Truth Is Not Ice Cream; Faith Is Not Wishing

INTRO
o  TRUTH is not like ice-cream
o  FAITH is not like "wishing"
o  lets begin with a statement... "Butter Pecan ice cream is delicious"... is that statement TRUE or FALSE?...

1. TRUTH IS NOT ICE-CREAM

  o  are you troubled in any way that other people in the room disagree with you and think that your truth claim about ice cream flavors is wrong?

  o  two kinds of claims...
        >  you're not really talking about ice cream... your talking about yourself, YOUR opinions and  YOUR preferences.  Its "SUBJECTIVE"
        >  Butter Pecan ice cream is a medicine that cures diabetes... now this claim is different.  Its not about me and my preferences, this is an "OBJECTIVE" claim that is either truth or false.

  o  two ways for things to be true...
        >  in an ice cream way:  true for you, not for me, there is no right and wrong answer, its SUBJECTIVE
        >  in an insulin way:  it is OBJECTIVELY true, facts and reason are involved.  There is an ACTUAL right and wrong

  o  there is much confusion on this issue... our culture wants to treat religious and moral claims in an "ice cream way" instead of in an "insulin way".

  o Our culture no longer argues that Christianity is not true... they treat it as true, FOR YOU... but NOT for them

  o Pluralism = all religions are true
        >  this would mean that we know for sure, and that God is content with ANY sincere effort
        >  no religions lead to God, because religion is just a game we play to make us feel better... its merely a religious "placebo"
        >  If religion is just a "placebo" then its true, we shouldn't try and convince someone that our flavor of ice cream is best.

  o  Ice cream or Insulin?
        >  If Christianity is like insulin, then whats most important is that we share whats true, not just what you or I may like.  If someone doesn't like that Jesus is "the only way", I'm not free to change that truth... I'm not free to make my own rules... Jesus has made the claim, the universe is His, and He decides who goes to heaven NOT me!
        >  If Christianity is true in an insulin way, it means that there are many other views that are simply FALSE

  o  How should I choose a "belief system"?
        >  find something you like
        >  find something that makes you feel good
        >  only ONE reason to choose a "belief system"... because its TRUE!

  o What is truth?
        >  "There is no truth"... is that true?
        >  its not just my opinion or belief
        >  we believe its true, its factual, its actual, it applies to all people or all times and of all places

  o Our claim: Christianity is TRUE!... not in an ice-cream (or subjective) way, but in an insulin (or objective or actual) way
        >  Jesus is NOT ice-cream... don't treat Him like He is your "flavor" ("try Jesus, you'll like Him")
        >  He IS insulin... He is the only medicine that can save your life!
        >  People hear us claim Jesus is the only way, and what THEY HEAR is that "if you don't like my flavor of ice-cream your going to hell" and that sounds ridiculous!
        >  we need to help people understand that we are making an "insulin kind of claim"...
        >  In church history Christians have been willing to die for what they believed to be ACTUALLY true.

2. FAITH IS NOT WISHING

  o "Faith" is deeply misunderstood.  When people hear "faith", what they think is "religious wishful thinking"... "leap of faith"... "blind faith"... unsubstantiated.  People think "faith" is what you have when you don't have the facts.

  o Biblical faith... evidence, leading to knowledge, leading to active TRUST
        >  Heb 11:1  "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen"
        >  scratch off lottery ticket illustration... hope & assurance

  o The biblical sequence.
        >  evidence... knowledge... active TRUST
        >  I see evidence that flying on a plane is safe, that leads to my knowledge about plane safety, that leads to me putting my active trust in the flight by getting on the plane

  o Biblical examples... (evidence, knowledge, active trust)
        >  #1 MOSES "…that you may know…"  (Exodus 4-14)
        >  #2 ELIJAH "…that this people may know…"  (1 Kings 18:20-40)
        >  #3 JESUS "…in order that you may know…"  (Mark 2:1-12)
        >  #4 PETER "...know for certain..."  (Acts 2:36)

  o With the Holy Spirit you can win someone to Christ with an intellectual argument. It happens all the time.

3. CONSLUSION
  o  Knowledge, Confidence, and Courage (2 Timothy 1:7,8,14)

  o  2 Tim 1:7, 8, 14
    7 For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment
    8 So don't be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God,
    14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us, that good thing entrusted to you

Scripture Passage of the Week:

you can listen to the audio here -->  http://audio.xanga.com/Eek_71/df84d1872385/audio.html

I am both glad and disappointed to be finishing up 14 weeks in Colossians.  Glad because it have been such a rich and rewarding book and it is satisfying to have finished teaching all the way through it.  On the other hand its a little sad, like leaving a beloved friend.  It has been so exciting every week to look forward to unfolding fresh truths regarding the supremacy of Christ that now that we are done it makes you miss it already.  Anyway, I hope our teens appreciated this book, and appreciated the study of the supremacy of Christ every week.

Again, I am grateful for the work of John MacArthur and James Macdonald who were my primary sources for preparing this series.

With a Little Help From My Friends
[ The Surpassing Supremacy of Jesus Christ #14 ]
Colossians 4:7-18

INTRO:
Paul was a great man, greatly used of the Lord but he didn't do it alone... No one can do it alone... We're not supposed to!
 

1.  Tychicus - Lesson: READY TO SERVE
  • 4:7-8  “a loved brother, a faithful servant, a fellow slave in the Lord…”
  • Tychicus is a man with a SERVANTS HEART
  • Acts 20:4;  Titus 3:12;  2 Tim 4:12

2.  Onesimus - Lesson: GOD IS GOOD
  • 4:9  “He is with Onesimus, a faithful and loved brother,…”
  • Onesimus is a man with a SINFUL PAST... But now he's FORGIVEN

3.  Aristarchus - Lesson: WILLING TO SUFFER
  • 4:10a  “Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you,…”
  • Aristarchus is a man with a SYMPATHETIC HEART
  • Acts 19:24-26, 29;  20:4;  27:4

4.  John Mark - Lesson: ITS NEVER TOO LATE
  • 4:10b  “…as does Mark… if he comes to you, welcome him”
  • John Mark is the man with a SURPRISING FUTURE
  • Acts 15:36;  1 Pet 5:13;  2 Tim 4:11

5.  Jesus Justus - Lesson: SOURCE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
  • 4:11  “... my co-workers for the..., they have been a comfort to me.”
  • Justus is the man with a STRONG COMITTMENT

6.  Epaphras - Lesson: SERIOUS ABOUT PRAYER
  • 4:12-13  “He is always contending for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills."
  • Epaphras is the man with a SINGLE PASSION

7.  Luke - Lesson: A VOCATION DEDICATED TO CHRIST
  • 4:14a  “Luke, the loved physician,…”
  • Luke is the man wirth a SPECIALIZED TALENT.

8.  Demas - Lesson: FINISH STRONG
  • 4:14b  “and Demas greet you”
  • Demas is the man with a SAD FUTURE
  • 2 Tim 4:9-10

9.  Nympha - Lesson: USE WHAT I HAVE
  • 4:15  “...and to Nympha and the church in her house”
  • Nympha is a person with SOMETHING TO GIVE

CONCLUSION
  • Col 4:16-18
  • this is what Paul said about his partners in ministry... What would your partners here at Calvary say about you?...
  • finally… (1) read the Word, (2) fulfill your ministry, (3) lets cultivate grace with each other!

Lessons in Ministry
Mark 6:6-13
Pastor Dennis Rost

INTRO:
• God uses ordinary people to do His work in the world. His strategy is one of winning the lost, training them, and then sending them out to repeat the process.
• Here, in Mark 6, we have the opportunity to listen in on the last minute instructions Jesus had for His disciples as He sent them out. But first…
      >  He called them unto Himself (to be with Him; Mark 3:14)
      >  They watched Him do ministry.
      >  He sent them out to do ministry
      >  CBC's mission: Know, Grow, Go!
• ...But how?

1.  He sent them out in pairs: a lesson in PARTNERING
    • vs 7
    • His plan would be accomplished in relationship with others. By going out in groups of two, they would not be able to minister to as many people, but Jesus continually emphasized the importance of relationship.
      >  You cannot become a MATURE Christian by yourself.
      >  You cannot become an OBEDIENT Christian by yourself.
      >  You cannot become a CONTAGIOUS, FRUIT-BEARING, DISCIPLE-MAKING Christian by yourself

2.  He sent them out with only minimal provisions: a lesson in TRUST
    • vs 8
    • God says, “You obey, I'll provide.” A lot of “stuff” can be a distraction…

3.  He sent them out with instructions to find a worthy host and then to stay put: a lesson in CONTENTMENT
    • vs 10
    • To be seeking “greener pastures” could be a distraction as well as an offense.
    • items #2 & 3 apply only to this particular instance... missionaries today are indeed allowed to take "provisions" and find their own home.

4.  He sent them out with instruction on how to deal with rejection: a lesson in JUDGMENT
    • vs 11
    • this is a vivid gesture.  its says "I am leaving you in the same state as before I arrived".  It is to leave them in their own lost state
    • Once the messenger's responsibility had been fulfilled, those who rejected the message had no excuse (READ Acts 13:51).
    • You are not responsible for the RESPONSES of others.  We are not responsible for results but for faithfulness.

5.  He sent them out with a specific message (Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand-cp. Matt. 10:7): a lesson in MISSION
    • Jesus is King!
    • In light of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, it is essential that every person repent (Phi. 2:9-11; Acts 17: 30,31).

6.  He sent them out with ability to show compassion: a lesson in STRATEGY.
    • They not only preached, but also touched people at their point of physical need. To minister to physical and material needs of people is not the mission, but it can be an aid in accomplishing the mission. It is important, however, that “the tail doesn't wag the dog.”

CONCLUSION
• The very same Jesus that sent them out has also called you and sent you out. So what's holding you back? Get off the bench and get into the game!
• If your saved its because you've been called, if you've been called its a call to service... God wants to use you, get busy in the work of the Gospel!

Quote of the Week:

"I believe in the sun even when its not shining... I believe in love even when I don't feel it... I believe in God even when He is silent"  -  scribbled on the wall of a cell in a Nazi concentration camp

you can listen to the audio here --> http://audio.xanga.com/Eek_71/871511808863/audio.html

The Christ Centered Home
[ The Surpassing Supremacy of Jesus Christ #12 ]
Colossians 3:18 - 4:1

INTRO:
  • When Gods people truly consider and live in the light of the supremacy of Jesus Christ what does it look like in the home?  in the family?  in your workplace?
  • the major social problem facing society is the inability of people to get along... When a person becomes a Christian the new pattern for relationships becomes Christ... and everything changes as our world begins to revolve around Him (instead of ourselves or something else).
  • Christians are to have relationships that affect society... The early Christians insisted on bringing all of life under the lordship of Christ..

1.  WIVES follow Gods order  through SUBMISSION    (vs 18)
  • compare Eph 5:22-24
  • "be submissive to" = to willingly place yourself under the authority of another
        >  example: submission to authority in the military
        >  the Trinity is equal... but the Spirit submits to Jesus, and Jesus submits to the Father
        >   wives are to place themselves under the authority and protection and care of their husband
  • IF this verse is culturally outdated... Is the command of vs 19 for husbands to love their wives also culturally outdated???
  • some misconceptions about submission
        >  does not in any way imply inferiority.
        >  does not mean all men, but to YOUR own husband
        >  submission is not absolute

2.  HUSBANDS follow Gods order through LOVE    (vs 19)
  • compare Eph 5:25
  • Obviously, in spite of the failings of the church, Christ has continually loved her with grace and forgiving mercy and thus has never become bitter because of the church's many sins (Eph 5:25)
  • God designed that a wife's submission operate within a context of love. In that way she is protected because a man who truly loves his wife would never force her to submit to something humiliating, degrading, or that violates her conscience. The godly husband loves his wife like Christ loves the church (see also 1 Cor 7:33-34)
  • "don't become bitter" = embittered... a word picture... don't your wife "honey", and then act like vinegar
  • love your wife... ONE women for life... how?
        >  spend time with her
        >  listen to her
        >  pray with her (spiritual oneness is essential)
        >  talk to her (reveal yourself)
        >  lead her  (set the example).

3.  CHILDREN follow Gods order through OBEDIENCE    (vs 20)
  • compare Eph 6:1
  • Disobedience to parents marks the UNGODLY (2 Tim 3:2; Rom 1:30� see also Exo 20:12)
  • see Prov 30:17  (consider this when you roll your eyes at your parents)
  • the three  rules of  obedience
        >  do what your told
        >  do it immediately
        >  do it with a good attitude
  • what tools do the parents have to help them be obedient
        >  the rod (Prob 13:24, only for rebellion, never for mistakes, mever in anger, always explain, spank, then restore)
        >  reproof
        >  removal of freedom
        >  responsibility
  • "this is pleasing in the Lord" = The motive for obedience

4.  PARENTS follow Gods order through BALANCE    (vs 21)
  • compare Eph 6:4
  • Parents can take the heart out of their children by failing to discipline them lovingly and instruct them in the ways of the Lord with BALANCE... EXCESS is what breaks a child's spirit.  Some examples of imbalance...
        >  overprotection
        >  favoritism
        >  failure to listen (lack of appreciation)
        >  unrealistic goals
        >  failure to show affection
        >  failure to provide for their needs (privacy, a place to play, clean clothes, a place to study, their own possessions, and good meals)
        >  lack of standards (failure to discipline)
        >  unhelpful criticism
        >  neglect
        >  excessive discipline

5.  WORKERS follow Gods order through EXCELLENCE    (vs 22-25)
  • Christian servants are to please the Lord by working with sincerity of heart, and reverence for the Lord. Holding God and His will in high regard is the RIGHT MOTIVE. They are to put their whole inner man into the effort (heartily) and serve their boss as they would the Lord Himself.

6.  BOSSES follow Gods order through JUSTICE    (4:1)
  • On the other side of the relationship, bosses are to treat their workers with the justice and fairness they expect to receive from their Master in heaven... They should treat their employees like they desire the Lord Jesus to treat them.
  • REMINDER, just as in vs 11, servants and masters are spiritually EQUAL in Christ. Bosses must accordingly treat their Christian workers as brothers in Christ, enacting toward them all the virtues required for holy fellowship.

CONCLUSION
  • If all Christians displayed the characteristics of relationships as embodied in the principles of this text, the results would be dramatic. Believers would indeed become lights shining in the darkness.
  • Fulfill your role... Do what Gods has told you to do!...
  • Where is God convicting you?... Wives... husbands... Children... Parents... Workers... Bosses...

Intro:
• how easy it is to hear a message of truth & it be dismissed b/c we dont like the message
• Could the real issue be one of willful unbelief? It seems evident that people both then and now are interested in someone who will supply their needs and heal their hurts, but are totally opposed to a message of sin and guilt and condemnation, even when it is accompanied by the gospel of forgiveness and salvation and new life in Christ.
• Spiritual life change is not popular doctrine…

1.  The PRIVILEGE of the People
  • Jesus has come home to Nazareth…again.
      >  HOME TOWN BOY makes good.
      >  Holy Son of God gives a SECOND CHANCE (see Luke 4:14-30... they attempted to throw Him off a cliff)
  • Note:  Jesus believes in second chances!
  • Warning:  This is Nazareth's LAST chance. He never returned there again
      >  There is a line by us unseen... that crosses every path... The hidden boundary between... God's mercy and His wrath

2.  The PERPLEXITY of the People
  • They were confused... the people had heard all about His many miracles, and as they listened to His teaching they were AMAZED at His wisdom
  • The question that was foremost in each person's mind (and on many lips as well) was “WHERE DID HE GET HIS WISDOM AND HIS MIRACLE WORKING ABILITY?”
  • He had grown up in Nazareth, and they knew His family, and so they reasoned that He was NO DIFFERENT than them.
  • small issues can became great excuses for unbelief!

3.  The PERVERSITY of the People
  • “And they took offense at Him.”...
  • vs 3 "offended" = a stumbling stone
  •  There were really only three possibilities as to where He got His wisdom and power:
      >  either it was from MAN,
      >  or from GOD,
      >  or from SATAN.
      >  They ruled out the possibility of men as the source, for they knew He had no formal schooling.
      >  They also ruled out the possibility that His abilities were from God… but why?
  • Answer:  THEY were opposed TO HIM because HIS MESSAGE was opposed TO THEM. They could not see their sin and their need to repent; they just wanted to see MIRACLES. (lookup John 3:19-20)

4.  The POVERTY of the People
  • They were poor in what they GAVE.
      >  no HONOR, no WORSHIP
      >  no FAITH
  • They were poor in what they RECEIVED.
      >  limited HEALINGS
      >  limited INSTRUCTION (He never returned)
  • principle:  God has chosen to limit His working due to our lack of faith, or to abundantly work in response to great faith.
  • vs 6 Jesus was AMAZED by their UNBELIEF (compare to Matt 8:10)

CONCLUSION
  • God deals with us according to our faith... Do things Gods way & TRUST Him for the results
  •  “Unto you, therefore, who believe He is precious…”  (1 Peter 2:7 KJV)

Intro:
• hymn "Faith is the Victory"... Faith really is the critical element that connects us to God
• Jairus was the leader of the synagogue, and his bosses were the men who were opposing Jesus and even plotting to kill Him. Jairus had already seen the power of Jesus (Mark 1:21-28), and now he had a big-time need that Jesus alone could meet. He determines that his faith in Jesus is stronger than his fear of the Pharisees.
• Faith is critical...

1. Tested by DELAY
  • vs. 25-34
  • notice how desperate Jairus is (vs 22-23), how great his need was (vs 23)...
  • the press of the CROWD
  • the plight of the WOMEN

2. Tested by DEATH
  • v. 35
  • “Your daughter has died”…. Surely the most gut-wrenching words he had ever heard. Hope is crushed…
  • we tend to think death is the end, faith transcends what seems hopeless

3. Tested by DERISION
  • vs. 36-40
  • the funeral had begun...
  • "sleeping" = she was actually dead but Jesus wanted to highlight the temporary nature of her condition... He is about to do something...
  • The people laugh at the very idea that the girl would ever walk and talk and breathe again.
  • As in the case of Jairus, our faith is sometimes assaulted so fiercely that it seems impossible that Jesus can or will do anything to help. Yet it was Jesus who said “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). Furthermore, Jesus is working in times like these…

4. Reinforced by the PROMISE of Jesus
  • v. 36
  • words of COMFORT and COUNSEL
  • words of ASSURANCE   (cp. Luke 8:50)

5. Reinforced by the PRESENCE of Jesus
  • vs. 37-39
  • He personally went with them. He didn't merely send a disciple or a helper. When it was announced that the girl had died, Jesus didn't awkwardly excuse Himself and go home.
  • Jesus is a PERSONAL God

6. Reinforced by the POWER of Jesus
  • vs 40-43
  • v 40   He PUT OUT the mockers.
  • v 40   He GATHERED family and friends to Himself... He is in control.
  • v 40   They ENTERED the child's room
  • vs 41-42   He HEALED her and RAISED her from the dead.

Points to Ponder:
1.  Delay does not equal DENIAL
2.  Sometimes Jesus purposefully delays in meeting our needs because He wants to do a GREATER miracle rather than a LESSER one.
3.  When your faith is assaulted, don't assume that Jesus is UNINVOLVED or absent.
4.  Faith means a lot; but faith in Jesus means EVERYTHING.