Planted in Death Raised in Life

   

Listen as Pastor Rick gently shepherds our hearts through the grief of losing one of our own.  Mama V you are missed!

Lessons from Lazarus

Some might think it strange that this miracle – probably the most powerful testament of the Christ and one of the strongest anchor points for faith in His own soon-coming resurrection – was excluded from those other narratives.  However, a reasonable case has been made by scholars that Lazarus was still alive during the writing of the other Gospels and the writers did not want to stir up the Jews against him afresh; but by the time John writes, it is believed that Lazarus had passed away (for the second time) and was no longer in any danger by the telling of the story.  We should also keep in mind that John writes his entire Gospel with the intent that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. He tells us this intent for his book in Chapter 20:31 – “31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”  This story of Lazarus is one of his anchoring arguments for that purpose.

We don’t know when this event happened, but it is reasonably believed to be close to the time of Passover at which time Jesus will be crucified.  Let us turn to the story now.  Today, I will read and expound as we go.

 Thanks to the Lumo Project & FreeBibleImages.org for this image!

When God Waits

Close on the heels of my questions and wondering, I turned to the Bible to see what it says about the idea.  I typed the word “wait” into the search engine of my Bible software and eagerly scanned the verses to see if I could find one where God was waiting.  However, as I read verse after verse I became crestfallen.  It seemed there was no scriptural support for the idea of God waiting.  But then I found Isaiah 30:18 “¶ And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”  Huzzah!  There in the Bible I found a verse that said God waited.  My search was over.  Or was it?  Of course not.  I continued searching but I could not find any more verses that said God waited.  So I came back to this one and said, “Well, I’d better check the meaning of the word in Hebrew.  Maybe we translated it “wait” in English, but perhaps the Hebrew is more precise.”  I was relieved to find that the Hebrew definition also meant “to await: long, tarry, wait.”  But if this was the only verse in the Bible that says God waits, how was I supposed to fully understand God’s waiting?

GLORY!

In this sermon, Pastor Rick reminds us what it is to glorify God teaching, "Ultimately, we are to view the glory of God on display all around us and be called to repent and return unto Him that His glory might be restored in us and that Christ may dwell in us and that His present glory dwelling in us might reside as the hope of glory to come!"

Pastor Rick concluded with a personal Exclamation of praise:

"I want to conclude by worshiping for a moment.  I cannot conjure some magical feeling of soulfulness that will convince you arbitrarily that God’s glory is present for you or that some emotional experience is His presence as is done so often in modern worship.  But I want simply to conclude with my words of worship to God....

Let me tell you about God.  God has been faithful to me all my life.  He was faithful to me as a child raising me up in an environment where God was preeminent.  He was faithful to me as a teenager when I nearly drowned, calling me from the precipice of sin back to Himself.  He was faithful to me as a young adult patient every moment with my questions and doubts.  He has been faithful to me as an adult amid my struggles and fears.  All my life He has been longsuffering and faithful in spite of my greatest sins; In spite of my unfaithfulness; in spite of my weaknesses; in spite of my failures; in spite of my pride; in spite of my unbelief; in spite of every darkness of my heart, he has been faithful to me.  The Apostle John wrote that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  I want you to know this morning that God gave His only Son for me: for me, a sinner who like Israel had forsaken and forgotten and abandoned the glory of God! He did not forsake me.  He did not forget me.  He did not abandon me.  He did not leave me alone in the darkness.  Instead He loved me and shone the light of His love around me and gave himself for me and prayed that I would let Him back into my heart to rediscover His glory!

And so this morning, I give Him praise! I glorify Him and magnify Him!  I worship Him! I lift Him up!  I am unworthy, but He is worthy! I cannot magnify Him or glorify Him enough but I worship Him and praise Him anyway!  I welcome Him and His presence and His glory to fill my heart and life!  I pray the same for you and ultimately that He will fill our church with His genuine presence always."

Magnificent Moms!

Listen as Pastor Rick encapsulates the great privilege and great responsibility of being a Mom!  Happy Mother's Day!

Footprints to Follow Series - Sermon 4 - WORK

Is work part of the curse?  Listen as Pastor Rick debunks popular myths about work that are held by many Christians and as he helps us learn what the Bible has to say about a topic rarely mentioned from the pulpit: work.

Footprints to Follow Series - Sermon 2 - "Truth"

Do you walk in truth every day?  Do you walk in truth with your parents, your siblings, your spouse, your employer, and your fellow believers in Christ?  Truth is at the very core of Godliness.  It is the first footprint to follow.  Listen as Pastor Rick teaches us about this absolutely essential part of the Christian life. 

THE EASTER COVENANT

Listen as Pastor Rick explains the significance of The Lord's Supper and the Communion celebration.  It is a beautiful ritual with rich meaning!  Remember, Recognize, and Rejoice!

READY to GO!

Listen as Pastor Rick begins a new series titled, "READY."  This week Pastor Rick shares the importance of maintaining Christ's "Watch-Wait-Work" method of preparedness helping us "Keep an Eye on the Sky."

The Reality of Eternity

Listen as Pastor Rick Concludes the "Reality" series with this "apology" on the "Reality of Eternity" -  a sobering yet essential message to impact our eternal perspective.

The Burden of The Eternal

Recently I have begun to experience something I never expected as Pastor.  It's what I call the "Burden of the Eternal."  Only after becoming a Pastor - where it is my duty and calling to constantly think of things from an eternal perspective - did I realize how little I had considered eternity before.  I mean, I thought of it from time to time like anyone does, but more often than not my thoughts were consumed with my family, friends, and career responsibilities.  Now, however, I constantly think of things from an eternal viewpoint.  My priorities are beginning to alter accordingly.  Things that once mattered a lot, seem nearly irrelevant or unimportant now.  Because when the light of eternity shines on them, they are revealed to be cheap imitations of what truly matters.

Additionally, I have been startled to realize that not only was I relatively oblivious to the eternal, most other people are too, whether by choice or circumstance.  Now that my life has taken on new focus and meaning in light of the eternal, the burden and challenge for me as Pastor is to kindly but firmly call others to the same realization of their own eternality and the importance of yielding themselves to Christ.  But I have to be gentle about it.  Such life-changing perspectives can be startling and overwhelming at first.  Only when the Holy Spirit guides us can the "shock" be mitigated.  It is my prayer that God will grant me wisdom to point people Heavenward without scaring them away.  

Once your perspective is changed to the eternal, life takes on new focus and meaning.  Your priorities shift and and you open your heart to the working of Christ.  Will you welcome His presence to change your point of view?  Are you willing to shoulder the "Burden of the Eternal?"