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Episodes
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
Prayer to Know More of Jesus and These Blessings
Ephesians 1:15-23 August 16, 2020
I. Introduction:
A. We live in a day and age where out of the sincerity of our hearts to live out God’s
truth and not just study it the first question we ask ourselves is, ”What do I need
to do with this truth?”
1. We have been learning some of the most amazing truths in the Bible over the
past number of months, blessing upon blessing that God has given to us in
Jesus Christ!
2. This morning Paul answers for us the first thing we need to do with these
truths, and what he does with them may surprise many of us. Actually too
often, we skip over this crucial first step in the process as we rush to put
God’s Word into practice in our lives.
B. We find the answer to this starting in v15 of chapter 1 as he says, “for this reason”
1. Simply he is connecting what follows with what has gone before. He tells us
the very reason he is going to do what he does next is because of all these
blessings in Christ we just learned about in v3-14.
2. Just like v3-14 was all one long sentence closely tying it all together so v15-
23 is also just one sentence closely tying it all together.
C. Before I read, let me tell you what the heart of this section says so you can watch
for it as I read – simply he prays for them to know more of Jesus and these
blessings!
1. The structure to the prayer is as follows:
a) V17 he prays that God would give them a fuller, more practical and more
intimate knowledge of Jesus
b) In v18 -19a he prays that God would enlighten our hearts to fully see and
grasp three specific blessing God gives us – His calling, His inheritance
and His power
c) Then in v 19b-23 he shows us three ways in which His power towards us
right now is manifested and in agreement with the power that was
manifested in Jesus when He was resurrected, when He was ascended
into heaven and seated at God’s right hand and finally when He gave
Him as head over all things pertaining to the church!
2. Watch for these as I read
D. Paul’s first response to all these amazing blessings, the first thing he does is to
pray! Pray that we would know more of Jesus the one whom all these blessings
are in and that we would know more of the blessings themselves!
• Before I jump into the text I just want to say a few things about
II. Prayer in general
A. We have learned before that prayer is the means to receiving in God’s kingdom.
1. Often as a last resort we say to people in tough times, when there is nothing
else we can do we say, “All I can do is pray!”
2. Actually prayer should be the first thing we do and the best thing we can do
as prayer allows us to put one hand on the person and their situation and the
other hand on God and bring the two together!
3. Prayer is the first thing that Paul does with these amazing life-changing
truths! It really is the first thing we should do
B. We have been talking lately in staff about the restarting of our ministries here at
MVC in this unique day of restrictions and MVC scattered all over the place.
1. As we look at the way that Jesus did ministry we have been reminded how
Jesus started His ministry and daily met with the Father in prayer.
2. Jesus said He did nothing of Himself; His teachings and words were not His
own, His works were not His own, His will was not His own but they all
were from and initiated by the Father.
3. If we do not go to the Father first and regularly in prayer then at best we will
be working out of our best ideas or copying and pasting what others are doing
rather than hearing directly in a life changing and empowering way what God
wants us to do.
4. What we learn from this passage is that God does not want His truths from
the Bible just to go from our heads to our feet and hands but rather from our
heads, through our hearts where it is anointed by the Spirit then out through
our hands and feet!
C. Finally, we see in this passage that Paul prays God’s word and truth.
1. So often, we will read God’s word when we end with our prayer time, when
we begin to pray for our needs, friends, and ministry but never breathe a
prayer about what we just learned in God’s word.
2. It is like sitting at the breakfast table with Kim and she talks to me about
something on her heart she wants me to know then I respond by telling her
about what happened in the ballgame yesterday! There is no connection and
no two way conversation
3. Here Paul is praying about what we just learned in God’s word – to know
more about Jesus, the one in whom are all these blessings and to know more
of the blessings themselves in a life changing way!
4. This is the prayer we all should be praying for each other and ourselves in
these days.
• So the rest of today my goal is simply to introduce you to this prayer and then the
next two weeks we will look into it more specifically. In v17 Paul prays that we
would
III.Know more of Jesus
A. The key word here is knowledge – it is the Greek word “epignosis” which
indicates a personal, intimate, and progressively growing knowledge of Jesus!
B. As I reread this verse note three things:
1. This is something that God gives, something that originates with God, not
something we work out by our efforts
2. He wants them to know more in a practical way – that is what wisdom and
revelation basically means
3. Then finally that growing, practical knowledge is in the particular area it is
in. The area of a personal, experiential and intimate relationship with Jesus
4. Read
C. This same idea is pictured and the same word is used in Matthew 16 for us to get
a picture of what this is like.
1. Context, Jesus had been on the scene and doing amazing miracles and saying
things that amazed some and angered others.
2. Those whom He angered said He was from the Devil and those who were
amazed knew He was someone very special as they thought he was John the
Baptist raised from the dead or Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other
prophets raised from the dead.
3. Then Jesus said this to Peter
a) Read Matthew 16:15-17
4. Like we see in this passage a growing more intimate, experiential and
practical knowledge of Jesus is not something that comes from man’s efforts,
observations, or even being around Jesus, like so many of them were.
Rather it is a supernatural revelation – an unfolding to us by God where God
discloses this to us in the core of our being!
D. This is not just head knowledge or even just Bible knowledge about Jesus but it is
the truths of the Bible coming to life within my heart by the power of the Holy
Spirit!
1. This is not just reading, studying, memorizing and knowing the big idea the
twenty third psalm that teaches us that God, specifically Jesus, is our personal
shepherd but rather it is the daily experience in the grind of real life on the
streets where we experience Jesus shepherding us through every situation we
face.
2. It is not just knowing about Jesus in my head but rather knowing Jesus deep
within the core of my being in a life giving, life changing way!
• The second part of this prayer is that we would
IV.Know more of these blessings
A. The key word here is know – it is the Greek word “oida” which indicates an I see
something and I get the significance of what that is. It is the knowing from
observation but knowing in such a way that you grasp the significance of what
you know!
B. Let me reread v18-19a
C. Again, we see these are things he does not just want us to have head knowledge
about but he wants it to go to the core of our being, so they flow out of our lives
as naturally as blood flows out of our hearts! When the Bible speaks of the heart
it is speaking basically of the inner person, that part of us that lies deep within us,
the immaterial part of our lives
1. In the Bible, it speaks of the heart as a place where we imagine, think and
reason, a place where we have desires, affections and grief, a place where our
conscience and will is, a place where faith resides.
2. Here it talks about the heart having eyes – figuratively speaking that means
the ability to see.
D. But like everyone who sees we need to have light to see – so his prayer is that the
eyes of our hearts would be enlightened. That the Holy Spirit would shine light
down in our hearts so we can see and know these wonderful blessings that God
gives us!
V. Application
A. So everything that follows are works of God deep within our hearts that come in
the context of prayer so that God’s Word would become a living reality in and
through us!
B. So from the core of our beings we would know and experience deeply the hope
that comes from His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints
and what is the surpassing greatness of His power towards us.
Close in prayer – John Hurley
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Guarantee of More Blessing to Come
Ephesians 1:13-14 August 9, 2020
I. Introduction:
A. I love things that come with a guarantee, especially if it is a lifetime guarantee.
1. For example, I had a foundation crack in our house fixed many years ago and
the person who did it gave me a lifetime guarantee to fix it if it ever happened
again. It did happen again a few years ago, I gave him a call and he came
and fixed it at no cost.
2. There are all kinds of guarantees, both those that protect us from anything
happening to what we have – those give us a sense of security and guarantees
that promise us that there is something we will get in the future – they give us
a sense of assurance and hope.
3. In one sense, a down payment on a loan is a guarantee that I give to the bank.
A sizable amount of money given to the bank to show my seriousness in
paying the rest! It is the first installment of more payments to come!
B. This kind of guarantee are pledges! Sometimes pledges can be made with our
words as we solemnly promise to do something, sometime pledges carry even
more weight as you give something to someone as a way to show that you will
keep your promise!
1. Bill Chibe, who works in banking and mortgages, said to me that they refer to
a down payment as a person having “skin in the game!”
2. Today’s passage teaches us God has given us something as a pledge, His way
to show us that He will keep all His other promises to us!
3. Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 1:13-14
C. The structure of the passage is very simple
1. v13 tells us what happened to us, what God did to us when we first believed
the gospel message and put our faith in Jesus Christ
2. v14 tells us why this happened to us
D. Before I read this passage, I am going to tell you what I believe the heart of this
whole passage says, “The blessing of the Holy spirit guarantees more blessing to
come!”
1. Repeat! You repeat with me! Now say it as if you were going to preach it!
2. Read!
• Let’s start by looking at
II. The blessing of the Holy Spirit
A. Again we see at the start of this verse that what follows took place when we put
our faith in the gospel message about Jesus Christ
B. What happened is we were sealed in Christ!
1. We seal things all kinds of different things all the time – for instance watch
me seal this envelope!
2. To seal something means to close something to make it secure and tamper
proof. Often back then, when they sealed something there was a symbol of
who was doing the sealing to identify them as the owner of what was in the
thing sealed!
3. We have been sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit
a) Illustrate with envelope – Jesus, piece of paper – believer - seal – Holy
Spirit
b) We are now enclosed in Christ, secure and tamper proof because the
Holy Spirit is the seal, an indication that God owns us!
C. Note at the end here it says the Holy Spirit of promise
1. In the Old Testament, many promises were made about the day when Holy
Spirit would come and live in God’s people. We especially see that in the
new covenant in Ezekiel 36 where He says He will give them a new heart and
a new spirit to live inside of that heart.
2. Jesus referred to these promises in Luke 24:49 when he spoke to His disciples
about the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them soon.
D. What a gift, what a blessing the Holy Spirit is to us: He indwells us so the
presence of God is right inside of us, He is the one through whom God fills our
lives with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness
and self-control. He leads us, restrains us, breaks down the work of the flesh in
lives and fills us with the resurrected life of Jesus. He equips us with everything
we need to do god’s will in a way that is pleasing to him. The list goes on and on.
The promise of the Holy Spirit is truly a huge blessing in our lives!
• So the blessing of the Holy Spirit is God’s
III. Guarantee of more blessings to come!
A. Read v14a
B. He is given as a pledge! We already talked about that in the intro to this message.
The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee, His first instalment, His down payment, His
pledge, and His skin in the game!
C. But what is He a pledge of? Our inheritance
1. Reread v14a
2. In particular our future inheritance. Read 14a-c “with a view to”
D. Let me remind you of three things we have already learned as we put this part of
the verse together!
1. Inheritance – we learned last week that bottom line our inheritance is made of
all of God’s blessings that He has promised to us! –
a) That is why the word promise is so important in v13
b) The Holy Spirit was the first of many more promises yet to come! Our
future promised blessings!
2. Redemption –
a) We learned that there are three aspects to redemption – someone is in
bondage, a price is paid and the result of this is someone is delivered
from that bondage
b) We also learned there is a past, present and future aspect to our
redemption – past – set free from the penalty of sin, present – set free
from the power of sin, future set free from the – presence of sin
c) This passage is talking about our future deliverance from the presence of
sin in our bodies and our environment
3. The third thing we learned just a few minutes ago was that a seal is a sign of
ownership - read v14d – that’s us!
E. So as I reread these verses note that, “the blessing of the Holy Spirit guarantees
more blessing to come!” Read v13-14a-c
F. So why has God blessed us with the Holy Spirit? Why is He guaranteeing these
future blessings? Why is He going to bless us in the future? Why all these
promises? Why all these blessings? Why all this inheritance?
1. Read 14d and read 2:7
2. This is all about God’s grace, the great glory of His grace, and bringing
praise to Him because of it!
3. Last week it talked about our being, our entire existence and everything we
are and do being to the praise of His glory. Here it talks about us praising
God.
4. This section of spiritual blessings starts with saying the very nature of God
demands that we bless and praise Him especially for all the spiritual blessings
He has given us in Christ. Now He closes this section with telling us that all
of this is so we will praise the glory of His grace.
• So to prepare us to praise God. Let me
IV. Remind us of these promised blessings the Holy Spirit guarantees for us!
A. Read 1 Peter 1:3-5
1. In the future when we receive this inheritance, when we are delivered from
the presence of sin both in our bodies and in our environment. When we
experience all of God’s future promised blessing. Listen to my summary of
what life will be like as I try to summarize the heart of Scripture regarding
this!
2. In the eternal aspect of the kingdom in the new heaven and new earth
a) There will be no more funerals graveyards, or tearful goodbyes, no more
emotional pain and depression over rejection, separation, abuse or loss.
No more hospitals or cancer or deformities or diseases, no more migraine
headaches or need for painkillers and no more health insurance. No
more food pantries or food stamps. No more sin to affect people, their
relationships, their work or the earth. The earth will be fully productive
and beautiful.
b) That means we will never again suffer persecution, mocking or conflict
of beliefs or values with those who are unbelievers. Nothing shameful,
vile, detestable, unpleasant will be there, no news reports telling us about
murders that happened in the big cities, we can walk the streets safely
and without fear. No more adultery, rape or sexual abuse, no more
demonic influence through witchcraft or drugs. You can trust anything
and everything that is said. There will be no shaky deals or
misrepresentations. God will be the greatest love of everyone that is
there. No one will ever put anything or anyone above God and His will
for them. They will love Him with all their heart, all their soul, all their
mind and strength, and they will love their neighbor as themselves.
B. This is what receiving the Holy Spirit guarantees for us! Let’s praise the glory of
God’s grace!
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Our Lot in Life – Glorifying God
Eph 1:11 August 2, 2020 - Communion
I. introduction:
A. My good friend Mike Stabile talks a lot about finding your sweet spot –simply
defined as doing what God created you to do! That place where our calling in
life, our gifts, desires, experiences, and joys all converge together to find the
place that makes you the greatest blessing to others, gives you the greatest sense
of fulfilment and brings the greatest glory to God!
1. When we were in seminary, I remember laying on the floor working on
something underneath the desk that broke. There was a screw that needed to
be turned to get to the part that needed fixing.
a) I did not feel like getting up and walking all the way to the other end of
the apartment to get a screw driver, and there was the expensive pair of
sewing scissors of my wife’s sitting on the table next to the desk.
b) I grabbed them, opened them up so the one arm of the scissors could fit
into the screw, and I turned it and bam! The scissor arm snapped in
half.
2. Sewing scissors were not created to do the work of a screw driver and a
screw driver cannot do the work of sewing scissors.
a) But when each one does the work they were created for it gives
blessings to those using them and others. It is their sweet spot!
b) But when each one does not do what they were created for they break,
and they offer little blessing to others!
B. Another way to say this simply is your purpose in life! And when our life is
aligned with God’s purpose for our life, the One by Whom we were created and
for Whom we were created, then our life has this deep down sense that God had
when He created the world and saw “it is good!” “It is very good!”
C. Turn in your Bibles to Eph 1:11 where we are going to learn God’s ultimate
purpose for our lives, some may want to call it my lot in life or my fate.
Whatever you call it we will see from God’s perspective what He has determined
to be your lot in life, your fate, your purpose!
D. Note the context of the passage:
1. The passage before talks about God’s universal purposes which are fulfilled
in Christ. And this passage is going to talk about our personal purpose in
light of this larger universal purpose of everything being summed up in
Christ
2. This passage is going to talk about our present inheritance that we have
already received and the next passage is going to talk about the future
inheritance that we are yet to receive.
E. The structure of the passage is very simple:
1. v11 tells us that we have already obtained or received an inheritance from
God, one that He has assigned to me!
2. v12 tells us just what that inheritance, that lot, that portion, that possession,
right, privilege is that God has given to us.
F. Read Eph 1:11-12
• Let’s start with the fact in v11 that:
II. We have already obtained an inheritance
A. I want to give you my best quick summary regarding our inheritance without
trying to prove every statement I make by showing you the bible verses because
that could take a whole sermon. You can study that out later if you want more!
1. In Hebrews 6 we learn that our inheritance is basically detailed out in God’s
promises.
a) The foundation of our inheritance is the promise/covenant that God
made with Abraham to bless!
b) The prophecies and promises in the bible help us further understand the
specifics of that covenant with Abraham.
2. We see in Ezek 36 that the heart of God’s blessings are further summarized
in the new covenant. Jesus ratified that covenant with His death. – thus
putting us in a place where we can now receive our inheritance
3. Gal 3 tells us that God bases this inheritance upon a promise and if we
belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s descendant, heir according to
promise
4. God’s blessings both now and those promised in the future make up God’s
inheritance that He gives us!
B. He started this verse stating we have, past tense, we have already received an
inheritance. We are already experiencing a portion of the gifts that God has for
us as His heirs. read v11a
1. As we will see next week and we know from other portions of the bible there
is much more of our inheritance yet to come in the future.
C. Then we see that this inheritance that we already have received was:
1. Predetermined, decided beforehand by God
2. That this inheritance is according to His purposes
3. Finally he expands on God’s purposes by stating that everything God does is
based upon His purposes, His will
• Then in v12
III. Defines what our inheritance is:
A. This passage defines for each one of us personally just what blessing, what
inheritance, what portion, what lot, what fate God has determined for each
believer with their life. What He has created and purposed us for! read v12
B. ?Did you catch that? “that we would be to the praise of His glory!”
1. Now many people read and apply this verse like this – that we should praise
His glory! So we need to take 20 minutes in our services to praise God and
give Him glory, especially for all these blessings. And it would even be
better if you took 20 minutes every day to praise God and His glory!
2. That is not what it says! It says that we would be!
a) Be does not talk about something we do but rather something we
are, it indicates our identity! It is referring to our entire existence!
b) I love the way the amplified bible says this, “we... would exist to the
praise of His glory”
3. My whole life, my whole purpose, my whole existence has
been designed to be and defined as a life that brings God glory!
4. That is when your life is hitting its sweet spot!
• So
IV.How does a life bring glory to God?
A. This is how I believe we do it: by reflecting the very life of Christ, by becoming
more like Jesus, and I will say even more specifically by living out a life where
grace and truth are one in your daily experience moment by moment in every
situation in every responsibility in every relationship!
B. Salvations goal is the same as creations goal – that man and woman would be
image bearers of God. Salvation restores what was lost by sin as God works to
make us more and more like Jesus!
C. You see God’s glory is displayed in His Son, He is the very radiance of God’s
glory! Remember? We learned that at Christmas time.
1. Read John 1:14
2. First of all, we see that Jesus is God’s word become flesh – He is the display
of what God’s written word looks like when it is lived out!
3. Then we see that in Jesus the fullness and uniqueness of God’s glory is put
on full display.
4. And in particular we see in that passage that the one aspect of His glory that
is highlighted is that He was full of grace and truth.
D. So bottom line the more we are like Jesus, especially in living out His grace
with truth and His truth with grace, the place where the 2 are 1, that is how we
bring praise to God’s glory with our entire lives! That is what we exist for!
E. So more important than what you do is how you be! I think the way
we do God’s will is just as important aswhat we do!
1. So what we do, 24 hours a day, 60 minutes an hour, 60 seconds per minute
is to be done in a way that reflects the very heart and character of God,
especially His grace and truth wrapped up as one!
F. This passage reminds me of Rom 8:28-29
1. Rom 8:28 speaks of Eph 1:11 of – everything that God does, He does in
light of His purposes Rom 8:28
2. Rom 8:29 speaks of v.12 – our purpose is to bring glory to God! Rom 8:29
– God predestined us to become conformed to the image of His Son! Rom
8:29
3. And the more we are like Jesus the more glory God receives!
a) Like Jesus in our motives, our attitudes, our thought life, our words,
our purposes, our habits, our deeds, etc!
G. Our sweet spot in life is to wherever God has placed us, whatever assignment we
have in life, whatever job, whatever role, whatever position, whatever activity,
whatever relationship, whatever conversation we have, whatever work God has
given you to do, we glorify God by displaying the heart of Jesus as we live out
lives of grace and truth before the lost world and with each other!
V. Communion
A. Let me encourage you with this, this is not something any of us do perfectly but
we are all growing in it. God does not look for perfection but progress!
B. So as you go to communion this morning take a look at your progress in
becoming more like Jesus, in displaying His heart to those around you, to living
with both grace and truth as one!
1. If you are progressing in these, then thank God and ask Him to continue that
work.
2. If you are regressing or even stalled, then something is seriously wrong with
your spiritual life. Ask God to put His finger on it, confess anything He
shows you and then open your heart and ask the Spirit of God to go to work
on you so that your entire life and existence would be one of bringing glory
to God!
3. This is your purpose in life, this is your lot in life, this is your fate, this is
where you will experience living in your SWEET SPOT!
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
The Gift of Grasping the Relevance of God’s Program
Eph 1:8-10 July 26, 2020
I. Introduction:
A. The question that I received the most from people when COVID-19 first started
was always asked with a bit of panic in their voice. This was the question: “Are
we in the end times, are we in the book of revelation?”
1. My answer was always the same, this is not what we learned in the book of
revelation, if it was it would be way worse, way more people would die and
way more things would be going on!
2. But I went on to say there are many things going on in the world that the
scripture says are signs that the end is drawing near.
B. I could not help but think what stability, what peace, what wisdom comes from
knowing God’s word and especially what He has done, is doing and what He is
going to do in this world.
1. Then during this season I came across Eph 1:8-10 and I realized deep within
my heart and could not help but THANK God for the amazing GIFT God
has given us when He gave us HIS WORD!
2. Read Eph 1:8-10
3. My heart is burdened for how many Christians have all of this at their
fingertips and very seldom they open up this book, let alone read and study
it.
a) In Hosea 4:6 God said “my people are being destroyed because of a lack
of knowledge
b) Proverbs 19:2 says it is not good for a person to be without knowledge
c) Proverbs 14:33 says “Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has
understanding!”
4. Bottom line and this is true even for Christians, it is not good, actually you
could make decisions and react in a way that could destroy your life and
others, and you can lack wisdom on how to live in days like today, if you do
not know God’s word and what He is doing!
C. But Eph 1:8-10 tells us that God not only made His purposes known to us but He
actually did it in a way that was full of wisdom and INSIGHT, a way that allows
us to see the true nature of things and the ability to grasp the relevance for us in
this present time!
1. That is what it means when it says God did this in all wisdom and insight!
2. Read v8b-9a
• Let’s look at this a bit closer
II. Eph 1:8-10
A. Note something we learned just a few weeks ago in the middle of v9.
1. Read 9b
2. This will of God that He made known to us is according to the kind
intention of His purposes, kind intention of his will!
3. You all already know that the kind intention of God’s purposes and will
means that God delighted to do this, He wanted to do this, He took great
pleasure in doing this, it is well pleasing to Him
4. Simply it was well pleasing for God to build and fulfill all His purposes
and will in Jesus!
B. He goes on to explain this a bit fuller and clearer in verse 10a! Read
1. By administration He is talking about how God manages His affairs, how
He will carry out His purposes and will!
2. By suitable to the fullness of times He is talking about what God is going to
do in the future, in the fullness of times, at the consummation of the ages,
when the completion of what God has been pleased to plan, everything God
has been doing from Gen 1:1 through Rev 22:21.
C. Then He even explain this a bit fuller and clearer in verse 10b.
1. Basically He is talking about the time when everything will be summed up in
Christ.
2. Another way to say that is that it will be a time when the main point of
everything will be Jesus, everything can simply be summarized in Jesus, that
Jesus is the expression of all that God will be doing at that time.
3. Everything in history and everything that is going on right now is simply
moving this whole world towards a time when everything will be
summed up in Jesus, everything in the heavens and things on the earth!
4. It will be the time when God fulfills through Jesus every prophecy in this
book, Old and New Testament and all of His covenants He has revealed
in His Word!
a) At the heart of this is the covenant God made with David when He
promised him that one from his family line would be a forever king,
reigning forever over forever kingdom
b) Remember what we learned in rev 19:19 “for the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy!
c) Simply Jesus is the heart of and fulfilment of prophecy!
D. If you are familiar with your Bible you know this is where everything is moving.
Just listen as I read just a few passages to reinforce this:
1. Speaking to Abraham He says Gen 22:18,
2. In the blessing of Judah, Jacob says this Gen 49:10 (shiloh basically means
the one to whom it belongs) Reread 10c-d
3. Dan 2:44
4. Dan 7:13-14
5. Isa 9:6-7
6. Listen to what the Angel told Mary when He announced to her that she, a
virgin would have a child and just who this Child is! Read Lk 1:30-33
7. Rev 11:15-17
• So how does all of this
III.Apply to you and me?
A. REMEMBER these verses start with the fact that God made all of this known to
us with all wisdom and insight, or simply a way that allows us to see the true
nature of things and the ability to grasp the relevance for us in this
present time!
1. Knowing God’s Word, knowing prophecy, knowing God’s plan that is well
pleasing to Him and brings Him delight should help us understand the true
nature of what is going on today and recognize that ultimately it is not about
flesh and blood but an invisible war with demonic forces behind the scene.
Even deeper than that, like in the book of Job, God even uses Satan to carry
out His purposes!
2. Satan thinks he is winning as he divides people over viruses and over race
and over politics and morality but actually God is allowing him to do his
thing so as to move us to a time when everything will be fulfilled in Jesus.
3. Hard times in and with the world should not surprise anyone who
knows their Bible.
4. All of this has to happen so man can learn experimentally that true life
can only be found in Jesus and so things can move towards that time when
all of God’s purposes will be fulfilled in Jesus GOSPEL
B. Knowing this book shows us the end is near when we look at prophecy and
current events that are lining up with them
1. Alignment of nations we see in Old Testament Prophecies is happening
2. Catastrophic events happening in the world show us that the things to come
in revelation are not just figurative language but can be realities
3. Signs of the end of time Jesus spoke of in Matt 24 are happening
4. And the character of people today is just like it says it will be in 2 Tim 3.
C. But none of this should surprise us if we understand God’s WORD, PURPOSES
and WILL. Read 1 Thess 5:1-11
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
God Chose You
Ephesians 1:4 July 5 - Communion
I. Introduction:
A. I have great news for you You’re Richer than You Think! That was the title to
the book Erwin Lutzer wrote regarding the spiritual riches/spiritual blessings that
we have in Christ!
1. Some of you do not even know that you have a heavenly joint account that
you share with Jesus where He did all the work, made all the deposits into the
account and we get to make withdrawals on this account!
2. Some people know they have an account but really have not grasped the fact
that they are already spiritual billionaires as they live in spiritual poverty and
defeat most of the time.
3. The name on the account is in Christ.
B. We were introduced to this account last week and in weeks to come, we are going
to see and understand a bit more of what is available for us to withdraw from this
account!
1. Let me read what we learned last week. Read Ephesians 1:3
2. God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing there is to have and
He did this in Christ.
3. We also learned that these blessings have to do with whom we are at the
deepest core of our being, the place where our spirit is.
4. These blessings have to do with our past justification, things that became true
of us when we were saved, things that are being worked out in our lives now
as God is sanctifying us, things that will be completed and fully true of us in
the future when we are glorified in Christ’s kingdom!
• So today, we will continue our series called “This is us!” as we start to understand
better just who we are! The first question I hear from many is …
II. What does “in Christ” mean?
A. It seems so vague, like some kind of abstract spiritual tag on in many verses.
B. When a person puts their trust in Jesus, they become one spirit with Him! Read 1
Corinthians 6:17.
1. We learned last week:
a) In John 3:6 – that which is born of the spirit is spirit
b) We also learned in John 7:37-38 that the Holy Spirit dwells at the core of
our being!
2. So Jesus’ spirit has become one, joined together, and indwelling my spirit at
the core of my being!
C. Now listen to John 14:19-20.
Read v19 Jesus said that after his resurrection we would know something:
1. Read v20 Three things:
a) Jesus is in the Father
b) We are in Jesus = in Christ
c) I in you – Christ dwelling in us, abiding in us
2. So bottom line the same way that Jesus and the Father are one and mutually
indwell each other, so Jesus and us are one and mutually indwell each other,
thus becoming one!
3. So our oneness with Jesus - Him in us and us in Him is as easy to understand
as the trinity – the Father, Son and Spirit as one!
D. So how do I get into Christ – it is something that God did at the moment we put
our faith in Jesus Christ to save us!
1. Read 1 Corinthians 1:3– it is something that God does, not something we do!
2. Ephesians 1:13 – we are sealed, secured, locked in Christ by means of the
Holy Spirit
E. Illustrate with glass of milk (Jesus) and chocolate (us)
1. Before we knew Christ – separate, distinct, apart
2. When we believed – pour chocolate into milk and stir together.
3. The chocolate is now in the milk
4. Identified as one, together, united.
5. What is true of the milk is now true of the chocolate!
F. We are now in Christ and Jesus’ experience has now become my experience (his
death, burial and resurrection has now become my death, burial and resurrection).
His possessions (all his riches, inheritance, and future kingdom from the Father
have become my possessions as a joint heir with Jesus) and his victories have
become my victories, etc.
G. Our great work here is to believe that all of this is true and already all done by the
Father and Jesus and the Spirit. There is not anything we need to do to get in
Christ and get all these blessings but rather that battle is to believe it has already
been done and given to you
H. This is us if you are a believer – you are already in Christ
• So it is true – we are richer than we think because we are in Christ so let’s look at the
very first possession that is ours
III. Chosen in Him to be holy and blameless
A. Read v4 - this verse is not that hard to understand, the battle is believing it
because it is so mind blowing.
B. First God choose you and me to be in Christ. Read 1:4a
1. Not only did He do the work of getting us in Christ but even before that He
made a decision, a choice as to who would be in Christ! Out of all the world
of people that would ever be born He choose you and me that are believers!
2. Yes God did prefer you over someone else – mind blowing and raises a lot of
questions –
a) If you want to pursue this a bit further I did two complete messages in
Romans on this topic for which you can order the CD.
3. This morning I just want to give us some insight into why He choose many
of us.
a) I know it is true in my case see if it fits you!
b) Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Listen
c) This removes all boasting and should turn us to worship and gratitude
because what we are learning is what Jesus said – “you did not choose
me but I chose you.” Being saved is not the smartest thing you ever did
but the greatest gift you ever received!
C. When did God chose you and me to be in Christ? Read 1:4a-b
1. He made this decision to include you and me in Christ before God created the
world, sometime before Genesis 1:1!
2. Isn’t that mind blowing – before God created the world He chose you to be in
Christ? That does not mean you were placed in Christ before the world was
created, that happened when you believed but rather He made a decision and
choice at that time for you to be one of those to be in Christ!
D. Now it even gets better listen to why he chose you to be in Christ – read 1:4c
1. Holy (pure vessel, cleaned up and set aside for His use) and blameless (no
defect, without blemish - without fault)
2. Before Him – in His eyes in His sight this is the way that God sees you right
now as holy and blameless because you are in Christ – remember what is true
of Jesus has become true of you
3. Read Galatians 3:27– paraphrased – all of you who were placed in Christ
(that is what baptized into Christ means) says we are clothed with Christ –
a) Grateful for clothing as it covers our blemished and defective body.
b) Illustrate - put paper (you and me) in Bible (Jesus)! - You do not see
(paper – me); you see the Bible (Jesus) and that is how God sees us right
now!
E. The problem is that most of us look at others and ourselves, as we were apart
from Christ, as unclothed and not hidden in Christ. Thus, we focus on our faults,
weaknesses and sins rather than the holy and blameless people we really already
are at the level of our spirit.
F. Remember from last week:
1. Our identity relates to our spirit and was dealt with in the past when we were
justified – we are holy and blameless at the core of our being
2. In the present time God is at work in our souls to make us more holy and
blameless in our daily walks – we call that sanctification
3. And in the future when our entire spirit and soul and body will be completely
holy and blameless – we call that glorified!
• As we go to …
IV. Communion
A. Consider this - read Jude 24.
1. V24 a – God’s present work in our sanctification – keep us from stumbling
2. V24b – God’s future work in our glorification!
B. As you take communion consider this:
1. When Moses stood before God’s glory, God told him he could not look on
the fullness of God’s glory because to see the fullness of God’s glory would
instantly kill him
2. When Isaiah saw God’s glory while He sat on his throne his response was
woe is me, for I am ruined – PBP paraphrase – man I am in deep trouble for I
am going to die because I am a sinful man and my eyes have seen the king!
3. Now consider this verse – when you stand in the presence of God in the
future, you will stand there blameless with great joy.
4. The only response to that is this – read v 25!
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
WELCOME BACK HOME MVC FAM!
Reopening the Church
Various Passages June 21, 2020
I. Introduction:
A. Greetings
1. I want to wish every father here today and watching on line a very happy
Father’s Day! May you have a day to be celebrated and refreshed!
2. And welcome to my brothers and sisters here at MVC Church today, our first
day back together after three months! It’s great to see you.
B. A lot has happened in the last three months that has changed our lives, church and
world!
1. COVID 19 has changed many of our lives and has kept us apart for three
months as our hearts cried out to be back together!
2. And the murder of George Floyd has made our hearts cry out for justice.
C. I believe God is using this time as an opportunity to grow His church in
discipleship!
1. He stripped away all our programs to help us see all the more clearly that
programs are designed to disciple people and we want to make sure as we
come back we can do that even better.
2. This time of heightened awareness of racial tension is a great platform to
develop us as disciples because the lessons we learn in this season are lessons
disciples can use all their lives in all relationships and injustices!
• So let’s start by looking at …
II. The cry to be back together!
A. One question our leaders and staff kept hearing repeatedly as we talked to people
during this time was, “When are we getting back together?” “The video services
are good but something is missing!”
1. There were two truths that kept ringing through my heart as I heard this:
a) Read 2 John 12 – as good as letters are, as good as social media is, as
good as a video is, only face to face gathering fill our joy tanks to
overflowing!
b) Read Ephesians 2:19 – we are God’s household, we are the family of
God, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
(1) It is built into our spiritual DNA as new creatures in Christ to long
to be together just as we long to be together with our blood family!
B. So we put much work into coming back in a way that is timely, wise and as safe
as possible for everyone who longs to be here!
C. But I am fully aware that there are others who have that same longing to be
together but they do not feel it is wise for them to come back yet.
1. I want you to know that I fully respect the fact that it is not right for you to
come back now and we look forward to your return when the time is right for
you!
2. We are fully aware that MVC will be meeting on Sunday mornings live in the
auditorium, by video in different rooms throughout the building and in many
homes!
a) We are asking God for wisdom to:
(1) Minister well to all three venues on Sunday mornings
(2) Encourage all of us to connect with other believers because we
need each other as believers, especially in days like these!
(3) Encourage all of us in our faith because we need that in days like
these!
• The second cry we have felt is …
III. The cry for justice
A. What I am going to say is not all that needs to be said nor will it be the final word
that is needed regarding the unjust, brutal and cold-hearted murder of George
Floyd, and the aftermath of that murder. It will be just my two cents added to the
discussion and next steps for us at MVC.
B. Before I jump into my comments, I want to say a few more things so you know
where I am coming from.
1. I am aware that the racial problems are bigger than just in our hearts and it
reaches into our families, churches and culture.
a) But I am also aware that if our hearts do not change first then our
families, churches and culture never will!
b) Tony Evans said if the church is broken then we really have nothing to
say to the culture around us until we clean our own house!
2. I need to let you know up front that as a white person I cannot empathize
with blacks because I have not been where they have been.
a) Their experience in the United States has not been the same as mine as a
white person and they have experienced suppression, injustices and
inequalities in many respects!
3. While there are policies that the police department can still improve upon, we
need to recognize that there are many good police officers who love the
communities that they serve and whose hearts have been broken and repulsed
by what the officer in Minneapolis did to George Floyd.
a) Their reputations have been ruined by the few, the many are bearing the
consequences of the few, and many are hated and judged without being
known.
b) We must not forget them and appreciate our brothers and sisters who are
good and faithful ministers of Jesus on the streets of these communities
as they risk their lives to keep others safe!
c) Please be praying for them!
4. Ultimately, this is not a black and white issue or even police officers and
black community issue – it is a spiritual war where Satan is using people as
pawns to destroy one another, relationships and communities and especially
important to us today – even divide the church!
C. Let me share the two verses that have been rolling around in my heart!
1. Read Psalm 89:14a.
a) Righteousness and justice are the very foundation of God’s reign.
b) Righteousness – that which is morally good and right
c) Justice – the impartial and fair judgement and punishment of the
breaking of a law!
2. Read Ecclesiastes 8:11- I going to give you the Pat Peglow paraphrase of
this: simply if an evil deed is committed and justice is not administered
quickly then man thinks he can get away with it and does it all the more.
D. So let me tell you how I think we got to where we are today
1. So first, consider the fact that most of those who rule over us in our
community, state and nation do not lead from righteousness and justice but
rather have rejected God, His Word and His wisdom and think they have
better and wiser ways than Him.
2. Add to that when a policeman or a looter or rioter, when a wealthy person or
poor person, when famous or a nobody, when a white person or a black
person, when a person in position of power and those who are powerless are
not dealt with quickly and with equal (important word – equal – one more
time - equal) justice for all, not only do they but those around them see they
can get away with it and jump in with both feet so it spreads from the
individual to organization to the culture.
3. Compound this with the fact that this has been going on for decades; you
kind of get what we have today when it comes to racism and prejudice in
individuals, families, churches, cultures, organizations, and court systems.
4. If equal and fair justice for all would have been put in place decades ago and
administered quickly we would not be where we are today!
• So let me suggest a few, not everything that needs to be done but a few…
IV. Next steps for the people of MVC
Repent
1. The standard that God has called us to in our attitudes and relationships with
others that are different than us is the one we find in the Bible and displayed
in the life and character of Jesus
2. In light of this my guess is that everyone of us, black, white, police, rich,
powerful, etc. have places we need to repent!
3. Listen to your own thoughts and what you are saying at home when no one
else is around but your family and you will get a sense of where your heart
really is.
B. We need to celebrate what God celebrates – diversity in color and class and
ethnicity. I love what one speaker said, “Jesus did not just shed His blood to save
us but he shed His blood to make us siblings!
1. One black brother I spoke with told me that all his life he has not felt
accepted or valued as a black man in a white church. Simply the more white
he acted the more he will be accepted by the white Christians.
a) This is not a brother with an axe to grind; this is a man of God humbly
being honest with his pastor.
2. Stop saying you do not see color. Actually, start seeing different colors and
glory, delight in, accept, and learn from the diversity that God has built into
His church.
C. As disciples, we not only follow Jesus but we impact others! Many of us think
we need to do something big and significant to impact others and our world!
1. I want to remind you of the last sermon I preached before we went to videos
entitled “Changing our world – one life at a time!
2. Remember this quote from Jeff Manion – “Most of us desire to live great
lives. We fear we will fritter away our days without leaving any discernible
mark on our world. However, in our quest to live greatly, we search for
something great to do. Something big. I believe this to be a huge mistake.
Greatness is rarely achieved by doing great things but instead by doing good
things repetitively. Jeff Manion “dream big think small”
3. The first step we can do in changing the world is to be faithful on the circuit
of life and people where God has placed you.
a) Lovingly and humbly, challenge those of the same color as you who are
displaying words, attitudes and actions that are sinful racially.
b) And those of a different color from you use your words, attitudes and
actions to help heal and bridge the racial gap!
D. Our next step as a church – a community of people together
1. In July, we have a hands on opportunity that Ron Ovitt talked to me about,
that would give us a chance to provide diapers and baby food to help young
mothers in an area that was hit by riots.
2. On Sept 27, we are going to have Roy Patterson, the head of the urban
ministry at MBI, preach to us and we will follow that with a round table
discussion on race relations with Roy.
E. There is more that can and should be done but I think the best place to start is by
calling a black brother or sister, and calling a police officer. Just say I want to
hear your heart, and then really listen to understand them and then pray for them.
You do not have to have any the answers now as you are just learning.
1. I called seven different black adults that come to MVC. God used these calls
to do something deep in my heart and give me a better glimpse into what
their world has been like as well as how good hearted and biblically minded
our people are! I love the story one woman told me.
a) She had a white electrician at her house and he asked her what this thing
“Black lives matter.” He said, “I do not get it because all lives matter!”
b) She said, “White lives have always mattered here in this country but
what they should have called themselves is “Black lives matter, too!” I
thought, “Wow that is good!”
c) Black lives matter too because:
(1) Every human being has been made in God’s image
(2) When it comes to race, biblically there is only one race the human
race. Then they were scattered all over the world from Babel to
form the different nations of the world.
(3) God’s plan in beginning was to bless every nation
(4) Jesus died for the sins of the entire world.
(5) The great commission sends us to every nation
(6) When God’s purposes are fulfilled in the future every nation, all
tribes and peoples and tongues will stand before the throne of God
and before the Lamb saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the
throne and to the Lamb!
V. Send off
A. Brothers and sisters, commit yourself this week to begin to listen and learn!
Whites from blacks, blacks from whites, blacks from police officers, police
officers from blacks and let’s begin the healing at MVC.
Tuesday Mar 10, 2020