, but John talks of a scene at the beginning of Jesus ministry. None of the accounts recall 2 accounts.

The Temple = the place people would come to make sacrifices in the effort to be pure before God.

The temple was the most important feature of the Jewish religion and culture. It was at the heart of all Jews. It connected their history to their lives. It gave them identity as a people and their faith was the centerpiece of their culture – what it meant to be a Jew. The temple brought them strength and unity, it gave them hope for their future. It was what they taught their children.

Jesus comes and upsets all that. Imagine if someone were to come along and challenge the role of hockey in Canada.

Jesus comes to upset the way we think about our lives.

Jesus is not a feature we neatly fit into our lives, but he is to become the centerpiece of our lives

The disciples remembered Psalms 69:9 “for zeal for your house consumes me,

and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”

In that Psalm, David is acknowledging his desparate need for God in his life and the high price he personally is willing to pay for that kind of relationship.

What consumes you? What is important to you, your spiritual life & expression

1c = temple

Today = independence, Image of what others might think of you? Your privacy, freedom

Men want signs but Jesus will provide a sacrifice. The only sacrifice acceptable to God, and it becomes the foundation of our faith

Question of Authority (v18-22)

The Jewish leaders were demanding some proof that he had a right to cleanse the temple and make this kind of proclamation. They saw it as a prophetic action – not the action of a crazy or angry man, but the actions of a prophet, so show us the signs of a prophet, act like a prophet…

Ciaphas, the high priest is thought to have brought the marketplace into the temple area, some suggest he may have even had his hand in the business. So you see, Jesus was not only challenging the culture of the day, but the leadership of the day.

Authority Assumes a common starting point – culture / law – when prophets speak they speak from the Lord and connect the dots

For Jesus this was not an issue of authority – but a different starting point all together; a heart issue regarding our relationship with God through Jesus himself – and he points directly to himself.

V19 "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

He touches the authority of what we believe in, why and how…

20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"

The temple was built by Herod the Great who was an amazing builder of massive construction projects and the temple and Masada were some of his signature projects. The temple project began in 20BC and was to rival or better yet surpass Solomon’s temple.

The temple represented a lifetime achievement; building the temple consumed a generation. It was their effort, their taxes that accomplished it. The temple brought their faith and their own accomplishments together and Jesus says “give it up”, you are going to have to trust me and not your abilities.

It is much easier to put my faith in my own accomplishments or the things I have participated in, I can believe in those things.

21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

3. Belief (v23-25)

23 …many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.

The people in Jersualem Believed in him (Jesus ) as a person ; his authority & character; they believed because he did miraculous things

Between the two stories in John 2, in Cana at the wedding feast and then in Jerusalem with the temple story, John shows us 2 different sides of this important issue of BELIEF

Entrust is the same word in v 11, 23 & 24 – epísteuen

pisteu/w pisteuo (pist-yoo'-o); from NT:4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):

KJV - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

Three kinds of belief –

Intellectual – I know something – facts / figures / dates / events and I believe it

I know the world is 93 million miles from the sun – I have no reason to measure it nor dispute it. This is where we come to reasoned conclusions and base our future choices on those outcomes. Science here provides security because it reduces the unknowns and we have less risk in our beliefs

Emotional – I feel something – I have an emotional response to this – this is how many people feel about the environment and feel that something should be done to care for it. This is how we believe the Canucks can win the Stanley Cup. We want it to be true, we hope it is true, we feel strongly about it so we believe it.

Spiritual – Where we know certain things about God, we have encountered him in ways and our soul responds to him like two magnets. It is where we know we are known, the good and the bad.

The challenge for us today is many of us have lost touch with our souls – we justify our sin, explain it away, medicate the problems and we loose touch with our souls – But God deals with our souls, Jesus comes to save and redeem them and we don’t even know what it is.

The Point:

Spiritual X-Ray - Jesus knows what is in a persons heart – where we are at –

Do you? What will you do about it?

. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

He knows what consumes us, what motivates us and He wants to be that place in our lives

Jesus knew what was going on in the hearts of people in Jersualem and That was not what Jesus was looking for = he we not going to be their celebrity but he would become their savior – and so…

In Cana, the disciples put their faith in Jesus, they believed Jesus, because they saw him for who he truly was, the one who offered himself for them to know God and bring them life and invited them into a completely new way of living life. so the disciples followed him, from Cana, to Capernum to Jerusalem, they rearraged their life to follow Jesus

In Jerusalem… they wanted their theology to be more sophisticated, they wanted proof, evidence of His authority, they wanted to connect the intellectual dots that neatly fit their reasoned understanding

24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

Jesus knew the people were looking to him for who they wanted him to be. They were willing to believe in him for what he could perform for them, what he could do for them and Jesus would have none of it.

Jesus knows you, everything about you and he wants to offer you the opportunity to know him and His father. He knows our lives are consumed, and mostly by things other than him. He wants to be the driving force in our lives, but we let other things become our temples

A Sign to Followers

The Bridge Church — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:15:00 -0700

Miracles are a curious thing – the occasions when physical circumstances or certain situations are changed in unexplainable ways.

Many times people pray to God asking for miracles, people to be healed, or delivered or money or goods to be provided, or circumstances to change in some way that will make our lives easier, nicer, more along the lines of our plans, and of course we say “we will give God the glory” but ultimately we want our lives easier and we need God to step in and provide a miracle to make it happen.

I am sure John looks at miracles from a different perspective and I wonder if God doesn’t look at miracles in a completely different way himself.

The story of Cana, is far more than a story about a wedding and some miraculous wine. To grasp it we have to know something about our author John. John’s writings are rich with symbolism, things are often much more than they appear on the surface. When Mary declares to Jesus “they have no more wine” whether she knows it at the time or not, John is now retelling it and Mary’s comment becomes a commentary on the state of the Jewish cultures relationship with God, it is empty and needs a Messiah.

Lets walk our way through this short story…

Jesus, his family and his disciples were invited to a wedding feast in Cana. Cana is a village in the northwestern region of Galilee, not far from Nazareth where Jesus and his family were from so it would not have been unusual to have been invited. In the village culture of Palestine, weddings were important events; announced well in advance & recognized by the entire village. Elaborate preparations were made for a ceremony that could last for as long as a week. Weddings were not rushed affairs. They celebrated the family, the community, it was more than the couple, but the hope of the community and the role the couple would play. Gifts were carefully considered, not as a single gesture of good will, but as a means of bringing honor on the couple and their families. In fact,, legal ramifications followed when appropriate custom was not followed because it implied public shame on the couple.

Mary, Jesus’ mother notices the wine has run out and comments to her son “they have no more wine”

It is easy to spiritualize the work of Christ today and conclude he is only in the business of saving souls and renewing lives. But he is also interested in the common place events of our lives. We can invite Christ into the dilemmas that seem embarrassingly inconsequential or practical and ask him to help us.

Jesus replies in a curious way…

4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?"

To refer to his mother as “woman” seems harsh and insensitive to our western ears. He uses the same address for his mother here as we will see him use for the woman in Samaria (4:21) or the woman caught in adultery (8:10) or when his mother is at the cross (19:26) or Mary Magdalene at the tomb (20:15). It is unusual for him to address her in this way, there are other ways for him to address his mother. In some ways Mary is presuming on her relationship with him as her son and Jesus is redefining this: He cannot act under her authority but must follow the course that has been set by God.

His response is inflexible, but not rude towards her. Literally he is saying here “what do we have in common” or “How can this matter that concerns you be of mutual interest to us”

Jesus does respond however when he sees faith and obedience working together.

5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Mary demonstrated her faith in Jesus. She knew him to be a man who cared for and about people and their circumstances. She didn’t tell him what to do or how to do it, she only demonstrated her faith in him to act. At the same time she is saying we have got to be ready and willing to do whatever He calls upon us to do.

Jesus knew what he was going to do – what he was sent by God to do. This must have been at the forefront of his mind and thinking – “ Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." The NIV does not relay as clearly the intent of Jesus’ response here. Jesus uses the word ‘hora’ or ‘hour’. He is looking to a specific event. Throughout the gospel, Jesus uses this language to look to his important work on the cross when he literally changes the way people will forever come before God through him and his sacrifice.

Jesus may be having a bit of Dejavu here, where one event is somehow tied to another future event. He has come to a wedding banquet – perhaps he is thinking of the time when the Messiah arrives at the messianic banquet

Rev 19:7

7 Let us rejoice and be glad

and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

Jesus looks and sees the stone water jars used for ceremonially cleansing. The water in these jars was not for drinking.

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

As guests come to the wedding feast they would have dipped their hands in these large jars of water to remind themselves that this event is a sacred event. That in their joy they are coming before God who is leading their community and bringing this couple together. They must be pure to come before God and the way they demonstrated that was by washing their hands in these big jars.

The fact there were 6 jars indicates they were anticipating a crowd at the wedding – everyone was invited.

Jesus points to these jars and says fill them up. They would not have been empty, but if a lot of people had been there to wash their hands, the water level would have gone down some.

Now, a lot of people would have stuck their hands in this water, some dirtier than others, this is not water you would want to drink.

7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Jesus directs the servants

8 Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

The master of the banquet was likely a friend or family member who acted as the host of the banquet.

Weddings are stressful events. And as the master of the banquet who has just realized they have run out of wine they are going to be pretty stressed out.

When he tastes the nasty water from the stone jars it is instantly the sweetest, best tasting wine he has every encountered. Unbelievable.

“He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

At this point he, and everyone, would become aware that this wine is coming from the stone purification jars, and it would be in abundance, 6 jars with 20-30 gal each would produce 150 gallons of the divinely produced wine. Like a purification from God himself, not to be washed in but consumed and plenty for everyone, regardless of how dirty or clean your hands – or life – might be.

This wine recalls the many prophetic words about the Day of the Lord, when God’s arrival and blessings are seen particularly in abundance

Jer 31:11-14

11 For the Lord will ransom Jacob

and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.

12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;

they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord —

the grain, the new wine and the oil,

the young of the flocks and herds.

They will be like a well-watered garden,

and they will sorrow no more.

13 Then maidens will dance and be glad,

young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into gladness;

I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,

and my people will be filled with my bounty,"

declares the Lord.

Everyone wants to come to God, to be able to stand before him, to enjoy being in his presence, to be accepted by him.

From time to time, everyone needs God to move beyond the explainable and help us in the crisis and challenges of life, be they big or small, we need God’s help

Jesus shows himself in this. John does not call this a miracle here, but a miraculous sign. Two very different words and John knows exactly what he is saying. A miracle underscores a demonstration of power and is generally received with awe. A sign is revelatory, disclosing something from God, something hidden before. Signs are not merely one time acts of power and might, but they unveil God at work in Jesus and who is present in him and so John says that through the sign Jesus reveals his glory. This is essential to John and it affirms what he knows about Jesus. Jesus is not merely a man but he is the presence of God in the world.

11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is God and at the same time a man who is observable, we are able to be with, who is followable and so Those who see the glorious signs of Jesus, place their faith in him

He himself becomes the purification for us to be clean and before God himself

Jesus is the sign of God present and at work in our world

The question is will you trust him? The disciples put their faith in him, not because he performed a miracle but because of the sign of who he was.

Their faith was more than ‘believing in him’ but they “put their faith in him”. They recognized him as God and were willing to live their lives trusting in that reality of Him.

Alive! Really?

The Bridge Church — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:31:00 -0700

The resurrection of Jesus is the most significant historical event in all of human history. It is a story of life and death and life, and it has life and death significance. The significance of this reality sets Christianity apart from every other world religion, philosophy or belief system. The resurrection of Jesus is extraordinary, impossible to explain by natural laws or reasoning.

There have been multiple efforts and methods over the ages to deny, discount and discredit the resurrection. All the other worlds faiths attempt to normalize Christianity because to do so they remove the power of what the resurrection brings to our faith. It started from the very beginning with the Jews coming up with their own fabricated story that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus – (Matt 28:13).

Today, most Orthodox Jews could reject the resurrection of Jesus, on the basis that they do not accept the idea of a Messiah who dies and is then resurrected. Jewish tradition holds to the Matthew account that the guards fell asleep and the disciples stole the body – there is no resurrection – they say.

The Muslim response to the resurrection of Jesus is - he wasn’t crucified but instead at the time of the crucifixion God took Jesus up to heaven and another man that was made to look like Jesus was crucified in his place – some Muslim clerics claim Judas Issacriot died in Jesus place, or another disciple who was guaranteed a great place in paradise.

There are other responses,

The Jehovah Witnesses would say God made Jesus as the archangel Michael and after the crucifixion God made Jesus a non-material – invisible spirit creature and the sightings of Jesus were aberrations.

There are other myths and theories too, the Swoon theory, that says Jesus never really died but was in an unconscious state and resuscitated in the tomb – there have been numerous renditions of this story that resurface particularly in popular novels that take the public by storm – but no serious academics give the swoon theory any credence.

There is the twin myth – that says Jesus really had an unknown twin that grew up in Egypt and when Jesus died the twin appeared to be the resurrected Jesus.

There have been many efforts to explain away the resurrection of Jesus – and there is really only one good reason to do it. The resurrection of Jesus – if it really happened – is a game changer.

For Jesus to die, be buried – come back to life and be seen alive again sets him apart from any other religious leader who has ever lived. That makes him much more than a wise teacher, moral guide, or even spiritual prophet. It makes him God and no other spiritual leader ever made that claim – not Abraham, Moses, Muhammad who died in Medina in 632AD, not Gautama Buddha who died 483BC, not Guru Nanak (Sikh originator who died in Pakistan in 1539)

The resurrection of Jesus is dependent upon several things =

There can be no resurrection without a death – Jesus has to die
There has to be an empty tomb = a dead body has to be missing -–
The living Jesus has to be seen = death has to be defeated

The passage in 1 Cor 15 provides us with the account of each of these points…

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

These first 8 verses appear to be one of the first official creeds of the Christian movement.

The apostle Paul pens these words to the Corinthian church in approximately 57 AD – some 25 years after the event. However, he indicates in v 3 that he has already told this to them previously. It is believed he visited the city around 51 AD. But this goes back further than that, he indicates this is a teaching he ‘received and passed on’ this is ancient rabbinical style of language of sacred history that is taught & learned for the purpose of passing it on. It would not have been gossip or urban legend but would be material he would learned from a master of the subject.

Paul we know was a persecutor of the early church who had an extraordinary encounter with Jesus on his way to chase down Christians in Damascus and becomes a follower himself. However God set him apart to be used to advance this new movement of Jesus and he went back to Jerusalem and met Peter and James to learn from them about Jesus. It is believed that happened around 35 AD and this creed was developed prior to Paul’s encounter with the apostles for them to ‘pass it on’ to Paul. That would mean this creed was developed within 2-3 years of the actual event. Many people were still around to dispute it if it were not true events.

He goes on…

5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

These are the words of eye-witnesses to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, as well as the actual encounters that people had of the risen Jesus. At the time of his writing this, Paul says that most of that large group of people are still living – if anyone still need corroborating evidence.

The amount of evidence of the resurrection of Jesus is staggering. To put it in perspective, if you were to take the case to a court of law and cross-examine all of the eyewitness accounts for only 15 minutes each beginning on a Monday morning and continuing without taking any breaks between the witnesses you would not finish until Friday and would have listened to 129 hours of eye-witness testimony. Who could possibly walk away unconvinced? Sir Edward Clark, a British High Court judge who personally conducted a thorough legal analysis of the Easter account has said, “To me, the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured a verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling. As a lawyer I accept the gospel evidence unreservedly as the testimony of truthful men to facts they were able to substantiate.”

There is overwhelming evidence of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and I have a gift for each one of you that will provide you with a wealth of information about the evidence of these matters.

We have to remember, many of these eye-witnesses paid a high personal price, even to their own deaths to preserve and pass on this amazing truth of the God / Man Jesus.

Peter wrote…2 Peter 1:16

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

When John speaks of Jesus he describes his encounter with Jesus with very personal accounts,

1 John 1:1“…we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.”

In our text this morning Paul is turning from the evidences of the facts of Jesus resurrection to matters much more personal and significant.

14 if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins

The resurrection of Jesus is the most significant historical event in all of human history. It is a story of life and death and life, and it has life and death significance, and the significance is very personal.

I met a woman several years ago who was attending a Bible Study I was leading, she was a vice president of one of the leading banks here in town. She told me, “it is not the person of Jesus that I have a problem with, what I struggle with is I can’t believe the resurrection” At first I thought her struggle was a struggle of information, she was mearly ignorant of the facts. And after I spent some time with her to discuss the evidence it became clear what her real struggle was,

She didn’t want to believe in the resurrection, because that meant Jesus had died for her sin and for her to follow him was going to require her to let him change her life – and she liked things the way they were. Not that her life was neat and tidy, it was pretty messy, her marriage was struggling, her teenage child was dealing with addictions, and she struggled sleeping at night, she had no peace in her life, but she felt she could handle it on her own instead of trusting in Jesus to bring her peace that would change her and begin to affect her marriage, and other relationships. The most difficult thing was experiencing God’s grace that would change her life.

Paul said it this way…10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them — yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

God’s grace works itself out in us and changes us, it has an effect on us and it is a good one, He changes me to look more like Jesus to act more like Jesus because the life of Jesus, the resurrected life of Jesus becomes the spiritual life source of me.

It is not the facts of the resurrection that ultimately keep people from responding to the reality of Jesus.

Paul said that if we do not recognize that Jesus rose from the dead, our faith is futile, in fact we have no faith, nothing to place any hope in, no reason or purpose for our life, no way to know what is really good or power to love when my emotions would rather hurt or hate.

Paul also said… “you are still in your sin”

It is your sin that prevents you from enjoying a real relationship with God. All the other religions will tell you to just keep trying to do good things, be a better person, work harder at it.

But Jesus says, I died for your sin so you may live in me and I in you, and the way you will experience it is by my grace, my gift to you, you don’t have to repay me, matter of fact, you can’t, so receive this from me and find real life.

Even though all the facts point to the reality that Jesus existed, did miracles, died on a cross, rose from the grave and lives today still – all those facts are not always compelling to the point to trust in Jesus and accept him as our saviour because we may still struggle with ourselves, our own pride, our own sin.

A well known English philosopher Anthony Flew said:

“Christians believe because they want to, but atheist don’t believe because they don’t want to”

There is an old saying “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”,

but one thing we know, without water you die.

Without Jesus you die in the only part of you that was not intended to ever die – your soul. Your body will die, but your soul, the part of you that makes you, you, does not have to. Because Jesus lives you can live to, Jesus said…

John 11:25-26

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 1:12 “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

Faith comes together in a way that allows you and I to experience life as a child of God Believe + Receive = Become

Believe – when I accept the evidence of history and the experience of Jesus making himself known to me and I recognize that my own sin has kept me from a relationship with God and I know I needed Jesus to die on a cross for my sin – I am on the first step of becoming the person God made me to be as his child.

Receive – Every other faith system on the earth, and even the ones I could make up in my own life, they all operate on the “do” system. I have to do good things for good things to come to me. Christianity is unique – it operates on the ‘done’ plan, Jesus has done for us on the cross what we could not have done for ourselves; He paid the death penalty that we deserve for our own arrogance, pride and rebellion. We do not have to struggle and strive to do the impossible, to make ourselves worthy to be with God. Over and over the Bible says that Jesus offers forgiveness as a gift that cannot be earned, it is called grace.

Grace is the unmerited favour that Jesus extends to us that we must receive. The way we receive this gift it to look to him in prayer, acknowledge our own sin and repent of it – turn away from it by turning to him.

Receiving God’s grace is a step of faith. Every decision we make in life, we make by faith, that the outcome will be what we expect it to be, hope it to be, and this is no difference. Except in most decisions there are no guarantees in life, but in this one it comes with a guarantee.

The Bible says that God will place His Spirit with in us as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.

By believing and receiving we have the ability to become – “become children of God”

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

We become a new person with new ways of thinking, and living and the changes become evident over time, maybe its days, somethings take weeks, or months and we discover this journey with Jesus is a lifestyle over a lifetime of change.

Martin Luther King Jr said: “I may not yet be the man I should be, with Christ’s help, I someday will be – but thank God I am not the man I used to be!”

Jesus really is alive and it impacts everything for us.

Will you believe Jesus died and rose again

Will you receive this gift of grace in your life and begin to live as a new person

Will you become a child of God and live in the power that His spirit brings into your life.

The Coming Messiah

The Bridge Church — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:59:00 -0700

When Jesus came He changed everything by forgiving sin of those who humbly give Him easy access to their hearts and minds.

Last week we looked at the prologue of John’s gospel, this week we jump right into John’s story and we start with a scene where John the Baptist is being interrogated by a group of Levites and priests sent by ‘the Jews’. Interestingly, John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest and his mother, Elizabeth was of the line of Aaron and therefore John was of the Levite linage. Heritage was important to the Jews, John was ‘one of their boy’s who was ‘going astray’’. The role of the Levites were to guard the temple and maintain doctrinal purity. They also held political power in the Jewish community. The priests served before God in the temple and were to administer the sacrifices for the people. This delegation of priests and Levites were sent to interrogate John about just what in the world was he doing and why.

They must have asked him if he thought he was the Christ because in v20 John picks up the dialogue with “No, "I am not the Christ.".

Christ is the Greek translation for Messiah. When we use the name “Jesus Christ” that was not his first and last name, but his name and title. Like you would say Queen Elizabeth – queen is not her first name but her title, Elizabeth’s role. “Jesus Christ” would be the same as “Jesus Messiah”

Messiah –The anointed one –

What is this role – Messiah? Messiah is a common title in Biblical theology, however if you do a word search for Messiah, the word comes up twice – both in John 1:21 & 4:25

It is kind of like the word “Trinity” that does not show up at all in the Bible and yet is a strong theological foundation of Christianity.

Throughout the late Old Testament period and especially in the inter-testamental period ( the period of 400 years between the Old Testament and New Testament) the hope of a coming Messiah was developed. Primarily because of the unrest and oppression the Jewish people were experiencing from the hands and intentional cultural changes brought on by first the Greeks and then the Romans.

The Messiah was “the Lords Anointed”, someone filled with God’s power and Spirit who would work some saving miracle on behalf of God’s people. The Jewish people frequently thought about Moses as perhaps the ideal messianic model. Not only did he give the people spiritual leadership, but also provided political redemption from Egypt.

It is no accident that in the days of Greek and Roman oppression (a period of over 300 years) the term Messiah (or Christ) was filled with political connotations. The Messiah was viewed as the one who would save their people, their culture, from the abominations of the Romans

Daniel 9:25 speaks of an ‘anointed one’ who will come and rule God’s people (the Jews)

Isa 9:1-6 speaks of a ruler that was to come and provide deliverance from Israel’ s enemies and bring peace, and this decendant of David would rule forever with justice and righteousness under the names “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”

Mic 5:4-5

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock

in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they will live securely, for then his greatness

will reach to the ends of the earth.

5 And he will be their peace.

The Prophet Jeremiah speaks in 23 of a “branch of David” that will deliver the people from wicked leaders and rule God’s people with justice and righteousness and there will be security and blessing for Israel

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied a coming savior 34:22-27

22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.

25 "'I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. 26 I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

The people were looking for a Messiah, someone who would lead them spiritually and politically to a new day that would restore their heritage and culture.

There is something in humanity that looks to the past of the ‘good old days’ and desire to project that into our future days. But the Jewish world was changing – and change is challenging.

The Jews wanted to know of John, - are you the Messiah, and he declares firmly – “NO”

Well then, how about this one- cause we are still trying to figure out who you are and what you are up to. Malachi 4:5 says

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

So, are you Elijah? -- “I am not” John says in v 21

How about “The Prophet” - Deut 18:15-19 Moses tells the people that God will raise up another like himself to lead the people and who will speak the words of God, and the people must listen to him and follow him. Someone with the power & humility of Moses. – John answers NO

So who are you? John answers from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah…

Isa 40:3

A voice of one calling:

"In the desert prepare

the way for the Lord;make straight in the wilderness

a highway for our God.

He is a “VOICE”

If Jesus is the WORD John is the voice that draws everyone’s attention to that Word

And he is saying “Prepare the way for the WORD, make straight paths in the wilderness, build a highway for the one coming – God himself”

He is challenging every listener to ready their hearts, their minds for God’s coming to them personally. Create an openness, a willingness to receive him and respond to him. A highway that is going to make him accessable to your life. Start getting yourselves ‘persuadable’ and ‘easily persuadable’

Don’t be stiff necked about this, start now loosening up your lives to be able to accept this Messiah who is coming.

Well the interrogators didn’t want to tackle that message so they redirected their line of questioning. “so your not the Christ, nor Elijah nor the Prophet, so … why are you baptizing people?”

The Jewish people knew about ritual washings for ceremonial cleansing. They did it all the time. In their culture they had things called “Mikvahs” they were basically baptismal pools that they would ceremonially immerse themselves into. Before a man could enter the temple he would take off all his clothes, walk into this pool, submerge himself then walk out and dress in clean clothes. There were lots of Mikvahs at the enterance to the temple. But communities and some homes would also have a mikvah where they would regularly immerse themselves for sacred cleansing.

But Baptism was generally reserved for Gentiles who had converted to Judaism. It was a ceremony that marked a total cleansing symbolizing a threshold that was crossed. It indicated the person was choosing a complete change in life and lifestyle. The Gentile was rejecting their former way of living and adopting a new culture and lifestyle.

John however was calling Jews to be baptized and the interrogating delegation wanted to know – “What is the threshold” what is this new order you are inaugurating? What are you expecting US JEWS to change?

The promise on the horizon – the new order – was not a religion but a person

And John describes him as so great that by comparison he, himself, would be less than a slave.

Untying a sandal thong was a chore never done by disciples for their teacher, rather, it was a chore reserved only for slaves. John says he is unworthy even to do the work of a slave for this One who is coming. This is a measure of Jesus’ greatness.

We go on in verse 29 and John sees Jesus coming and John makes an amazing proclamation

John 1:29 "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John didn’t know who the Word was until he recognized him as Jesus. One commentator says “John’s knowledge of the coming one was not innate knowledge. It was knowledge that had come to him through revelation – when the Spirit descended on Jesus”

This is John’s understanding of how God works and that is by revelation. True knowledge of God is beyond human reach: it is a gift of divine disclosure, God takes the initiative to reveal himself to us, otherwise we could not know him.

John identifies Jesus as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” “Lamb of God” is an interesting phrase, while it may be common place in Christian vocabulary, this phrase does not exist anywhere else in the New Testament except here and in verse 1:36.

The crux is to understand what “Lamb” (Gk. Amnos) means. Some would suggest it to be a reference to the Passover sacrifice, which traditionally would be a lamb. However that animal was not termed amnos in the Greek speaking Judaism, but rather “the pascha”. The author John is very interested in seeing Jesus as a Passover sacrifice (we will see when we get to the crucifixion passage 19:31-36) so it wouldn’t be unusual for him to use this concept for Jesus, but the language doesn’t support it.

Another suggestion would look to Isa 53:7 he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,

Or even the lamb of Genesis 22:8 that was provided to Abraham as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac

Or John may have been thinking of the triumphant lamb of Revelation 5

Or John may have been thinking of the daily temple sacrifices when the priest offers a lamb both morning and evening.

We are not entirely sure what John was thinking when he made this extraordinary statement, but one thing is clear, for the Jew, all lamb sacrifices were memorials of deliverance, forgiveness of sin and messianic salvation. It would not be impossible for John to be thinking of the Passover lamb in mind, but possibly much more than that.

The primary thing to keep in mind here is Jesus is offered as a gift provided by God to take away sin.

As a lamb he becomes a sacrificial animal whose death is a substitutionary payment for our sin, this sacrifice “carries away” a condition that is prohibited in the presence of a Holy God.

In verse 30 John comes back to a statement he has previously made (v15).

30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.

I suspect this is something very much on the mind of John, that he repeats himself, this is the third time he has made the point – the idea that this man who is coming is extraordinary, he is way beyond me, He is from God, He is God Himself

Then he testifies to what he witnessed that day in the Jordan. A remarkable testimony.

I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And not only that but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me this was going to happen and when I saw it I would know who it was that God had sent – and it was His Son.

The Old Testament expected the Messiah to usher in a day of renewal when the Spirit of God would not only transform Israel (Isa 32:15; Ez 36:26-27; 37:14) but would rest mightily on the Messiah himself. (Isa 11:2, 42:1)

The Spirit of God was common in the Old Testament, but it appeared primarily among designated leaders, ie kings, judges, prophets, and would remain only for a specified time while they did whatever God appointed them to do in that instance.

Here the Sprit descended and remained in Him. This is a permanent anointing and unlike anything witnessed before in Judaism. This is a messianic anointing. Moreover, Jesus is not merely receiving this anointing at his baptism, but he will baptize others in the Holy Spirit as well. Indeed John the Baptist has witnessed something extraordinary, the dawn of a new era in not only Judaism but all humanity.

John says

John 1:33

33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'

Jesus will baptize His followers and command us to baptize as well – calling us to cross a threshold, a new order, a new way of living and we must be ready to receive this because along with this new way of living comes the Holy Spirit to anoint and empower us as His children.

Jesus’ sacrifice as the lamb of God brings deliverance and forgiveness of sin that is complete and eternal but it is for his purposes to prevail in our lives, by our willing choice to embrace Him.

The Point: When Jesus came He changed everything by forgiving sin of those who humbly give Him easy access to their hearts and minds

When Jesus comes, He changes us and the way we live, his baptism is to an entirely new way of living, and John the Baptist is calling us to prepare our hearts and minds for Him.

This morning, can you recognize Jesus as YOUR Lamb of God, who took away your sin, and the sin of the world? Have you crossed that threshold into this new way of living. If so, are you living in the power and anointing of God’s Spirit that is upon you, in you, remaining in you.

Maybe your next step this morning is to trust Jesus to take away your sin and experience the forgiveness of God

Or Perhaps you need to take the next step of baptism and publically say “I am stepping over a threshold of my life” I am living as a follower of Jesus

Or maybe you have done both of those steps but God is pointing out an area of your own life where you need to clear the way for Him to have more access to your heart and mind this morning, you need to make a new highway for God to be present in your life.

Trust Him this morning. Make a path into your life for God to enter in and begin to change you.

New Community Pastor

The Bridge Church — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:38:25 -0700

This last Sunday, I was pleased to make an exciting announcement that I believe will allow The Bridge continue to grow and help connect people within our church as well as help our church connect into our community.

Keith Shields has agreed to become a Community Pastor at The Bridge. Keith will be responsible to oversee the development of the small group ministries and help foster communty growth within The Bridge. Our "Meet-ups" are in important piece of our discipleship ministries as we help individuals grow in their faith and relationship with Jesus.

Keith will also help us connect with our external community as well through relationships we already have and help foster new connections in our community.

I have known Keith for the last 3 years as we have met weekly, shared our lives and prayed for our city. Keith & Maureen moved here from Calgary where they started a network of housechurches. After several years of dilligently working to do the same here, they have sensed God leading them to join thier efforts with us to reach our city and become part of The Bridge. Keith & Maureen bring a wealth of ministry experience and will be a great addition to our church body.

On Sunday, April 1, we will have a special time in our service when we will pray for Keith and Maureen and commission them to serve our Lord at The Bridge and help our church become all He desires us to be.

The Word Becomes Flesh

The Bridge Church — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:33:00 -0700

God revealed Himself to us through His Son Jesus, who became human, so we could become His children.

Lets begin…with The Prologue… The first 18 verses of this book is considered the prologue. A prologue gives us a glimpse of what is to come in this story. It sets the tone, the pace, the theme, the purpose of the story and John does a masterful and beautiful job in his extraordinary story, and this is certainly evident in this prologue that has been foundational to the classic Christian formation of the doctrines of Christ. Here divinity and humanity, preexistence and incarnation, revelation and redemption are discussed with deceptive simplicity.

This prologue is divided up into four contrasting stanza’s – like verses of a song, smaller sections that make up the whole and help tell the overall message.

John 1:1-5 - the first stanza

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

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

From the beginning of this book John starts out telling us that Jesus was far from anyone else we could know

This passage looks conspicuously like the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 1 – “In the beginning God created…” Genesis begins with the creation that God spoke into existence, by the power of his word.

The greek word for ‘Beginning’ here carries the meaning of ‘origin’ and the Word is identified as the ‘originator’ and existed before the beginning of all things.

Unlike the other gospels, John does not have an account of Jesus’ nativity, the story of when the life of Jesus began in human terms. Since Mark begins his gospel with “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ” It is possible that John is alluding to his colleagues and saying in effect, ‘Mark has told you about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry; I want to show you that the starting point of the gospel can be traced further back than that, it goes before the beginning of the entire universe.” That God had a plan to reveal himself to his creation.

The word – Logos – a very interesting way to introduce someone – and John begins to introduce Jesus as the Word. Our same author wrote the book of Revelation, sometime before his gospel account while he was in exhile on the island of Patmos

In Revelation 19, when Jesus returns, John also acknowledges Jesus

Rev 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

Throughout the centuries, scholars have written much about this word ‘logos’ as describing Jesus

John is making it clear that the Word has a divine nature and that it is a shared nature. ‘the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

These first two verses are some of the crucial texts of the doctrine of the Trinity. John intends that the whole of his gospel shall be read in the light of this verse. The deeds and words of Jesus are the deeds and words of God; if this is not true, then the entire book is blasphemous.

There is power in words, words create energy and take on life. You can say something that can change life – I love you, I hate you, I quit, - those few words can have significant power and impact. Words cause people to do things. Wars are started over words, peace is created by words and millions of human lives can be affected by those words. Words are an inexhaustible energy source, and some people seem to never stop talking.

Jesus is identified – personified – as The Word – the divine Word – the God Word – and it says He was ‘with God…was God…with God’ He was present with God, a long side therefore had to be independent in His person, and at the same time he was divine Himself and yet he is distinct in His relationship as God. Jesus was 100% God and it says…

Jesus was responsible for the creation of the world. Not only that, but life is in him – He is an eternal, divine life source – I am not saying here that the life in him is divine but that he is the divine source of life that he gives life to humanity.

Because we are alive does not make us God or divine – as some new age people would like to espouse. But Jesus is divine and he is the source of life.

John now introduces this concept of light / darkness – a theme we will return to throughout this gospel.

The light of life shines in the darkness – darkness was already there, darkness existed before creation and God brings his light into the darkness. There is a struggle between light and darkness. The opposition to Jesus will be significant; the world that the Logos enters and God loves is a place of remarkable unbelief. Those opposed to Him will try to defeat this Word. But they will fail.

We come to the second Stanza -

6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

This John in v6, is not the author but a different man – John the Baptist. This man was a witness and the author uses a legal description – as one who testifies – as being on trial to discover what is true in a hearing.

In this prologue, John the Baptist shows up to begin to bear witness to the fact that Jesus is different and distinct from himself. The Baptist is not the light, but the witness to the light – that Jesus is coming to do something that no one else could ever do. Jesus, this light is unique and distinct from anything else and he was going to challenge humanity regarding what they believed, and also invite all of humanity to place their trust in him – alone.

One of the great difficulties of Christianity is the issue of WHO Jesus is. Some would want to say he was just a good man that God used, a prophet, a teacher, but not divine, not God. Others would say no he was not really a man, but an apparition of God, a spirit that appeared as a man, an idea or ideal of God and goodness, a source of knowledge but not really human. From these two false ideas about the identity of Jesus, most heresies have sprung up. And John is going to address the issue of WHO Jesus is – throughout the gospel we see over and over people challenging Jesus on just who he says he is and only in the gospel of John do we find Jesus identifying himself by saying “I am…”

Our author – John continues with our third stanza – he returns to his description of Jesus…

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus – the Word – the divine – the Light – the source of Life –. The light of God enters into the darkness of the Kosmos, the world. The eternal enters into time and space. The word kosmos – world – is going to appear 78 times in the 21 chapters of this book some of the times it is going to appear positive, 3:16 “God so loved the kosmos”; other times it is neutral 8:26 “what I have heard from Him [God] I tell the world”; but for the most part the reference to kosmos is negative. Kosmos is not the created order of things, or the natural environment, but it is the sphere of creation that lives in rebellion

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.”

When someone creates something it belongs to that person. Write a book, or record a song and it is yours, and you should receive the royalties from it. Paint a painting and it is yours, you own a Picasso, it will always be his work even though you paid a large sum of money for it to hang in your living room.

Jesus came to his creation but his creation claimed they did not belong to him. We live in a rebellious world. Those who receive him, place their trust in him, give their lives to live as he made them to be and designed life to be lived, He gives these people the “right to become children of God”

There is a lie in our world today that all people are God’s children. Is that what this passage says? Jesus comes to redeem his creation and restore their right to be a Child of God.

This would mean the right has been forfeited, the privilege severed and unless it is restored humanity will eternally be orphaned. Orphans are vulnerable, often treated with little dignity, struggle with their own identity. And Jesus comes to restore us to our rightful place that He created us to be as a child of God.

Then we get perhaps the most important verse in the entire Bible…

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word did not appear to be human – but became flesh. This statement would have stunned a Greek audience, that a divine spirit would take on the mundane, weak, flesh of humanity. To the Greeks the gods were powerful and distant and only interacted with annoying humans as little as possible and would demand some sacrifice from them.

The next statement was equally stunning to the Jewish audience, the Word dwelt among us and revealed his glory. The word ‘dwelt’ carried the connotation of the tabernacle of God. In other words – Jesus is the ‘place’ of God’s dwelling with Israel as He dwelt with them in the desert and the glory of God that once was restricted to the tabernacle or temple is now visible in Christ – a man.

Then we come to the final stanza of our prologue…

15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

The author flips back to John the Baptist and his witness and reinforces the eternal reality of Jesus…John was born several months before Jesus was born, you can read the account in the synoptic. John comes on the scene as a prophet before Jesus arrives, but the Baptist wants to make it clear that he is in no way superior to Jesus. His eternal pre-existence surpasses John in every way. John was a man, but Jesus was not like him. John came to testify to the truth, but Jesus came delivering truth.

John, our author, pens an extraordinary prologue to his gospel of Jesus to tell us and show us that Jesus is unlike anyone you and I have never encountered before. Jesus was both divinely God and humanly flesh at the same time in time and space. In the structure of his stanzas John shows us that divinity and flesh merge together in the person of Jesus Christ and this Jesus came to earth for the purpose of restoring our relationship with God by becoming His children.

Jesus is not only God who is distant, disconnected, diety who makes demands upon us

Nor is Jesus like you and I, independent, self-sufficient, self-determined individuals who try to satisfy God based on our good efforts.

We are not his equal. And Yet he becomes like us to bridge the distance between ourselves and God his father. It is not the geographical distance but the spiritual distance – the realm where real energy and powers exist eternally.

Jesus – who existed eternally in spirit, who by his power created every physical thing you know to exist and every spiritual thing that has life; this Jesus took up human flesh and lived as a man, a man like no other – who was full of grace and truth, the complete embodiment of love, that he would sacrifice himself to bridge the spiritual chasm that we – you and I – might become the children of God.

We become God’s children by believing in Jesus. Not merely the intellectual understanding but the taking hold of your will and ‘standing’ behind his NAME. I am placing my trust for my life into his name and that changes everything for me and every person who does the same. When we place our lives in his hands we, scripture tells us, receive one blessing after another, we live a blessed life, I am not talking materially but spiritually, where we live lives of grace and truth, and we have the ability to know God, truly for who he is. We also are finally able to know who we are and we can begin to know how we are to live lives that are truly alive.

This is what he invites us to experience

Church Membership

The Bridge Church — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:34:06 -0700

If you regularly attend The Bridge, then I would like to have a couple of minutes to share something very important with you. I want to talk to you about church membership.

Relationships are one of the fundamental features of our Christian life. It starts with our relationship with God through Jesus, but then it also begins to encompass all the other relationships that we have, particularly with the people we worship and serve our Lord with.

Today, many people find they believe IN God but have little sense of belonging TO God.

For us to belong to God, we must belong to His family and the church is how He envisioned for that to occur. If you are already part of God’s family called The Bridge, then you know the privilege of being part of something exciting that God is doing in our church and I would ask you to pray with me that many others would join with us to become The Bridge as we seek to connect others around us to Jesus.

If you have not yet joined The Bridge, then I would encourage you to pray about it and anticipate God moving your heart to become part of this great church. You can find the qualifications for membership and other important information here.

The process is simple…

Fill out a Membership application – you can get it here or on the info table on Sunday
Meet with an elder (either Jerry or Jonathan)
Attend a church membership class – the next one is March 25

There are some important decisions coming up that will require our members to be involved and you will want to be part of them. On March 25 there will be a Church membership class and I hope that if you are not yet a member of The Bridge, you will plan today to be part of it.

Living a Resurrected Life

The Bridge Church — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:39:00 -0800

As we approach Colossians 3 we reach the practical part of the letter. Paul divides his letters with the doctrinal section then the practical section. Paul is asking us to make Jesus the Lord of our lives. We cannot say we are Christians then just live as we please.

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

- This verse starts off with “you have been raised with Christ”

- What does it mean to be raised with Christ?

- We have been forgiven because through Jesus’ death on the cross he purchased and rescued us from the judgment that we deserved.

- It means that when Jesus died and later rose from the dead we died and rose with Him.

- Because we have relationship with Jesus and are so closely connected with him we actually share in his death and resurrection

- When I was first interested in Christianity I knew that if the resurrection was true this changes everything

- What significance does the resurrection hold for us today 2000 years later?

- Do we live in the truth of the resurrection?

The resurrection proves that Jesus is God

“and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 1:4

Our salvation depends on our faith in the resurrection of Jesus

⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Rom 10:9

The power of the Christian life is in the power of the resurrection

“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Rom 6:4

Do we live in the truth of the resurrection?
If we do then our lives will be different
One way it will be different is that we will seek after heavenly things
There is a discipline of setting our minds on heavenly things
Create habits, kickboxing bad techniques reference
A man that I look to as an example is intentional about when he approaches a magazine rack.
If we do these things and create a habit, when we come to the crossroads we will go with our habits

³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Another thing that God wants us to set our minds on is the return of Jesus
We are to be a people who are to live knowing that Jesus is coming back!
What a great thing to set our minds on

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

The call to the Colossians is the same call to us today, because we live in the truth of the resurrection that truth is going to change our lives
We are to “put to death” our old practices and natures and seek after heavenly things because that is where Jesus is reigning.
When I first look at this list I see a list of things that don’t give life but steal life and hold people in bondage.
Jesus came to give us life to the fullest

“¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

As Christians we don’t become perfect instantly, our sinful desire still call out to us
But because we live in the truth of the resurrection we now have the power to put these desires to death, we can bury them
If we follow these idols instead of heavenly things we are exchanging the fullness of life in worshiping our great god for created things and things that convince us to live for 2^nd best
Paul names these things because he is practical, this is where the rubber meets the road
If we are in Christ it is going to show up in our lives
We must be intentional about putting these desires to death
We are ambassadors of Christ and we can show the watching world that we live a new life in Christ

⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

When Paul says “rid yourselves” he is using picture language
Talk about your old favorite stained ripped shirt
The more time I spent in the shirt the more it felt like home
Same with these practices, they become a part of us and are hard to “rid ourselves” of because they have been a part of us for so long
I had to “rid myself” of this shirt
I needed the help of my friends
With these practices we also need help
We should follow the words of James:

“¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

It is our nature to not want anyone to see our weaknesses
We always want to show people our best
But there is power is confessing your sins in community
Tell story about joining the men’s group at the bridge
Freedom from bondage
We should tackle these problems in community and with God

⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Is lying a big deal?
Tell story about Kim at dinner asking people when they taught their children to lie?
Tell the story about Irish Gerry “I never lie, unless I have to or it makes the story better”
We lie for many reasons maybe to protect our reputation or to make things easier for ourselves or to stay of trouble.
But God actually detests lying, He himself cannot do it.
Proverbs 12:22 “The LORD detests lying lips,
but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
Sometimes we give noble excuses for lying such as “I didn’t want to hurt their feelings” or “the lie won’t hurt anyone”
But will people believe us when it comes to the truth of the Gospel if we do lie? If we stretch stories or lie to get out of tough situations?
Will they believe our testimonies?
Sometimes it is very tough to stand up and tell the truth. But if we stand for truth we will be showing the world that we believe the truth of the resurrection and have a new nature
As a people who live in the truth of the resurrection there is no room for lies
I myself was recently convicted when as I was reading about the lives of the disciples read that “lies produce cowards not heroes”
No one looks at the lives of the disciples and thinks that these men were lying
As Christians we can also live lives of heroes. We are a people that believe that God has conquered death, we stand in truth against the powers of darkness. I find much meaning and significance in this.

“¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

Here we see people from different nations, people in different ways of life, people with different positions in different societies and we also see that none of these differences matter to God. For 2000 years Christians have been champions of people being treated as equals no matter these things.
Today we should celebrate that all people are made in the image of God
I’m proud of the Bridge in this area
As a people who believe in the truth of the resurrection we should know the truth that all people are made in the image of God and treat them as such

Object lesson of writing down things that we are going to “put to death” and “rid ourselves from” and ripping them up and throwing them in the garbage.

Prayer Training Bootcamp

The Bridge Church — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:16:00 -0800

Maybe your prayer life has been like mine has before, haphazard, random, inconsistent and not always very satisfying. If that describes you, then I want to share something with you.

Prayer is an ESSENTIAL discipline in a healthy spiritual life and I am quite excited to be leading a "Spiritual Bootcamp" on Prayer beginning Mar 8.

Bootcamps like this are designed to help us take our spiritual lives to a new level, building strength, endurance and confidence.

This prayer training is designed to help participants to establish a Kingdom based prayer life where we begin to pray according to God's purposes. You will learn not only about prayer, but also how to pray, what to expect in prayer and why.

We will discover the role of prayer in establishing and advancing God's Kingdom in our city and beyond. We will learn how the gospel is dependent upon prayer and the important connection between God's Word and prayer. You wil learn alot about prayer...

...and you will also pray, in perhaps some new ways.

This is a 12 week training that will be on Thursday nights, 7-9pm at The Bride suite. You will have some assignments to do before the class, there will be some training, I will share some tools that will help us, and then we will pray throughout our time together.

This bootcamp is also being made available to some other churches in the area and will be limited to 15 people. My prayer is that a good number of people from The Bridge will be involved and we can fan our prayer ministry into a roaring flame. I encourage you to register now and let me know you plan to be part of this prayer training bootcamp.

Self-Control

The Bridge Church — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:55:00 -0800

No one likes self-control except in the areas where they have gained self-control, at least for today.

“The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.” Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Self Control, is one of humanities most useful skills, without it advanced civilizations would not exist.

“I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.” Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) Greek philosopher.

Self Control is not only the ability to resist temptations but also to direct our energies wisely…

Prov 25:28 “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”

Walls protect everyone who lives inside the city. Walls govern who comes & goes from the city. When the walls are broken, anything and anyone can come in and everyone inside is vulnerable and weak to attack.

Prov 29:11 “ A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

Fool – Keciyl - fat, stupid, silly

Wise – Chakan – wise, intelligent, skillful

Psychologists have found that self-control is strongly associated with want we label as success: higher self-esteem, better interpersonal skills and better emotional responses. (Tangney 2004)

There is a well known experiment on self control done by Walter Mischel, a Stanford professor of psychology known as the Marshmallow Test (1972) conducted at the Bing Nursery. Researchers would make a child an offer: she could either eat one marshmallow right away or, if she was willing to wait while he stepped out for a few minutes, she could have two marshmallows when the researcher returned. If the child rang a bell on the desk while the researcher was away he would come running back, and she could eat one marshmallow but would forfeit the second. Then he left the room.

30% of the children were able to wait the 15 minutes and get two marshmellows, however 2/3 of the children could not wait, with most giving in to their temptation in less than 3 minutes.

Mischel continued to follow his study group for a number of years and he made some amazing discoveries.

When these children became teenagers, the ones who rang the bell quickly or not at all before giving into their temptation to eat the marshmellow were more likely to have behavioral problems, both in school and at home. They got lower S.A.T. scores. They struggled in stressful situations, often had trouble paying attention, and found it difficult to maintain friendships.

The child who could wait fifteen minutes had an S.A.T. score that was, on average, two hundred and ten points higher than that of the kid who could wait only thirty seconds.

Following the subjects into their thirties they found that found that low-delaying adults have a significantly higher body-mass index and are more likely to have had problems with drugs

For decades, psychologists have focussed on raw intelligence as the most important variable when it comes to predicting success in life. Mischel argues that intelligence is largely at the mercy of self-control: even the smartest kids still need to do their homework.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1m1K6J96r

Not only does self control effect our lives – but it affects the lives of others around us and it is very important to God. So important that he brings it into our lives as a fruit of His presence in our lives.

When we look at the fruit of self control Self control is to put a ‘governor’ on our lives

egkrateia (eng-krat'-i-ah); self-control: to exercise self-restraint (in diet and chastity):

(the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites – specifically food & sex): Acts 24:25; Gal 5:23 (22); 2 Peter 1:6.

1 Thess 4:3-4 “ It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 6:12-20 "Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"-but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Because God gave us the freedom to choose how we will live, He also has given us the responsibility to control ourselves, particularly our appetities

God’s interest is to make us Holy – where His holy fruit is produced in and through our lives and we look like Him.

The text this morning…

Titus 2

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Self control is something everyone struggles with – In Pauls letter to Titus he says teach the older men, older women, young women and young men. Self control affects people in every area of life, whether at home or at work, the issue of self-control is IN us not just a conditioning of our environment, everyone struggles with it. A lack of self control keeps us from experiencing what it good and right, a lack of self control ‘steals’ the best of life and relationships. Paul wrote in Rom 3:23 “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory”.

Self-Control is something that we can improve, but we cannot do it alone or on our own – we must work in conjunction with God to make lasting changes in this area of our life. We must remember – this is a fruit of the SPIRIT not only a work of my CHARACTER, but to realize the Spirits work in my life in this way, I must work in conjunction with God’s Spirit – yelded to Him, submissive to Him, attentive to Him.

A psychologist Dr Kentaro Fujita at Ohio State University and colleagues has explored ways of improving self-control, where it comes from and why it sometimes deserts us.

Based on his research, and studies conducted over the past few decades, Dr Fujita and colleagues have proposed that abstract thinking and psychological distance are particularly important in self-control.

Don’t you love it when science confirms what God says in scripture!

Fujita et al.'s (2006) studies, and more recent findings reported by Fujita (2008), suggest that self-control can be increased by these related ways of thinking

Abstract reasoning. This means trying to avoid considering the specific details of the situation at hand in favour of thinking about how actions fit into an overall framework - being philosophical. Someone trying to add more self-control to their exercise regime might try to think less about the details of the exercise, and instead focus on an abstract vision of the ideal physical self, or how exercise provides a time to re-connect mind and body.

That is precisely what God’s Word says…

To grow in self control We need A NEW PERSPECTIVE – a new way of thinking, a perspective that is different from the world, and God gives us one…

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men

Living by God’s grace is an entirely different perspective that is empowering. It brings strength into our lives because of the crucifixion of Jesus that put to death our sin and fleshly desires, and His resurrection that brings life to our lives that is distinct and completely different from the world around us.

This means…

A Perspective that challenges my Priorities - We do not think only or first for ourselves, we have a new order of life
- God – (Christ) we desire to please him and praising him first
- Others – in Titus, each group of people were seeking the good of someone else. I seek to put the needs of my wife, spouse, child, brothers / sisters in Christ, those I am obliged to – my boss, customers, neighbours
  - I want to do good to these people, honor them above myself, respect them each highly, whether they deserve it or not
  - I want to set an example of kingdom living for my family, church, friends, others around me.
  - Self – that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that Jesus bought at a very high price – his life.
    - 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

As some of you know, I have been working out regularly for the past 6 months and when I began, I told my trainer that I was committed to this not just because it was going to make me healthier, but that this was a part of my spiritual life (she was intrigued by this) I said I believed my body was made for God’s sprit to live in and I wanted it to be the best I could make it for him. (she is not yet a Christian, and didn’t ‘get it, but it didn’t matter, that is why I am doing it and I remind myself of it each time I go to work out) It was a change in my perspective about myself.

A perspective of self-control forces me to be a learner
- It teaches us - God’s grace is teaching me. I am learning what it is to live differently and I WANT to learn. Most who do not practice self control in a particular area of their life do not want to learn a different way, they are not open to change.
- Talk to someone about weight loss and they won’t talk to you so much about what to eat but how to eat healthily
  - I am not learning knowledge like facts / figures / dates / info
  - But “train a child” to discipline, to educate with the implications of shaping my lifestyle

Col 3:1-11 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

I am learning from God and His ways

Self control can not mearly stay a ‘mind game’ where I think one thing but live differently – ultimately we have to make a choice and do something.

Leads me to a Decision point - Action – Say “NO” – . 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions “NO” - deny ungodliness & worldly passions (refuse, reject, turn your back on)

Take control – I take control of my thoughts & actions

Good choices have more power when they are fueled by reasoning that is stronger than merely perspective. Doing something just because you know it is the right thing to do will not be enough octaine to help you make a good choice. Lots of people get involved in sexual immorality and know that it is not what they should be doing, but they do it anyway.

I want to make this choice because there is something much bigger at stake…

2. To grow in Self-Control we need a BIG GOAL

Fujita’s study suggests another way to improve self control is by seeing how our decisions are fitting into a larger plan, what he calls,

Global processing. It is not just seeing the forest instead of the trees, but this means trying to focus on the wood rather than the trees: Seeing the furniture in the trees, seeing the orchard inside the apple seed in the apple. It is seeing the big picture and our specific actions as just one part of a major plan or purpose. For example, someone trying to eat healthily should focus on the ultimate goal and how each individual decision about what to eat contributes (or detracts) from that goal.

My decisions are fitting into an over all goal that I want to accomplish… and scripture provides us with that goal, and it is a very attractive goal…

Goal “and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
- Different word (self-controlled) “sober”- Sound mind – moderately, sane
- Brings the “New Perspective” to life
  - Where we know what to attain, to expect- how it is lived out
  - Temperate, worthy of respect, sound faith (moral convictions of religious truths; the truthfulness of God; reliance upon Christ’s salvation – how Titus describes as how old & young men & women should live

Fujita’s study suggests another way to improve self control is by seeing how our decisions are fitting into a larger plan, something bigger than even ourselves, what he calls,

High-level categorisation. This means thinking about high-level concepts (hopes) rather than specific instances. Any long-term project, whether in business, academia or elsewhere can easily get bogged down by focusing too much on the minutiae of everyday processes and forgetting the ultimate goal. Categorising tasks or project stages conceptually may help an individual or group maintain their focus and achieve greater self-discipline. Fujita is suggesting we have HIGH HOPES that we focus on.

3. To grow in self-control we must FOCUS ON OUR HOPE (in Christ – his return for us because we belong to him.) WE HAVE VALUE, WE ARE HIS, HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR US TO SET US APART FROM THE WORLD SO WE CAN DO WHAT IS TRULY GOOD

We look at our lives differently, with new perspectives, we begin making decisions based on Big goals to become like Christ and we set our hope on the work and return of Christ.

13 while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

New perspective says we can control ourselves,

The Goal shows us what it looks like

And our hope assures us it is worthwhile

We begin & continue to live as God’s holy children in a depraved and twisted world that is controlled by sin

God’s Spirit is providing the strength and energy to live differently while we wait in hope for the glorious appearing of Jesus who will and is returning – and that is as sure to us as our own self control.

Until then, We are eager to do good.

The Spirit helps us live self controlled lives empowered by God’s grace to reveal His Kingdom ways.

Self Control: We are connecting our flesh with God’s Spirit to live our lives according to God’s Kingdom

Gentleness

The Bridge Church — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:37:00 -0800

The fruit of God’s gentleness leads to Christ’s mercy

We try to teach our children how to be gentle. You don’t want a 2 yr old poking someone’s eye out, or a 6 year old destroying valuable things in your home. We try to teach young people how to use their words in a way that doesn’t hurt someone else’s feelings. But is that what gentleness is as a fruit of the spirit – to keep from hurting someone or to avoid destroying delicate or valuable things, to avoid hurting someone elses feelings?

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength” St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Gentleness here means much more than we may think at first thought…

Some translations would prefer to use the word MEEKNESS in leu of gentleness… but that is really a word we don’t use in today’s vernacular. … Meek – not a word we use in our lives.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. KJV

If we look at the English definition of the word Gentle – we get something like…

gen·tle [jen-tl] adjective

1. kindly; amiable: a gentle manner.

2. not severe, rough, or violent; mild: a gentle wind; a gentle tap on the shoulder.

3. moderate: gentle heat.

4. gradual: a gentle slope.

However, this doesn’t really get to the heart of what God is talking about here when he describes a fruit of the spirit that we translate gentleness, in many of our English translations…

The greek word is…

prau<$ - praus (prah-ooce'); a combination of mild and humility

The world might focus on gentleness as a mild and kind disposition towards others; that is a quality where gentleness is something we turn on and off depending on the situation we would find ourselves in. But scripture calls gentleness a fruit of the Spirit that must always be present and therefore does not have anything particular to do with the situation but more the presence of God within us.

The fruit of the spirit are not seasonal fruits, that show up when / how you need them, but they are an outcome of God’s presence within us.

Scripture indicates that gentleness is not something that a person builds into their lives as a character quality that they work on, but instead is a outgrowth of a renewed nature that begins and is dependent upon our own relationship with God himself.

This is not a message intending to help you become more gentle so you can be a nice person getting nicer. God is not so interested in you becoming nicer but he wants to make you holy – like himself.

This morning I am going to use 3 words, meekness, humility and gentleness all interchangeable.

To understand what the scripture is telling us about gentleness = we also need to look at how it is used in context, this

1 Pet 3:4, it says gentleness is the condition of our inner self that is beautiful and of great worth in God’s sight.

‘Parus’ is used in the sermon on the mount…

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

In other words, a person in whose soul has developed the fear of God who is his Father - in whose soul is this inner strength which enables him in, the face of all human opposition to do right even at the cost of his life -- is a man fitted to possess the whole earth.

Paul also uses it in his letter to the Ephesians…

Eph 4:1-2 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Here, humility and gentleness are demonstrated on the conditions of our relationship with God that we have been called into and have received from him.

Where the general understanding of the word gentleness describes a quality of relationships between people,

The Christian word, on the contrary, describes an inward quality, and that as related primarily to God.

Gentleness, a fruit of the Spirit:

1) The Orientation of Gentleness is towards God – not man

Gentleness is not based on how I relate to others, but is first based on the state of my mind or mood towards God. A humble gentleness comes from a right relationship with my Lord.

Gentleness means, I am humble towards God. Everything I am learning about myself I am learning from God.

I am nothing apart from him and yet I am someone because of Him. So I can be gentle because of who he is making me to be.

The Christian is to have a gentle heart, a humble disposition to the majestic and holy God, and therefore we can respond to others in gentleness.

The meekness of the Christian springs from a sense of the inferiority of the creature to the Creator, and especially of the sinful creature to the holy God and so I come before him in humility and experience from him His strength to live in gentleness – it is the distribution of God’s Mercy

It is because we are at peace with God and ourselves so we are able to exhibit what the world would like to see as gentle. But it means much more than easy, soft or kind. It is more that preventing harm or destruction.

2) The ‘feeling’ of Gentleness is strength – not weakness gentleness / meekness is not a sign of weakness.

Like a mild detergent – it still gets things clean but it does it in a way that doesn’t leave lasting scratches

I don’t often think about being gentle towards God, but when my spirit is humble towards Him I find I am better prepared to accepts the circumstances of our life without complaint or resistance, I can recognize challenges of life as God’s work in me and they are good and ultimately wise.

Therefore, when it comes to relating to others, we can accept opposition, insults and provocation and bring God’s mercy and love into the situation in love and humility

It is gentleness that allows a mother or father to endure insults and provocation from their child, recognizing it is the childs own foolishness or sin that is lashing out and the parent does not need to lash back.

I can be a gentle man, for instance, and not be gentle (according to the popular definition) toward someone else at all; my gentleness relates to the attitude of my mind and soul towards God.

When the Bible speaks of Moses as being the meekest man, does it describe his attitude or actions toward his followers; or does it describe his attitude and actions toward God?

He had to stand up to the Egyptian pharaoh and to his own countrymen and call them all to account before God – He was meek toward God and it brought him strength to lead his people

Many men and women who have been filled with meekness toward God, has at the same time stood up in great strength and defied the power of man, even when those actions resulted in their demise or death

3. Gentleness connects us with God and all His resources

It is in the gentleness of God that I begin to see life and the world from God’s perspectives and what is important to him

It is not the kings of the earth, not its armies, not those who wealthy, and think they are mighty, that shall inherit the earth; not those who are proud in the sufficiency of their self-conceit, that shall own the earth; but those who have within them this spiritual enlightenment to apprehend the spirit that is hidden from eyes of the world, it is those who are humble before God, those who are meek, and therefore fully and receptive in their spirits, that shall possess the treasures which God gives to those that love Him.

It connects us with God. Not so we can feel good about ourselves

But so He can work through our lives and continue to reveal himself to a lost world.

Gentleness from Matthew 11

The account in Matthew 11 is more than merely a chronological story of a day in the life of Jesus but the Holy Spirit has orchestrated the scripture in such a way to give us an important lesson on the Gentleness of the Lord and what Gentleness is. Jesus is our teacher and he shows us a picture of what gentleness is, what it is not and its purpose is . He shows us through our relationship with Him gentleness becomes a way for him to express His mercy into life’s situations.

First we see Jesus encountering the disciples of John the Baptist, who is now in prison because he has said things that has made king Herod mad. John had denounced the king for his illicit and immoral lifestyle (Mark 6, Luke 3). John hears about Jesus and the movement that is beginning to form around him, and He asks “Are you the one who was to come” “I was the one standing up and proclaiming the Truth of God to bring conviction / break the hearts of people so they could respond to the Messiah when he comes – are you he?”

Jesus was the one who when John baptized him, saw the spirit of God decend upon him and heard the voice from heaven declare Jesus to be God’s son; but now he humbly asks, “did I give my life in vain?”

Johns life had been oriented towards God alone, and he was learning who and what he was about from God.

Jesus replies - , "Go back and report to John what you hear and see…”

6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Gentleness is the humility to stand under pressure – even great pressure – and to stand for what is true. A Gentle person stays the course of what is true & right with grace and humility, to lead others to God’s mercy.

Then we see Jesus challenge the crowd…7 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

A reed is going to go whatever direction the wind takes it. There are always “winds” of our culture

Jesus: “what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.”

John is “God’s man” He went across the culture of the day, because the culture was going across God’s ways

John demonstrated what it was to be gentle, to speak the truth in love, to call others to what is right and true in a way that allowed them to experience God’s blessings – He called people to repentance to experience the kindness of God’s mercy

11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist;

“yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”. – Yet there is always room for more humility in our lives, -

True Gentleness is a vertical quality - becoming less is becoming more – John knew this…

Not horizontal (in our human relationships) of the nice getting nicer

There is also a place for forceful humility – and it is an aspect of gentleness that Jesus demonstrates here…

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears, let him hear.

Meekness, gentleness does not mean weakness or timidity.

It is a strength and it calls people to step up in strength and demonstrate humility and concern for others, sacrifice of ourselves for the sake of others, so others don’t have to.

This is a way of the kingdom, the ancient prophets acknowledged it, lived it and spoke of it – Jesus points out Elihah -

Elijah, the prophet who stood against a wicked king and queen, who brought down fire on Mt Carmel in the name of God and killed hundreds of false prophets. It is also Elijah who by his encouragement and faith kept a widow and her son alive day by day and when her son became ill and died it was Elijah who cried out to the Lord and brought the boy back to life. Whether he stood before kings or destitute widows, he spoke what was true and of the Lord. When he was gripped by fear he fled to the mountain of his Lord who met him and provided for him. (1 Kings)

A gentle life is not an easy life, but it comes through the strength of our vertical relationship with God, and God moves through it.

Back to our passage in Matt 11, in V16 -19 Jesus rebukes the culture of the day for getting caught up in how they think life really works and the opinions of the day. The world will want us to go in the way of the world and the value systems of the world, but Jesus turns that all upside down, even our understanding of what it is to be gentle. Humility and Gentleness is not accountable to the world but to God’s standards of Gentleness.

Then He begins to denounce some of the leading cities of the day, Korazin, Bethsaida and then Capernaum. Cities that had great miracles occur, where Jesus had spent significant time but they had refused to turn to them. Jesus’ proclamation of these cities is difficult to hear. These cities had not demonstrated what it is to be gentle and to respond to the vertical relationship with God and as a result they will experience the outcome of their poor choices. – They will not experience God’s mercy.

But Jesus continues, praising God,

“because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

It is not the proud or strong or nice that will inherit the earth…

Then the scripture shows us that this story of John the Baptist, Jesus’ challenge to the culture of the day and condemnation of populations of people who reject who he is, and his message of God’s kingdom – all of this is a living example of what gentleness and humility look like

Jesus shows us what it looks like to live Gently -

28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Come to me – we must be connected to God through Jesus to know and be able to express true humble gentleness. It is in a relationship with God we experience God’s gentleness that is Christ’s mercy.

Everyone carries the weight of trying to do the right thing, for the right reasons and ultimately burning out from the weight of it all, and he calls us to him, back to him, he is the only place we can experience it, it is a vertical relationship that empowers our lives.

We can only discover gentleness and meekness towards God, and ultimately for others through our connection with him.

We must be willing to humbly learn from him and take his way of living on ourselves – His yoke. And it is only there we experience his meekness and gentleness

Gentleness is love at school -- the Saviour's school: -- It is Christian humility.

It is the disciple learning to know himself; learning to fear, and distrust, and abhor himself.

It is the disciple practicing the sweet but self-emptying lesson of putting on the Lord Jesus, and finding all his righteousness in that righteous other.

It is the disciple learning the defects of our own character, and taking hints from hostile as well as friendly monitors.

It is the disciple praying and watching for the renewing of his life that looks like the mellowing of his temper, and the transformation of his character.

It is the loving Christian at the Saviour's feet, learning of Him who is meek and lowly, and finding rest for his own soul.

(J. Hamilton, D. D.)

Do you know what it is to experience God’s gentleness that brings you to Christ’s mercy, that he may give you life and salvation, to know his rest. The fruit of God’s spirit in gentleness is to come through your life so others around you might know His mercy.

Faithfulness

The Bridge Church — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:02:00 -0800

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” Mother Teresa of Calcutta

1Cor. 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful

Faithfulness:

“Your faithfulness makes you trustworthy to God.” Edwin Louis Cole

When someone does what they say they will do or what is expected of them

–adjective

1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

- does not bend, does not ‘fudge’ but is thorough - completely

2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc. - binding

3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4. reliable, trusted, or believed.

5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

Because God is faithful we discover a strength that will lift us up and help us grow in our own faithfulness and affect the lives of others around us.

Memory Verse for this week…

"God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."

1 Cor 1:9

God is faithful

God is faithful to Himself – His ways, His word, His promises, His will, His character

Ps 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

His WAYS “I like the way you do things” their methods, their motivations

Ps 25: 10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful

for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

His WORD

Deut 7: 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Ps 145:13 The Lord is faithful to all his promises, and loving toward all he has made. NIV

Because God is faithful, even in difficult times, I can be faithful too.

God is faithful and he expects his children to be faithful as well…

Proverbs 20:6 Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?

Our own Faithfulness dies – when we don’t believe God is faithful

Missed expectations

When you expect a friend to do something and they don’t deliver.

When we expect God to do something and then it turns out different to our expectations then we question God’s faithfulness

I know people who are angry at God because God didn’t do what they thought he should… they prayed, hard and asked God to do certain things and when those things didn’t come about they concluded God was mean & hateful or just not there.

They were expecting God to do certain things that would make their life more comfortable, nicer, the way they thought life was supposed to be, but the truth is God is not going to be faithful to my comfort. There will be times I will have to sacrifice my comfort, my ideas, even desires to be faithful.

We must remember what God is faithful to and what he is not

He is not going to be faithful to my comfort

He is not going to be faithful to my foolishness

He is not going to be faithful to me looking to find security in someone or something else

These are things that are generally important to me and when he doesn’t step in and make things work together for my good according to my comfort then he must not be trustworthy.

The truth is – he is faithful –to himself, his promises, his word

He is faithful to his son – his love, sacrifice, righteousness

He is faithful to his children, who walk in his ways and regard his covenants – who desire and act like his children

God wants me to be faithful because He is more interested in who I am becoming than what I achieve –

EVEN WHEN THINGS ARE DIFFICULT

He knows that when I live a faithful life, I am looking more and more like him and the fruit of His faithfulness comes out of my life.

But what we accomplish is an indicator of what we have been faithful to

Things we can learn about faithfulness from Matt 25:

This passage is a parable – a method of teaching that Jesus often uses – a practical story of spiritual and theological realities – practical stories of what it looks like to live as a child of God.

Matt 25 occurs after Jesus has entered Jerusalem for the last time and a few days before Passover when he would institute the Lord’s supper before his crucifixion.

This parable is between two other parables, the story of 10 virgins waiting for the bridegroom, 5 who bring oil and 5 who don’t, the ones who don’t get left out of the wedding banquet.

The parable after this one is of the sheep and the goats, of two different types of people who live very differently and experience very different and eternal consequences.

And in this parable we have 3 servants, each entrusted with something of value and how each of the servants respond to what they have been given…

Faithfulness is an attutude in action

Each man received something from their master and they knew they were expected to serve their master in some way with what they had received.

Notice none of the 3 went and spent what they received, but they knew they had been given a trust that they had to respond to. Their attitudes about their responsibility reveals their faithfulness.

They each had to serve their master in someway regarding what he had just entrusted to them.

Faithfulness starts small and grows – When a person is ‘given’ a responsibility that is bigger than their capabilities they often wont be faithful to that responsibility.

Faithful Christian does not distinguish between the great duties of the Christian life and the small matters of the Christian life. All are great matters.

The faithful servant was going to be faithful with whatever he was given ---

What has God given you? Take a moment – think – a job, income, talents, spiritual gifts, time, energy, opportunities –

I am not talking about relationships here – these are things you will be faithful TO, but what has God given you that you must be faithful WITH?

Who am I to be faithful TO: God, spouse, parents, job, responsibility at church,

What am I faithful WITH: time, resources, gifts, talents, abilities…

Faithfulness requires initiative on our part

V 16 - Man with 5 talents – He went – took the initiative, in a particular direction – He recognized the responsibility was his --- went at once

He responds Purposefully wasted no time. The word Jesus uses is one that is like he is going on a journey – he “went out” thinking, planning, as he leaves. He Knew he had something that he needed to do something with

Faithfulness to God is to use what we have been entrusted inorder to bless others.

‘at once’ – Urgency – wasted no time – He ‘got after it’

“straightaway”, no delay - he purposefully got after it – every day, every moment is an opportunity – are we faithful with our time?

Eccl. 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

“Put it to work” – new what to do with it – made the most of what he had to work with

He expected results - gained 5 more

If we have only one we should use it to gain one, while one person is endowed with 5 or 2 or one must never hinder our attention and attitude.

“In the long run, what God commends and rewards is not genius, brilliance or popularity, but faithfulness and devotion to him without human recognition or applause.” Lockyer pg 244

Faithless Man with 1 talent –

Went off – He left the master without giving it any more thought. Passive disobedience

Different word than “he went” - he left with no regard to what he had been entrusted with.

This is the guy who would say “I don’t have time to deal with this…”

Dug a hole – no expectations of anything coming of what he had

Hid his masters money- no risk = no return

faithfulness is proven over time

After a long time –

Faithfulness is developed through difficulties, uncertainties, boredom,

The servants with 5 & 2 talents – Embraced Accountability = knew they were accountable to the master – one day they would have to give an answer to their master – they knew they were serving at their masters pleasure. They didn’t know how long he would be gone, and it didn’t matter.

Well done good and faithful servant – faithful with a few things; I will give you more.

Said same thing to the man with 2

Results are proven by faithfulness of a life not the height of a person’s accomplishment.

“God doesn't call us to be successful. He calls us to be faithful.”

Servant of the buried talent – the FAITHLESS FEARED Accountability

False estimate of his master and used an excuse for his failure of trust.

Lied about his lord being a hard man

Why would he be afraid when the other 2 were excited for the master’s return.

His idleness resulted in injustice - “Hard man”,

Harvesting where you have not sown, Gaterhing where you have not scattered seed

I was aftraid

Here is what belongs to you.

The minimum – put on deposit with the banker – would have sufficed. But he wouldn’t even do the minimum

Lesson – use it or lose it, God expects our lives to bear fruit,

John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…. “remain in me” v4

The wicked servant did not bury his talent because he only had one, but because he was lazy.

Self-Test of my Faithfulness:

When given a job to do I give it my best effort
- Do I look for short-cuts to minimize my efforts

I am reliable to do what is expected of me or what I committed to do
- Do I look for ways to get out of doing things

People trust me to be reliable

I am content to do the little things even if they don’t get noticed

If I cannot fulfill my responsibility I look for a replacement

Goodness

The Bridge Church — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:29:00 -0800

“It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.” ― Leo Tolstoy

What does it mean for God’s goodness to be cursing through your life? What might that even look like?

There is probably a flood of thoughts and ideas that run through our minds… I few were to write them all down with the people in our room we would likely have a very long list.

good - We use the word ‘good’ to describe a lot of our lives…

adjective

morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious: a good man.

satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree: a good teacher; good health.

of high quality; excellent.

right; proper; fit: It is good that you are here. His credentials are good.

well-behaved: a good child.

kind, generous, or friendly: to do a good deed.

honorable or worthy; in good standing: a good name.

educated and refined: She has a good background.

genuine; not counterfeit: a good quarter.

sound or valid: good judgment; good reasons.

reliable; dependable; responsible: good advice.

not spoiled or tainted; edible; palatable: The meat was still good after three months in the freezer.

Favorable, positive: good news.

cheerful; optimistic; amiable: in good spirits.

free of distress or pain; comfortable: to feel good after surgery.

agreeable; pleasant: I had a good time last night.

attractive; handsome: She has a good figure.

close or intimate; warm: She's a good friend of mine.

sufficient or ample: a good supply.

advantageous; satisfactory for the purpose: a good day for fishing.

competent or skillful; clever: a good manager; good at arithmetic.

skillfully or expertly done: you did a really good job; that was a good play.

conforming to rules of grammar, usage, etc.; correct: you have good English.

socially proper: good manners.

Discriminating or judging; Don't throw good money after bad.

best : He wore his good suit to the office today.

full: a good day's journey away.

fairly large or great: a good amount.

free from precipitation or cloudiness: good weather.

fertile; rich: good soil.

noun

profit or advantage; worth; benefit: What good will that do?

excellence in merit; kindness: to do good.

moral righteousness; virtue: to be a power for good.

Goods, quantifiable, tangible items: goods for sale

it's all good - Means nothing is really bad.

Ok with remaining the same. Content

Do you want some juice? No I'm Good

Used in an optimistic sense to show the lightheartedness of something.

-Hey man, sorry about that. I had someone on the other line.
-Oh it's all good.

Platitude that covers so many emotions and situations that it says little;

its only real meaning is that the speaker is trying to rise above whatever problem exists, without expressing their underlying negative emotions. (They might be angry, sad, upset, frustrated, hurt, disappointed, etc.)

Often used in a passive-aggressive way.

Rarely, used compassionately for someone else, trying to make them feel better.

A favorite of inarticulate people who do not know what else to say

"I'm breaking up with you."
"Whatever. It's all good."

It is very hard to know what good really means…

Our uses of idioms really make it difficult to understand what good really means…

“Bad” = “good” We call things good that are not good and then it’s all good, but it is not.

“When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better. ” ― Mae West (precursor to Lady Gaga)

Good has so many definitions; that is very broad. Good becomes like beauty, in the eyes of the beholder. It is no wonder that no one really knows what is good for me but me. When I determine what is good for me it is based upon my standards (of the day) of what is good. it is no wonder we struggle to understand what good really is

There is still however a moral good that we cant get around. Our hearts cry out for the good.

We want what is right, true and virtuous, and at the same time, easy, convenient, simple, feels good, satisfying some desire within us, even if it is a selfish desire – it is ‘good’ for us we tell ourselves

Pursuing the good is a very tall order, which we fail at often and so we begin to discount what is good and before long ‘good’ has lost its meaning.

We cannot consistently achieve good. We are unable to do the good thing because our nature is to sin. We can do the good thing on occasion but there is always within us the opportunity to sacrifice the good for convenience, expediency, a ‘preceived better’

But Jesus died for our sin so that we are free to know him and to do what he would do, which will always be good.

God is good, right , true, best, excellent in all things, at all times. There is never a time he is not good. He is perfect and he calls us to be perfect as well.. Matt 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Goodness; the ever increasing ability to always be good by ones own nature; to know and do the morally right and virtuous thing. To say things that is full of truth and is applied rightly regardless of the situation.

We have a difficult time distinguishing between what is good and what is not – what is good and evil. We decide when something is ‘good enough’ like good and evil are static objects, but in reality they are quite dynamic

The ability to know the difference between good and bad, good and evil is a mark of maturity – including spiritual maturity,

Heb 5: 14

14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

But God has no difficulty in that area of distinguishing good and evil…

He knows He is good and evil is all around.

For us…

God defines what good is because he is good.

Luke 18:18-27

A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good — except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'" (the basics)

21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. (I am “good enough”)

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (ever increasing movement towards goodness – always the higher good)

23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

26 Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" (why isn’t there a ‘good enough’)

27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (because God is good and he is drawing you to be more like him)

To the ruler, he was simply trying to pay Jesus a compliment, to get his attention, to show him some respect, but Jesus would not have it, because in the attitude of the young rulers heart he was minimizing good and when he did that he also was minimizing God himself.

God knows what is good and what it is to be good – because he is good. He is the embodiment and the nature of good.

God created all things and all along the way he said “and it was good”

God knew it was not good for man to be alone and he created a companion to be his wife.

He knew there was a stark difference between good and evil and he planted a tree and told us to stay away from it, but we wouldn’t…

Ps 100:5

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations. (a tireless good God)

Ps 25:8-10

Good and upright is the Lord;

therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right

and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful

for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

God even allows difficult things to happen in our lives and it is still for our good… Joseph…

Gen 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Ps 4:6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.

Eph 5:8-11

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Our problem is, we don’t’ always want what is good – truly good, for ourselves or others. “for you were once darkness” . We like a little ‘bad’ in us. Rebellious hearts abound, it is in our nature to rebel and rebellion lurks in all kinds of dark places in our own hearts – luring us from what is truly good.

Our darkness and rebellion confuses us and we can’t tell the difference between good and evil, we are not sure there is a difference or that we want a difference…

Rebellion exists in each of our hearts and it keeps us from experiencing the goodness of God

Rom 7:19-25

For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!

But, when we bring our rebellion our into the light and we expose it as the evil that it is that Jesus died for then we become children of light. And the fruit of that light begins to flow through our lives, God’s goodness begins to show up in my life. When we bring our rebellion into the light God brings his goodness into our lives

Eph 5:8-11

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

NIV

God brings His good into our lives. It is the fruit of his spirit, it is what He brings into our lives – the ability to live and demonstrate his goodness.

God is good –and everything he does is good. Everything he says, thinks, expresses is good.

He brings the right actions into circumstances regardless how difficult the circumstances might be.

Eph 5:8-11

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

NIV

God brings his goodness into our lives so we can

Know the power of the work of Christ in our lives that is changing us

We become children of light, and we begin to live in the good that is not according to the worlds standards but good according to God.

Without his goodness we would continually work to overcome our weakness in our own strength.

It will always look like us trying to be good on our own, according to our own definition of good.

– but Jesus died to remove that option from our life equation – God wants to bring his goodness out though our lives.

know how to respond in difficult circumstances with wisdom and grace

When his goodness is flowing through our lives then His truth brings light to dark places His wisdom applies his good to difficult circumstances.

God brings the fruit of goodness into our lives as the fruit of his spirit so we live in the power of Christ and demonstrate his existence.

Does your life look like God’s goodness? Or your own compromised, discounted goodness?

Let God show you where your rebellion to his goodness lurks, expose it’s hiding places.

He invites us to bring that rebellion into his light, confess it, expose it, recognize that Jesus died for that rebellion so his goodness can flow through you.

Receive his forgiveness and recognize that rebellion as a dead part of your life; step away from it and move your thoughts, actions and attitudes to Jesus’ life.

He came back to life – from the dead, the death that he died for our rebellion, so we can live in him and his goodness.

That is what he has for each of us this morning…

Lets pray.

Kindness

The Bridge Church — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:27:00 -0800

If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. ~Bob Hope

Nothing sets a person apart in this world like being kind. When I think of kindness, I think of a recent best selling book / movie – the help. A story set in Mississippi in the early 1960 when black maids cared for the homes and children of white women. Here is a woman named Aibileene is shaping little girl named Mae Mobley.

Paul of Tarsus wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians…

“Love is patient. Love is Kind….” 1 Cor 13:4

Kindness does not come naturally to us, just like love does not come naturally. But when you experience it, you think it could, it should. It is a quality that is so accessible and yet illusive at the same time.

Kindness is something we can learn, but better than that, kindness is something we become.

As a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins to become more and more evident in our lives, and he shows up in us and leaves footprints in us and in our actions.

Those footprints are the fruit of the Spirit of Christ at work in us.

Gal 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

Do you notice that at the very middle of this list of qualities, the very center of the list is Kindness. Kindness works itself out in these other qualities. Love is kind. It is kind to be patient. It is kind to do good to someone else. It is kind to be faithful and do what you say you will do. You are kind, when you are gentle with someone.

But what is kindness – lets look at the word itself…

Kind

adjective, -er, -est.

1. of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person.

2. having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence: kind words.

noun

1. a class or group of individual objects, people, animals, etc., of the same nature or character, or classified together because they have traits in common; category: Our dog is the same kind as theirs.

When we look at the passage in Galatians 5… the word kindness in the Greek is the word

xrhsto/th$ - chrestotes (khray-stot'-ace)

moral excellence (in character or demeanor):

KJV - gentleness, good (-ness), kindness.

From the root word

xrhsto/$ - chrestos (khrase-tos'); employed, i.e. (by implication) useful (in manner or morals):

and is a brother to the word…

Xristo/$ - Christos (khris-tos'); anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus: KJV - Christ.

Xristiano/$ - Christianos (khris-tee-an-os'); a Christian, i.e. follower of Christ:

KJV - Christian.

To be kind is to be Christian… We act more like Jesus when we are kind

Kindness is the evidence of Christ we present to others through the things we say and do.

Text:

Eph 2:6-7

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Kindness must be expressed in order for it to be kind.

God expresses kindness to us though his son Jesus “God…expressed in his kindness to us

You know when you have just experienced kindness from someone.

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain

For the woman in Proverbs 31

“When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule for everything she says” Prov 31:26 TLB

In this passage, God shows us HOW to express kindness…

6 And God raised us up…

Kindness requires initiative

God became active here. He shows up and does something. He took the initiative. He didn’t wait for us to do something, he seized an opportunity and became engaged.

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. ~Seneca

Kindness doesn’t just happen without someone doing something. It is unkind to say you will do something and then not do it. Kind thoughts are at best merely good intentions…

“there's good deeds and then there's good intentions. They are as far apart as Heaven and Hell.” Ben Harper

You have to Have a passion for something – Want to do something and Take the risk – something motivates you into action.

Eph 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, NIV

Because God loves us greatly, He steps in and he does something – and what he does is for our benefit.

For us, there will be times when we want to be kind and other times we won’t want to be kind. As a Christian, with the Holy Spirit within us, God’s love can be alive within us so when we wouldn’t normally want to be kind – from ‘somewhere’ we find we have the ability to take the initiative to be kind.

Kindness is for the benefit of others

Prov 12:25 NIV

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

Eph 2:6

“…God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him…”

God had us in mind to express His kindness to

Raises us up – egeiro (eg-i'-ro); to waken, rouse (literally, from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figuratively, from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence):KJV - resurrection.

Seats us – Made us sit together with him. – gives us value and significance – a place to be with him

Heavenly realms – provides us what we could not otherwise have access to. He took it upon himself to raise us to sit with Him, to be with him, at his table,

God intended to bless us in his kindness. He saw our situation – we were asleep to him, dead to him, but he lifts us up and gives a a place to be with him. Our needs were important to him

Kindness puts the needs and interest of someone else ahead of our own needs & interests.

Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This is one of our Heart Attitudes – a practical way for us to express kindness to others around us.

When we care about someone else to the point we move beyond it being a good idea but we actually do something, we are in a place to be kind to another person.

We don’t have to like them to be kind to them.

Luke 6:35-36 NIV

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not. ~Samuel Johnson

Kindness Equalizes – we are of like kind…

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

In kindness, God treats us like his son, like his family With Christ…with him…in Christ

When we are kind – we are willing to treat someone else like we would treat ourselves.

Matt 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”.

Love the lord your God with all your heart, mind Matt 22:39 'Love your neighbor as yourself. NIV

You will be kind to your neighbor when you love them as you love yourself.

Not only should we be kind to our enemies, our neighbors, but especially our spouses…

Eph 5:28 “husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” NIV

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these. ~George Washington Carver

Always be a little kinder than necessary. ~James M. Barrie

Kindness has a purpose – What God did for us was no act of random kindness.

…he might show the incomparable riches of his grace

God expresses kindness to reveal himself

God expects you and I to be kind not so we will be better people, but so the world might see him in you.

Your kindness opens the door for God’s blessings to come into the world

God takes kindness seriously. – it is completely the way he acts, and he expects us to act just like him. That is what he has raised us up and seated us with him to do… to act like him. – and he expects a response from us.

Rom 11:22

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.

Gal 5:22-24

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

Each of us have experienced kindness, and if you are a follower of Jesus, know what it is to experience God’s kindness to you.

We have also each been kind to others before, and we have also been un-kind

We also can blow anothers kindness off, receive it and move on… God offers us kindness to change our lives. Can you recall when God has demonstrated his kindness to you. Has that changed you?

Rom 2:4

4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

God is kind to you to change you. He wants us to be kind – not so we are merely nicer people, but so our lives can be vessels of his kindness and life change to others.

Patience

The Bridge Church — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:57:00 -0800

We want to ‘get things done’. It makes us feel good to accomplish things and when other people or things stand in our way we struggle – we become impatient.

We spend a lot of our lives waiting. We wait for our spouse, our friends, our kids. We wait for our boss, we wait for the stranger ahead of us.

We wait for our circumstances to change. We wait for our lives to come together. We wait for God to show up and do something…

But still we wait… some of us wait better than others, but we all wait…

Though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod.

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Henry V, Act II, sc. 1

Patience can be like plodding through – whether it is minutes, or hours, or days our years

Patience (or forbearing, long-suffering) is the ability to endure under difficult circumstances. It may mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or angry in a negative way. It is exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties.

Synonyms: patience, long-suffering, resignation, forbearance
These nouns denote the capacity to endure hardship, difficulty, or inconvenience without complaint. Patience emphasizes calmness, self-control, and the willingness or ability to tolerate delay

Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negative thoughts or actions take over

Patience involves the aspect of time, patient for a period; “I have been patient…”

Patience is one of the most valuable virtues of life. Real patience grows in a Christian’s life as the result of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Ecclesiastes points out that the "end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride" (Ecclesiastes 7:7-9, NIV);

The Book of Proverbs says that "through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone" (Proverbs 25:14-16, NIV); Patience can provide the wisdom to actually accomplish great things or to know the right words to say.

Our patience will achieve more than our force.

Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

There is a maturity that comes with patience

Thessalonians states that we should "be patient with all. See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good for each other and for all" (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15, NAB).

Patience is an Attitude of our hearts.

Patience is like a big sign on our lives that displays the true place and condition of our hearts.

Patience is so hard to gain and to maintain, but, in Rom 15:5 God is able to grant His grace to those who look to Him and depend on Him for it. It is in reliance on God and acceptance of His will, with trust in His goodness, wisdom and faithfulness, that we are enabled to endure and to hope stedfastly.

Rom 15:5 - May God who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each other-each with the attitude of Christ toward the other. TLB

Patience allows us to recognize and receive God’s grace in the midst of our circumstances be they annoying or greatly challenging. Patience helps us act like God.

(Memory Verse) Prov 19:11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

Patience is keeping your focus to accomplish the greater good despite the difficulties of the current circumstances

1 Tim 1:15-17 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The strength of patience pushes our perspectives beyond our circumstances

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst

Jesus demonstrates extreme patience for us as sinners because he has a greater and clear picture of who we are to God. We are sinners in need of salvation. He looks beyond our sin to provide us salvation. He has a greater good, a greater goal in mind than the petty – sinful circumstance of our lives. He does not engage in our sinful circumsatances but as it says in Hebrews 12:2, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross,” it was that joy beyond the current circumstances that helped him see beyond the moment.

The opportunity for our perspective to move out beyond our circumstances, forces us to make a choice between the good that God wants to accomplish and our own flesh.

To wait is to defy the impatience of the flesh.

There is only one cardinal sin: impatience. Because of impatience we were driven out of paradise, because of impatience we cannot return. Franz Kafka

The real strength of our patience comes into our lives as we realize we have been saved, that our sins were bad, Paul said his were the worst…

It is the grace of Christ that empowers our patience.

16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy

Self empowered patience has limits – we reach the end of our own patience. We either resign and give up – like George Jackson would say…

“Patience has its limits. Take it too far, and it's cowardice.” George Jackson (1941 - 1971)

Or when we reach the limits of our patience we lash out and blow up and make a mess on others (and ourselves)

Youtube video

Patience takes work and requires energy – the longer the patience the more energy it requires.

The patience of Christ is unlimited.

Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience

When we rely on the unlimited patience Christ provides – we begin to look more and more like Jesus in our attitudes and actions - the working out of the fruit of the spirit.

The work of patience produces life in others.

an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

Patience actually reminds me that my life is not about me, my life is not my own, but I am his and he is good and so – like Paul it leads me to praise Him at higher and deeper and more honest levels and so Paul says…

17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen

How do we build patience into our lives?

Recognize what God has done for us

Draw power from the grace of Christ

Extend Gods grace to others so they experience His life

Impatience is a sin…that God desires to work out of our lives…

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Finding God's Hope in the Midst of Real Challenges

The Bridge Church — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:35:00 -0800

From Psalm 42

There are questions and challenges we each face, but how can we start this New Year and experience the fullness of God's peace in the midst of them?

We have just experienced Christmas – a fun and joyful celebration for some and for others a gut wrenching time only made worse because of the weight that somehow it should be a light hearted time.

In the midst of Christmas we hear the angels proclaim as they deliver the message of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds…

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Peace on those who God’s favor rests… peace… the promise of peace, the hope of peace to our minds and lives. In the midst of the challenges, questions and uncertainties. We all face them, whether they come in the form of health issues or emotional challenges. Or perhaps it is the financial struggles of making it in this world. Or the relational challenges, with our spouse or children or family or friend. Or the uncertantiy of our futures, the paralyzing unknowns that keep us stuck and prevent us from moving forward.

Over the holidays I spoke with a friend who is trying to sort out some important decisions in his life that could have significant implications – some decisions are not easy or quick to come, they have kept him awake many nights.

One of the things I appreciate about David, our musician-king of ancient Israel is he lived his life openly and we see it was not always easy. He exposed the challenges he faced, both the internal ones and the external ones. Because he was willing to show us the real challenges of his life, we also have the privilege to see how a man who was known as a man after God’s heart dealt with those challenges.

David knew and loved God, but that did not take all his problems away, instead, his relationship with God provided him a real strength to deal with those challenges. So, we see in this psalm 42

At the very beginning, He re affirms his relationship with God. Like a graceful, vulnerable, fearful dear that is consumed by its own need for water at the same time his soul longed for God.

The soul – the non-physical you – the life of the person who takes up residence in the physical body. We can be so consumed today on the physicalality of our existence we loose track of the non-physical part of who we are.

Each of us has a soul, and a crucial feature of our souls is our conscience.

In J.I. Packers book, “A Quest for Godliness” he describes the conscious as a “rational faculty”, a power of moral self knowledge and judgment, dealing with the questions of right and wrong, duty and desert.

The word means a shared (con) knowledge (science). The judgements of conscience express the deepest and truest self knowledge that a person ever has.

According to Packer, the conscience is man’s judgment of himself according to the judgment of God of him. It is the knowledge of himself as God knows him. It is also provides the ability to know God – to know his heart and mind and confirms to us his presence. As Paul said…

Rom 9:1 I speak the truth in Christ — I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—

So for the psalmist, he acknowledges his deep and honestly desperate need for his relationship with God, as a deer that pants for water and at the same time he recognizes the conflict of his soul

3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

Some struggles are so great they steal away our appetites and have no respect of our sleep.

It is in the midst of struggle we hear the acquisition against God – “where is He?” Whether the acquisition is external or internal – it does not matter – Where is God when you need him?

David’s response to the acquisitions he finds is in his memories of his relationship with God and God’s people…

4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

In the midst of his suffering, he reflects on the taste of joy that comes from being with God.

But still, just quieting the accusations is not sufficient to quell the real challenges – it doesn’t cause them to just go away

I know people who live in their past just to avoid living in the present, with the challenges it brings. David doesn’t allow that however, he comes back into real-time even with its dark challenges.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

6 My soul is downcast within me…

David was fully aware of his soul, he had a barometer on the status of his soul – Do you? He could separate his soul from his thoughts, He knew the difference between his soul and his feelings

7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

When David speaks of the “Deep calls to deep” this is not a beautiful picture – David’s soul was in a very dark place. It is like a flood of darkness that comes over him with a strong current that only draws him to deeper darkness that crashes over him and floods his life.

9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"

David is struggling with emotional stress – the feelings of abandonment, aloneness, deep sadness and disappointment of the way things are turning out - “life just shouldn’t be this hard, but it is”

10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

David also struggles with physical attributes of his stress – when the stress of life begins to affect the physical side of our lives – His body feels like he is going to die and no one cares.

“Where is your God” – whether that comes from outside taunts or the voice from within it is still a desperate message to hear.

11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

The pain, the questions, the uncertainties, demand a response – and David does respond…

Davids three responses to his life’s challenges that restores his hope in life…

1. Takes hold of his soul and commands it And he says to himself…

Put your hope in God – in both verses 5 & 11 – He commands himself to do something – PUT

He responds with his conscience – the part of his life that is designed to work in tandem with God. The rational part of his being that has the strength to overcome his own will. The conscienceness that can draw on the strength of God and restore his hope.

6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon — from Mount Mizar.

The land of the Jordan – the promised land of his people, the Jordan that stretches the length of Israel.

Mt Hermon – the the highest mountain in the region whose snow feeds the Jordan river.

To Mizar – there is no known site known as Mizar, but the word means small mound

David is saying – from the highest and biggest challenges to the small ones you are still God, the one who provides, protects and sustains me. David remembers who he is and who God is and what the nature of his relationship with Him is – he brings his life, his circumstances into perspective.

He will not let himself be consumed by the spiraling darkness.

We are not in the habit of connecting with our own souls…

He takes control of his soul, and

2. Redirect the attention of his soul

…hope in…

Not only does David take control of his own soul, but he is able to control the direction of his attention.

1 Peter 1:13

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

This means we have the capacity to override our minds and wills and direct our souls –

We live in a day when we celebrate the free spirit of a person, the open mindedness – but then wonder why some end up with their lives running over the edge of healthy living.

2 Cor 10:5-6

5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

The psalmist knows he has the ability to control his soul and to direct his souls attention – to the place his soul finds rest and peace.

It is not that he is able to provide that peace for his soul but he can certainly take it to the one who does provide him with that peace.

3. Turn my attention to God – look to him ALONE to be God

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

David knows that it is only his relationship with God that will sustain him, keep him, secure him and bring him peace. There is no other person or place that can because no one nor nothing else has access to his conscience as God does. No one else can set his heart free and let it be at peace. No one else is worthy of his trust at that most intimate level of himself

David sets his heart about knowing God – his ways, his values, his truth

Ps 119:30-32 NIV

I have chosen the way of truth ;I have set my heart on your laws.

31 I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame.

32 I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

Isa 50:7 NIV

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.

Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

Would this describe you? Is your heart free because you have chosen the way of truth? Are you free from shame because your conscience has taken control of your life, set it’s direction like flint and look to the Sovereign Lord for his help? Can you praise God, acknowledging Him as your Savior and God of your soul? Even in the midst of pain, suffering, discouragement, uncertainties…?

When the angels said…

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Does that include you? Does it describe your life?

Do you need to take control of your soul and begin directing it? Instead of letting your feelings or circumstances or emotions, or others direct you and over-ride your soul?

Do you need to redirect your soul today – do you need to set it in a new direction? Do you need to set your hope fully in the grace of Christ and let it begin to influence you?

Do you need to set the attention of your soul upon God, let him renew and strengthen your conscience

Jesus is the Light of the World

The Bridge Church — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:13:00 -0800

In the light of Jesus we see who God is and who we, by his grace, can become.

This is the time of year we celebrate the Advent or coming of Jesus into the world.

Who is this Jesus we celebrate at Advent?

He says He is Light

Jn 8:12 , he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

He could make this claim – any time, anywhere to anyone but he chose to make this claim in the midst of a particular day, in a particular context – He was the master of seizing opportunities to reveal God and Himself and what He was about.

John makes sure to let us know Jesus makes this claim about him being light during the Jewish feast of Tabernacles. According to John 7:2

All of John 7, 8, 9 and ½ of 10 all take place during that religious holiday.

There are three major feasts

Passover - Pentecost - Tabernacles (the most joyful)

The Feast of Tabernacles is held in early October and celebrated for 8 days

During the 8 days the people live in little tents – The people would live, sleep and eat in these tents to remind them that their ancestors lived in tents after they left Egypt and wondered in the wilderness for 40 years.

It was also a way to recall that during those days, Yahweh, the living God lived in a tent alongside His people. God had directed Moses to build the first Tabernacle where He would live among His people in a tent.

This was a joyous feast with rich symbolism and ritual. It involves a water ceremony and a light ceremony and these ceremonies were celebrated with songs & prayers based on scripture.

The Water ceremony recalled God’s provision of water in the desert to sustain His people.

Ex 17:1-7 describes how as the Israelites wondered in the desert, the Lord had lead them to a place where there was no water. Now, we all know that without water, people die.

The Israelite people were angry & complaining to Moses that if God was really with them why would he take them someplace where they were abandoned and going to die. Moses goes to God and says “these people are about to stone me, what am I to do? And God says “go out in front of all the people with your staff, strike the rock and I will make water come out for the people to drink.” And so Moses named the place “Massah; the place where the people tested God”

During the Water ceremony, the priests would take water from the pool of Siloam and in a gold pitcher the High priest would pour it out in the Courtyard of the Temple while the people would shout:

"Save us, we pray, O LORD!
O LORD, we pray, let us thrive!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the house of the LORD."
Psalm 118:25-26

The water ceremony recalled the prophecy that while God poured out water for his people, one day he would pour out living water – he would pour out his Spirit on thirst and dry souls

It was in the context of that ceremony that John records

John 7:37-38

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." NIV

In the light Light ceremony – recalled God’s desire to guide His people.

It took place in the part of the temple known as the court of the Women. A large open expanse that was a busy, noisy place

On the first night of the feast 4 large candelabra’s were set up, they were so big you needed a tall ladder to reach them. On top of the four candelabra’s were 4 large golden bowls filled with oil. When the sun set and to the singing of all the people, the candelabras were lit, and to the Jewish tradition said “all Jerusalem was ablaze with the light.

This ceremony took place every night for 7 nights. The ceremony recalled God’s guidance of the ancient ancestors who wondered in the wilderness of the Siani Desert. God guided them in a very visible way, with a pillar of cloud during the daytime and a pillar of fire by night. Whenever the pillars moved the people were to pack up their goods and follow, if you didn’t follow, you were left in the darkness of the desert, alone.

God’s gracious guidance is celebrated throughout the feast by reading several different texts.

One text was sung

Ps 78:14-16

He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.

He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas;

Hhe brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.

In this we see a fundamental aspect of God’s character, God could guide their lives because God is light, he is capable of providing and protecting them

This theme is repeated in other Old Testament texts that were also sung during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Ps 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?

Ps 43:3 Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me;

Isa 2:5 Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Isa 60:19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

All these texts are read and or sung during the feast of Tabernacles

For 7 nights the people celebrated God as light, and then on the 8^th night, the candelabras are extinguished and the people return to their homes in the dark to wait until next year for the Feast of the Tabernacles that celebrated when God dwelt with His people and lit their way.

It is on the 8^th night Jesus is walking in the treasury in the court of the temple and the city is dark again – it is there that Jesus proclaims

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

His claim is brilliant in every sense of the word. Jesus waits until the candelabras are extinguished. He waits until darkness is surrounding the people to make his claim. His timing is perfect

It is as if he said… “You have seen the lights of the candelabras piercing the darkness for 7 nights illuminating Jerusalem; I am the light pierces the darkness every night and every day illuminating the world. If you follow me you will have light every night and every day. These candelabras were flickering for 7 days and then they go out, but I am the light that will never go out. As Wm Barkley “I am the light that never goes out”

An amazing claim. Light is so fundamental and significant for our lives and Jesus is claiming to be the light of cosmic significance. Literally He says “I am the light of the cosmas”; everything you know to be your world; follow me and you will not walk in darkness

Darkness: obscurity, alonenes, aimlessness, confusion, fear paralysis; grappling for direction and tripping over obstacles in their way

But Jesus says – you will have the light of life, the light that reveals the obstacles to the way of life. The light that reveals the path of life, the light that is life. But you will have to trust me that I am leading you day by day.

Literally it is “whoever keeps on following me.” Just as the ancestors had to keep their eyes on the pillars of smoke and fire to move whenever God moved Jesus is saying “to walk in the light of life you will have to keep your eyes on me.” As the ancestors would move whenever the pillar of light would move, so to we must move whenever Jesus moves, and stop when he stops. Follow me, stay close to me, stay on my heals, I am the light of the cosmos and if you stay close to me you will never walk in the dark again.

There are several Implications of Jesus being the light…

1. If we stay close to Jesus the light, we will never be in the darkness about God. His statement was quite controversial because the people thought they “knew God” better than he did, but Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." (Jn 8:19)

He later says “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

Jesus turns out to be the perfect revelation of the true God.

Paul told the Colossian believers that in Jesus …

Col 1:15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. (Message)

To the church in Corinth Paul said..

2 Cor 4:6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Jesus is God with a face

Jesus the light leads us out of the vagueness of “God talk” so we may know God as God really is. Not all at once, but as we walk with Him he reveals God to us. Step by step, day by day, year by year Jesus reveals the living God.

The word “God” has almost become meaningless in our language, because we are dependent on the users definition to know what they are saying.But, We can know the mystery of the divinity in the face of Jesus.

Want to know what is God like – look at Jesus, God is just like Jesus.

If we start the search for God with the word God we do not actually start with God but with our ideas of God which are not God. All human ideas of God are less than the reality of who God is. Some is merely inadequate and others are misleading.

But if we start our search for God with Jesus – we begin to know God based on who God says God is. We are getting to know God based on his personal expression of himself. God is just like Jesus. Just as compassionate as Jesus, just as available, and accessable, just as merciful and kind as Jesus and just as uncontrollable as Jesus.

He is the Father of Jesus. Stay close to the Jesus the light and we do not walk in the darkness about God.

We never walk in the darkness about Humanity – who we are

Jesus is the perfect revelation about who God is and also the perfect revelation of who we are – or who we were meant to be.

Jesus is the one untarnished, untwisted, totally holy, adequate human being.

Why can we say this?

When you watch this one true human live the human life you see a man who lives beyond himself – you see a man who lives by faith.

He trusts his father, he loves his father, he delights in his father, he lives to please his father, so much so that he can say “my food is to do the will of my father.”

Jesus loves others. Sacrificially. He spends his life loving others with all of who he is. He expresses his humanity by giving himself away in servant love. Jesus is what we were created and are being redeemed to be. We are to be people who believe and people who love. Jesus is what it means to be human – believing and loving

Just as we don’t start the search for God with the word God, so we also do not start the search to understand humanity with the word humanity – we do not begin with ourselves to understand ourselves, we start with Jesus – He is the complete package of who we are made to be.

It is in the light of Jesus we are never in the dark about divinity or Humanity In the light of Jesus we see who God is and who we, by his grace, can become.

3. If we stay close, we begin to see the darkness of our human predicament.

The Light of the cosmos reveals the real truth of our hearts and the human condition.

This explains why we both run to Jesus and run from Jesus.

We run to Jesus because we see in him everything we long to experience and to be. We find we are at home with him, we are accepted and loved and we like it.

We run from Jesus because in his light we discover how painfully short we fall from who we were made to be. In His light we fall short from believing and loving and we feel ashamed. This is not his purpose – to shame us – it is just that in his light we are totally exposed –all our failings are exposed. In his presence we want to flee, but we can’t flee for long because he is unavoidable and also because we crave what we see in him.

We are a unique creation, we are capable of great nobility and at the same time we are just as capable of great harm and evil.

In the light of Jesus we realize our problem is not greed, although greed is a symptom of the problem.

Our problem is not racism, though a symptom. It is not Sexism, or Consumerism or Materialism, though they are symptoms.

Our problem is not Disease, though it is a symptom. It is not Addiction / abuse

Our problem is much deeper and much more sinister.

Jesus describes the human condition in a way no one else has. Jesus shows us that we are caught in a complex web that we cannot free ourselves from.

That is the combination of the forces of sin, evil and death. Jesus addresses each of these at different points in the feast of the Tabernacles.

The problem according to the Light of the world is we are held in bondage to sin, held in hostage to the powers of evil and we live in the grip of death.

A death that goes beyond physically dying.

What makes it so bad is this bondage blinds us so we do not know our true condition until Jesus makes his light to shine on our lives. Because He loves us He exposes the terrible truth.

If you knew that Jesus truly loved you would you be willing to let him show you where you are wrong?

During the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus says

John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

He tells us that we cannot really do anything about our problem, that we are powerless.

That we stand in need of a redeemer, someone who is stronger than sin and evil and death that we stand in need of him

It is at the advent of Jesus’ birth, that we hear the Angles tell Joseph, Mary’s husband…

Matt 1:21 “…you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Luke 2:11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

4. Stay close to the Light of the World and He will lead us to and in the ways of God. – God’s Kingdom

He leads us out of the darkness and into the light of Gods purposes. He opens up God’s great plan to us and then leads us on the path of experiencing God’s way.

As God led the Israelites across the desert one day at a time, and one step at a time, so Jesus leads us one step at a time, one day at a time.

He does not lay out the grand ‘blue-print’ for our lives.

He tells us where it is all going to end, conformed to His image in a transformed creation

But no detail map of how to get there.

Little did I know the steps my life would take that would lead me from Kansas to Vancouver.He does not give us a masterplan for our lives, He gives us himself, as bread, water, light

Step by step we go

One thing about this is, Following Jesus will require us to change. We cannot follow him down the road unless there is change, and all change is experienced as loss.

When we experience loss, the great temptation is to go back to the past. Like the Israelites did in the desert. The uncertainty and difficulty they were experiencing made them want to go back to what they knew, where it was comfortable.

They wanted Moses to take them back to the ‘good ol days’ of Egypt, but God in his mercy would not take them back, he had new plans for them and he was going to guide them into their new days.

Jesus the light knows Who you and I can be and how we are to experience life.

5. If we stay close to him, we will experience more and more inner cleansing and inner healing, He is going to give us the light of life

As the light, he is going to move into the dark, inner places of our hearts, into our thought life, our emotional fantasies, and he is going to come up against any and all darkness and he is going to burn it away.

Like radiation therapy, the intensity of the light will burn away the cancer cells deep with in the body.

And there will emerge within us a inner radiance –

The sun shines on plants causing them to grow and mature, the Son of God shines on us causing us to mature and to grow into the perfect humanity of Jesus.

Our bodies may decay, but not our souls, there will be this ever increasing inner radiance.

So our lives become…

“blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life” Phil 2:15-16

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Our response:

Where do you need the light of Jesus to shine in your life.
Where do you need to see God? Let Jesus, the light of the cosmos reveal him to you
Maybe you life is a mess – Let Jesus show you who and what you are to be.
I invite you to invite Jesus the light into those dark places. Experience the freedom that comes to bring you cleansing and healing today.

Living as Children of Light

The Bridge Church — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 09:38:00 -0800

Jesus has made us to be light in our world so we can offer light to the world.

This Advent, we are celebrating a ‘Season of Light’

As we know, living in Vancouver, Christmas comes in a season of darkness. It is beginning to get dark by mid afternoon and by 5pm it is really dark out. We need light and become very aware of light and darkness

Gen 1:3-4 “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

We are called to “Imitate God”… and if God is Light, what does that look like for us?

God is light The very essence of God is described as light. His nature and character is light

1 John 1:5 …God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

There is energy in light – there is no energy in darkness only the absence of light

Light expresses God’s majesty, glory and perfect holiness

1 Tim 6:16 …alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever.

Not only does light permeate everything around it, it also radiates out to us and becomes a light for our lives

Ps 43:3

3 Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me;

let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

The opposite of that glory and holiness and wisdom of God is darkness, and the world estranged from God dwells in such darkness. Those who have found life ‘in Christ’ are essentially people who have been transferred from the realm of darkness to the realm of light.

Light and dark are common metaphors to help us understand God, ourselves and the world around us.

Acts 26:18 …to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Romans 13:12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on th

armor of light.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Throughout the teachings of the Apostles and the early church, this imagery of light and darkness played an important part to help the young churches realize the distinctiveness of their lives and salvation.

I was visiting with someone recently who said, “my life has changed so much over the last year, since I started coming to The Bridge”

And I said “that is exactly what God does, He changes us”

God does change us because previously, in our natural, worldly lifestyles, we were nowhere near who God had made us to be.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

There is something significant here we should notice. Paul does not simply say ‘You were in darkness before’; But rather he says ‘you were darkness’ … Their lives, and not just their environment, were dark.

But now he says ‘ you are light in the Lord’ in effect it is saying ‘if you are in the Lord you are in the light and the light is in you’ you become part of the light. They had received the light and become luminous themselves

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. NIV

Now the Apostles command is this ‘BE WHO / WHAT YOU ARE’ ‘you have become light. You are Children of light, those whose very nature is light.

As Christians, we are no longer products of our environment. It is not sufficient to say, “well, I was born this way” – as Lady Gaga sings.

Nor is it sufficient to say “well, my childhood was like this, my father did this, my mother didn’t do this” We cant say, “Well this is all I have ever known” or “you have to understand, this bad thing happened to me”

The truth is WE ARE NOT PRODUCTS OF OUR ENVIRONMENT BUT OUR LIVES ARE A RESULT OF A RELATIONSHIP

Just like you can’t determine whether you are male or female, this is who you are. You are male or female because of your biological father, and you will spend the rest of your life realizing that.

You once were darkness, but now you are light – this is our condition, status, reality. Not our environment… and God says to his children, “Live as children of the light”, “LIVE IT”

God’s children are to pursue their daily lives in accordance with this new nature, given to them by Christ himself. They are to live this out as they walk through their days with a light that illuminates the pathway of God’s will, and with light in their hearts.

We are different from the rest of our world

As different as Light is from Dark

This is how Paul describes the dark…

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

Also…18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

We are made this way because of Christ. Christ came into the world to redeem us from darkness and to bring us into the kingdom of light (Col 1:12)

When Jesus died on the cross, he judged, condemned and paid for the deeds of our worldly, darkened life. When Jesus came back to life in his resurrection, He places the light of God the Father in our souls.

We are called to be different - Not made to ‘fit in’ but to ‘stand out’

Two dangers that Christians can deal with and they will keep you from being spiritually happy and effective for God’s kingdom. I know both of these personally, because I have tried to do them myself and I can tell you this is an empty place for a Christian to live. It is a game play that will keep you from maturing in your faith, and when you lose in this game, and you will, it can be emotionally disastrous.

One danger is where Christians get into trouble when they try to be marginally rebellious. This is where we don’t want to appear different, where they try to keep one foot in the darkness and one foot in the light. We justify our own sin and marginalize our faith

The other is where we are secretly rebellious. We hide our sin and pretend it isn’t really there. We don’t want our sin to be exposed so we hide our rebellion to appear to be holy.

We really don’t trust that we are different, that God is good, and will provide everything we need. This is the same struggle Adam & Eve dealt with when they tried to hide from God instead of living as the Children of God.

When we allow these two dangers to exist in our lives, we never put sin to death and we struggle to live as the children of light.

To be different demands we trust that God is who He says He is and that His light is good, desirable and stronger than the darkness.

As God’s children of Light, We live on Mission

15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

We have something to offer – It is good and it is worthwhile.

A restored relationship with God, established by forgiveness through Jesus’ death, that produces a new life in us.

This is where God’s light is shining through our lives and drawing people to Himself.

Paul was writing this letter and giving this challenge not to a bunch of individuals but a community of believers, a church.

Pledge Sunday –

We as The Bridge congregation, commit ourselves to one another, to be Children of Light, to be the people God is establishing in this community

Like light, we are children of light who

Connect – we draw people to Jesus so they may be changed, as we are changed

Grow – we are growing and are helping each other grow to know God, to love him, to look and act like Him, to imitate Him and to live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Send – We make the most of every opportunity to share this message as we go, wherever we go. Whether down the street to our homes and jobs, or around the world as some of us go to the new places God takes us.

But we are The Bridge, and we pledge our time, talents, and tithes and offerings to God and one another

The challenge this morning is to live as the Children of Light. Jesus has made us to be light in our world, so we can offer His light to the world

The invitation this morning is to pledge yourself to God and one another to generously offer your talents, your time and your tithes & offerings to God to help The Bridge be that light in our community.

A Lifestyle of Generosity

The Bridge Church — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:19:00 -0800

God blesses generosity because He is a generous God. When God’s people are generous they look more like God.

"I have observed 100,000 families over my years of investment counseling. I always saw greater prosperity and happiness among those families who tithed than among those who didn't." Sir John Templeton, chairman of Templeton Funds

Universal law of Generosity that God has put into motion –

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously”

Paul uses agricultural terms because this becomes very simple to understand. If you don’t put a seed in the ground, then nothing will come up (except maybe weeds).

Our choices and actions matter – they have real consequences.

This law of generosity works its self out in many different ways…

Jesus said…

Luke 16:10-12

10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

Gal 6:7-10

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Prov 11:25

25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Prov 22:8-9

8 He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

God looks at the heart, not the hand--the giver, not the gift. Generosity begins in our hearts not our pockets.

This universal law of generosity deals with the conditions of our hearts – if you sow love you will reap love, if you sow material stuff your heart will feed greed

2. Generosity is an attitude of our hearts –

7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

a. Because we are talking about an attitude, then it is Something you can change or develop

“I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.” — John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (1839-1937), American industrialist and philanthropist

b. Cheerful giving is what God blesses - cheerfulness is a heart condition – it is in your heart or it is not – you can cover up but your heart will be true

Some people say, “Give till it hurts.” But God recommends that we give until it feels good. God loves a cheerful giver!

God reminds us of what he will do by giving us a Promise –8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. all things, all times, all needs

A single mom’s grocery money

Nancy was a single mother with young children. Her ex-husband sent her only a small amount of grocery money every week--so small it couldn’t even feed 1 person, much less her family of 4. But Nancy decided to begin giving to God from her little bit of grocery money and trust Him to provide. Shortly after, she got a job with a cookbook company. The company paid Nancy to go grocery shopping and prepare meals so they could take photographs for their cookbooks. When they were done taking pictures, Nancy could keep the food she had purchased and prepared. Isn’t that an amazing story of God’s goodness? Nancy learned that even if you’re poor, you still need to learn to give from whatever you have.

Righteousness is the Fruit of a generous heart –– a life that draws attention to God’s goodness

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

4. The opportunity to be generous is a gift itself

“Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.” — John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960), American industrialist and philanthropist

11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

God gives you everything you need to be generous - because He knows it leads to lives of righteousness

5. Generous hearts overflow in thankfulness to God
1. “…your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God”
2. men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else

We have opportunities for generosity

True Generosity costs

an ancient story about a woman who finds a valuable stone in a river. She places the stone in a bag. Later a traveler comes to the woman and asks for something to eat. While she is reaching in the bag for a crust of bread, the traveler sees the valuable stone. He asks her to give him the stone. She readily does so and throws in some bread, as well.

The man thinks he has it made; but several days later he searches for the woman, finds her and returns the stone. He tells her that he is returning the stone in hopes of getting something even more valuable from her. The woman asks what that would be. The traveler says, "Please give me what you have that enabled you to give me that stone."

We have the opportunity to be generous

encourage Origin as they seek to bless 200 UBC Students.

List of items

Pledge Sunday – next week – opportunity to respond to God by pledging your time, talents and tithes / offerings to God through The Bridge over the coming year.