Slave to fear

Chloe has been going to bed scared once again for the past 2 weeks even though her father, that's me, tells her their is nothing to be scared of and that I am with her. In prepping for this sermon I was reminded that I am just like Chloe way to often when it comes to living by faith instead of fear.  If my father is really the father that Jesus revealed what do I have to fear.  Why do I doubt his love, his promises, his presence and his strength. "I am no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God," is the line from a song called " No longer slaves."  I can't get this song out of my head based on Romans 8:15.  O father remind me that the wind and the waves still know your name and give me more faith. I am your son.

Think about it

This week I have been considering not referring to things as natural, but instead created. We talk a lot about nature but why not refer to it as creation. I might be digging to deep on this choice of semantics.  Yes in God's creation thing naturally take place but living in America in 2016 nature and natural are talked about so much I am thinking being mindful of this semantic choice can go along way. Think about it. "All things were created by Him and for Him. That is Jesus."

teachability

I have just been wowed again, humbled again, by the brilliancy Jesus and His scriptures. Specifically, Luke's sermon from Luke 18:9 through Luke 19:10.  Humility is a virtue which God constantly speaks of for His children and exemplifies in Jesus.  My working definition this week for humility as compared to pride is having a teachable spirit.  That is having a spirit that is able to say I don't know everything, in fact bottom line is I am not perfect but also the ability to fall under Jesus as not just my Savior but also my teacher.   Sermon is coming this Sunday.  Go to trinityutica.com to listen to past sermons.

immeasurably more of what?

In Ephesians 3:20 God's word proclaims that God's Spirit which is at work within us will do the immeasurably more.  Just what is the immeasurably more?  Within the direct context the immeasurably more seems to be experiencing God's love which surpasses our knowledge.  An experiential knowledge of His love that grows more and more when we pray prayers like this, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  If I want the immeasurable more of God in my life, I need to pray prayers led by the Spirit (His word).  Prayers like this; search me, break me, and fill me.  Simply, I need to confess more.  Jesus said that if we are forgiven much (broken and filled much) we will love much.  We will respond lavishly, the immeasurably more way.

Just Chillin

So, I have been prepping for the Easter Sunday message reading and re-reading the Gospel texts.  I can't get Matthew 28:2 out of my head and heart.  Specifically the part that says that not only the angel rolled the stone away but that the angel sat on it.  He sat on it.  What's up with that?  The picture I have in my head is the picture of the angel just chillin.  Why?  Jesus, just rose.  His guy is victorious.  I think he sat because he didn't have a care in the world, he was taking a load off, just taken it easy proclaiming the message to us that because Jesus rose we can chill.   Jesus said, "Cast all your anxiety on me."  He also said, "Do not worry."  We are invited once again by Heaven, "To come and see."  May God enable us to sit on the rock, to sit on Jesus, to sit on His word, and in that may we chill.

The main thing

In prep for this weeks sermon I have been reading and rereading the 4 gospel accounts of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the day we call Palm Sunday.  This day for the ancients was known as lamb selection day for the Passover.  Scholars tell us that in that time the city of Jerusalem went from 20,000 people to 2 million and over 250,000 lambs were selected to be slaughtered for the forgiveness of sins on that day.  I find myself thinking once again in the midst of the magnitude of that day that the main thing is the main thing because the main thing that is the main thing.  If you are wondering what the main thing let me remind you of what Jesus said, "So that you know I have the authority to forgive sins, I say get up and walk."  The lamb's blood was spilt and the lamb that was slain got up and walked. The check didn't bounce.  We are for forgiven.

Where IT belongs.

      So, we are starting a new sermon series this weekend that is going to take us through Easter.  We are calling it, "Weight."  This weekend we are going to dig into Hebrews 12 and talk about the weight of sin.  The format of the sermon this week is going to be a bit different because of the sin that Hebrews 12 addresses and the fact that I am hoping to keep the sermon somewhere between a G & PG.  Sexual Immorality is one of the 3 specific sins that Hebrews 12 mentions so we are going to go with IT.  Yep.
      The other day I was taking Toby "10" and Graham "7" into school which is also where I work.  In my hand I had a book called, "talking to your kids about sex."  So, I showed both the boys the title of the book, they both can read, and I decided to have a little talk with them.  The little talk went about 2 minutes.  I simply asked Toby who are you allowed to have sex with.  Toby's response simply and profoundly was, "My wife dad."  Then I reminded them both that I am here to talk if they ever have questions and then I prayed the rest of the day for my children that they will be able to fight against and flee from the temptations that they will face and if they fall in a sexual sin that they will experience the restoration power of forgiveness.
      O God let Your word carry more weight than the weighty sin that is so real in our lives.  Search us, break us, fill us, mold us, and use us.   Crush the weight of sin once again with your Weighty (glorious) GRACE!