A recent survey by by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life revealed both ridiculous and disappointing facts about American faith.
In one of the most absurd stats, one in five atheists surveyed declared that they believe in God. Hmm. Seems like the atheists might want to rethink their entrance requirements. On the other hand, 57% of evangelical Christians hold that many religions can lead to eternal life. What!? It's further proof that we need to have a much better understanding of the foundations of our faith. Or should I say THE Foundation of our faith: Jesus Christ.
That's exactly the reason we're starting our new series "Glorious" at Freedom River. We're going to look at the attributes of God and what impact they have on our daily lives. We begin with His faithfulness.
Over the past couple of decades, a destructive cancer has infected our society. It goes something like this: Your faith is as strong as the strength of your belief. In other words, if you believe strong enough in something, it WILL come to pass. What a huge pile of garbage!! Yet millions of people have fallen for the lie. The real truth...
Your faith is only as strong as what you believe in.
An examination of the Old Testament book of Lamentations reveals a lot about God's breath-taking faithfulness. The prophet Jeremiah is utterly humbled and broken over the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Thounsands of people slaughtered. Hundreds of thousands taken prisoner. Thousands more die on a death march through the desert. Jeremiah was on the brink of giving up. Until...
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!" (Lamentations 3:21-24 NLT)
When you read Lamentations, you have a front-row seat for a Texas Death Match between Jeremiah's growing unbelief and faultering faith. And just as faith is about to tap out, something amazing happens. Faith wins! His faith pulls off this incredible "come-from-behind-only-Vince-McMahon-could-write-something-so-ridiculous" victory. His faith wins because of his tag team partner. God's faithfulness. It was Jeremiah's faith in God's great faithfulness that's the difference. Remember...
Your faith is only as strong as what you believe in.
There are many examples of the faithfulness of Jesus in the Bible, but let's look at 8 "Faith Factors."
1-Jesus is faithful to NEVER CHANGE (James 1:17).
2-Jesus is faithful to FORGIVE (1st John 1:9).
3-Jesus is faithful to SAVE (John 6:39).
4-Jesus is faithful to TRUST (Titus 1:2).
5-Jesus is faithful to DEFEND (Psalm 46:1).
6-Jesus is faithful to FINISH (Philippians 1:6).
7-Jesus is faithful to BE THERE (Matthew 28:20).
8-Jesus is faithful to RETURN (Mark 13:26).
As we go through many changes at Freedom River, we need to remember that Jesus alone is faithful. No matter what else happens, He will never leave us.
We must trust in Christ. Jesus is the Rock. He will never change.
Your faith is only as strong as what you believe in. Put your faith in Jesus. He is the Rock.
In Christ,
Jay
From a sermon at Freedom River CC on June 29, 2008.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Eat This Book
Eat it. Just eat it.
These are words of "Weird Al" Yankovic in his wacky take off of "Beat It." Now, author Eugene Peterson is saying the same thing, but with much less parody, and much more power.
Peterson has written "Eat This Book," that he describes as "a conversation in the art of spiritual reading." Some of you know him as the author of the Bible paraphrase "The Message," one of the more controversial and powerful versions of Scripture you'll ever sink your teeth into.
In his latest book, Peterson discusses our approach to reading the Bible. The title comes from the various instances in Scripture when God serves His Word on a silver platter to a prophet and tells him to chow down. Jeremiah, Ezekiel and John all dined on heavenly scroll.
The idea? The Bible is so much more than a piece of literature, a self-help book or chronicle of history. It's God's revelation of Himself to us. His Word should and must change us. The only way that will happen is from the inside out. For that to happen, we consume His Word, cutting into to bit-sized pieces, chewing it thoroughly and swallowing it.
Once in our system, it changes us internally. Only then will we humbly obey the Word planted in our hearts (James 1:21). Only then does it change us completely, thoroughly, absolutely.
"Eat This Book" is only 176 pages (minus the appendix), but this is anything but a light snack. I nibbled and feasted on this wonderful meal for three weeks. Peterson's observations and conclusions are thick and rich. Often, I would consume a few paragraphs and push back from the table to chew on what he had put on my plate. But it was worth every bite.
And if you are a fan of his translation "The Message," you'll be fascinated as he tells the story of how God moved in his life to create this paraphrase.
I highly recommend Eugene Peterson's "Eat This Book." It's a wonderful appetizer that encourages us to read the Bible with a clean palate. Only then will we "taste and see that the Lord is good." You'll clean your plate and ask for seconds!
In Christ,
Jay
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
New Beginnings
There's a small plaque on my desk that my daughter Amy gave to me several years ago. It's a picture of a waterfall plunging off a cliff into a deep blue pool. Below the beauty of the image are the words...
New Beginnings: "In life what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning."
I had been through a tough time at work and she was encouraging her dad as only a daughter can.
Years later, I look at that same picture and it makes me smile. And now it carries special significance as we head out into uncharted territory at Freedom River Community Church.
Sunday was Scott Barfoot's last service with us as Senior Pastor. But it's also a new beginning for him. He's heading on to his new position at Dallas Theological Seminary. Scott was not only my pastor, but he's one of my closest friends. I'll miss seeing him on a regular basis and simply hanging out.
It's a new beginning for me as well. I'm both excited and humbled to serve as FRCC's Interim Pastor. Through service at Freedom River and my ongoing seminary classes, God has been preparing me "for such a time as this." And I'm very grateful that Pastor Scott gave me the opportunity to preach on a regular basis in recent months.
While there are several changes at FRCC, we can be absolutely certain that we will stay the course.
We will stay the course in preaching God's Word.
We will stay the course as a river of God's grace.
We will stay the course as a place people can come just as they are.
We will stay the course as a place that loves Jesus.
We will stay the course.
Beyond that, what's ahead? Well, I'm not sure. I have no doubt that some folks are discouraged. But let remind you that Jesus has this way turning the most desperate situation into something mind-blowing. Check out what God said to the prophet Isaiah...
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 49:13 NLT)
I've got a funny feeling God is "about to do something new" at Freedom River.
As the plaque says...
"New Beginnings: In life what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning."
In Christ,
Jay
New Beginnings: "In life what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning."
I had been through a tough time at work and she was encouraging her dad as only a daughter can.
Years later, I look at that same picture and it makes me smile. And now it carries special significance as we head out into uncharted territory at Freedom River Community Church.
Sunday was Scott Barfoot's last service with us as Senior Pastor. But it's also a new beginning for him. He's heading on to his new position at Dallas Theological Seminary. Scott was not only my pastor, but he's one of my closest friends. I'll miss seeing him on a regular basis and simply hanging out.
It's a new beginning for me as well. I'm both excited and humbled to serve as FRCC's Interim Pastor. Through service at Freedom River and my ongoing seminary classes, God has been preparing me "for such a time as this." And I'm very grateful that Pastor Scott gave me the opportunity to preach on a regular basis in recent months.
While there are several changes at FRCC, we can be absolutely certain that we will stay the course.
We will stay the course in preaching God's Word.
We will stay the course as a river of God's grace.
We will stay the course as a place people can come just as they are.
We will stay the course as a place that loves Jesus.
We will stay the course.
Beyond that, what's ahead? Well, I'm not sure. I have no doubt that some folks are discouraged. But let remind you that Jesus has this way turning the most desperate situation into something mind-blowing. Check out what God said to the prophet Isaiah...
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 49:13 NLT)
I've got a funny feeling God is "about to do something new" at Freedom River.
As the plaque says...
"New Beginnings: In life what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning."
In Christ,
Jay
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Will & Grace
Will and Grace.
No, not the "must see TV" sitcom. Not Will, Grace, Jack and Karen. But the Bible with Will, Grace, Paul and the Thessalonians. Thessalonians 5:12-28 to be exact.
We all want to know God's will for our life. But what we really need is God's grace. Yup, you got it: Will and Grace. In the closing verses of 1st Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul wraps up his letter by tying together God's wonderful will and His amazing grace.
In three quick, machine gun verses, Paul pulls the trigger on three rapid fire commands. We're to rejoice, to pray and give thanks. RPG. A US soldier may have rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), but the soldier of the Lord has a full clip of RPGs as well.
-Rejoice
-Pray
-Give Thanks
Interestingly, we're COMMANDED to do each three...and that includes rejoice. His point? That joy, like prayer and thankfulness, is a choice. These three are not based on circumstance or situation. Jesus' saving grace is SO much bigger and SO much deeper than anything that life throws my way. And we can be confident that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28)
Even more importantly, Paul states very bluntly that RPG is God's will for us in Jesus. In other words, what God wants us to do is rejoice in Him, pray to Him and give Him thanks. When we obey His commands to RPG, it deepens our relationship with Jesus. Author Philip Yancey said it best:
“I do not get to know God and then do His will. I get to know Him more deeply by doing His will.”
It would be easy to overlook the apostle's closing sentence to his letter. "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1Thess. 5:28). What you might read as "sincerely yours" is actually key to the entire letter. You see, "grace" appears twice in 1st Thessalonians. Once in the first verse. And again in the last.
Grace. We say the word so often that it seems to have lost its power, its awe, its mystery. Remember, as sinners, we deserve eternal judgment. But somehow, someway, God has granted not only mercy...but GRACE!!! We've not only escaped the damnation of Hell, but we're invited to the greatest party of all time...the wedding supper of the Lamb! And it's all because of grace.
Rather than ramble on and on and on about grace (and, believe me, I could), let me recommend some reading material. First of all, read the book of Romans. This book has bum-rushed even the most hard-hearted legalist into a life of amazing grace. And while not divinely inspired, three other modern-day authors have strongly influenced my thoughts on grace. "What's So Amazing about Grace?" by Philip Yancey, "In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado and "The Grace Awakening" by Chuck Swindoll would be my "triple crown of grace." Check'em out.
But more importantly, experience God's grace. It's His will for you. If you do, you can't help but RPG...Rejoice, Pray and Give thanks.
No, not the "must see TV" sitcom. Not Will, Grace, Jack and Karen. But the Bible with Will, Grace, Paul and the Thessalonians. Thessalonians 5:12-28 to be exact.
We all want to know God's will for our life. But what we really need is God's grace. Yup, you got it: Will and Grace. In the closing verses of 1st Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul wraps up his letter by tying together God's wonderful will and His amazing grace.
In three quick, machine gun verses, Paul pulls the trigger on three rapid fire commands. We're to rejoice, to pray and give thanks. RPG. A US soldier may have rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), but the soldier of the Lord has a full clip of RPGs as well.
-Rejoice
-Pray
-Give Thanks
Interestingly, we're COMMANDED to do each three...and that includes rejoice. His point? That joy, like prayer and thankfulness, is a choice. These three are not based on circumstance or situation. Jesus' saving grace is SO much bigger and SO much deeper than anything that life throws my way. And we can be confident that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28)
Even more importantly, Paul states very bluntly that RPG is God's will for us in Jesus. In other words, what God wants us to do is rejoice in Him, pray to Him and give Him thanks. When we obey His commands to RPG, it deepens our relationship with Jesus. Author Philip Yancey said it best:
“I do not get to know God and then do His will. I get to know Him more deeply by doing His will.”
It would be easy to overlook the apostle's closing sentence to his letter. "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1Thess. 5:28). What you might read as "sincerely yours" is actually key to the entire letter. You see, "grace" appears twice in 1st Thessalonians. Once in the first verse. And again in the last.
Grace. We say the word so often that it seems to have lost its power, its awe, its mystery. Remember, as sinners, we deserve eternal judgment. But somehow, someway, God has granted not only mercy...but GRACE!!! We've not only escaped the damnation of Hell, but we're invited to the greatest party of all time...the wedding supper of the Lamb! And it's all because of grace.
Rather than ramble on and on and on about grace (and, believe me, I could), let me recommend some reading material. First of all, read the book of Romans. This book has bum-rushed even the most hard-hearted legalist into a life of amazing grace. And while not divinely inspired, three other modern-day authors have strongly influenced my thoughts on grace. "What's So Amazing about Grace?" by Philip Yancey, "In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado and "The Grace Awakening" by Chuck Swindoll would be my "triple crown of grace." Check'em out.
But more importantly, experience God's grace. It's His will for you. If you do, you can't help but RPG...Rejoice, Pray and Give thanks.
In Christ,
Jay
From a sermon at Freedom River CC on June 15, 2008.
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