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Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. 2 Samuel 18-19a Chet Phillips Download TranscriptMy name is Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. We'll be in second Samuel starting in chapter 18 I'm gonna take a moment to remind us how we got where we are this morning in this text and then we're gonna read the beginning of the text because It's gonna set us up well for understanding kind of the tension of what's happening here So we have David the Anointed blessed king over Israel That God went and found someone after his own heart to become king and that even has made a covenant with him That he's going to bless him that he's gonna give him sons to sit on the throne forever He's gonna work this blessing out in David's line David sins grievously against Bathsheba and Uriah and when the prophet Nathan speaks to him.He tells him that there's gonna be trouble that's going to arise out of this and we're in chapter 18 We're in the middle of some of that trouble David's oldest son Amnon had sexually assaulted his half sister who was Absalom's David's other sons whole sister and Absalom, because David does nothing, plots and murders his brother Amnon These are the two oldest sons of David. There was a third one, but he doesn't seem to be mentioned and it's likely he died Young so we've got the two oldest sons of David. Absalom then runs. He flees he's in exile for a while.Joab sees that this is distressing David. After a time, he helps bring back Absalom. Joab, that leader of David's army, Absalom comes back and eventually over time works up a rebellion Marches with the people of Israel claiming to be king on Jerusalem David flees, goes to Mahanaim. That's where we find him Now which is interesting That's where Ish-bosheth had set up his kingdom last time David was in the middle of a civil war and so David is in Mahanaim Absalom gathers the forces of Israel crosses over the Jordan towards David and that's where we pick up today Absalom is following Hushai's plan which was the one Hushai secretly on David's team which was don't go killing quickly; gather everybody and you lead the forces yourself.So we've got Absalom with a very large kind of conscripted army. All the people in Israel were prepared to fight but these guys would come fight when they need to and then go back David is with a smaller but more regular military and We pick up in verse one chapter 18 Then David mustered the men who were with him and Set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. It doesn't tell us how many that he has.But it does tell us that he has commanders of thousands and hundreds and that he splits them into thirds We're gonna see that in just a second so it seems like he does have several thousand men That's the standing army that left with him and David sent out the army one third under the command of Joab One third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah Joab's brother Which we've seen them lead his military before and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite Which we saw him join David with 600 of his own men as they were fleeing.And the king said to the men I myself will go out with you But the men said you will not go out for if we flee they will not care about us If half of us die they will not care about us But you are worth 10,000 of us therefore it's better that you send us help from the city So David says I'm going to and they say no, you're not because you're gonna make it more complicated They're only gonna care about you it matters a whole lot if they kill you it doesn't matter if they kill us if we flee They're just gonna be trying to find you like if We've got the whole point of us going out is to keep you alive for the sake of reestablishing control here.So stay and send help from the city organized from the city King said to them whatever seems best to you. I will do So the king stood the side of the gate while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands and the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom and All the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.So it becomes very clear to the entire army that David has instructed deal gently With Absalom for my sake now This is the tension in this story Because we have David referred to as the king the king the king the king and as king David Organizes his military and as king he sends them out to defend the kingdom and as king He is working to stop a rebellion As king he's bringing justice and righteousness and.Then at the end He doesn't sound like a king He sounds like a father So as he's sending out the military he says Deal gently with the young man Absalom because in his eyes that's still who he is He's a lad, that young man that's leading a rebellion against this Who's got a bigger army than y'all Who wishes to kill us. When y'all catch him but you'd be nice to him Be tender.Joab that's actually why I made you leader of the military because you're one of the most tender fellows. I know From what we know of Joab he is anything but gentle This is probably the only time David has ever given this instruction to his military leaders I don't think he was ever attacking the Amalekites and was like hey if you catch the king Because y'all it should be nice to him when you catch him. He just does this isn't normal.But it gets word through the whole because there's this tension with David where he's got to work justice He's got to be a king. He is the king and then but he loves his son Can you imagine trying to navigate this? How how do you How do you do that? How do you handle this when we see David trying to do both? He wants Absalom to lose But he doesn't want to lose Absalom.And he's trying to thread that needle So the army has verse six Went out into the field against Israel and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David and the loss there was great on that day 20,000 men The battle spread over the face of all the country and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.So they spread out they're in three different groups they fight They meet them on the field of battle, but it says specifically they're fighting in the forest of Ephraim And the forest kills more people than the sword does which is a very interesting verse I think all that's trying to communicate to you was not David if you talk to the to the to the David's army and you said how do they go how did it go.And they were basically saying the forest was more help to us than our sword was Like the forest won the battle for us more than the sword did meaning that the terrain benefited us greatly David has a more well trained military that has done more things and they're in a smaller group They don't want to meet on a field in the open Because sheer numbers will out Man them they'll just they'll lose just over time so what they do is they spread out and they fight in the woods and it works out Very well for them They do some of what a famous South Carolinians did during the Revolutionary War They were like yeah, we're not lining up and just shooting it y'all but every time you ride through the woods.Good luck and we're like we like y'all and we're gonna name colleges after you so that's That's what David that's what they do they they go hide in the woods and they fight in the woods And they say the woods the forest helped us more than the sword did today in 20,000 men die, but the The brunt of that is on the people of Israel not the David side And we're gonna see in just a second the the forest playing a very active role versus nine.And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David Okay, so David's not there, but Absalom is because Absalom's doing Hushai's plan which is you go yourself and Take everybody with you so Absalom's there and he comes across some of David's servants Absalom was riding on his mule and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak and his head Caught fast in the oak and he was suspended between heaven and earth while the mule that was under him went on Absalom sees some of David's men in the forest Most likely at this point Absalom's trying to get away so he spurs his mule. He's heading off I don't know if he was looking back It doesn't tell us it may be the mule just picked a spot that the mules head fit fine.So he just shoot under there Absalom gets his head caught in an oak tree now The word head here can mean it's actual head so it's possible that he got stuck in between some branches and it actually got around his neck His head is actually stuck wedged in somewhere It can also mean his hair and one of the things we know about Absalom other than he's the most handsome man You'd ever like to meet is it he has beautiful hair To the point that he cuts it once a year and weighs it and then Tells people about it.And it's written down forever and scripture for us how much was hair weight So it's possible that it says hair that got tangled up and then he's having to hold himself up And I don't know if you've ever been snagged on something, but it's not easy to get yourself out of it And he's now dangling from a tree and his mule's like well sorry You should have cut your hair before battle and heads up.So he's dangling from a tree and the forest is helping more than the sword at this moment Verse 10 and a certain man saw it and told Joab behold I saw Absalom hanging in an oak And Joab says what we would say Joab said to the man who told him what you saw him so he comes to report hey Hey, you remember the guy we're looking for? Absalom dangling from a tree over here It'd be like you know you're just one of the random guys you're walking along and then there's someone just dangling from a tree? It's like the guy we came for you guys. He's here That's what he does he's I see him and Joab says what you saw him? Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? Why are you telling me's in a tree? Why are you telling me he's dead?I would have been glad to give you 10 pieces of silver and a belt Yeah, 10 pieces of silver and a belt you guys But the man said to Joab even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver I would not reach out my hand against the king's son for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai for my sake protect the young man Absalom on the other hand if I had dealt Treacherously against his life and there's nothing hidden from the king then you yourself would have stood aloof.Joab said I will not not waste time with you waste time like this with you So Joab he says I saw Absalom hanging in a tree Joab says why didn't you kill him and then I would have given you 10 pieces of silver and a belt and the man says You could have given me a bag of a thousand pieces of silver I'm not killing the king's son after he told us not to and then he just keeps going He goes he told you and his brother and he had time and if I had killed him and the king found out later You're not gonna bow walking up in the middle of that and being like look at whose belt he's wearing You're gonna stand back and let me get killed. I know exactly and just like you just I don't know who this certain man was but I like him.Joab's like why didn't you just obey the king and this guy's like have you lost your mind and Just goes toe to toe with Joab and you haven't gotten anything to say except for I don't have time for this I'm not getting too big discussion with you about what I would have done later had I like what whatever So he just you know I believe I'm not waste time like this with you and he took three javelins in his hand.And he thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak so when Joab gets there Absalom Absalom still there they take three Throwing spears and thrust them into him and ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers Surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him Then Joab blew the trumpet and the troops came back from pursuing Israel for Joab restrained them So Joab does not follow the king's order He goes and brutally kills Absalom Throws three spears into him while he's dangling there cuts him down and then ten men who were with him Striking and killing.And then he blows the trumpet because that's all Joab wanted to do we got the guy that was causing problems The battle's over like y'all come back and without Absalom there's no rebellion It stopped And the throwing of the three spears makes it seem to me first of all Joab has no intention whatsoever of following David's command And it also feels Personal vindictive maybe and it doesn't tell us I think he probably had some enjoyment of finding him like that and then some anger towards Absalom he's Joab's the one who helped to bring Absalom back From exile Absalom when he was trying to get Joab's attention Joab wouldn't come so Absalom burned down Joab's field.Joab's on the run from Absalom has been expelled from his home and had to take his own family and his household with him and Seems to be he has no mercy in his heart for him and Absalom finds a gruesome end Now we know what David asked But there's part of me who can appreciate Feeling like yeah Absalom Caught what he deserved He's risen up in rebellion against his own back When when the original the when it was Ahithophel and Hushai were both giving him plans Ahithophel said we'll go tonight Just kill David and Absalom and thinks that's a good idea and then Hushai says no, we'll kill them all and Absalom thinks that's a better idea and When he dies like this there's part of me that just goes yeah.Feels like justice was served There's actually a passage in Deuteronomy that seems like he kind of lives out I want to show you what happens here next in verse 17 it says they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones And all Israel fled everyone to his own home Now Absalom and his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King's Valley for he said I have no son to keep my name and Remembrance he called the pillar after his own name and it is called Absalom's monument to this day We'll get to that in just a second.And Deuteronomy chapter 21 it says that if anyone is deserving of death and is hanged on a tree He's cursed by God and that you should remove him from the tree before nightfall And Absalom hanging on the tree now it just happens to him but it seems as if it's in God's Providence that this would happen and it's the same phrase that he's hanged on a tree That's what he says I found he's hanging on a tree cursed by God. He's killed and.Then the very next passage in Deuteronomy 21 says if you have a rebellious son He should be taken outside of the gates and stoned and they throw him in a pit and they throw a great heap of stones on him So that he somehow lives out Deuteronomy 21 both of the punishments and there's this He's very unceremoniously cared for he's dumped dumped in a pit stones are thrown on him and then it says hey While he was alive he made himself his own monument and what the the text is doing is going so Absalom has two stone monuments the one he made for himself and the one we made for him in the forest The one where he tried to honor himself and the one where he died in utter contempt and dishonor.We are told in the text previously that Absalom had three sons so we've seen at this point that they have all died in infancy You're at a young age so that they aren't able to carry his name on So his desire in pride to elevate himself has come to utter ruin But now we have to see what happens with David Verse 19 then Ahimaaz the son of a Zadok said let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.So Ahimaaz we met him earlier. He's one of the guys that hid in the well To bring news to David. He's been helping spy. He wants he says let me run and give him the news And Joab said to him you are not to carry news today You may carry news another day, but today you shall not you shall carry no news because the king's son is dead So Ahimaaz is excited he in his mind. He just says hey let's go tell him we won let's tell him that this is today is a great day.Then Joab said today's not gonna be a great day the king's son is dead. You don't need to carry news today And he says you can carry news another day. He's even like seems like he's trying to tell him as if it's like it's not you it just is the news. You don't need to carry it Verse 21 then Joab said to the Cushite go tell the king what you have seen The Cushite bowed before Joab and ran. I find this interaction interesting as well.So Joab looks at Ahimaaz and goes don't go deliver this news. It's not gonna go well. This is bad news and then he goes you there foreigner I got news for you to take to the king and It feels like At best what Joab is doing is you don't belong to the nation of Israel so you don't need to mourn with us But it worse he's just like if David decides to kill someone Non-covenant person I got a message for you which I wonder how the Cushite felt about that but he just says hey run this message.So the Cushite who's from the Egypt area He's gonna go so he says the Cushite bow before Joab and ran Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab come what may let me also run after the Cushite And Joab said why will you run my son seeing that you have no reward for the news Come what may he said I will run so he said to him run Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain and out ran the Cushite to Ahimaaz really wants to go Please please please He says whatever happens. I don't care what happens. Just let me go. Let me run after him. I'll just go behind him. Let me go.And then he doesn't go behind him he runs a different way and outruns him And I think maybe Ahimaaz just like running He also might just like to be in the middle of things. I don't know we don't we don't know But we know that he out runs the Cushite so he's gonna get there first But he said I don't care I don't care how he takes the news. I just want to go.Verse 24 now David was sitting between the two gates and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall When he lifted up his eyes and looked he saw a man running alone so there's outer gate outer wall Then a House something above the gate where you can sit and watch and there's an inter gate inter wall and David's in between pacing praying I don't know But he's just kind of this is where he is and he's waiting for news waiting they're keeping an eye out on what's going on watchman sees a runner.The watchman is verse 25 called out and told the king and the king said if he is alone There is news in his mouth and he drew near and near so they can see for quite a ways We don't know how far but he could be a mile away between like we he's you know You see someone running he says someone's running he's by himself He says well he's alone he's bringing news The whole army marching back would mean one thing people coming back in a little bunches would probably mean defeat you know.But just the guy running he's bringing us some information The watchman saw another man running and the watchman called to the gate and said see another man running alone The king said he also brings news Which he split his army into Thirds so to get news from different places. It's not odd to get news from the same place with the exact same time as odd but David doesn't know that's what's about to happen.The watchman said I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of a Zadok I think he's seen Ahimaaz run before this what part of what makes me think Ahimaaz likes to run or you know Ahimaaz does his hands weird when he runs or something. I don't know but he sees him and he's like that looks like Ahimaaz running And the king said he is a good man and comes with good news not maybe wishful thinking on David's part.But it also may be that he understands how Joab usually sends news and we just saw Joab say you're not allowed to bring news because this news is bad And maybe Joab has usually picks people to honor who get to go deliver good news So when he says oh, it's Ahimaaz this is gonna be good news That's the way David takes it Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king all is well and he's just run several miles and he's run fast because he outran the Cushite All is well as one word in in Hebrew says Shalom, but he says all is well and he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and he said Blessed be the Lord your God who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my Lord the king.And the king said is it well with the young man? Absalom So he says we won The news he gives is the news to the king justice was served But the king doesn't respond. I mean he is the King David, but he responds as the father. He got the king news and now he asks Is it well With Absalom Ahimaaz answered When Joab sent the king's servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.And the king said turn aside and stand here so he turned aside and stood still now Ahimaaz said twice come what may And as soon as he gets to come what may he does not tell him what happened to his son I Don't know if he changed his mind in the moment I don't know if he just wanted to be here and see it We don't know if he thought about it as he was out running the Cushite and he thought I don't know if it was when he gave the news the King David and King David doesn't respond with any sort of joy at hearing that he won but only asked about Absalom, but at this moment he just goes ah when I when I was there was the stuff going on, but I don't know.Hmm Then David says okay, we'll stand over here And then he sees a Cushite running Which I don't know if he knows him. I don't know how how that worked in their their army But he's coming up so he just has stand here and he's waiting for this piece of news And behold the Cushite came and the Cushite said good news from my Lord the king For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you I don't know if the Cushite did a double take when he saw him as.But he was the last time he had a conversation with a person he was talking to Joab who was talking to Ahimaaz and then he took off running and then when he shows up He sees David who's talking to Ahimaaz who's obviously been running I don't know if we play the game where it was like which one of us has just run six miles but she'd probably be able to figure it out Do the other ones hadn't and so I just want to hear if he was like, huh, and then just but he did his job.The king said to the Cushite Is it well with the young man? Absalom, I asked the exact same question and the Cushite answered may the enemies of my Lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man And the king was deeply moved Went up to the chamber over the gate and wept And as he went and he said oh my son, Absalom my son my son, Absalom Would that I had died instead of you? Oh, Absalom my son my son.So he gets the news we won Rebellion over God's given you victory God's with you and he gets the news your son is dead David's heart is broken And he just goes off It was told Joab the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people For they heard, for the people heard that day the king is grieving his son and the people stole into the city that day as people who steal in who are Shamed when they flee in battle and the king covered his face and the king cried with a loud voice Oh my son, Absalom my son David's gone up over the gatehouse and he's just weeping and he's covered his face and he's just he's broke.People hear it And they don't they don't just walk back into the city like anything good has happened They don't celebrate that they won they don't celebrate their deliverance It says they sneak in like people who lost people who don't want to make eye contact with you because they fled because they're ashamed of themselves So this this is how it comes back to the city Then Joab came into the house for the king and said you have today covered with shame The faces of all your servants who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives.And your concubines because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you You have made it clear today that the commanders and servants are nothing to you for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today Then you would have been pleased So Joab shows up walks right up and it says just Let's him have it and you can you can feel Joab's hurt a little bit. Joab is is David's nephew and he's been with him and everything.And Joab says I can tell now they don't matter like we don't matter if Absalom were alive and we were all dead this you wouldn't be acting like this Verse seven now therefore a rise Go out and speak kindly to your servants for I swear by the Lord if you do not go Not a man will stay with you this night and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate and the people were all told behold the king is sitting in the gate and All the people came before the king David hears Joab and he realizes he's right He goes out to the gate and he starts smoothing things back over No, Joab goes up to him and says you need to act like a king and David had just been acting like a father and There's this pull in the text Because how does David handle this well? If he only responded like a king If he looked at them as they were on their way out and said make sure Absalom doesn't last the day He'd be gone. Oh, I mean that's your son David Response in both ways he responds as a king at the end we see him sitting as a king.We see him weeping as a father if he only acts like a father then then it falls apart He doesn't handle his kingly duties. There's this tension here between the justice that needs to be carried out And the love that David has for his son and he's not able to to navigate it But how would you Your king your sons in rebellion against you. How do you navigate that? And I think as we're evaluating it we're trying to think through that I think different ones of us want to move the slider in different directions Some of us feel like yes, I don't know Can you march against your own son even though he's wrong? Maybe you don't Maybe David should just say Somebody else has got to lead this. I'm gonna step down from being king.And some of you are like that's crazy talk Get in He's causing more problems He's willing to kill you. He's wrong. I don't care that he's your son. He's chosen so many things that are wrong And we want to pull this back and forth and we have this tension between justice and love and mercy And it's not just in this story. I think this is the tension that runs throughout the Old Testament This story gives us a feel for it.But we're told that God has a glorious king who is perfect in justice and perfect in holiness created a world out of love, that he loves the world that he loves His creation that he loves Humans and we're told that we rebel We don't want his kingship. We don't want his love. We don't want him What does he do And you'll talk to people and then move that slider around Some people say why don't see why he can't just forget why can't he just love us if he loves us then he would just forgive us If there really is a God, then he's a loving God and he's a forgiving God and we're fine. It's fine He knows we're all human. He just is gonna. He's fine.And if you have a God of judgment or wrath or whatever you're confused because that's not what God's like And they just move the slider all the way over to loving father which we're told God is a loving father There's a problem with that Joab sees the problem. He says that son was gonna kill all your other sons That son was gonna kill all your children. So you're gonna kill your whole household.And it's easy if your life's been kind of calm and kind of nice and everything's been kind of and you just deal with Base level disagreements to go yeah, we're all the same and God loves us But if people have marched into your village and burned it down and raped all your family members If you've dealt with heinous wicked evil and then your answer is that God just kind of sleepily goes. It's okay That doesn't feel very loving How can he love us and not care.There's a scene in the movie Princess Bride where Princess Buttercup is being walked down the aisle, being forced to marry someone she doesn't want to marry she's walking this really old Nice king she gives him a kiss on the cheek and he says what was that for she says you've always been so nice to me And I'm not gonna see you again because after the wedding when I get to the honeymoon suite I'm gonna kill myself He pats her arm and says that's nice.And he looks at someone she kissed me and Some of us seem to be that's the God you're promoting No matter what happens you just kind of go that's nice. It's okay It's just vaguely kind And you've filed that under love, but he has no response to sin whatsoever There are others who are gonna slide it over and say no, he needs to bring justice He needs to destroy Wickedness and you'll hear people say why don't you just get rid of the bad people like why don't you just get rid of sin why doesn't he just get rid of it Because he'd have to get rid of people.And most of us want a God who judges we just want him to judge wherever the line is past us Do you know what I'm saying? I Like if I'm driving down the interstate and I'll come up behind you and you're not going as fast as me you are slow And if I'm driving up down the interstate and you come whipping up behind me you are fast Because I'm the pace car I'm driving appropriately that's the way we feel about justice That's the way we feel about mercy that's what I want the line to go right here past me Those people are the bad ones, but I'm not.And so we actually don't want a holy God we want him to be as holy as I am We don't want a just God we we want him just as holy and just as just as Get rid of the people I don't like and keeps me that's not how it works if you're going to stop the rebellion you stop the rebels And that's us you've actively made things worse. I've actively made things worse. I've been part of the problem I've been selfish I've lied I've harmed people I'm part of the problem I haven't just been an addition to the world I've taken away from it and if you think he's righteous If you think he's just and you go well, yeah, but like more good than bad that's not how justice works.That's not how judgment works If if there was a trial for a doctor who had been killing people that were his patients And his whole defense was yeah, I killed four people last year But I saved 22 So I'm a net 18 And I only killed the ones that annoying me Nobody the judges aren't gonna go well somebody that math is net 18 right okay Let him go That's not how it works That's not how justice works You don't want someone it character witness after someone has has assaulted your family and someone goes yeah, but he's like always paid his taxes Irrelevant. I don't care That's not how justice works and so when you say well I'm good over here and I'm good over here and I did this thing.But these other ones shouldn't count that's just because you want to draw the line in a place that's actually wicked Because we fail on holiness So to just forgive everybody is wrong And to just destroy everybody is right but it breaks the father's heart In this story The rebellion is over When we see the Son hanging on a tree and dying for his sin And in our story the rebellion gets to end when we see the Son hanging on a tree and dying not for his sin, but for ours.That's what God does God works out a way for his perfect love and his perfect justice to meet in a way that we could have never navigated For his perfect justice for wrath to be poured out for sin to be dealt with and his absolute love So that there might be hope rather than just getting rid of everybody And he does that in the cross that's where those two things meet in a way that is mind blowing and beautiful.So that in the cross God is more holy than you could have ever imagined to the point that his Son has to pay for the wrath But he's more loving than you could have ever understood because he's willing to pay for it so that we might be forgiven That's the hope of the cross and there is no other way There is no other way that it would have to deny the love of God or would have to deny the righteousness of God.But in the cross we have perfect love and perfect justice meeting in a way that is beyond our comprehension and when the soldiers have the right of it when they look at David and they say you're worth 10,000 of us Jesus Christ is worth 14 trillion of us so that he's capable of paying the debt So that he can save all those who come to him with his perfect Priceless blood he can pay the debt that we all deserve to pay and He can be the way that God pours out his justice and his wrath and his righteousness and his love.So that he can welcome sinners and have their debt covered So God for us is able to do what David couldn't figure out how to navigate and we see that he is perfectly just and Perfectly loving and therefore we have a hope but only only in Christ Let's pray Lord, we ask That you would set our hearts on fire with the beauty of the gospel that we at no point Would underestimate your holiness that we would not somehow tone you down or make you sleepier That we would not impose upon you some sort of wickedness that can turn a blind eye to sin.But that Lord we would also not in seeing your absolute justice Fail to see your wonderful love that reaches to the highest heavens that covers sin So Lord may we see both may we trust Jesus and may we glorify your name In Jesus' name The band's gonna come back up and we're gonna sing If you've never placed your faith in Jesus If you're counting on God being not that holy If you have a God who's only vaguely loving but doesn't deal with sin I will let you know that that is not the God of the Scriptures.But that you can have hope in Christ and if you've placed your faith in Christ Then rejoice That your hope is not found in you. It's not found in your work It's not found in your worth but it is found in the precious blood of Jesus that forgives sinners And may we sing like we're redeemed.

In today's episode, I sit down with grief coach and founder of Grace for Living After Loss, Kelli Nielsen — a woman who has walked through unthinkable heartbreak and still radiates hope.Kelli lost her mother to suicide shortly after leading her to Christ…Then months later, her teenage son died from an accidental overdose.She knows the depths of grief — and the path to rebuilding a life filled with purpose, joy, and peace.Kelli shares:

Main Points:如果 你已經與基督一同復活 然後：IF you have been raised with Christ THEN:尋求耶穌（1b節)  Seek Jesus (v. 1b)唯有衪（2-4節） And Him Alone (vv. 2-4)克制你的肉體（5-7節 ) Mortify your Flesh (vv. 5-7)脫去舊的生活（8-11節） Put Off the Old Life (vv. 8-11)穿上你的新生活（12-14節）Put On Your New Life (vv. 12-14)讓基督在你的情感中掌權（15節 ) Let Christ Rule in Your Affections (v. 15)讓基督的話語掌管你的生活（16節）Let the Word of Christ Rule in your Living (v. 16)凡事都要為神的榮耀而行（17節) Do All for God's Glory (v. 17)Application:確保你沒有融合的世界觀 Ensure you don't have a syncretistic worldview.在你生活的各個層面都相信神的話 Trust in God's Word in all areas of your life.從聖經的角度看問題、考驗和苦難 View problems, trials, and suffering Biblically.培養你的孩子擁有聖經的世界觀 Raise your children to have a Biblical worldview.從聖經的角度思考死亡和來世 Think Biblically about death and the afterlife.

Main Points:IF you have been raised with Christ THEN:Seek Jesus (v. 1b)And Him Alone (vv. 2-4)Mortify your Flesh (vv. 5-7)Put Off the Old Life (vv. 8-11)Put On Your New Life (vv. 12-14)Let Christ Rule in Your Affections (v. 15)Let the Word of Christ Rule in your Living (v. 16)Do All for God's Glory (v. 17)Application:Ensure you don't have a syncretistic worldview.Trust in God's Word in all areas of your life.View problems, trials, and suffering Biblically.Raise your children to have a Biblical worldview.Think Biblically about death and the afterlife.

Scriptures: Isaiah 40:1–12; Psalm 85; 2 Peter 3:8–18; Mark 1:1–9. | By: Matt Light | Topic: Waiting for Christ Then and Now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1. The OBSERVATION of Christ -Jesus, beholding him--2. The AFFECTION of Christ -loved him--3. The OCCASION of Christ -THEN...--4. The PROCLAMATION of Christ -v.21-

Do you want to follow Christ- Do you really want to follow Christ- Then you must be willing to take up your cross and deny your flesh, on a daily basis. This isn't a suggestion, but rather an instruction given by to His followers. When we take up our cross to follow Christ, it also comes with some direct benefits.

Talk 4. Living for Christ - what we should do for him Welcome to the fourth talk in our series on Themes from Colossians.   In Talk 1 we saw the Supremacy of Christ - who he is. In Talks 2&3 we considered our Freedom in Christ - what he has done for us. We saw that:   On the cross Jesus defeated the enemy He has redeemed us from his power He rescued us from his dominion   As a result He has forgiven our sins and set us free from the Law of the OT He has made us alive with Christ He has qualified us to share in his inheritance He has brought us into his kingdom He has given us fulness in Christ   Today and next time we'll be considering Living for Christ - what we should do for him. The passage we're considering today is Colossians 3:1-17   Colossians 3:1-4 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.   v 1  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ Then = therefore. Paul is referring back to what he's already taught about who Christ is and what he's done for us (cf. Talks 1-3).   The supremacy of Christ is summarized by: Christ is seated at the right hand of God (v 1)   What he has done for us is summarized in 3 different tenses: Past.   Present.   Future Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.   These wonderful facts must affect our entire way of thinking:   Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.   And a change of attitude will result in a change of action:   Colossians 3:5-9.   Things to be avoided Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices   Colossians 3:9-14.   Things to embrace 9. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.   But what's the secret to avoiding the bad and embracing the good? Notice what Paul says:   Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.   But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.   Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.   And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity   Notice that in telling us to do these things, he's telling us to do what we've already done!   9. …you have taken off your old self with its practices …have put on the new self   So why does he tell us to put on what we've already put on?! He's telling us to be what we are! In Christ we already are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) Paul is telling us to live accordingly. If Christ had not already changed me, I could not possibly be what he wants me to be. But because he has already made us holy, we can live holy lives.Trying to live a holy life doesn't make us holy, but because God has already made us holy, we can live holy lives. Colossians 3:15-17 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.   It's as we allow the word of Christ to dwell in us that the peace of Christ will rule in our hearts. As Christians it's God's word that informs and authenticates our beliefs and actions and to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus means that we seek constantly to live our lives subject to his word.   Summary Because of who Christ is and because of what he has done for us, Paul encourages us to set our hearts and minds on heavenly things rather than earthly things.   This is possible because, since we received Christ as our Saviour,  God sees us as identified with him in his death, burial and resurrection. We have been raised with Christ, who is seated at God's right hand.   So we're to stop thinking and behaving in an earthly way. A right attitude will lead to right actions. Paul calls this putting off the old self and putting on the new. We're to be what we are in Christ.   Things like sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language and lying are totally incompatible with our heavenly status. Whereas compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love and peace are qualities that reflect who we truly are in Christ.   Whatever we do we're to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. We can only do this as we let his word dwell in us and as we teach and encourage one another in love.

Chap. 240 - Studying the Character of Christ Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto thy commandments. Psalm 119:6. {OHC 246.1} In this world we might become hopelessly perplexed, as the devil wants us to be, if we keep looking upon those things that are perplexing; for by dwelling upon them, and talking of them, we become discouraged. In criticizing others because they fail to manifest love, we shall kill the precious plant of love in our own hearts. Have we individually appreciated and felt the warmth of love which Christ represented in His life? Then it is our duty to manifest this love to the world. Let us fear to dwell upon, to behold and talk of the great mistakes that others are making.... {OHC 246.2} You may create an unreal world in your own mind and picture an ideal church, where the temptations of Satan no longer prompt to evil; but perfection exists only in your imagination. The world is a fallen world, and the church is a place represented by a field in which grow tares and wheat. They are to grow together until the harvest. It is not our place to uproot the tares, according to human wisdom, lest under the suggestions of Satan, the wheat may be rooted up.... {OHC 246.3} None need to lose the golden moments of time in their short life history through seeking to weigh the imperfections of professed Christians. Not one of us has time to do this. If we see clearly what is the manner of character Christians should develop, and yet see in others that which is inconsistent with this character, let us determine that we will firmly resist the enemy in his temptations to make us act in an inconsistent way, and say, "I will not make Christ ashamed of me. I will more earnestly study the character of Christ in whom there was no imperfection, no selfishness, no spot, no stain of evil, who lived not to please and glorify Himself, but to glorify God and save fallen humanity. I will not copy the defective characters of these inconsistent Christians, and the mistakes that they have made shall not lead me to be like them. I will turn to the precious Saviour, that I may be like Him." {OHC 246.4} --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tawasv/message

Minute-To-Witness Instructions There was a time in my life when... (20 sec; two adjectives to describe your life before Christ) Then someone shared a story with me that changed my life... (20 sec; brief Gospel message) After trusting in Christ... (20 sec; after Christ how life has changed, be honest) Do you have a story like that? Overview Flashback Instructions (for those who came to Christ at a young age) Someone shared a story with me that changed my life... (20 sec; brief Gospel message) After Trusting in Christ... (20 sec; after Christ how life has changed, including hardships) Because of this, I have seen in my life (20 seconds; things that didn't happen because of Christ's sustainment) Do you have a story like that?

Are you a Christian? Are you part of the Church, the Body of Christ? Do you have this grand destiny of being a mature person, of measuring up to the fullness of Christ? Then, move toward that destiny which requires that you stop being a spiritual child.

The Kingdom Of Heaven is anywhere that the rule of God is taking place. Kingdom FightingWe are in afight.The battle is experienced here but not fought here.Ephesians 6:16 Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.Ephesians 6:12 We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. The real enemy is a spiritual enemy that influences flesh and blood people with his chaos.You have to fight from higher ground. Ephesians 2:6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.Ephesians 1:20-22 When He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.Philippians 1:27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.Faith = fighting together based on our conviction and trust in who God is and what He will do.#1 At New Song Church We Are Fighting Together For: UnityEphesians 4:3 endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. #2 At New Song Church We Are Fighting Together For: Generations#3 At New Song Church We Are Fighting Together For: Equality#4 At New Song Church We Are Fighting Together For: The Presence Of GodRevelation 3.20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. #5 At New Song Church We Are Fighting Together For: The Truth#6 At New Song Church We Are Fighting Together For: COMMUNITY#7 At New Song Church We Are Fighting Together For: Purity

Has un forgiveness robbed you of your joy and freedom in Christ ? Then time to forgive is now. Learn what it means to walk in love and forgiveness.

“The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot.” — Genesis 8:9 Reader, can you find rest apart from the ark, Christ Jesus? Then be assured that your religion is vain. Are you satisfied with anything short of a conscious knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? Then woe unto you. If […]

"And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." - John 4:27-42 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/caruthersvillefirst/support

"Yes, I am a Christian." Is the answer to the question often asked of someone who speaks of God being in their life. But when one does state, 'I have God in my life.' are they in fact speaking of following Christ in the manner the scriptures teach? And how can the one proclaiming that God is in their life, or that they are a Christian be eternally certain their claim is in fact true? After all, at the time of the great and terrible White Throne Judgment we read in Matthew 7 of the multitude of lost souls claiming to have been working in the name of Christ and the soul-wrenching reply they receive from their judge, the Lord Jesus. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven..., 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ How can such a thing happen? How do such souls end up being so wrong, so condemned? May it be suggested they failed to heed or understand the scriptures? And we who are believers are commanded to know and teach the word of God (Deut. 6:4-7) And in our claim of having God in our life, of being a Christian, a disciple, a believer, and yes, even a follower of Christ, do we also take into account a particular position we also hold found in 1 Peter 2:9? But you are... a royal priesthood... that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. We stand as those who direct others to God. We are here to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness. Think of that, we are to be God's proclaimers to a world lost in sin; but we must do so with the truth, and in truth. And Pastor Tim Bresnahan in this sermon expounds on the absolute necessity of understanding God's truth, taking hold of it for ourselves and proclaiming it to those not only closest to us, but to those who enter our lives as well. We must take hold of 'The Real Thing', and become those who stand as one from a royal priesthood rightly proclaiming God to a world of lost souls. And by doing so, at the time of the great and terrible judgment, we and our hearers rather than being told by Christ “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' (Matthew 25:41)we instead will hear the glad words from Matthew 25:21 ‘'Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your master.'

Do you know how your circle of friends impacts you? Would you like to know who you should have in your circle of influence, and who you need in your inner circle to grow in your walk with Christ? Then, this episode is for you.

Do you want others to believe on Christ? Then you must believe that God can use you to reach them. God's people must demonstrate true faith in a world characterized by unbelief.

Do you want others to believe on Christ? Then you must believe that God can use you to reach them. God's people must demonstrate true faith in a world characterized by unbelief.

Coffee Talk Topic: Living a Counter Culture Life This episode encourages Christians to live in opposition to pop-culture and provides tips to raise our children counter-culturally. Do you want your family to live a more Godly, enthusiastic life for Christ? Then grab yourself a cup-of-joe, sit back and be encouraged to break out of the box of basic! Featured Guests: Tina Griffin and LoveCollide First up is the exuberant Tina Griffin, who shares eye-opening details and offers plans for how you too can be a “Counterculture Mom.” Tina says, “Satan is trying to pump as much graphic sexual content as possible into our kid’s heads. The industry is making millions of dollars off the next generation in ways that go completely against God’s word. If we want to raise our kids in a Godly environment, it is critical to watch everything that goes into our kids brains. We must only allow them to engage in positive entertainment.” Then we’ll hear from Lauren and Brooke DeLeary of the faith-forward pop duo, LOVECOLLIDE. Tired of Basic is their latest release, which encourages us to break out of the boxes created by culture. You won’t want to miss their powerful new single, “I Don’t Want It,” featured on the show. This song suggests that if God’s not in it, then I Don’t Want It. LINKS FROM THE SHOW Connect with Tina Griffin at counterculturemom.com Connect with Lauren and Brooke at lovecollide.com Subscribe to the Christian Coffee Talk Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, iHeartRadio, TuneIn and Stitcher! Join our growing Online Community to connect with like-minded women 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. www.facebook.com/groups/christiancoffeetalk Theme Song: Jesus Kind Of Love by www.NateJacksonMusic.com

Our minister Adam Faughn begins this lesson by introducing our theme for 2017 One Word The Word of Christ Then our youth minister Tyler Hallman speaks concerning his vision for the youth program this year Adam concludes the lesson beginning at the 2110 mark if you wish to skip ahead by delivering three powerful observations about Jesus that can been made from John 114

Well, lets open our Bibles up to the Book of Ephesians today. I think before we get into the message, Im going to give you just one last time to stand up and stretch. Lets stand together one more time. More importantly than standing up and stretching is asking the Lord to guide our time together today. Father, we thank You for the body that Youve assembled here in Janesville. We recognize that we are a small part of what youre doing in the world, but we are a part. We play a role. You have a plan and a purpose for this body. You have a plan and a purpose for us as individuals. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will guide the things that are said. Teach us from Your Word. We recognize that You are the leader of this church. You are the only star here. You are the only One that is worthy of our admiration, praise and worship. We are all simply Your servants, but we too have a part to play; so I pray that today will be used in our lives to lead, guide and direct Your church and the purposes You called us to. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen. If I say to you, We are, what are you thinking? If I say, We are, how would you finish that? Im going to read to you several we are Scriptures this morning. Im going to talk this morning from the Word of God, and then half of the message is going to be practical, just talking about the plans and our roles and so forth. This is kind of a hybrid. Were going to spend some time in the Word, talking about our Mission because thats what its about. Its all about the Mission. Its not about the building; its about the Mission. Then well talk about some of the practical nuts and bolts of that. There are several times in the New Testament where the phrase we are is used of the church. We: plurality, unity, oneness among many. We signifies that we cannot do it on our own. We cannot accomplish the mission and purpose individually. It is a collective group effort-we, in partnership with God and in partnership with one another. Together we work for a common cause. Many of you know Im a basketball fan, and my favorite basketball team is the Chicago Bulls. I like the Bucks too, so dont get mad at me; but I like the Bulls. I grew up a Bulls fan, and especially when Michael Jordan came to town, I was so excited. I remember when he was drafted how excited I was back in 1984. When he came to the league, he went beyond expectations. He did dazzling things. He would score 40, 50, 60 points. The Bulls would make the playoffs, but usually theyd be eliminated early. They could never make it to the point of playing for a championship. Even though he led the league in scoring, even though he was recognized as the greatest player in the league-maybe the greatest player of all time, this young man-he wasnt reaching the top of the mountain until they hired a man by the name of Phil Jackson. Phil Jackson came in as the architect of that team. The first thing he did was he sat Michael down and said, We know youre great. We know youre the best player on the team, but you have to start thinking about team. Your number one job is going to be to trust your teammates and make them better. Youre going to take more shots and have more assists. Youre going to involve the other teammates, and youre going to make them better. When they get better, were going to win. After that first title, Michael bought in; and then they went on to win five more. Had he not played baseball for a couple years, he probably could have won at least eight; and thats no exaggeration. Its a team effort. So thats what we conjures up in my mind. It conjures up a team work, a collectiveness, inner-dependence on one another. Secondly, it says, We are. The word are, the verb to be is what we are. Its our essence, not just something we have, something we hope to have, or might have; it is what we are now. In the Book of Ephesians 2:10 (page 1157 of pew Bibles), For we are… Who? We, the church. We are what? …we are Gods… First and foremost, we are Gods. We belong to Him. Theres a Passage in the Book of 2 Corinthians 5, and I recognize now how dependent we are on our Bibles in the pew in front of us. We always have them, and now we dont have that today; so its a little bit more difficult. (Service was held at the Pontiac Convention Center to rejoice in the progress of the next phase in the buildings addition at Faith Community Church.) In fact, Im so used to not bringing my Bible that even the pastor did not bring his Bible to church today. Im so used to just grabbing one of the church Bibles that we all read. I was like, I dont have a Bible, and I had to locate one. In 2 Corinthians 5:15 (page 1145 of pew Bible), Paul writes and says, And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. Thats powerful, so if youre a believer this morning, you do not belong to yourself. You belong to the Lord. That influences the way you think, the way you speak, and the way you act. Its important for us to realize that. He says, We are Gods. Say that, I am His. I am His. We belong to God. You have to understand that our lives are not our own. Weve been saved and redeemed for a purpose-to live for Christ. What a difference that makes if we truly understand that. In Ephesians 2:10 (again, page 1157), …but we are Gods… what? Workmanship. Its an interesting word. Its the word we get poem from, the Greek word poema, that which has been made. It means to be made for a purpose, that God has put within you an ability and gift to accomplish His purpose. You are a part of the poem that God is writing. You are a part, a phrase, of that poem that He is writing for Janesville, He is writing for your life. You are a part of that. You are a unique expression of the creativity of God. Have any of you ever been to the Safe House restaurant? Have you been there? Its a fun place to be. Ive been there a couple times. At the Safe House, you come in through this obscure alley. It doesnt even look like there should be a restaurant there. It looks like the kind of alley you might get mugged in rather than being a spot of a popular restaurant. There isnt any parking around there. You just go down this dark alley. There is this plain old brown door, and theres nothing on it. It doesnt say Safe House. It doesnt list the hours; it doesnt say open. Its just like a door to a factory or something. You open it and go inside, and you walk into this light kind of a room. Theres usually a host or hostess there to greet you, and they ask you for a password. Its a spy house. Its a safe place for spies to go who are involved in covert operations. So you come in, and they ask, Whats the password? Usually, you dont know. Then you dont have to be afraid that youre not going to get seated because they will make you do silly things to get admitted into the restaurant. They might say, Act like an elephant, or walk like a penguin, or act like a puppy dog or a bunny rabbit. If its not quite silly enough, then theyll encourage you. Theyll say, Well, Im not sure you can really get in. You need to be more of a penguin than you are right now. Then youll continue to act up, and after they put you through enough humiliation, theyll say, Okay, fine, and theyll open the secret passage way. Into the restaurant youll go. While youre doing these silly things, the people in the restaurant down below are watching you on TV (congregation laughing). When you come walking in, theyre like, Hey, nice penguin there, Bud. Its just embarrassing, so if youre new there, you dont even realize people are watching. Then you really get double humiliated when you realize the whole restaurant has been laughing at your expense. Then the fun part comes in because you get to sit down and then laugh at them. There are new people coming in, rookies. You get to say a few things to them when they walk through the door. Sometimes people think when theyre coming to church, The church is going to make me be somebody Im not. Theyre going to try to shape me and force me into their mold, people who I really dont feel like I am. Paul said, Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is in the church that we discover who we really are. Its in the church that we discover who God made us to be, what Hes intended us to do. Have you ever had those moments when youre in church, youre listening to a message or a teaching, or youre in a small group-maybe youre engaged in ministry-and theres like a light bulb that goes on in your head that says, This is why Im here. This is what I was created for. This is what Ive been called to do. When youre serving the Lord and youre discovering those things, you just feel truly and completely alive. I hope youve experienced that. If you havent, I hope that you will. I experience that all the time. Ill leave our church on a weekend or leave our staff meeting, and Ill just say, This is my purpose. This is why God put me here. Im His workmanship. He is working in and through my life. So Paul says, We are Gods workmanship… Listen to what he says in the next part of that verse, We are Gods workmanship created in Christ Jesus. What kind of creation is he talking about here? Do you know? Hes not talking about our physical creation. Hes talking about our spiritual creation. Were what the Bible calls the new birth. Lets turn to 2 Corinthians 5:17. Paul writes and says, Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, and the new has come. That is the creation that Paul is talking about here. Hes talking about the new creation. God has a plan for you. Its not a generic plan. Theres nothing worse than when your spouse goes to the grocery store and brings home generic food. I remember coming home one time with a bottle that just said ketchup on it. Wheres the Heinz ketchup? I dont want this! Well, thats $0.50 cheaper! I dont care if its a dollar cheaper! Get real ketchup! Or if you get some pop that says soda on it, Orange soda. I wanted Crush or whatever it is. God did not design a generic plan for you. There is a specific plan. It has detail. Part of being a part of a church is about God unfolding that plan to us-collectively and individually-and we walk together in that plan; but we are Gods workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, to do good works. It didnt say were saved by good works. It said, Were created to do good works. That is our purpose. Think about what he just said. We are created in Christ Jesus to do good works or for good works. Paul is saying that is our reason for being. That is why God called you to Himself. That is why He redeemed you-for His purposes. Sometimes you think church is just this its kinda if I have leftover time, Ill make some time for church. When things settle down, maybe Ill have time for the things of God. When life settles down… I have all these things going on, all these projects. Maybe someday, Ill get around to these matters of spirituality. Actually, Paul says, That is our purpose. That is why He created us in Christ, to be the very center of our being-not an afterthought, not something for our leftovers. The church and Jesus Christ and accomplishing our purposes-and a mission in it-are to be central and integral to our very being. This is why He created us. So often the church is used as a consumer mentality. Church becomes like a consumer mentality here. We say, Well, whats in it for me? Whats in it for me? We travel here and there because of this. Oh, they have great music, or thats a great message, or they have the greatest program here or there. I go, I consume, and I leave. Thats not a church. Thats not what its about. Its not for you. Its not about your consumption. Its where you come to serve. Its where you come to be equipped. Its where you come to work. Some of you come to Faith on Sunday, and youre working on your ministry. Others of you are coming here, and youre being equipped and taught so you can carry out the work God has called you to do. Consumer mentality has no place in the Church of Jesus Christ. This is where we roll up our sleeves and get to work for the Kingdom of God. We are Gods workmanship. Were going to have this memorized before were done. …created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. It was not an afterthought. We were not an afterthought for God. He prepared them in advance for us to do, so the question is are we accomplishing that? Do you feel like you are in fact living out the poem that Hes written for you, that you are in fact a workmanship that God has called you to be? The second we are Passage I want us to take a look at-and well not spend as much time on these next two-is in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (page 1145 of pew Bible). Well begin reading with Verse 17. Paul says, Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us… the church …the ministry of reconciliation… Hes going to further define what that means, …that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ… Then he makes reference to the cross. He says, …not counting mens sins against him. This is a clear referral to the crucifixion where God, the Son, bore the sin of mankind, that God was in him, the fullness of the deity dwelled in bodily form and that we were reconciled to Christ on that cross. He is committed to us. He has committed to us, the church, the message of reconciliation. We are… there it is again, …therefore Christs ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christs behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him… and here-this is probably the most concise (this is in John 3:16) verse of the Gospel. It says, God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. What we learned in that Passage is that salvation is a gift that is given to us, and an exchange was made; Christ took our sinfulness and offered us in exchange His righteousness, His partner of grace. Thats a powerful message, and thats what God has called this church to deliver first and foremost. Thats the number one priority we have-to deliver the message of the Gospel, to reach the people of Rock County. That is our number one priority-to reach the people of our community. I want you to notice what he says youre to be here. Youre to be an ambassador. You know what an ambassador is. An ambassador is a representative. An ambassador is set out as an envoy and represents a country or a company. We are Christs ambassadors to the sick. Im going to ask for a raise of hands, and I want you to leave it up. How many of you came to this church because you were invited by a friend? Hold your hand up and keep it high. You have to look around. Look at all those hands up because somebody invited you. Thank you. You can put your hands down now. Somebody was an ambassador to you. Somebody took some time to come and talk to you. Thats what our church does. We equip ambassadors. When Im giving a message, when one of the pastors is giving a message, when youre going to classes, when youre in your small group, when youre learning and discovering your ministry, we are equipping you to be an ambassador for Christ-that youll go out and win the world for Christ. We wont win the world for Christ-we wont win our community for Christ if were scolding them. Some people think thats how you win non-believers in the kingdom. You just scold them. You just go out and make them feel bad. No. Theyll know we are Christians by our love. We reach out to them with a message of love, hope, and truth. Through our words and through our example, we are ambassadors of the Kingdom, and we seek to draw them in to the hope that we have in Christ, teaching them of Gods love and plan of salvation that He has for them. We are ambassadors. Thirdly, in the same Book, Verse 16 of Chapter 6 (page 1145), Paul is writing and he says, …for we are the temple of the living God. We are the temple of the living God. We are a temple. We recognize that the church building is not the church; we are. We brought the church to this building. We rented this for one week. Next week, we go back to the normal. Some of the folks who have worked so hard are saying, Thank goodness for that! We brought the church here-just like in our homes, our house is not our family. Our family is made up of individuals, so wherever we go, thats where home is. A house is just a structure we live in. The building is just a tool that we use, a place where we meet, but its an important place. I dont know if you grew up in a house where there were a lot of children and maybe you just ran out of space. Thats kind of what we are doing at Faith, and Im going to start transitioning that. We have run out of space, but the problem is its not just that were building for who we already are. If you just simply look around you this morning, youll recognize that we wouldnt all fit in our box over there on Lucerne. Just this morning, I am looking out, Where is so-and-so? Where is so-and-so? This is not all of us, but its a good representative sample of who we are. The problem is our house is full. Were out of space, and we are planning on having many, many more children because were called to bring people to faith. How many of you-and this is the most important question Ive asked this morning-would say here today that Faith Community Church had an influence in your giving your life to Jesus Christ? Hold it up; look around you. Isnt that wonderful that God has used us? Its humbling to see that, so thats what this is about. This is about commission. This is about touching more lives, making more ambassadors, more disciples of Christ. That is what we are called to do. Lets pray together. Father, I thank You for the challenge that youve given us. To live as You lived is a tall order. What You cared more about than anything else is people. The Word says that the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost, so thats our first priority. Secondly, its to make disciples. Its to teach them the Word of God, teach them how to grow in their walk, provide opportunities to them to serve and to use their gifts. Not only have You called us for a purpose, Youve equipped us for that purpose. Youve given talents, gifts, and passions. Together, we work to accomplish those things. We thank You for that purpose. We thank You for that call. In Jesus name. (22:18)