May 28th, 2006

Temptation Matthew 4:1-11

Intro..(kids sermon) VIDEO of Toy Story 2

Temptation is a universal problem, no doubt.
We’re always wanting what we can’t have or don’t necessarily need or shouldn’t have. Seems like there is always something greater than what we’ve got.
It goes back to the origins of man…

Text: Matthew 4:1-11
In this temptation, Satan wanted to make Jesus sin, thus disqualifying him as the Savior. (Satan is real, he wants to trick and deceive us.)
God’s purpose (the spirit led Jesus to the test) was to prove His son to be sinless and thus a worthy savior.
2 Cor. 5:21

Today we’ll look at three types of temptation that Jesus (and we all) faced.

The temptation of physical things, (food in particular here). 4:2-4
We went to the Great Moon Buffer with my parents…
Yes Jesus was God, yet he was also a man. He became hungry as we do.
Heb. 4:14-16
It’s not an issue of whether or not Jesus could’ve turned the stones into bread.
It was an issue of Jesus being faithful to God. He wouldn’t obey Satan.
And that’s how we need to view temptation, “I’m not going to give into Satan, I’m going to obey God instead.”
We have to realize though, that we can’t do this on our own. Left to ourselves, we will sin and give into temptation. We need God!
There is something much more important to us than food or “physical needs” and that is God’s word, the truth. Soak your mind/thoughts in God’s truth.
When in trouble, quote scripture, just like Jesus did. 4:4

The temptation of testing God. 4:5-7
Here Satan is quoting parts of Psalm 91:11,12.
That’s the problem with quoting parts of scripture. We can use the Bible to justify almost anything.
That’s why it’s so important to have a “whole Bible knowledge.” IOW, does this make sense in view of the totality of scripture?
What Satan is asking Jesus to do here would be like us jumping off the end of Crystal Pier with cement blocks chains to our ankles… and then expecting God to break the laws of physics just to prove he’s real.
It’s not that God can’t do that, but he may teach you another lesson…that is, “You’ll be coming to see me a little sooner than you may’ve been planning on.”
Satan tired the same trick of tricky language (and succeeded) in the garden of Eden, Gen. 3:1-5.

In this story, Satan is at his best. Still beautiful, in an uncursed state.
Forget these images of Satan, He’s much more fun to look at
Satan still tries to trick us by making people think they can demand things of God to prove himself to them.
What is wrong with this type of an approach to God?
Jesus knew (and we need to know this today) that we don’t need to test God to know that he’ll take care of us. Matthew 6:25-28
Throughout the Bible, God has proven himself faithful. He has saved and taken care of his people over and over.

3. The temptation of power 4:8-10
Friday’s paper and the fall of Kenneth Lay and Skilling, Enron etc.
V. 8-9 Here is the classic quote from Satan (and one I’m sure we get sucked into often) v. 9 “All this will be yours.” Lotto etc.
But look what we trade…”if you will bow down and worship me.” our souls.
This is the classic lure of so many movies and scenarios in our lives…
How could Satan offer this to Jesus? When Adam and Eve rebelled against God and followed Satan, Satan became god of this world.
That’s important to remember. Why? Because Satan has a lot of power…
He can easily gain influence over the minds of people and cause them to do wicked things. And that is why there is evil in this world.
If God is not ruling your mind, then you are open to Satan ruling your mind.
Yes, Satan is powerful, but not even close to the power of God. Jesus is God.
It may seem like a struggle of “Good vs. Evil” but in reality, it’s no struggle at all.
GOSPEL

And look what happens when we thwart Satan 4:11
Yet, when we call on God’s power, Satan will leave us alone...for awhile.
But he’s not giving up easily.
FEEDBACK?

Conclusion:
Remember, “No temptation…” 1 Cor. 10:13
Back to 4:1. God allows, we need to resist and persevere.

Remember who wins in the end. Meanwhile, we may need to run.
2 Timothy 2:22

May 21st, 2006

Lessons from John the Baptist Matthew 3:1-17 and John 1:19-37

Intro/big picture: We live in a proud society, the self-made man is our heritage. All the way from the Pilgrims to Arnold To Dan Brown Da Vinci

The need for repentance and humility which leads to baptism and a changed life.

Text: Matthew 3:1-6

John the Baptist did lots of important things to prepare the way for Jesus (plenty of lessons for us today too).
One of the most important things John preached was the need to repent.
What comes to mind when you hear the word repent? (loud preacher)
How I’d like you to view repentance is more like this: (loving Jesus)
(To change your attitude toward God, about yourself and about sin.)
It’s more of recognizing, “Hey what I’m doing isn’t right, there is a better way.”

True repentance means recognizing these things:
I can’t get my life together on my own, I need God.
God is the only true God. He deserves our worship and service.
We have all sinned against God. We can’t make ourselves acceptable to Him.
God hates sin...and will always punish it by separating Himself from the sinner.
God sent Jesus as covering for our sin.
GOSPEL Communion is a great way to view repentance..., invitation etc.
When we study the Bible it is a solemn reminder of God’s perfection and how far we fall short.
We constantly sin, so we need to constantly repent. James 2:10

John also taught us about humility. He was a poor man who lived off the land with a very important message.
Even though John the Baptist was used by God for this huge task, he was still poor. Matt. 3:4 God loves to use the poor...
This is a reminder that following God is not a ticket to wealth.
Repenting and following God is a call to a life of servitude. It’s a call to take care of the poor, the needy, the widows, the outcasts of society.
Yet when we talk about humility, why is it so easy for our pride to get in the way?
It’s an attitude of “I think my way is best, no matter what God says.”
Most of the leaders in the temple were proud. Proud of what they’d accomplished, proud of the laws they could keep.

John speaks directly to the proud and unrepentant. Matt. 3:7 (Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees)
Scribes: The men who copied the words of God onto the scrolls. Proud because of their learning. Thought they pleased God just because they could remember and explain the meaning of many parts of the scriptures.
Pharisees: Jewish leaders. Tried to please God and be accepted by him by obeying all the rules (which they themselves had written). They added to God’s word.
Sadducees: Also Jewish leaders. Didn’t believe all the things in the Scriptures. They took away from God’s word. They didn’t believe in angels, or the resurrection of the dead. Rejected everything expect the first 5 books of the Bible.

Three classic examples of people groups that say, “I think my way is best, no matter what God says.”
James 4:6 “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Wow, God will actually set Himself up to fight against the proud, those who don’t agree with Him. Yet he promises to help and deliver those who agree with him.
John calls it as he sees it: “You brood of vipers!” or “Generation of vipers!” Matthew Henry: “venomous and poisonous, full of malice and enmity to every thing that was good They were a viperous gang, they were all alike; though enemies to one another, yet confederate in mischief.”

John further drives home the point of humility: (Matt. 3:11, John 1:19-26) “Who’s sandals I am not worthy to untie”
Men of high rank had servants do all their work, including putting on and taking off shoes or sandals.
John is saying that he isn’t even worthy to be that servant.

John faithfully prophecies about Jesus and look at the response! Matt. 3:5-6 (and a great example for us today)
People responded from all over the region.
Confessing (repenting) their sins and getting baptized.
(VIDEO from “O brother where art thou?”)
Baptism is a sign to everyone gathered (especially at our beach baptisms) that you recognize your sin and are identifying with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. What a great visual! (As we saw in the video)
One of the ways this word (“baptizo” in the Greek) was used was to describe the process for dying cloth. When a piece of cloth is plunged into a vat of dye, it takes on the color of the dye.
The cloth “identifies” with the dye. When we are baptized we identify with John’s message of repentance.
It’s an outward act or sign that illustrates inner repentance and belief.

FEEDBACK?

Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement; he is a rebel who must lay down his arms ... This process of surrender-this movement full speed astern-is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means killing part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death.
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

Finally, Jesus sets a great example of humility, he gets baptized. Matt. 3:13-16
Jesus did not get baptized because he was a sinner in need of repentance.
He got baptized in willful obedience to God’s command to all Jews who accepted John as God’s prophet. (And that includes us today.)
Jesus’ baptism gave validity to John’s prophecy.
It’s also a great example us today…if you are a Christian and haven’t been baptized...

God himself endorsed Jesus. Matt. 3:17
He called Jesus his son, the one he loved and was pleased with. IOW, this was God’s plan for our salvation!
John 1:29

Conclusion:
Deliverance can come to us only by the defeat of our old life. Safety and peace come only after we have been forced to our knees. God rescues us by breaking us, by shattering our strength and wiping out our resistance.
W. Tozer (1897-1963)

May 14th, 2006

Mother's Day

The birth of Jesus Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-15, 19-23, Luke 2:39-52

Intro… The birth of a child is such an exciting and scary time…
Over the centuries, Mary has been elevated to a status higher than needed, or more recently accused of being Jesus’ wife…
This morning I want to view her as a mother. In that view, she’s just like the rest of the mothers gathered here today…
Today we’ll spend some time talking about the importance of Jesus’ birth as well as some lessons Joseph and Mary learned in his childhood.
The birth of Jesus was not just another “cute moment in the history of childbirth”. It’s a story about the coming of the Lord himself, the mighty God, the promised Deliverer, our Savior! This is about fulfillment of prophecy and God’s promise.

Text: Matthew 1:18-25

What does this statement mean to you? “Jesus Christ is at the center of history.”

(There are lots of great lessons to be learned from this story of Joseph, Mary and Jesus...)

Make your plans, but trust God for the outcome. Matt. 1:18-19
Joseph had a slight problem here. Mary had been promised to be his wife. To everyone’s surprise, Mary is pregnant. Imagine Joseph’s shock.
According to Jewish law, Joseph could have made a public announcement. And Mary could have been killed for being pregnant with a child that was not Joseph’s.
But Joseph loved Mary, and wanted the best for her. Instead of making a public spectacle of her, he thought is would be best to “divorce her quietly.”
Why? So sacred was this period of engagement or betrothal, that by custom they were considered as if married. His only recourse seemed to be to break off their engagement quietly.
Makes sense in human terms, human reasoning. That’s where we need to be careful. If we are counting on our own intuition, we may make the wrong choice. This is where we need to pray and trust that...
God intervenes. (And actually loves to intervene in our lives, just let him…) Matt. 1:20-21
The Angel says, “Don’t be afraid…” Joseph is about to see God’s grand plan unfold.
If God is going to send Jesus into this world to save us from our sins, then there is no doubt he’s going to do it in a spectacular way.
Actually God had intervened hundreds of years before. (prophecy chart)
One of the great names of Jesus was “Emmanuel.” Who knows what that means?
“God with us”

Joseph’s response (and what ours should be) is key. Matt. 1:24-25
What do these verses tell us about Joseph? He believed, took action and trusted God.
He also held the marriage bed sacred. v. 25 Hebrews 13:4

Ever heard this at Christmas time? “Wise men still seek him.” What’s this mean to you?
Just like the prophets had foretold from long ago Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
(Here’s something I learned) Jesus may or may not have been a baby in the stable when the wise men visited (v. 11). And it may not have only been three…
Either way, they did the appropriate thing when they say Jesus, (v. 11b) bowed down and worshipped.

Unlike Herod (Matt. 2:3-4) The wise men had no reason to fear Jesus, they listened to God, followed the star and believed.
Herod (just like Pharaoh during the time of Moses) was too full of pride. He didn’t want anyone ruling over him.
He was afraid he would lose his position as king as Jesus grew up.

That’s us! Becoming a Christian and following Christ means we have to initially and continually “lose our position” of power, die to ourselves.
Like Herod, we are sinners and in need of Jesus.

Where do you find yourself as you encounter Jesus? Ready to bow down and worship like the “wise” men or afraid like Herod?
No reason to be afraid if you understand the reason for Jesus’ birth...GOSPEL

Once we move past a fear based relationship with Jesus, we are able to listen and get guidance
Matt. 2:12-15 God directs Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt, safe from Herod’s evil plan.
No evil plan, not even Herod can stop God’s plans.
As we stay in regular fellowship with God it’s much easier to hear his voice...

Eventually Joseph, Mary and Jesus are able to return to Nazareth. Matt. 2:19-20
Again, God’s promises were fulfilled, Jesus would live in the town of Nazareth.

Jesus grows into manhood. (Lessons for Mothers of today). Luke 2:39-52
(Good stuff to know for today’s mothers, some tips for good parenting)
Do everything required of the Lord. V. 39
This will help your children grow strong...in the Lord. “Filled with wisdom and the grace of God.” What else could you want for your children?
V. 41-42 Parental involvement in “church activities”.
V. 43-45 Even Jesus’ parents could be forgetful.
V. 48 Even Jesus needed to be reminded to be responsible to his parents.
Yes, he was doing the “work of his father” and I’m sure setting all the teachers straight, yet he still had parents he was responsible to. V. 51
Moms, as you teach you children to be obedient and responsible to you, they will learn to be obedient and responsible to God.
Moms, as your children learn to be obedient, you too can “treasure those fleeting moments in your hearts.”
Again, the final outcome we want for our kids is:
“Jesus (your child’s name here) grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.”

Conclusion: (Today’s story reminds us that:)
The birth of Jesus is the most important birth of a child ever!
As he grew into a man it was evident he was the Savior of all men.
God himself came to earth as a man.

Beach service, May 7th, 2006

Jesus, the real deal. Luke 1:67-80

Intro…Read recently how the lifeguard service will be cut back for the summer. Fully staffed on the busy weekends, but less on normal beach days. Not good.
Lifeguards are advising parents to watch their kids...Come to the beach and swim but you may need to be saved…
That should give all of us an appreciation for the need to be saved.
I’d like to tie that into our need for eternal salvation...

The Da Vinci Code hoopla...Thursday’s paper...we spent that last two weeks discussing it in church...it comes down to who Jesus was. It’s pivotal as to who you believe Jesus was.
False prophets come and go. And to some degree that’s what Dan Brown is.
Zechariah on the other hand spoke the truth, the words of God, in Luke 1:67-80
God used Zechariah’s knowledge of the OT to bring the message that his promises were true and about to be fulfilled!

Text: Luke 1:67-80
Today’s story talks about one who would prepare the way for Jesus.
It also shows us that God fulfilled his promise made thousands of years ago...

I’d like to pick out some key words for today and discuss them briefly: (Bible words, words that are not necessarily in everyday use).

Prophets: v. 70 Prophet of the most high: v. 76
Don’t you just hate it when someone tells you something you don’t want to hear, but you know it’s true and you probably should listen? Parents are good at this...spouses are good at this...with our kids we call it “selective listening”, (you know, fingers in the ears, la, la, la, la, la, la,)
John was to prepare Israel (and us today) to believe in Jesus. It took faith then, it takes faith today.
John was a prophet, just like the OT prophets. Spoke the truth, even if it wasn’t necessarily what people wanted to hear.
Prophets didn’t always know exactly how God was going fulfill his promises, they just spoke and wrote down the messages God gave them.
Prophets foretell a need for salvation.

Knowledge of salvation: v. 77
Most people today would respond with, what do I need to be saved from? I live a good life, pay my taxes, treat others nice etc. etc.
We need to be saved from ourselves and our own grand plans…

Horn of salvation: v. 69 “Horn” is a metaphor for power, animal horns are for protection and defense, “a powerful Savior”
No ordinary man can deliver us from sin, Satan and death. Rescue: v. 74

Jesus Christ is the only Savior.
Jesus is also called the Christ (Greek: “anointed one”, “Messiah”)
Jesus is God’s prophet, priest and king. Prophet: the ultimate prophet, tells of God’s way for deliverance. High Priest: remember the high priest from the OT, inner sanctuary etc? King: the ruling King, descendant of King David.

Holiness/righteousness: v. 75 Forgiveness of their sins: v. 77
These two verses speak the GOSPEL message...
Invitation, baptism?

Throughout history, God has saved us:
Noah and his family from the flood, Abraham’s son Isaac from death by providing the ram, Joseph from prison in Egypt, the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea….

How does God save us? Through Jesus the deliverer.
Redeemed: v. 68
To regain possession of by payment, rescue or ransom

Mercy: v. 72 Because of God’s tender mercy: v. 78
Forbearance from inflicting punishment upon a lawbreaker

Covenant: v. 72
To eat with, mutual obligation, God’s self imposed obligation, for the reconciliation of sinners to himself. “Old Covenant” vs. “New Covenant” it’s really amazing...

Oath: v. 73 “God’s statement/promise to us” the binding character of a promise.
Abraham was the father of the nation of Israel, Gen. 12:3 God says to Abraham:
“ I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse, All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you."

We are saved like a lost miner…(hear about the miners in Australia trapped 3000 feet below the ground? They are giving them basic essentials, food, water, ipods! Through a small pipe as they drill a three foot round tunnel to get ‘em out.)
Sin throws us into darkness
Jesus gives us a guiding light out of darkness: 78b-79
How many suns give light to our earth? Only one. That’s all that’s needed, same with God’s son, Jesus.

Once we are saved we will:
Grew and became strong in spirit: v. 80
Serve: v. 74

Through Zechariah’s prophecy in Luke 1:67-80 we learn that:
Jesus is the coming promise of a deliverer.
Jesus is God himself
Jesus explains how we can be saved
Jesus is the only Savior for the world (read it for yourself in the Bible…)

Have you ever been here at the beach and watched the lifeguards run into the water to save someone? Everyone stops and watches. It’s dramatic.
It’s no less dramatic when God saves someone from the clutches of Satan...