Scott J Kruse's Blog

Deeper Rock - Show me Your Blood

noreply@blogger.com (Scott J Kruse) — Tue, 8 Apr 2014 07:09:00 -0500

Deeper Rock - Show me Your Blood

Hebrews 12:4–6 (NLT) — 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

In verse 4, the word used for “struggle” occurs only here in the Greek. It is a term that suggests combative competition and bloodshed. Of course, the only one who has prevailed against sin with his blood is Jesus. The writer of Hebrews is reminding his readers of their dependence on God.

We are reminded not to make light of God's discipline. It is so typical to see people hurting under the weight of their sins, without realizing that it is discipline. They make light of it, thinking that they don't have to change.

Other times, people want to give up, believing that God does not love them. It brings to mind a child who thinks his parent doesn't love him because he is being disciplined. In the kid's imagination, his parent likes to punish him. I remember telling my junior high students that they were a real pain in the butt to discipline. I asked them, "Do you really think you're nice to have around when you're grounded? Your grumpy days moping around the house, slamming doors, and pouting are not fun for me either!"

I have seen parents who did not love their children enough to discipline them. Growing up, one of my best friends had parents who did not discipline him. At age 12, he became drunk without any consequences. At the time, I thought that was pretty cool that he had a lot of freedom. Now I know that it is very sad that nobody cared about him enough to discipline him.

God disciplines those he loves. I have often found myself praying with a parent who has an adult child, and my prayer goes something like this: "Lord, I pray that you would put a hedge of thorns around Billy. I pray that his sin would hurt him, but not destroy him. I ask that you would make him uncomfortable enough to look for help."

I have seen God answer those prayers. I think it's a great way to pray. It's when God is really reaching for us and drawing us to himself that he makes sin really uncomfortable.

Please come visit us at The Rock, so that we can help you be all that God created you to be.

Pastor Scott J Kruse

Deeper Rock: Rich & Satisfying Life John 10:10

noreply@blogger.com (Scott J Kruse) — Tue, 8 Apr 2014 07:08:00 -0500

Deeper Rock: Rich & Satisfying Life John 10:10

John 10:10 (NLT) —“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

I know a couple of things about you. I know that the call of God is on your life. I know that there is a you-shaped hole in our world. There are blessings that God intends people to have that only you can give.

I know that there is a thief and a liar who also has a plan for your life. His plan is simply to kill you and destroy your soul in hell.

In this verse, we see the contrast between Satan's plan for your life and God's plan for your life. The thief's purpose for you is to steal every good thing that God ever intended for you. He wants to kill your joy and take away all the flavor from your life. He wants to leave you always searching and never finding peace.

In contrast, we see what Jesus wants for you. He wants to see you spiritually rich and satisfied. He wants you to know the richness that is laughter and joy. He wants you to know a life full of his love. The life that Jesus intends for you is full of grace and peace and joy and and passion.

As if that's not enough, Jesus promises a satisfying life. He can say that with boldness, because he knows that becoming what you were created to be is the only way you will ever find satisfaction. In the words of the Rolling Stones, "I can't get no satisfaction, but I try." God created you specifically and uniquely for his purpose. Satisfaction comes by knowing you are living out that purpose.

It doesn't come from being better than somebody else. It doesn't come from attaining some goal. Satisfaction comes from being who you were created to be. God does not need my talent. He does not need my creative ideas or ambitious plans. All he wants from me is my devotion and obedience.

That's how I can rest and be satisfied. I can close my eyes with a smile on my face, knowing I did the best I could to serve him. In that, I am satisfied.

I hope that, soon, you'll be able to visit us at the Rock and become all that you were created to be.

May the Lord richly bless you, and I hope to see you in church on Sunday.

Pastor Scott J Kruse

Rock Talk Write Up: “I am the Good Shepherd.”

noreply@blogger.com (Scott J Kruse) — Tue, 8 Apr 2014 07:07:00 -0500

Rock Talk Write Up: “I am the Good Shepherd.”

Jesus makes some powerful "I am" statements in the Bible. One of them is found in John chapter 10, verse 11. It reads, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

The fact that Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd,” suggests that there are bad shepherds out there. There are those trying to lead the sheep in the wrong direction.

John chapter 10, verse one states, "I tell you the truth. Anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!”

Jesus is talking about Satan, the enemy of your soul. I can tell you today that Satan has a plan for your life. It's a simple plan, and he's passionate about accomplishing it.

John chapter 10, verse 10 tell us, "The thief's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich satisfying life.”

Satan doesn't have a problem with you personally. It's really not your fault that he hates you so much. The reason that Satan hates you is because God loves you. Satan hates God. The problem that Satan faces is that he can't hurt God, no matter what he does. It's like a map trying to inflict pain on a mountain. The only way Satan can hurt God is to hurt the things that he loves. God loves you more deeply and intimately than you ever could imagine. So, Satan's tactic is this:To steal from you, kill you, and utterly destroy you.

Sheep are mentioned around 200 times in the Bible, much more than any other animal. Dogs are mentioned about 44 times. Cats, on the other hand, are not mentioned once in the Bible (unless you count lions). Furthermore, we know that the Bible says that Satan is like a roaring lion. So, the only reference to cats in the Bible is to say that they are Satan. Just saying.

In the Scriptures - and particularly in the New Testament - we are compared to sheep. It would be appropriate for you to feel offended. After all, sheep are stupid.

Have you ever gone to the circus to seed trained sheep perform? Have you ever seen a sheep trained to play dead?

There are challenges with being a sheep. And, unfortunately, the Bible says that we are sheep.

1. Sheep get lost easily.

I know something about getting lost easily. I can be driving down the road, looking at the sky, and find myself in a different state. The problem is that we have two interstates that run through our city. One goes north and south, while the other goes east and west. So, it's very easy to get on the wrong one. I once tried to drive to Castleton and found myself in South Dakota. I didn't realize it until I saw a big sign that said, "Welcome to South Dakota!" People, like sheep, get distracted. Just when we get our priorities right, a butterfly comes by, and we are wandering off the path.

2. Sheep are defenseless.

On their own, sheep are weak. They are vulnerable to wolves and bears and anything else that needs lunch. Around my wife's hometown in Norway, there is a nonprofit organization that will pay for your sheep after a wolf eats it. The frustrating thing is that the wolves don't even eat the whole sheep. The eat out the guts and leave the rest. Without a shepherd, sheep don't have a chance against the wolves.

3. Sheep are very stubborn.

Do you know any stubborn sheep? It's been said that if two sheep try to walk through a narrow doorway at the same time and get stuck, they will make all kinds of noise, but neither will back up. Sheep, apparently, don't have a reverse gear.

4. Sheep are filthy.

Sheep flocks are not like the white fluffy ones you see on TV. They get dirty. They will not clean themselves. Just like sheep can't clean themselves, we can't clean ourselves. We need the forgiveness of our Shepherd Jesus Christ.

What does the Good Shepherd do?

A. He guides.

Psalm chapter 23, verse three, says, "He guides me along the right paths, for his name's sake.”

John chapter 10, verses three through four, says, "The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice."

Do you know the Shepherd's voice? If you are in a crowded room full of 50 women, and you hear your wife laugh, you know exactly who was laughing. It's because you know her voice. Of all the voices in the room, you know her's the best. If you don't know what the voice of God sounds like, it is because you have not spent time with him. When Jesus is your shepherd, you learn to hear and know his voice.

Your God is a relational God, and he wants you to know his voice. He longs for you to know his voice.

If thinking about your spouse's voice in a crowd doesn't make sense to you, then think of this instead: Pretend you have brought your dog to a friend's house, and your dog is playing with all of your friend's dogs. Even when you hear all of the dogs barking at once, I know you know which one is yours!

B. He provides.

Psalm chapter 23, verses one through three, state, "The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul.”

I find it interesting that this verse says that he makes us to lie down in green pastures. Sheep won't lie down if they are hungry or afraid. Our shepherd leads us beside still waters. Sheep won't drink from water that is moving. Think about it: They might slip in, and then all that will be seen is a cotton ball bouncing down the river. Do you know what wool is like when it's wet? It is heavy!

If you are not feeling refreshed today, I have good news for you. The plan God has for you is one you get to live feeling fed, feeling safe, and feeling rested. If you don't feel fed, safe, or rested, you are missing out on some blessing God has for you.

C. He corrects.

Wandering sheep don't like this.

Job chapter 5, verse 17 through 18, says, "Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal."

It has been said that lambs like to runaway. There are many dangers in the forest for lambs who run away. A shepherd who really cares about his lamb will take that Lamb in his hands and break his leg. He then puts a splint on the leg and puts the Lamb on his shoulders. The shepherd carries the lamb until his leg is healed.

I have never heard somebody say, "Praise God! I'm being disciplined!" However, we know that the Scriptures say that God disciplines those he loves. Just like a shepherd, it is out of love that he sometimes applies pressure. Have you ever taken a child to get his or her one-year vaccinations? I remember when it was that time for Elizabeth. Inger Lise made sure that I was the one that Elizabeth was looking at! We were laughing and smiling at each other, and then the needle went in. The look on her face was terror and a feeling of betrayal. She could not understand that it was because I loved her that I was forcing this momentary pain on her. The most loving thing that God can do for us is to allow sin to hurt. It hurts because of the consequences that naturally follow our sinful choices.

Hebrews chapter 12, verse 11, says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

D. He protects.

Psalms 23:4-6 tells, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

This verse does not tell us that we will never feel pain. Rather, it assures us that we will never be alone.

Luke 15:4-6 says, "Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home."

Our Shepherd's heart is most concerned about the sheep that has wandered away. Perhaps you have things in your life that keep you up at night. I can tell you what keeps Jesus up at night. He longs for you! When you have drifted away from him, you are at the front of his mind.

Have you ever lost a child in a place that was very crowded? Take a moment and picture yourself with your child. Pretend you're at the state fair in Minnesota, where there are 50,000 people. You turn for a moment to look at something, and when you turn back, your child is gone. You begin to look around, and as the minutes tick by, you get more and more frantic. Fear grips your heart that your child might have been kidnapped, or that somebody might be hurting him. You can see in your mind's eye the fear they are experiencing because they are lost. The emotion that your Jesus feels for you when you wandered away is far more intense than that!

Today, if you find that you are a sheep that has gone astray, you are the one that Jesus is thinking about right now. Sure, he loves those who are following him, but he's more concerned about you! All of his energy and attention is focused on being reunited with you!

Jesus went to the cross on Easter for one reason: that you would know his voice, that he could have a relationship with you that is so beautiful, so intimate, that he can whisper, and you would hear him. He's here for you today, if you will have him.

This Sunday, I want to invite you to The Rock, so that we can help each other be everything we were created to be. May the Lord richly bless you, and I hope to see you in church on Sunday.

Pastor Scott J Kruse

Deeper Rock - Jesus Slaps You In The Forehead John 14:15

noreply@blogger.com (Scott J Kruse) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:17:00 -0500

Deeper Rock - Jesus slaps you in the forehead John 14:15

John 14:15 (NLT) — 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.

This has to be the most abrupt verse in the Bible. Only seven words long it smacks you in the four head with it an inescapable truth. With no preamble or wiggle room Jesus says "if you love me you will obey my commandments." Yet there are so many that call themselves Christians and do not obey Jesus. It must be very frustrating for our Lord. In my imagination I see Jesus singing an old Knight Ranger song. "Don't tell me you love me, don't tell me you love me, don't tell me you love me, I don't want to know." We can lie to ourselves and tell ourselves that we love Jesus even if we’re not doing what he says. But he's not buying it.

Love is a verb and requires some action. If I said I love my wife and constantly ignored her that would not be love. What you do is more important than what you say.

Good news! It is a lot easier than it sounds. Because when you love of Jesus it is easy to obey him. I can hear you saying “that it's not easy and the pastor Scott has been smoking dope.” I can assure you, that I have not been smoking dope. When I love him, I spend time with him. He is my best friend and greatest ally. As I spend time with him I get to know him. And the more I get to know him the more I trust him. So when I look at one of his commands I don’t see it as a way to have less fun. I don't see his commands as a punishment. Rather, I see in his commands the path to true freedom. In keeping his commandments I become the man that he created me to be. Because I love him there is nothing I desire more than to make him proud. Obeying my Jesus is easy because I love him, know him, and trust him.

Sometimes I fail in obeying him but I can honestly say that my heart longs to obey him more and more every day. The more I know him the easier it is and life is more fun like this. His life is adventurous. It is a struggle yes, but it's worth it.

Some Sunday would you visit us at the Rock? I want to see you become all that God created you to be. May the Lord richly bless you and I hope to see you in church on Sunday.

Pastor Scott J Kruse

Deeper Rock Luke 6:43-45 Praying With A flying F-bomb

noreply@blogger.com (Scott J Kruse) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:11:00 -0500

Deeper Rock Luke 6:43-45 Praying With A flying F-bomb

Luke 6:43–45 (NLT) — 43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

Here we see the good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and actually cannot produce good fruit. You know the tree by its fruit. Likewise, you are known by what you do. How many times do people see themselves one way, good, kind, but because of what they do others don't see them that way. It's not what you want to do that determines whether you're a good or bad tree. It is what you do.

What you do is the real you. You can tell me to managing your finances is important to you, but find that boat with an 8% loan tells a different story. You can tell your family comes first, but the fact that you haven't missed made one game this year tells a different story. You can tell me that church is important to you, but then why is your lazy can in bed three out of four Sundays? You can tell me that your spiritual life is important to you, but then why haven't you talk to God for years? You can tell me that being why this is important to you, but then why haven't you ever read your Bible.

If you thought that was harsh this is even more so. Jesus tells us "what you say flows from what is in your heart." Has your mouth ever surprised you? I sometimes use the expression that my mouth moves faster than my brain. But the reality is actually found in this verse. It's what's in my heart that splashes out when I get bumped.

I was 16, and most likely dumber than a lot of 16-year-olds in a lot of ways. I had just got my driver’s license, and was driving my mom’s 1972 Cutlass supreme. It had a 350 4 barrel on it and I discovered that if you floored at sitting at a stoplight you could spin the tires for about 10 seconds and not even move. Well, I was trying to merge I 94 and I had to hurry up to get into traffic. But that's okay I have a car with a lot of power, bless God. So merging into traffic I floored it. That big engine roared, and the back tires swung back and forth, creating what I learned later to be called a fishtail. With the backend of my car swinging from side to side, I had set up circumstances that would earn me a place on the 10 o'clock news. The news crews were there for the police officers. There were five cars and one semi involved in that wreck. I know it still hurts my mom's heart think about it.

I tell that story to illustrate an important point. At 16 years old I loved Jesus with all my heart. I was stupid but I loved Jesus. And I don't think anybody has ever sworn and cussed so much in a prayer before. See, when life bumped into me, what was in my heart came out. Now I'm glad I prayed because that shows that there was some God in my heart. But I admit that the flying F-bomb that was being screamed in the cab of that car was contrary to the witness I was trying to portray.

People don't know you by who you want to be. They know you by what you do. If what you do represents who you really are I have a question for you. Does what you do project the values you want to have. If they don't, I have good news for you. Jesus always knew you were going to come up short of your own expectations. And furthermore, he knew that you were going to come up short of his expectations. He made away you could be friends with him. Perhaps you're like me and is like got inside of you and you need God's help to be different. It's really very exciting, because when he makes you different you act different. When he makes you a new creation, that is almost unrecognizable from what was there before you and your family will be the last.

Thank you for reading my little article. I want to invite you to rock church where you can be all your created. May the Lord richly bless you and I hope to see you in church on Sunday.

Pastor Scott J Kruse