God Goes Before Us!
When I got home on Sunday, I began to kick myself for missing an illustration within the sermon. I was telling this to my wife and she says: “2nd look honey – just put it there.” She’s so smart!
So here it is.
You may remember from the sermon that I tried to build a case that like the Israelites – we have God going before us, and that our task is to follow. I also pointed us to the fact that when God makes His calling upon us: the big life callings; and the small everyday decision kinds of callings – He is with us and goes before us.
Because I have come out of a background of addiction; this is often something close to my mind, but did you know there is a Scripture that talks about God going before us in relation to temptation? Here it is:
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
This verse has been hugely powerful to me through the years. What does it say? Every man will be tempted; every one of us. It’s not a question of IF but a question of WHEN. For me as a recovering addict, I would look at this verse and say – “ok so this is natural to be tempted. It’s normal, it’s human and yet God calls me not to go down this road. So do I battle this temptation alone?” Look at the next part of the verse:
“But when you are tempted He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
God will provide a way out. He has gone ahead to open the door for us. Soon my battle with addiction took on a new emphasis. It wasn’t just – how do I say no to my temptation – it was now – where’s the exit. Oh Lord give me the strength to choose this way out that you have provided, over the destructive addictive behavior I desperately want to choose!
Even in this verse we see a picture of God going with us and before us. I truly hope that you are reminded just How great our God is this week. He has an intention for you, and I truly believe He goes ahead of you to see this intention become true. Like I said at the end of the sermon: “We often wonder if God will show up – but the reality is: He’s already there – will we show up?!?”
May God bless you this week
Pastor Ryan
Fear God
“When we approach God – the only accurate and healthy option is fear.”
The neighborhood I grew up in was on a hill. My best friend, Chris, lived at the top, I lived on the bottom. I would often go to Chris’s house after school – we’d watch MTV – pretend to do homework – play video games and eat whatever was in sight. Hey Michelle, if you ever read this – I owe you dinner.
Anyway – it was very typical for me, when I went to Chris’s house, to take my skateboard with me and when I went home I’d ride. In those days all of us traveled by skateboard. The ride from Chris’s house to mine was about a quarter of a mile – most of it straight downhill. You could really get flying on the way by crouching real low on your board – thus decreasing your drag and rocket downhill – watching the asphalt rush by you like a river below your feet. The danger of falling was always very real but that is what made it exciting.
One day – we were at Chris’s house and we all decided to ride down the hill to my house – Chris was out of food. 🙂 So we all grabbed our boards and headed out. But before we left Chris told us that he had been thinking of doing an experiment. He was a math whiz – computer and science genius, but after this day I learned even though you may have a high IQ it doesn’t mean you’re smart. Chris had been calculating and planning. He believed he could ride down this hill balancing on his skateboard with his knees. He was going to ride the hill kneeling!
We told him we thought this was a stupid idea. We called him names and said it would never work. Chris calmly argued using his reason and calculations he had made. He truly believed by properly apportioning his weight he could make up for the increase of speed and bumpiness in the ride. He also told us he would employ a technique of holding his arms out to his side using them like a balancing pole. He had it all figured out. There would be no swaying him from his mission. So we let it go.
We set off down the hill. There was Jeff, Chris and I. Jeff used the “crouching tiger” technique and blasted downhill at hair raising speed. I used a very casual slow weave technique pretending I was surfing a lazy wave. Both Jeff and I got to the bottom of the hill before Chris. We stopped and looked uphill. He had gotten about a quarter of the way down. His arms were straight like arrows pointed horizontally, mimicking the balancing pole. He was in his kneeling position; facing forward on his board with his lower legs and feet splayed behind him; resting on the backside of the board. He was going straight down the hill at a slower pace. Everything seemed to be going well until he started to gain speed.
He couldn’t weave to make his board slow down – or kick his board’s nose up to make the tail drag. He couldn’t put a foot down because he was on his knees. All he could do was submit to the fact the board was speeding up and he could do nothing to stop it. He would later tell me he wasn’t afraid of this because he knew it would happen and he would make proper adjustments . . . But what Chris did not account for was something the speed would do to his balance. As he went faster – the board began to wobble and weave below his knees. Normally, when you are standing you can adjust to this by bending your knees and using your legs like shock absorbers, but since Chris was only using the legs above his knees – he began to sway in his hips – which knocked off his balance.
Jeff and I stood at the bottom of the hill and watched as my friend’s experiment went terribly wrong. In a brief instant his board slightly snagged on something in the road and because it was already bobbing and weaving the wheel’s edge caught too much and sent the board twirling sideways from beneath his knees. Chris kept going however; inertia kicked in and he was propelled forward; knees down into the hard asphalt. We watched my friend bounce on his knees; then fly up and crash down again on those knees before he would roll into the curb. As the good friends we were – we raced to his rescue, and I’d like to say I didn’t laugh but approached him with concern and sympathy, but that would be a lie. I laughed the whole way there. I laughed for weeks afterwards. I’m still smiling today.
What was Chris’s mistake? He didn’t respect the hill. He didn’t respect the speed and what it would do to his balance. He didn’t respect and he paid dearly for it. Chris would ride that hill again. For him to never ride it would be an improper fear. Chris rode that hill on his feet. He rode it with respect because he now knew what could happen if he didn’t. After that day – Chris found that the only option he had when approaching the hill with his board – was fear and respect. With God it is the same way. We saw how the Israelites were encountering God and there was no option for them but fear. There was either the improper fear which leads to mistrust and distance from God – or there was proper fear which led to them not sinning; them living in respect and obedience. The hard part for us is that we Christians often forget that there is no option for us when we approach God. We may play games with God – don’t take Him seriously; offer Him part of our lives but not the whole; play “Good Christian” when others are watching and yet behind the scenes live with compromised integrity. We treat God like that hill – playing games – trusting our own intuition all the while heading for a crash – destructive consequences. We can get sucked into this idea that the way we live doesn’t matter to God now that we have Jesus and yet it seems nothing can be further from the truth.
To be sure – we are loved and forgiven because of Jesus and nothing will really take that away – and yet we are saved for a purpose. We are called to become more and more like Jesus and this movement involves obedience; and submission to God. This movement involves respect – reverence – fear. Here’s the question I want to leave you with to ponder this week:
What does your fear of God look like? Is it an improper fear that mistrusts God – fears Him and even looks at Him as a harsh father who seeks to hurt His children? Or is your fear a proper fear? Is it more about reverence, respect; obedience; and submission? This is a proper fear; knowing you owe everything to Him and He is absolutely worthy of your praise and obedience. Or perhaps you fall in the third category – where you don’t fear at all. In many ways you live as if God has redeemed you then lost interest. So now you can live for whatever you wish to live for. This may be a category that is more fraught with peril than the other two because we really don’t take into account whom we are messing with. Please don’t misunderstand – I’m not saying God is going to strike you down with a heart attack if you sin and are disobedient to Him – but He can. He is that powerful and wise. I think we go against His counsel and design to our own peril and yet we choose this path quite often. What fear do you have of God: improper; proper; or absent? Let this be a matter of discussion for you and the Lord this week.
May you be blessed in the Grace of God!
Pastor Ryan
Law vs. Grace
Contentment
My day has begun with a very reflective note. Tim Deaver sent me a link to a video about a man who stands outside one of the most “busy” abortion clinics in the US. This man has devoted himself to standing there and preaching and handing out booklets – praying for young women – and giving himself; rain or shine; to the defense of those who have no voice: the unborn. In the video we see this man faithfully standing there – not abusing people but offering the love of Christ and begging them to reconsider their actions. I have attached the link here. It’s about 8 minutes long, but very thought provoking.
This last Sunday we closed the service talking about contentment. The thought I shared was that our contentment is impacted greatly by our view of this life. Do we truly believe and live like this life is all there is? Because if we do – then of course we would want a bigger house – more fun – more money – more influence – a replacement of our spouse – better health – etc – and we might grow disillusioned or discontent with our lives as they currently are. It’s at those moments we become more susceptible to coveting what belongs to others and more susceptible to stealing – or lying – or adultery – or dropping our sabbath – or worshipping things that are man-made or created. Things can go sideways for us and at the heart is this question – do I believe and live like this world is all there is?
Or . . .
Do I believe there is a greater reality that is outside this world? Is there a kingdom being built on this earth that is eternal? If there is – then maybe some of the things we often get discontented with are actually not as important as we think. I’m not saying we should forget our jobs – our families – ditch out on our mortgages and stop paying taxes then move to a mountain convent somewhere; because “hey – this life isn’t that important.” No I’m not saying this. It’s important to pay our mortgages – pay our taxes, love our families – take care of our bodies – work hard – these are all good things; but sometimes they become more important than the calling of God in our lives. Sometimes our priorities are out of whack. We may work hard at our jobs but NOT because we see our job as a place where we can worship God – serve Him and share the gospel with others. Rather we work hard to build our own kingdom on earth; to amass wealth and influence. When we do this – things can go sideways. The question is – “What am I living for: this world – or for eternity?” Is eternity what drives our values and actions.
The Apostle Paul says: “Set your minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” I’ve heard some people say: “That boy is so heavenly minded he’s no earthly good.” But unfortunately what happens is – that many are so earthly minded they are no heavenly good. Do we see this life as all there is?
Now back to this guy in front of the abortion clinic. I see a story like this and I’m reminded of this reality: what it could look like for a man to get excited about doing eternal things. According to this video – since the guy started his ministry he’s helped save over a thousand babies and ministered to many pregnant women. Here’s a guy who is so heavenly minded he’s doing a lot of earthly good. It challenges me. I dream of seeing people get motivated to do eternal things while here on earth. I dream of being used by God to help people find God’s heavenly calling in their lives.
Do you have questions about God’s calling for you? Let’s talk about it. Call me – email me – let’s set up on appointment to sit down and discuss this. Take time to pray on this and ask God what His calling is for you but be warned – if you start looking for this – if you really take God seriously here and are willing to follow – HE WILL ANSWER YOU! It will be a ride – an adventure.
May God bless you this week!
Murder? Adultery?
Man this last Sunday felt heavy. I don’t know if you felt it – but this was one of the most challenging sermons I feel I’ve preached in a very long time. Not just because of the material itself but because of how God challenged me in preparing it. Let me explain…
And see the world through your eyes
I want to be your hands and feet
I want to live a life that leads
What does it mean to “honor your father and mother?”
Hi everyone,
I truly hope you had a wonderful sabbath celebration. If you joined us last Sunday then you may remember we spoke about our relationships with our parents and the 5th Commandment which is: “Honor your father and mother.” As I said – for some of us; this is a heavy commandment; one that involves pain – bitterness – regret – and all kinds of other feelings; and yet this is an area that I believe – if it is observed – can lead to a great deal of freedom and healing in our lives. It can lead to us walking unentangled with Christ and seeing a great deal of fruit produced. But as with many good things in this world – it doesn’t come easily. In fact – it may even feel impossible. You may find that in your heart there is no desire to honor your parents. All you may have there is a desire to HAVE a desire.
If this is true of you – then the very first place to begin is prayer. The Bible tells us God has placed His Spirit in your heart to re-form you into the image of Christ. The goal: We look more and more like Jesus. Jesus honored His Father – and His earthly parents. It wasn’t always easy. But God places His Spirit in your heart to make you open to the things that He wants. Maybe the very first place to begin is with prayer.
The tragedy of the Ten Commandments is that they are impossible to observe and that we are doomed to fail them. The beautiful truth of the Ten Commandments is that we are doomed to fail them . . . And God knew that. This is why He sent Jesus and why He puts His Spirit in our lives to walk with us to guide us; and to work His fruit in us. So naturally, the first place to turn with this issue is to Him. I want to invite you to let this be your prayer if you are struggling with this commandment – or any of God’s other commandments:
Dear Father God,
I recognize you are the Almighty Living God of the universe and there is none who equals You. I trust Your wisdom and Your love for me. I trust that You would invite me to a journey with You where I walk with hope; meaning and freedom. Thank You for all You’ve done for me.
Lord I need to confess that some of what You have called me to is difficult – and sometimes it feels impossible. This is where God, I need You to lead me by Your Spirit. Oh Father help me to follow You – to obey You – because right now there is a part of me that doesn’t want to. Please change my heart in this. Please help me desire what You desire. Please help me trust You when my desire isn’t there. And please remind me of the grace You’ve given me in Jesus. I thank You Jesus for dying for me on the cross; and I praise You because Your sacrifice is enough! Oh Lord may Your will be done in and through me. Be honored my King, my Savior, my God. I love You because You first loved me.
There have been multiple moments in my life where I have confronted callousness; deadness; numbness; belligerence and anger even towards God. Where I’ve had to ask God to accept that this is simply true of me and that I desperately needed Him to do some surgery on my heart – to change me and help me. God has shown up in those moments to begin new movements in my life – but sometimes the biggest thing is to simply be honest about where you are at. My hope and prayer for you this week – is for you to be reminded of God’s great love for you and His great wisdom that He truly knows the best way for us to live – and that God would give you desire and strength to follow Him.
Be Blessed Everyone,
Pastor Ryan
Celebrate the Sabbath!
Hi SNC friends!
This past week we talked about the 4th commandment – “The Sabbath.” At the end of the sermon I invited you to join me on an experiment of observing the Sabbath for a month. The first step is to decide which day you will observe as the Sabbath. It needs to be a day you can stop working; slow down in life and take time to rest; get refreshed and be attentive to God. This is going to require preparation and trust. One of the first suggestions I made was to take time to think about what is truly restful for you. My suggestion was to make a graph on a piece of paper with two columns. One column is labeled: “Restful activities;” the other column is labeled: “Not restful activities.” Then list activities in these columns – that you find yourself doing; that would fit into these categories. On your Sabbath day it might be advisable to do things that you find to be truly restful or refreshing for you.
Let me suggest that you join me this week in observing the Sabbath; and please make note of what kind of impact; if any at all; this practice has had for you. Was it difficult? What about it made this so? Was it restful for you? Not restful? Take time to make note of this and then let me know how it goes!
I have included a website with a few practical suggestions for how to approach Sabbath. May God bless you in your week ahead!
http://harriscreek.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/practicing-sabbath/
Pastor Ryan
How to worship God
Hello everyone,
We have pressed our way through the first three commandments. These are really all about how we approach God – what priority does He have in our life – how we are to worship Him and revere Him. One of the big emphases I’ve been trying to make is just how God’s commandments, to them, were truly unique in that day and age. The cultures around them did not worship God and did not worship the way He was calling the Israelites to. The Israelites were to be a light shining in the world – to show people the beauty of knowing the one true God – and that is why it was so important not to misuse His name.
Nowadays – we believe that we, as the Christian church, are God’s people. We are a light unto the world. Last Sunday I highlighted Hebrews 12:1 that says: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…”
The question with the ten commandments isn’t how do we make God pleased enough with us to let us into heaven; but rather it is – how do we run the race of life with God and not get ensnared; entangled and hindered? The ten commandments paints a picture of a life set apart with God – a life where we don’t get entangled.
As you proceed through this week – this is a question I’d like to invite you to take before the Lord. God, what is entangling me? Is there a god in my life I have worshipped? Is there an idol in my life, something created that I have come to worship instead of You? Is there something hindering me? My invitation to you is – if there is something; use this opportunity to bring this before the Lord and to help you move beyond this – and then get someone who’s involved at the church – someone you trust – get them involved; so they can pray for you and walk with you through this.
To be honest; this can be an extremely painful thing – it may involve us letting go of some things that feel sacred to us and yet these things have entangled us. The question is – how far are you willing to go to be free?
One last thing . . . I’ve attached (below) the lyrics to, perhaps, my favorite song of all time and a link to this song (click here). Whenever we talk about these issues – it’s important to be reminded of just how much God loves us and that even though we find that we truly are beggars at the foot of God’s door – we have found grace there. I pray these things will be at the forefront of your mind this week. Blessings!
Pastor Ryan
We Are the Beggars at the Foot of God’s Door
We are gathered in cathedrals on a Sunday
We are shrouded in our pride and lust’s despair
We have heard that You said to go to where your hearts once were
Trusting we’d arrive to find You there
We have known the empty senses of a funeral
We are haunted by the promises of death
We have asked to see Your face and noticed nothing
But a well-timed honest smile from a friend
Oh we of little faith
Oh You of stubborn grace
We are the beggars at the foot of God’s door
We have grown cold to the kisses of our lovers
We have rolled the windows up and driven though
the forests of the autumn
The innocence of snow
The metaphor of Jesus in the dew
We have known the heated passion of the cold night
We have sold ourselves to everything we hate
We’re hypocrites and politicians running from a fight
We’ve cheated on a very jealous mate
Oh we of little faith
Oh You of stubborn grace
We are the beggars at the foot of God’s door
Oh we of little faith
Oh You of stubborn grace
We are the beggars at the foot of God’s door
And You welcome us in
Freedom in the Law
Hello SNC family,
Isaiah’s Commission
Isaiah 6:1-8
1) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2) Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3) And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4) At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5) “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” 6) Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7) With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8) Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Hello everyone, I truly hope you are having a great start to your week. I can’t speak for everyone – but I know for myself – this last Sunday was a powerful reminder of how awesome and great our God is. If you are anything like me – then you have been someone who has tried to fit God in a tiny box – reducing Him to bite size level so that you can understand, manipulate, or just feel comfortable with Him. On Sunday I asked you to imagine you had wallet size photos and one of them was a picture of God. The question was – what does this picture look like? Many of us in the evangelical church have grown to really grasp a hold of God as loving; kind; patient and gracious – and to be sure; He is. But we often lose sight of this other side of God – powerful, mighty, majestic, just; a warrior. We can’t have one picture of God without the other or we run the risk of making Him an idol in our lives: a manmade god we worship. We need to have a picture of God that is as accurate as possible for our understanding, otherwise we begin to get in trouble.
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