“Our Real Roots”
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 2:10

Introduction: Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of The Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians? The other three believed in the Bible as the divine truth, they believed in the God of scripture, and they believed in His personal intervention! This congress also formed the American Bible Society…. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of the Bible for the people of the nation.
We don’t read this in our history books. We don’t see this lived out in our government much anymore. On this Fourth of July weekend Sunday, I want to talk a little about what are our real roots as a country, and even more, what are our real roots as a creation; as a people whom God created. In understanding this, we can understand our place and role in this world so much more.

I. Signers of Declaration of Independence-
I would like to start by giving you some quotes from those who signed the
Declaration of Independence. I want to do this because I want us to understand that we truly were established to be a country that depended on God. I want us to understand that we have gone far away from what was intended by those who created this country. I want us to understand that when the founders set up separation between church and state, it was not to keep the church out of government, but to keep the government out of the church.
In England they had seen the king become too involved in the affairs and the politics of the church. The king tried to control the faith and practice of the people. The king had gotten too much control over the church. So those who established this nation wanted to make sure that the church led the government, not the other way around!
Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, 'Give me liberty or give me death.' But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted. Here is what he said in full: 'An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.' The following year, 1776, he wrote this 'It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ…’
The nation was founded by Christians, based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Where do you find that in the history books? Unfortunately you don’t.
Consider these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote on the front of his well-worn Bible: 'I am a Christian, that is to say a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrine of Jesus also.'
How much different would our country be if we truly were united in our Creator, and let the scriptures guide us as a society?
George Washington, the Father of our Nation, in his farewell speech on September 19, 1796 said: 'It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can’t be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.'
Why has the morality of our nation become so bad? Because we are no longer a nation that seeks to follow Jesus Christ; we no longer support the Ten Commandments being placed in courts; we no longer have leaders who are being led by God.
Consider these words by John Adams, our second president, who also served as chairman of the American Bible Society. In an address to military leaders he said, 'We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'
We can understand, by these words, why those who are not Christians struggle to be governed under Christian principles, and why throughout the years have sought to change the way our society is governed. It should not surprise us then how laws are being changed, where you no longer pray in school, and why saying ‘under God’ in the pledge of allegiance has been challenged!
John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was the sixth U.S. President.
He was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role. On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, 'The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.'
Connecting the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity was an important step for the founders of our nation. That is our real roots. That is from where we came. That was to be the goal for this nation.

II. Creation of God- (Romans 13:1-7; Eph. 2:10; 1 Jn. 1:9; Matt. 22:37-40)

a. The government- So when we hear the apostle Paul talking in
Romans, chapter 13 about the role of government, we should understand that even before our nation was established on God’s word, our world was! If you were to ask God what design He wanted for the world, it would be for the world to be established under His authority, and to be ruled by His word.
Hearing again Romans 13:1-5, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.”
It is not difficult to be subject to the governing of those who are following God. It is not difficult to follow those who have been established by God. We would see less problems in our world if we were first and foremost subject to God, and then to our governing leaders, who set up laws in accordance with God’s word.
When people govern with love, and morality, and wisdom, and godly leadership, people are much more willing to be obedient. And when they are not, there is some judgment given. As Paul says, you don’t need to fear punishment if you do what is right. It is only those who rebel against the laws God has established who need to be fearful.
Even more forceful than the laws, should be our conscience. God has given us our conscience to help us know when we do wrong. When we do wrong, our conscience gives us feelings of guilt. This guilt is to lead us to the foot of the cross where we confess our sins. And we know, as 1 John 1:9 tells us, that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Our guilt leads us to confession, our confession brings us forgiveness, and then our guilt should be gone, as it has served its purpose!
b. God’s workmanship- We really need to go back to the roots of
creation. Something we should know so well, but often forget. For what purpose did God create us? Jesus said it best in Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” We were created for relationship. To be in relationship with God, and to be in relationship with each other.
We best live in these relationships when we are guided and governed by the word of God. Our independence was fought for, because these rights were being denied to the people. Later on, when we had our Civil War, it was because others rights were again being denied. The relationships that had been established were not of God; not of what creation was to be about.
Along with these relationships, we were put on this earth to be productive. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” What are the good works we are called to do? Love God and love others. Now if you take this thinking to the governing principles, we see that we govern based on our relationship to God. People in leadership should understand that they have a responsibility to govern as God would have them govern!
Our governing system is to be representative. The leaders are supposed to “represent” the people. But even more, they are to represent God. Remember Romans 13:4? It says, “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good…” They are not to represent themselves. They are to represent God, and in so doing will represent the good of the people! Oh how I wish this were true of our government!!

Conclusion: Fourth of July is about freedom. Those who fought for our freedom, and who continue to fight for our freedom. But at the core of this freedom is the understanding that we are to live for God, and govern for God, and love for God.
I truly believe that these important ideals of our nation have been eroded over time. Did you know that in 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading was outlawed as unconstitutional in the public school system? The court offered this justification: 'If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could and have been psychologically harmful to children.' Bible reading is now unconstitutional in the schools, even though the Bible was quoted 94 percent of the time by those who wrote our constitution and shaped our Nation and its system of education and justice and government.
One of the songs people sing on and around the Fourth of July is “God Bless America.” But how can He bless a Nation that has departed so far from Him? Much of what really happened in the establishing of our nation has been erased from our textbooks. Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots.
What we have seen happen has largely happened because we as Christians have let it happen. We are the ones who vote in the politicians, and then allow them to stay. We are the ones who don’t make our voice known, even though we live in a government system that encourages us to make our voice known. Let us be a people, a church, that seeks to again re-establish Christian principles in our own lives, in our community, in our schools, in our government, and in our nation. Let us get back to our ‘real roots.’ Amen.

“Living for God in a Pagan Culture”
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Jeremiah 29:4-14

Introduction:
What if you had to live in a foreign country? How would you feel about that? For some it would be exciting; they would jump at the chance. What if you weren't given a choice? What if you were uprooted from where you live now, and taken by force to another place against your will? How would you deal with that? Would you get depressed? Would you try to escape? OR, Would you try to make the best of it?
This is exactly what happened to the Jews in Jeremiah's time. The Babylonians came and attacked them and then took them into exile. Here they were living in a foreign land against their will. Three years after they were taken into exile, Jeremiah writes this letter to the people, for God. In it there is some bad news (this captivity will last for 70 years), but also words of hope.
The truth is, in many ways we too live in a foreign land, not by our own choosing. The world we live in is a post-Christian world. The world does not hold to the values, and morals, and choices that we as God's children do.
In today’s postmodern age, many people view life as meaningless because science has failed to solve all the problems, and man’s attempts at utopia have failed. Relativism now reigns and relies on constantly shifting “feel good,” “anything goes” values, rather than the fixed point of absolute truth.
This morning I would like to talk about 4 ways this passage in Jeremiah not only helped the Jews, but can also help us learn how to "Live for God in a pagan culture."

I. Be Faithful in the Ordinary- (Jeremiah 29:4-6)

Jeremiah starts his letter by telling the people to "be faithful in the ordinary things of life."
vss. 5-6 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and
eat what (you) produce. Marry and have sons and daughters..."
In other words, start living life as normal. Make the best of the situation around you, because dwelling on it won't change it; being depressed about it won't change it. If you want to better the situation you are in, then you have to live the life that is in front of you. As you do this, God will bless you and help you to move forward.
You are still God's children, Jeremiah is saying, and can still enjoy your life where you are. You still can make an impact in the lives of those around you. And the best way to start to do this is to live normal, ordinary lives. Do the little things that you would normally do. Build a house, plant gardens, get married, have children.../ There is a quote which says: "So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip." (1001 Humorous Illus., p.54, #111)
The way we live in the little things of life tells a lot about who we are as people; as followers of Jesus Christ; as people seeking to make our lives count.
Jeremiah tells the people that God's instruction begins with the basics; the basics of living life. How we live every day should be of primary concern. If we focus first and foremost on who we are and what we believe, then that will shape the way we live, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.
It is easy to look around us and get discouraged by society; to get overwhelmed by the thought of fighting against this pagan culture. When we let ourselves get overwhelmed and discouraged, we lose sight of the basic pursuit of living our daily lives in a way that glorifies God. Living faithful ordinary lives is a spiritual pursuit as well. It is a spiritual pursuit because God cares about what we do in the ordinary things of life!

II. Engage Babylon- (Jeremiah 29:7; Romans 13:1)

Jeremiah then tells the people not to settle for just focusing on themselves. This was where they were to start, but there was more; they needed to next engage themselves in the life and the welfare of the government.
Jer. 29:7 says,- "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city...Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
Illustration, "John Wycliffe," The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, p.449.
John Wycliffe was a visionary who lived in the fourteenth century. He was a very determined man. He could not bear the thought that the Bible could remain chained to the pulpit, where only the priests could read it and understand it.. He believed that God’s word needed to get out to the people of the world; especially those who did not have easy access to it! At this time the Bible had not been translated to the common language, but only the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, and then also Latin. So he started to translate the Old and New Testaments into common English. This was a major undertaking, not only in how big the endeavor was, but it was done with much verbal assault against him. The Church did not want him to do this. But he stayed the course, AND when it was done he said to his enemies: “THIS BIBLE IS TRANSLATED AND SHALL MAKE POSSIBLE A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE.”
Little did Wycliffe know that 500 years later a new government would be established in America with the flyleaf from this Bible with these words on it, at the battlefield of Gettysburg, where President Lincoln would say: “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
John Wycliffe was one who sought to get God's word to the people for the purpose of making the government, and ultimately the lives of people better. We are called to pray for our leaders and for the prosperity of our system. We are called to engage ourselves in our world, not to be like our world, but to make it a better place for all to live.
Romans 13:1- "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established..."
We should pray that God would not only be with our leaders, but in our leaders. We pray that the government would truly be something that is established and led by God. We pray for Godly wisdom for those who lead, so that they might lead with Godly authority. And in this way we engage our Babylon.

III. Be Discerning- (Jeremiah 29:8-9; John 16:13)

Jeremiah goes on to warn the people of false prophets who lead them astray./ Jeremiah 29:8 "...`Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you..."/
Because of their situation, they wanted to have hope; hope that they would get out of this mess, and could get back to their homeland. The false prophets were giving the people false hope by telling them that all would be well and that they would be going home soon. But this was not the truth.
Sometimes having false hope can be worse than having no hope at all, because when you realize that what you were hoping for will not happen, you are stripped away of all your hope. This is because you have turned away from God, the One in which hope is found, and turned to some other source for hope. When this other source proves unfaithful, you become lost!
Have you ever believed something, not because it was true, but because it was what you wanted to hear?/ We have all had times when we believe because it is what we want, rather than what is true. Jeremiah tells the people that discernment, Godly discernment, is needed at all times if we are to live each day faithfully to God.
Illus. (Limp Understanding) “1001 Humorous Illus.”, p.133, #321
There is a story of A surgeon who was discussing a case with medical students:
He said, "The muscle in the patient's right leg has contracted
until it is shorter than the left. Therefore, he limps. What would you do in such a circumstance?" A student raised his hand and answered, "I'd limp too."
When we don't have knowledge, understanding, and Godly discernment, we believe as others believe; we live as others live; we seek the world instead of God.
How do we come to have discernment?
John 16:13- Jesus says, "But when He, the Spirit
of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own; He will speak only
what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come."
When we ask Jesus Christ to be our savior and Lord, our life is never the same. Our sins are forgiven and removed, we become children of God, and we are given God's Spirit, who guides us into the knowledge, and understanding, and discernment of the truth of God. When we have this kind of discernment we are led to hope!

IV. Be People of Hope- (Jeremiah 29:10-14; Hebrews 12:2)

Up to this point, the news in Jeremiah's letter has not been that great. They have been told that their exile will last 70 years. They have been told to do their best and engage the enemy. They have been told that there are false prophets giving them false hope. But then Jeremiah gives them the hope that can only come from God.
Jeremiah 29:10-11- "This is what the Lord says: `When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come
to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you
back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future."
WORDS OF HOPE.
This is what the Lord says. The Lord Himself is telling the people of what is to be. The Lord assures the people that the will of God will be fulfilled. It is a plan of hope; a plan to prosper them; a plan that has a future.
And so therefore, as people of a God of hope, Jeremiah says, “be people of hope.” Live with hope believing that deliverance will come.
Here are some Tough Questions- 1. How often do we think that evil is greater than good? 2. How often do we think that God is not really alive because is seems like evil is winning out?
3. How often do we think that our hope is weak because we don't see signs of God being victorious over the evil around us?
This happens when we take our eyes off the target. Our eyes need to stay focused on Jesus Christ, who points the way for us.
As Hebrews 12:2 says- "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfector of our faith, who for
the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God."
When Jesus was on the cross, all hope seemed lost, but He endured so that we might have life eternal. It is when we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith that we keep the hope even when we live in a pagan world; we keep the hope even though we get discouraged; we keep the hope because we know that God has plans for us. Plans to prosper us, and plans for a great future. Amen? Amen!

Conclusion: Poem: "Who Is To Blame?" from …Tardy Oxcart, p.152, by Chuck Swindoll
‘We read in the papers And hear on the air Of killing and stealing and crime everywhere.
We sigh and say, as we notice the trend, This young generation... Where will it end?
But can we be sure that it’s their fault alone? Are we less guilty, who place in their way; Too many things that lead them astray? Too much money, too much idle time; Too many movies of passion and crime. Too many books not fit to be read; Too much evil in what they hear said.
Too many children encouraged to roam; Too many parents who won’t stay home.Kids don’t make the movies, they don’t write the books. They don’t print….pictures of gangsters and crooks. They don’t make the liquor, they don’t run the bars; They don’t make the laws, and they don’t make the cars.They don’t peddle the drugs, that muddle the brain;That’s all done by older folks, greedy for gain.Deliquent teenagers, oh how we condemn, The sins of the nation and blame it on them.By the laws of the blameless, the savior made known;Who is there among us to cast the first stone?For in so many cases -- It’s sad -- But it’s true --The title Deliquent fits older folks too !
Times may seem dark and the evil around us might seem to be pervasive, but that is only an illusion. God remains God, and we must not lose faith in God's power. Let us focus on ourselves first, our children, and grandchildren second, and then the world. Let us let God lead us as a church in how we can impact the children and youth of our church and in how we can begin to make an impact in our community for God.
Example- It is like an airplane flying. If you think about it too much, it might seem impossible. How can a Boeing 747, weighing nearly one million pounds, ever get off the ground? Nothing that big could suspend itself in air. Feathery birds can fly but not massive tubes of metal. Nope, it just can't happen. It's impossible. 500 tons of shiny steel will never be airborne. When an aircraft moves down a runway the air pressure around the wings changes. The air moving over the rounded surface on the topside of the wing is forced to travel in a curve. As it does, its air speed increases which causes the air pressure to drop. Meanwhile, on the bottom side of the wing, the air moves in a straight line and, because it's moving slower than the air on top of the wing, the pressure is intensified. Now, here's where it really gets exciting! Any high-pressure area always moves toward a low-pressure area. Meaning, the underneath-air pushes up on the wings trying to get to the area over the wings. Therefore, the faster the 747 rolls down the runway, the greater the pressure on the bottom of the wings. And the greater the underside-pressure the more lift to the aircraft. As the jet increases its speed there's more and more pressure pushing on the bottom of the wings. And in moments, bingo! One million pounds of 747 lift off the ground.
The role of the church--God's handmade instrument to engage and change the culture--is not dissimilar to this principle of flight. Everything tells you it's impossible, there's too much opposition; the odds are against us.This Master Builder has issued an iron-clad guarantee: "The gates of Hell will not prevail against it." This is His church, and His promise is irrefutable. As a church, if we keep moving down the runway, the physics God has created will come true, and we will lift off to do great works for God, even in a pagan culture. SO, let us seek to pray for our leaders, and vote in a way that makes a difference. Let us be people of faith, and hope, and love. Let us be a people who live for God in a pagan culture! Amen.

“Created in His Image”
Genesis 1:26-31
Sunday, June 19, 2011 (Father’s Day)

Introduction: “Encouraging Words,” by Barbara Johnson
“Someone said that encouragement is simply reminding a person of the "shoulders" he's standing on; the heritage he's been given. That's what happened when a young man, the son of a star baseball player, was drafted by one of the minor league teams. As hard as he tried, his first season was disappointing, and by midseason he expected to be released any day.The coaches were bewildered by his failure because he possessed all the characteristics of a superb athlete, but he couldn't seem to incorporate those advantages into a coordinated effort. He seemed to have become disconnected from his potential. His future seemed darkest one day when he had already struck out his first time at bat. Then he stepped up to the batter's box again and quickly ran up two strikes. The catcher called a time-out and trotted to the pitcher's mound for a conference. While they were busy the umpire, standing behind the plate, spoke casually to this young man. Then play resumed, the next pitch was thrown - and the young man hit a home run.
That was the turning point. From then on, he played the game with a new confidence that quickly drew the attention of the major league team. Soon after he was called up to the majors. On the day he was leaving, one of his coaches asked him what had caused such a turnaround. The young man replied that it was the encouraging remark the umpire had made to him. The young man said: "He told me I reminded him of all the times he had stood behind my dad in the batter's box. He said I was holding the bat just the way Dad had held it. And he told me, 'I can see his genes in you; you have your father's arms.' After that, whenever I swung the bat, I just imagined I was using Dad's arms instead of my own."
This morning we will look at the importance of giving encouraging words; the importance of how we are created in God’s image, and understanding what this means for our lives.

I. Words are Powerful- (Ephesians 4:29; 6:4)
a. Longing to be accepted- The truth is, we all long to be accepted by
others. First and foremost, whether we admit it or not, we want to be accepted by our parents and our family. Too many people live in a family that struggles to be encouraging to one another. While we don’t have a negative environment in our house, I see how it is all too easy for my kids to say mean things to each other. And that is true in most families, where too many people live in an environment where there is negativity, and putdowns. When we miss out on our parent’s approval, it can have a tremendous negative impact on our lives.
I’m sure many of you could stand up right now and give story after story of the struggles you have had to find acceptance and approval. Even when we are older, and have moved away from our families, we still desire this acceptance. In fact, I have had many counseling sessions where people are struggling with their self-esteem because they did not get this approval from their father, or mother when they were young. It forever nags at them.
We need to understand that words are powerful! You have heard the old adage: ‘Sticks and stones will break your bones, but words can never hurt you.’ But this is not true. Words can hurt us a lot, and can affect a person deeply. Words can cause deep pain and scars.
At one particular Weight Watchers meeting, the people were talking
about what to do when people said something negative or mean to them. For
example, if someone said: ‘I can’t believe you ate that whole thing!’ The
responses could be: ‘Well, I just got a double dose of nutrition.’ OR
‘I believe in finishing what you started.’ OR ‘My parents didn’t raise
a quitter.’ OR ‘Now I have more room in the fridge now for healthy foods.’
(Amusing Grace, p. 366; #1251)
Now this is a humorous way to try and put aside words that are actually hurtful. But the better way for us, is to be a people that seeks to not be hurtful with our words.
b. Words that build up- In the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, Paul is
trying to help people understand what it means to live in unity; what it means to live a new life in Christ, and what the rules are for this new life we have in Christ. In verse 29, Paul states the importance of our words, when he says: “Let no unwholesome words proceed from your mouth, but only that which is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.”
The apostle Paul is telling us that we should shun all bad language, especially that which is hurtful to others. We should speak words that are encouraging and helpful and that build up. All other words are worthless. We should figure out what the need is, and come up with those words that will give grace. Now, this doesn’t mean that we can’t challenge others, or seek to keep others accountable, or confront others when they have done us wrong. But it is to be done with love, and with words that bring grace, and words that are meant to help and build the person up so that they might live a better life.
As today is Father’s Day, it is important to realize that in our society, one of the great challenges, is that there are too fathers who are either not in their children’s lives, or who provoke their children. The call of a father is to teach, and love, and encourage, and build up. Why are so many fathers not doing this? Why do we allow this as a society?
Ephesians 6:4 says: “And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
So the challenge to us fathers here today is to bring up our children with words of instruction; instruction from the Lord. And all of us can help to do this, in that the kids who don’t have fathers need extra love and instruction. Too many fathers in our world don’t follow the Lord, so they aren’t following the pattern of what it means to be a father; they aren’t teaching their children with the instruction of the Lord! As a church, we need to make sure all children who come to our church have this love, and encouragement, and instruction!
It would be nice to live in a world where all fathers were present and loving and teaching their children about the Lord. It would be nice to live in a world where fathers were a positive influence and a good example to their children. But this is not the case. So what are we to do?

II. Created in His Image- (Genesis 1:28-31; Psalm 139:13-14)
a. In His Image- The first and most important step is to understand who
we are. We are children of God, created by God, created in the image of God. Let’s read it again; Genesis 1:26- “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;… So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.”
Let us look briefly at several important aspects mentioned here…
1. God said- First of all we see that it was God who had the idea to create
us; GOD SAID. This idea was an idea for relationship; a relationship that is personal. It is to be a relationship that is more special than the relationship God has with the other parts of creation, because through this idea of creating man and woman, God was forming creatures that could relate to Him, and someone who could be His image in the world.
2. Let us make- Secondly, there is the idea of making. God says, “Let us
make.” When you make something, it takes thought, and energy, and care. God personally was going to make humankind; it was His doing. It was not a haphazard event, but was something that was well planned out. We were to be made with purpose and direction. We were to be made with a call (‘to be fruitful and multiply’ and ‘to govern the world and all that is in it.’) And we were given the promise of God’s provision; God would provide for us all that we need.
3. God created- Last, we see God taking the actual step of creating man and
woman. We need to appreciate how God not only could have the idea, but the power to follow through on this idea. God is the creator, and we are the creation. In the likeness and the image of God we were created. God wanted to make us like Him, with the abilities of being loving, and giving, and thinking, and speaking, and reasoning, and creative, and with a spirit to connect with God’s Spirit. And we can’t forget that God not only loved us enough to create us, but God loved us enough to send His son to die for us and redeem us from our sin!
b. God saw…and it was very good- God thought of the idea to make us
special; to make us like Himself, and then took the initiative to make it happen. After it happened, God looked at His creation and saw that it was very good. As a father, I remember seeing my children after they were born, and there was this incredible feeling of how wonderful they were. I remember thinking: ‘THIS IS GOOD.’ They looked perfect to me in every way!
You know, one of the great issues that people struggle with in our society is self-image. That is why words can hurt so deeply, because people are already having thoughts of inadequacy, so it doesn’t take much for someone to say something that will push them deeper into this hole.
The God who created this whole universe, the all-powerful God, created you and me, and when He sees what He created, He says, “HE/SHE IS VERY GOOD!” One of my favorite Bible verses comes from Psalm 139:13-14, “For it was You, O God, who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb, I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works.”
Isn’t this a wonderful picture of how special we are?! These are indeed words of encouragement. Whether you have a father who loves you and is there for you, or you don’t have a father who is present in your life, we all have a heavenly Father who loves us and is there for us. We also have a heavenly Father who gives us a great example of how we are to love our children, and praise our children.

III. Do the Works I Do- (John 14:12)
a. Fulfilling our potential- Rudyard Kipling once said: “Gardens are not
made by singing, ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” The implication here is that to grow a garden you must put effort and work into it. Actually, you need to put the right kind of work and care into it. There are many who work hard and can still kill a garden. For us to be fully ‘in the image’ of God we need to live out what God teaches us. We also need people in our lives who help us to see what it looks like to ‘be in the image of God!’ This is what makes life special; this is what makes life worthwhile; this is what really motivates us to get the most out of our lives.
Jesus said in the gospel of John 14:12, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” Like the young baseball player, who fulfilled his potential because of what the umpire said to him about being like his father, we too fulfill our potential when we remember that we are made in the image of the Father, God. In seeking to be like Him, thinking about our arms being His arms, and our hands being His hands, and our mouths being His mouth, we can do even great works than Jesus!
Do you believe this?
b. Doing great works- To believe it we have to understand it. So let’s
take our last few moments to try and understand it. What does Jesus mean that we can do greater works than He did? I mean, Jesus did some amazing things. As we talked about last week, He walked on water; He fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish; He raised a young man from the dead. And so much more!
First, Jesus healed people. Just as Jesus healed people, so too we are called to
heal people. Now, as soon as I say this, I’m sure your quick response would be: ‘I could never do that!’ And that is true, you could never do that on your own. But if God wanted you to heal someone, with God’s help, and God’s power, You could heal someone. Remember, as we talked about last week, because Jesus left this earth, He gave us the Spirit of God to be with us; to be IN us. With God’s Spirit in us, we have the power of God available to us, and we can do what God calls us to do.
Second, as Jesus preached the Good News of God’s love. We too are called to share this Good News. We have the ability to tell people about Jesus Christ. To tell them that Jesus was not just some person that lived a long time ago, but that Jesus was God in the flesh, and how He came to this earth, and died for our sins, and through faith in Jesus our sins are forgiven and wiped clean. We can tell someone about this Good News so that they can be saved. In truth, there is nothing more powerful than a life that is saved. With our technology we can get this message to the world!
Third, Jesus tells us that when we pray, God will hear our prayers and answer our prayers. We are called to pray in the will of God, and when we do this, our prayers will be powerful. In this way we can be like Jesus, knowing God’s will through prayer, and doing God’s will by prayer.
Fourth, Jesus showed us who God is by the way he lived His life. We too can live in a way that shows others who God is. In this way we can show how we are created in the image of God. Through us, the world can catch a glimpse of God!

Conclusion: There is an old Chinese proverb which says: “If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for ten years, plant trees. If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people.”
Too often we are short sighted, not allowing ourselves to see the big picture. We fail to understand our lives in the broad scheme, but instead get too caught up in the immediate future, maybe not even looking past today. The truth is, God’s vision is for eternity, and that is why God created people. When we let ourselves get down and discouraged, it is because we have forgotten that we have been created in the image of God, for His good purposes, and that it will take a liftetime to live out.
I hope that you have a good family structure, and that this Father’s Day is one that brings good thoughts and memories. I hope you have (or if your father is dead, had) a father who loves you. If you do, treasure who your father is. If you don’t, let this Father’s Day be a day you give yourself to God all the more and thank Him for creating you, and loving you. Don’t forget, you were created in His image. Amen.

“Insight”
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Pentecost Sunday: Mark 6:45-52

Introduction: Danny Dutton, third grader from Chula Vista, CA. His assignment was to “Explain God.” This is what he wrote:
One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things on Earth.
He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way, He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk, He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.
God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime.
God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.
God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere,, which keeps him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.
Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church.
Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him.
But He was good and kind like His Father, and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them, and God said OK.
His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore, He could stay in heaven. So He did.
And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.
You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.
You should always go to Church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God.
Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong! And, besides, the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.
If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can.
It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark, or when you can't swim very good and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.
But you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases. And that's why I believe in God.
If I were to ask you to explain God, would that be easy or hard for you? One of the challenges we face as followers of God is to have the right ‘insight’ into God so that we can know God and trust God, which leads us to ultimately follow God. We have the Bible, God’s word, but we can still get very confused and lack understanding.
This morning as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, we see that it is only by the filling of the Holy Spirit that we can come to have the Insight we need to believe, understand, and follow.

I. Not Understanding- (Mark 6:45-52)
a. Jesus Prays- In the Mark 6:45-52 passage we see how Jesus, after
a hard afternoon of ministry, goes off to pray. Jesus did this because He knew that He needed to regularly be filled with power so He could continue the work He was called to do, and He knew that the way to make this happen was by being connected to the Father through prayer! But another reason Jesus prayed regularly is to make sure He knew the will of the Father so that He could faithfully carry out this will.
Although Jesus was God in the flesh, there were still some human limitations. He wanted to be sure that the things He was doing and saying were the things He came to this earth to do. He wanted to make sure He was fulfilling His calling. To do this Jesus needed to consistently gain the right INSIGHT into what He was to do!
We see that praying was a regular practice with Jesus. When Jesus had to choose the 12 disciples that He would have follow Him as His inner circle, Jesus went off to pray. After times of ministry, like here where Jesus fed the 5000, He went off to pray. Before Jesus started His ministry, after He was baptized, He went into the desert to pray and commune with the Father. Before He was to be arrested and crucified, Jesus went off to pray. Jesus knew that prayer was the way to fully connect with the Father, and receive insight. JESUS GIVES US A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF HOW WE GAIN INSIGHT THROUGH PRAYER.
b. Disciples Fail to Understand- After Jesus is done praying He
decides to go to the other side of the lake. The disciples are in the middle of the lake on the boat. Jesus doesn’t walk around the lake but instead walks across the water. The scripture says in verse 48, “…Jesus intended to pass them by.” But the disciples see Jesus walking on the water, and it frightens them. This is not surprising, since I’m sure it would frighten us as well to see someone in the middle of the night walking on the water! This is not a normal occurrence. I don’t know about you, but I have never seen anyone walk on the water, and up to this point neither had the disciples.
At the end of verse 52 there is an interesting phrase, which says: “for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”
This is an interesting phrase because it tells us that all that Jesus did was tied together. When Jesus fed the 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, it was a show of Jesus’ power and was meant to show who He was; the Messiah; the Son of God. Jesus walking on the water was meant to again show them who He was; it wasn’t just so that Jesus could get to the other side faster; it wasn’t so just could save Himself some energy by not having to walk all the way around the lake.
Yet, in the midst of the disciples being eyewitnesses to these events, they failed to understand; they failed to have INSIGHT. They couldn’t see past the physical so that they could understand the things of God. This is partly because they weren’t filled with the Holy Spirit to help them have this insight. We will talk about this more in a little bit.

II. Going Through Life with Your Eyes Closed- (mark 6:51-52)
a. Failure to see-This might surprise you, but we actually go through
about half of our waking life with our eyes closed!! How is that? Well, we blink about 25 times every minute. Each blink takes about one-fifth of a second. Therefore, our eyes are closed about 30 seconds of every minute.
But even more importantly, many people go through life with their eyes closed because they fail to really “see” the world around them; they fail to see the real truth of this world. They might observe things on the surface, but fail to see what is underneath. They might focus on images, but fail to see the issues. They may have the ability to physically see with their eyes, but their perception is lacking. If life were a painting, they would see the colors, but fail to see the genius of the stokes of the brush. If life were a symphony, they might hear that there are notes being played, but fail to detect the real beauty of how those notes fit together to form a masterpiece. They might know who Jesus Christ is, but fail to receive the saving grace of the cross that leads to eternal life!
Without ‘insight’ their life becomes reduced to existence with frequent flashes of boredom and indifference. Isn’t this true, that so many people seem to feel bored or indifferent about life? It is because they lack insight.
b. The importance of insight- Those without insight dwell mainly in
the realm of the obvious…the expected…the essentials. They are interested in the dimensions of length, and width, but not depth. Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a critique of those who cannot go deeper, but of those who choose to not go deeper. It is not about inability, but about refusal. All people have the ability to go a little deeper, but many refuse to do this!
Going back to the disciples, we need to understand that they were able to understand, but they didn’t allow themselves to expand their minds in this way. Maybe it was too overwhelming for them. Maybe it was too much beyond their expectations. But for whatever reason, the scripture says that their hearts were hardened, and they chose to not understand.
This is true of you and me. In those times we choose to not seek understanding, in those times we choose to not open our minds to the things of God, our hearts become hard and we will fail to see; fail to have the needed insight.

III. Do We See?- (Hebrews 5:11-14)
a. The rebuke- Mark Twain once said: “When I read the Bible, the parts that trouble me most are not the ones I don’t understand, but the ones I do understand.”
The writer in Hebrews, in chapter 5, verses 11-12 gives us a rebuke for those times we fail to seek to understand; fail to seek to grow and apply the knowledge we gain from God’s word. He says this: “About this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you…”
What he is saying is that they had been Christians for some time, and they had received much teaching. With all of this time and teaching they should have grown to the point where they were able to teach God’s word themselves. Yet, the writer is saying that there was still much they didn’t understand. They were still struggling along in their understanding of God’s truths.
Many of us have read the Bible, and heard the Bible taught. This teaching is not to be ignored, or put aside, but to be applied to our lives. We need to take what we see and hear and experience of God’s word, and put it into practice into our lives. When we do this, we will indeed teach others, and we will understand all the more. We fail to do this when we fail to use the insight God gives to us.
b. The challenge- The challenge is to allow the word of God to
penetrate our minds and our hearts so that we can move forward in our faith and become mature. Hebrews 5:14 says: “But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.”
Maturity is the result of mixing insight with practice. It is the ability to discern between good and evil; right and wrong. It is having trained senses so that you can discern what God would have you do, and what God would not have you do. When we are able to do this, the rewards are great!
What are the rewards? SEEING THE NEEDS OF OTHERS AND STEPPING OUT TO HELP THEM; discerning God’s will; BEING SENSITIVE AND CARING; being led to pray often and with depth; as I said before, the ability to DISCERN GOOD FROM EVIL; being able to apply God’s word to your every day life (being able to know how/ what you are learning fits into what you are experiencing)……
EX. Let’s say that you are learning Spanish. You talk about it in class and read about it in the book. You practice the tenses and the verbs. Then you get out into the world and someone starts speaking Spanish to you. You understand a few of the words, but most go by too quickly. Then you answer them with broken Spanish.
I believe it is similar as we learn God’s word. Let’s say you read about loving others in the Bible. Then you go out into the world, and there are situations all around you that could lead you to step out in love, but they are not obvious: you meet a stranger who wants to tell you their problems, but you don’t have the time to listen; a co-worker is having trouble at work, but you are caught up in what you have to do, and fail to recognize this as an opportunity to love. This is why we need insight!!

IV. Insight and the Holy Spirit- (John 16:12-15, 3:12)
a. When the Holy Spirit comes- The truth is, we cannot have real
insight, or understand the scriptures fully, or become mature Christians without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In John 16:13 Jesus says: “When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth…”
The Spirit of Truth is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is helping us to understand that the Spirit of God is there for us to know the truth. Because Satan is always trying to trick us and deceive us, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us to God’s truth. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to bring God’s revelation to us; to help us know the voice of God, and the mind of God, and the way of God. In the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 12 Jesus said these words to Nicodemus: “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”
It is true that there is much on earth that we do not understand. It makes sense that the things of heaven, which would be very foreign to us, would be even harder to understand.
Think about doctors for a moment about how we go to doctors when we are sick thinking they will be able to first tell us what is wrong with us, and then second give us a cure for our ailment. How surprised we are when they are faced with a problem that they cannot solve. I had a friend once who went into the hospital and almost died. The doctors ran test after test after test not being able to figure out what was wrong with him. In time he got better and was released from the hospital, but not because of anything the doctors had done. They never knew the answer to the earthly problem of what was wrong, or how he got better!
b. Filled with the Holy Spirit- So Jesus lets us know that we will not
be left alone to figure out the answers for ourselves. After Jesus left the earth the Holy Spirit came to be with us, and guide us, and fill us!
Jesus explains it to us in John 16:7, “…it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” The Holy Spirit existed before Pentecost, and was active before Pentecost, but Pentecost Sunday is about remembering that Jesus has provided the way for us to be saved through His sacrifice on the cross AND so that we could be filled with the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit). It is by Jesus’ death and resurrection that we can be made clean, and in this place we can have God’s Spirit reside in us. With God’s Spirit we have the power of God and the insight of God.
This is important, because we do not want to go through life with our eyes closed, or just going through the motions, but rather seeking to live life to the fullest.

Conclusion: There are definitely times in our lives where we dwell on the surface, not in the depths; where we just seek to exist, just hoping for the bare essentials, instead of seeking the true joy of life. Too much of life is wasted on not understanding who God is, and what God has for us to experience.
If you want more for your life, and I hope that you do, then you can have more by asking God to fill You with His Spirit. It is much the same as asking Jesus to be Your Savior and Lord. You simply say: “God, by the power of Jesus Christ, who is my Savior and Lord, I ask that You would now fill me with Your Spirit of truth. Touch me in the depth of my soul and spirit with Your Spirit, the Spirit that empowers me and gives me understanding.”
Each day when you wake up, start the morning by asking God to fill you all the more with His Spirit; the Spirit of truth; the Spirit who gives us insight into God’s word, and this life that we live. Amen.