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  • FOUNDATIONS [#1]



    This AWANA season in our Varsity class we are going to spend 12 weeks or so studying some of the major themes or key doctrines in the Bible.  We are calling this series "Foundations" because we are dealing with doctrines that are foundational to the Christian faith and worldview.

    You can find the audio of this message here -> http://audio.xanga.com/Eek_71/1be522767618/audio.html


    God Is...Trinity


    INTRO
    o  No question is more important than "who is my God?" 
    o  "Trinity" definition = there is ONE God, eternally existing in THREE distinct Persons as Father, Son, & Spirit, each FULLY and EQUALLY God.


    1.  THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD
        o  Deut 4:35;  32:39;  Psa 86:10; Isa 43:10;  45:5;  1 Tim 1:17;  2:5
        o  All other "gods" are demonic false gods  (Deu 32:17;  1 Cor 10:20; 1 Jn 4:1)

    2.  GOD ETERNALLY EXISTS AS THREE DISTINCT PERSONS
        A. The Father is God  (Jn 6:27;  1 Cor 8:6)
        B. The Son is God  (Jn 1:1,14;  8:58-59;  20:28;  Rom 9:5;  Titus 2:13;  1 Jn 5:20)
        C. The Spirit is God  (2 Cor 3:17;  Acts 5:3-4)
             >  The Holy spirit is a Person, not an "it" or an impersonal "force"  (Eph 4:30;  Acts 7:51;  Heb 10:29)

    3.  DOES THE TRINITY APPEAR TOGETHER IN THE BIBLE?
        o  Lookup "Us"/"Our" in Gen 1:1-2;  26;  3:22;  11:7
        o  Isa 48:16-17;  61:1;  Luk 1:35;  Mat 3:16-17;  28:18-20;  1 Pet 1:2; 
        o  Consider Eph 1:3-13... Each Person of the Trinity is active in salvation!

    4.  WAYS  TO CONTRADICT THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY
        o  Deny there is only one god = polytheism (ex: mormonism)
        o  Deny that God is three distinct persons = ex: modalism (oneness pentacostalism)
        o  Deny that each Person is fully & equally God = (ex: jehovahs witnesses)

    5.  APPLICATION OF THE TRUTH OF THE TRINITY
        o  The essence of the Trinity is LOVE.
        o  We CANNOT know HOW to love until we know WHO love is!...
        o  Gods very nature is within the Trinity is Love, Harmony, Unity, Relationship, Community, Communication, Transparency, Humility, Submission, & Happy!  Therefore a Godly life should be characterized by those characteristics as well.
        o  All of Christian life is Trinitarian. ALL of the Christian life is lived BY the power of the Spirit... THROUGH the Son...  TO the Father!


    Most of this series is based on the sermon series "Doctrine" by Pastor Mark Driscoll.  I also heavily refered to the sermon series "Basic Bible Doctrine" by S. Lewis Johnson, and the book "Bible Doctrine" by Wayne Grudem.

  • THE CENTRALITY OF THE CROSS



    By Rich Gregory

    [Rich
    Gregory serves at Grace Church as a ministerial resident. He also works
    in the admissions department of The Master’s Seminary]

    How were the heart’s of the early believers so enflamed by the gospel? What was it that so consumed them that they were willing to spurn fame, fortune and family?

    We have already been forced to realize the fact that within modern Christianity there exists a deficiency of commitment to Christ and His work. It is acknowledgeable that the reason for Paul’s statements of such deep commitment in the epistles was necessary in order to inspire his readers to the same commitment. However, the fact remains that far fewer people claimed to be believers in those initial years than do today, and somehow at the same time, they did, in spite of their small number, commit extraordinary acts that are due in large part to the work of the Holy Spirit using their sheer devotion.

    Simply put, the primary factor which caused those early Christians to sell out everything for Christ was the fresh memory of what He had done for them. Their memory of that awesome day had not been allowed to scab over. Rather, a life-changing scar ran deeply through their minds with the memory of the day that Christ had died. Their worldview was crimson, and their purpose in life was fastened to the wood of the cross of Christ. They felt what it was to die with him, and to be daily resurrected with him in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4-5). They understood the imperative call for the cross to be central within their lives. 

    They were chained to its memory because having been there, the simultaneous horror and wonder of those moments were seared into their minds. Their encounter with the cross had changed them dramatically. They didn’t have the luxury, like the modern Christian, of reading or hearing the story of the crucifixion and walking away. No, the sight of cross (which was common in their day) would have brought the sights, smells, and feelings of that jaw dropping day flooding back to their senses. They could not escape the power of the cross in their life!

    This is why in Gal. 6:14, Paul is able to say, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!” Peter as well, could not help but remind himself of this reality when he states, speaking of himself in 1 Pet. 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” They’d been there. They’d seen it happen. We do not have the luxury of those early believers. That does not however, mean that the image of the cross cannot be driven with force into the center of our hearts, or that it cannot be burned into our minds.

    When our hearts throb with our own self-absorption, of course we are unable to be passionately committed to the person of Christ. It is essential that the cross and our memory of its power daily act as lance that pierces our hearts, allowing the self-centeredness of our sin to be drained. Only then can the cross change us and allow godliness and passion for Christ to grow within our hearts. Just like those early believers, once we have experienced it’s ongoing power in our own lives, we will never be able to forget it!

    The gospel is the power of God unto salvation not only for the Jew and the Gentile, but also for the daily life of the believer. We are saved, yet our power and dedication comes not through our own strength, but rather through the strength of Christ’s atoning work on our behalf. Only as the image of His death and resurrection is held constantly before our eyes will we be motivated to forfeit all and charge after Him with a reckless faith.

    From the moment of salvation the burning power of the cross is smoldering within our hearts. It is imperative that we allow it to be fanned into full flame by continually reminding ourselves of the gospel, and preaching it to our own hearts. On a daily basis, we must remind ourselves that we were sinners, look to the life of Christ, and knowing that He died for us, follow His example and die to ourselves.

    It might seem basic, but that is because it is basic. It is most certainly however, what is necessary in order to walk with Him.

    The gospel is able to envelop and invigorate the flagging Christian, no matter how mature or immature. As believers, we must allow it to do so first within our own hearts by constantly reminding ourselves of Christ’s work on our behalf. It is then imperative that we do so for others by forcing them, through the power of Christ’s work visible within our own lives, to see the work of the cross. It is our duty and utter joy, because of what He’s done for us, to love Him and follow Him and to be so committed to Him that we leave the world around us with no choice but to accept or reject Him because they are unable to miss the stamp of the cross emblazoned upon us.

  • COMMITMENT AND THE CROSS



    By Rich Gregory

    [Rich Gregory serves at Grace Church as a ministerial resident. He also works in the admissions department of The Master’s Seminary]

    Although there are many people in the modern age who are committed to going to church, very few of them are as committed to sacrificing everything for Jesus Christ. Shocking though this may sound, it is true that while many churches within modern evangelicalism are typically full, their impact upon the world around them is minimal. The modern church has excelled at filling its pews with bodies, but to a large degree has failed at producing warriors fit to do battle for the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Many churches today are filled with “pew potatoes” who come on Sunday morning, soak up the message, but become overweight spiritually by failing to exercise their faith. Successful Christian living, and truly successful Christian churches are not measured through the size of their worship center, or the number of bodies gathered on a Sunday morning. Rather, a successful church is to be judged through the spiritual health of the members that constitute a “church.”

    When reading through the book of Acts, it is nearly impossible to miss the initial numeric explosion of the church.  What was it that allowed the gospel to be unleashed upon that society with such power and force? The answer is simple, and is revealed in the opening chapters of the book. They were focused upon the sacrifice that Christ had made for them, and they weren’t afraid to spread that message to all that were around them.

    The culmination of Peter’s great sermon on the day of Pentecost that sparked the detonation is recorded in Acts 2:36, “Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” The tension that must have been in the air can be sensed in the text. He forced them to come to grips with the fact that they had crucified the very Son of God! Peter did not know how the crowd would respond. When confronted with those words would the people become penitent revivalists, or would they be transformed into a surging mob? Peter not only knew the truth, but he went further and confronted his world with the words of truth and life regardless of the personal cost of what such an action might mean. The point is not the results of what happened that day, but rather the Peter’s willingness to the proclamation of truth.

    Peter, and thousands like him in the early church, did not allow their faith to be active solely at a worship service. They lived their faith, and they were willing to sacrifice everything on behalf of the idea and the resulting reality of the gospel that was at work within their lives. As Christ had commanded them in Luke 14:28, many of them had counted the cost and found that all other things were worthless when compared to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:8).

    Because of that fact, many of the early believers were focused upon the gospel and sacrificed everything for its advancement.  They saw the value of knowing Christ, and were willing to give up everything else in its place. Worldly wealth, wisdom, and worries were counted as rubbish, if only the name of Christ could be made known and glorified. Those early believers made a mark upon their world that history can never forget or erase. They were not just committed to a church; they were committed, sold out, and on fire for the name of the One who had redeemed them through an incomparable sacrifice upon a rough wooden cross!

    Where is that same commitment within the church of modern America? It may be seen in individual lives, but on a large scale, people come, the church grows, and an addition is added to the building while the all-consuming passion for the gospel lies largely in dormant silence. The church is consumed with seeking programs, donors, and philanthropic projects, while lost people stream around Christianity on their way to an eternity apart from God. God has graciously placed every believer into his or her world where he or she alone is able to have a unique ability to witness to those who are lost and dying around them.

    It is an incumbent responsibility upon Christians of our day to not only strive after this goal within their own lives, but also to be actively cultivating this mindset within their local flock. Pastors and laymen alike must be challenged to awaken from their spiritual lethargy, and to become fully committed to their commission and reason for existence. Every believer ought to be viewing himself as a minister of the gospel. It is not just the pastor’s job to be an ambassador for the faith, but rather it is the job of every person who claims the name of Christ to live heart, soul, and mind in passionate pursuit of becoming a premier ambassador for Christ, actively begging men to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20).

    The pursuit is too crucial, the outcome too critical, to simply allow ourselves the luxury of a Sunday Christianity. It is imperative that we as Christian leaders challenge ourselves and those within our pews to rise up and exercise their faith in a dynamic way by allowing the power of the gospel to flow forth from their lives and impact the world in which God has placed.

    But how is this done?... to be continued...

  • REDNECK CALVINIST


    Something funny from the Calvinist Gadfly...


    You might be a Redneck Calvinist if…

    • the church you attend is not seeker-friendly, but cigar-friendly.
    • you hear “Free Will,” and think about bailing out your cousin “Will” in jail.
    • your dad uses the double barrel shotgun for his own “effectual calling.”
    • you think that an Amyrauldian is road kill.
    • the only overalls you will buy are made by Calvin.
    • you compliment your wife with, “God has ordained your voice to sound like a chainsaw.”
    • your church has justified to include the banjo and harmonica under the Regulative Principle.
    • your church refuses to call the church picnic a Potluck.
    • you have the five solas tattooed on your arm.

  • 10 LIFECHANGING CHOICES [#6]


    Based on an outline by James MacDonald
    Pastor Nate taught 7/30/08 to Jr & Sr High

    Choose to Trust
    [Capacity Choice 2]
    Matthew 6:34; 8:23-37

    INTRO
    • you are NOT A VICTIM - you choose - you are responsible for your choices
    • read Matt 6:25-34

    1.  You Have a Limited Capacity (vs 34)
      • don't focus on the PAST or the FUTURE - focus on NOW
      • the future = worry, fear, anxiety...
      • 4 things I cannot control
          >  my health future
          >  my family future
          >  my financial future
          >  my environmental future
      • focus on the things I CAN affect!
      • I will always face UNCERTAINTY

    2.  I Can Bring my Burdens to the Lord
      • Matt 8:23-37
      • Jesus is the antidote to anxiety
      • trust is the act of the will to give my burdens to the Lord...
          >  key - Prayer
          >  key - Gods Sovereignty
      • Isa 41:10

    3.  I Choose to TRUST!

  • 10 LIFECHANGING CHOICES [#5]


    based on an outline by James McDonald

    I Choose to Forgive 
    (Capacity Choice #1)
    Matthew 6:14-15
    Eric Fehrman - taught 7/16/08 to Jr & Sr High

    INTRO
    • I CAN'T change my past... I CAN choose to forgive.
    • The church has often under emphasized this aspect of the Christians life... the choice we are discussing tonight is HUGE, it is LIFE-CHANGING.  Forgiveness is a BIG, BIG, BIG, deal in the life of the believer and the life of the church.

    1. The IMPORTANCE of Forgiveness
        • READ MATT 6:12, 14-15
        • FORGIVENESS =  A decision to release a person from their obligation that resulted when they injured you
        • Christians are forgiving people. NOT perfect, but increasingly forgiving and gracious.
        • Unforgiveness looks like this...
          >  you OWE me
          >  I'm going to make you PAY...
          >  by slandering you, by hating you, by reacting in kind
          >  by recruiting others to my bitterness
          >  unforgiveness is driven by the pain of the past
        • Forgiveness looks like this...
          >  you don't owe me
          >  I'm not looking for payment or payback
          >  I'm not trying to get even
          >  I'm not waiting for the chance to get you back

    2. The DANGER of Unforgiveness (its a SIN)
        • As followers of Jesus, we must see our unforgiveness for what it is... SIN!  STOP explaining it, STOP defending it, STOP cherishing it!
        • Forgiveness is both a CRISIS and a PROCESS
        • unforgiveness is a CANCER to the soul
        • Lets deal with some RATIONALIZATIONS
          >  the hurt is TOO BIG
          >  TIME will heal it
          >  I will forgive them when they say they are SORRY
          >  I can't forgive b/c I can't FORGET
          >  They'll do it again, they have to PAY

    3. A ILLUSTRATION of Forgiveness
        • TURN TO MATT 18:21-35
        • I Choose Forgiveness...
        >  vs 21-22  b/c forgiveness has NO LIMITS
        >  vs 23-27  b/c I am FORGIVEN
        >  vs 28-33  b/c unforgiveness DESTROYS relationships
        >  vs 34-35  b/c unforgiveness DESTROYS ME

    CONCLUSION
        • forgiveness is evidence of the power of Christ working in us.  When we forgive we show the surrounding world a (small) picture of the Gospel and what Jesus did on the cross.
        • Consider those who have injured you... consider the cross... now CHOOSE to forgive...
        • REPENT of your lack of forgiveness

  • YOUR NAME

    "Your Name"
    by  Edgar A. Guest

    You got it from your father,
    t'was the best he had to give,
    And right gladly he bestowed it
    It's yours, the while you live.
     
    You may lose the watch he gave you
    and another you may claim,
    But remember, when you're tempted,
    to be careful of his name.
     
    It was fair the day you got it,
    and a worthy name to bear,
    When he took it from his father
    there was no dishonor there.
     
    Through the years he proudly wore it,
    to his father he was true,
    And that name was clean and spotless
    when he passed it on to you.
     
    Oh there's much that he has given
    that he values not at all,
    He has watched you break your playthings
    in the days when you were small.
     
    You have lost the knife he gave you
    and you've scattered many a game,
    But you'll never hurt your father
    if you're careful with his name.
     
    It is yours to wear forever,
    yours to wear the while you live,
    Yours, perhaps some distant morn,
    another boy to give.

    And you'll smile as did your father,
    with a smile that all can share,
    If a clean name and a good name
    you are giving him to wear.

  • 10 LIFECHANGING CHOICES [#4]



    Based on an outline by James MacDonald

    Choose the Bible as God's Word  [Authority Choice 2]
    Matthew 4:4; 8:5-13
    Eric Fehrman -     taught 7/09/08 to Jr & Sr High

    (1.) Gods Word is the "Blueprint" for Life
      • TURN TO Matthew 4:4;
      • Do we understand how monumental it is that Jesus had all the resources of the Godhead at His disposal for which to do battle with Satan and He chose the Bible?!... 3 times, EVERY time, He goes to the Scriptures!

    (2.) God Word contains the Prescription for everything that could ever make you happy in this world.
      • 5 Things We Find In Gods Word
        >  HEAVEN  Psa 118:17
        >  HOPE  Psa 118:18
        >  HELP  Psa 119:105
        >  HEALING  Psa 118:23
        >  HAPPINESS  Psa 1:1-2
     

    (3.) Gods Word is Supernatural
      • Preservation!
      • Unique among Ancient Literature
      • Historical / Archeological Accuracy
      • Scientific Accuracy
      • Hundreds of Perfectly Fulfilled Prophecies
      • Unity and Consistency in All its Teachings
      • Insight Into the "Big Issues" of Life
      • Uniqueness of the Gospel Message (Grace vs. Karma)
      • Testimony of Millions of Changed Lives
      • Testimony of Jesus Himself

    (4.) Gods Word Is My Authority, I Choose It
      • TURN TO Matthew 8:5-13
      • Some Scriptures to consider...
        >  2 Pet 1:21; 
        >  2 Tim 3:16
        >  Matt 24:35 (see also Mt 5:18)
      • Gods Word is sufficient, authoritative, it contains the Wisdom of the Creator of the universe on how everything in life works! 
      • Have you made the choice to recognize the authority of the Scriptures over every aspect of your life?...
        >  just b/c you are a Christian doesn't mean that you've done that
        >  just b/c you are in church doesn't mean that you've done that
        >  just b/c you are have a bible, carry it, or even read it sometimes doesn't mean that you've done that
      • 5 Things Christians DO with the Bible (instead of choosing it as their authority)
        >  treat it as a BUFFET
        >  treat it as HELPFUL but NOT NECESSARY
        >  treat it as a LEGALISTIC DUTY
        >  treat it as an ALGEBRA EQUATION
        >  treat it as a HOBBY
      • Choose the Bible as your authority, as a priority in your life! 
      • Gods Word is my authority when...
        >  It can STOP me and CHANGE my directions...
        >  It can CORRECT me...
        >  It is my TREASURE... (2 Pet 1:3)

    CONCLUSION
      • READ Psalm 19:7-11
      • What do I do with the Bible?
        >  Read it
        >  Study it
        >  Memorize it
        >  Meditate on it
        >  Share it / Teach it

    ILLUSTRATION: A grandmother left her bible for her grandson to have after her death.  She filled it with crisp 100 dollar bills between each book as a reminder to him of the value of the Scriptures.  Considering the Bible as worthless he tossed in on a shelf where it sat for most his life... many years later he gave the Bible to a neighbor who discovered the hundreds of dollars left by his grandmother.  Every Bible is full of treasure... don't let your life go by without discovering it.
     

  • Quote of the Week:
    "A critical problem in churches today is that we don't call people to greatness... we call them to mediocrity.  We don't call people to TOO MUCH, we call them to TOO LITTLE.  The call of Jesus is NOT a call to do nothing... it is a call to FOLLOW, a call to SACRIFICE, a call to DIE!  The call to follow Jesus is a RADICAL REVOLUTION not RADICAL RELAXATION!"  -  myself


    consider Luke 9:23-24...
    23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.  HCSB

  • 10 LIFECHANGING CHOICES [#3]



    Based on an outline by James MacDonald.


    Choose Jesus as Lord
    taught 6/25/08 to Jr & Sr High
    Matthew 7:21-24; Colossians 1:15-18
    Eric Fehrman


    INTRO
    • Review... the Two IDENTITY Choices
        >  Choose God's Love  John 3:16
        >  Choose God's Forgiveness  Matthew 9:2-8
        >  these are FOUNDATIONAL truths

    • Today we look at choices pertaining to what your "AUTHORITY" is in life...

    • Authority has become kind of a bad word in modern times... some abuse their authority... but being under a proper biblical authority is a both healthy and helpful.  The primary authority we must recognize is the authority of Jesus and we must embrace Him as LORD.

    • Bob Dylon "...You're gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you're gonna have to serve somebody.  You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage, You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage, You may be a business man or some high degree thief, They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You're gonna have to serve somebody"


    1.  EVERYONE serves somebody
      • ... the only question becomes WHO are you going to serve?
      • by "serve" we mean, who/what is your FINAL AUTHORITY?
      • Some common choices...
        >  an esteemed person... a pastor, politician, leader
        >  a close relationship...
        >  an organization, an institution... company, kiwani, salvation army, even the church
        >  a mission or a cause... feed the poor, save trees, elect candidates
        >  an agenda... finish a degree, reach a milestone, achieve a goal
        >  MY SELF... my authority is me, I'm in charge


    2.  You CHOOSE who you will serve
      • Joshua 24:15  "But if it doesn't please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord."
      • This is YOUR choice... NO ONE else can choose this for you... not your mom, your friends, your pastor
      • read "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley
      • compare to "My Captain" by Dorothea Day


    3.  Jesus Christ is LORD
      • read Matt 7:21-23;  Rev. 19:11-16
      • You cannot be saved without recognizing TO SOME DEGREE that Jesus Christ is the Lord.
      • Don't fall for a FALSE JESUS.  Don't embrace a CARICATURE of Jesus...
      • 5 Caricatures of Jesus you MUST REJECT
        >  Jesus is my "buddy"
        >  Jesus is my "good luck charm" (safety net)
        >  Jesus is my "religious relic"
        >  Jesus is my "meal ticket" (healthy, wealth, prosperity)
        >  "Liberal" Jesus (he's a nice guy who did nice things)
      • Jesus IS Lord... Colossians 1:15-18
        >  Jesus is UNIQUE vs 15
        >  Jesus is the CREATOR vs 16
        >  Jesus is our GOAL vs 16
        >  Jesus is the SOURCE vs 17
        >  Jesus is the HEAD vs 18
        >  Jesus is the PREEMINENT vs 18


    CONCLUSION:
      So where does this leave you in your life?  Who is the boss? Who is your untlimatge authority?  When faced with a difficult choice, a tough circumstance, or even a choice you make when no one is looking... whatever you choose to follow in that moment of choice is your functional "lord".  Is it the advice of a respected person?... is it following a cause or agenda?... or is it simply following my own selfish wants and desires?.. or is it choosing tro follow Jessus no matter where it leads?  If your life isn't focused on Christ then you need a change of priorities.  Follow Jesus as Lord, today!  (lookup Luke 9:23-24)