If Christ has canceled our sin debt and forgiven us of all that we have done against him – how in the world could we ever think it okay to cancel someone else? Christ hasn't written us off... we can't write anyone else off either. We continue to sin, we continue to disobey, ignore, and rebel against our savior... and yet he says he will never leave us nor forsake us. Everyday we depend on the fact that Christ has not canceled us, everyday we depend on more mercy and more grace. And so, we must continue to show grace and mercy to everyone who needs it. How Can We Participate In Cancel Culture When Jesus Refuses To Cancel Us?
- Oct 25, 2020Culture Shock Part 7: Cancel Everyone (Ephesians 4:1-7)
Culture Shock Part 7: Cancel Everyone (Ephesians 4:1-7)
If Christ has canceled our sin debt and forgiven us of all that we have done against him – how in the world could we ever think it okay to cancel someone else? Christ hasn't written us off... we can't write anyone else off either. We continue to sin, we continue to disobey, ignore, and rebel against our savior... and yet he says he will never leave us nor forsake us. Everyday we depend on the fact that Christ has not canceled us, everyday we depend on more mercy and more grace. And so, we must continue to show grace and mercy to everyone who needs it. How Can We Participate In Cancel Culture When Jesus Refuses To Cancel Us?
- Oct 18, 2020Culture Shock Part 6: Christian Politics & the Presidential Election (Colossians 4:5-6)
Culture Shock Part 6: Christian Politics & the Presidential Election (Colossians 4:5-6)When you bear with one another in love you are engaging in politics. When you depend on Christ to reach the world with the Gospel to see lives completely transformed... you are engaging in politics. You can't avoid politics... and to try would be disobedient toward God. The great Martin Luther King wrote a famous letter, while sitting in the Birmingham, Alabama jail, which addressed this very subject. He said; “In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and merely mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard so many ministers say, ‘Those are social issues with which the Gospel has no real concern.’” Let me be clear this morning, there are no social issues with which the Gospel has no real concern. All people matter to God. He has given them equal worth, equal ability, and equal love. They are created sacred in His image. Therefore, he desires equal justice for all of them, and that demands our political attention.But we must understand this as well. Christian's don't live just for the welfare of mankind. We live for the Glory of God. And so our politics are going to be a lot different than the world's. I want us to understand that while we must engage in politics to some degree we are not fighting for an earthly kingdom.
- Oct 11, 2020Culture Shock Part 5: Sex, Sexuality & The Transgender Debate
Culture Shock Part 5: Sex, Sexuality & The Transgender Debate
No matter how mainstream our media tries to make it... transgender people are, and most likely will remain marginalized. And fair or not, probably fair, they believe that they will be judged most harshly by one group, us. And some of us are okay with that. Some of us think they should be marginalized and judged and discriminated against. And that's sad.... because that is not like Jesus. Jesus loved the outcasts, the sinners, the fringe of society. He was truly without prejudice. Jesus was magnetic and enchanting to a world hungry for something fresh simply because he chose to love the people that no one else would love. And, these are the same people that Jesus has called us to love as well.
So, when it comes to the transgender issue what is our response? I want us to see today that God is calling us to something unique in our culture. He's calling us to disagree with an aberrant ideology that stands in contrast to his Word and conflicts with our sense of normality, while at the same time loving and respecting the people who carry that ideology. Transgenderism Is Not A Part Of God's Plan, But Neither Is Rejecting Transgender People
- Oct 4, 2020Culture Shock Part 4: A Righteous Response To Racism & Riots (Proverbs 31:8-9)
Culture Shock Part 4: A Righteous Response To Racism & Riots (Proverbs 31:8-9)
Racism still exists in our world today. Racism still exists in our country, our culture, and in our community. And as Christians; as those who have been set free from hell, death, and sin... we should do everything we can to see all men and women, regardless of their race, set free from any form of injustice or discrimination. We must fight against racism and we must not tolerate racism in any form because that's what Jesus would do. Galatians 3:28 says that we as humans are not divided by race, socioeconomic status, gender or any other external factor, but we are all one in Christ. As followers of Christ we must condemn racism.
But, in the same spirit we must also condemn lawlessness and violence in the form of riots. Even if those riots are meant to bring about an end to racism. Two wrongs don't make a right. Romans 12:17 says, repay no one evil for evil. This morning I want us to see that the way we in the church respond to racism and riots reveals to the world who our redeemer is. This morning I want us to recognize the truth of the matter; Where Riots Fail, Jesus Succeeds. The End of Racism is Christ In Me.
- Sep 27, 2020Culture Shock Part 3: Anger – Righteous & Unrighteous (Acts 16)
Culture Shock Part 3: Anger – Righteous & Unrighteous (Acts 16)In a culture as shocking as this one, our anger can easily be aroused. But is it wrong to be angry with a sinful world? God has made us with the capability to have righteous anger and unrighteous anger. Our passions can often seem sinful in regard to our anger. Praise God, the Gospel can change our passions and desires. When we get angry, we have an example to emulate. When we feel like we've been done unjustly we must remember that we have been called to be image bearers of God.
- Sep 20, 2020Culture Shock Part 2: Covid Christianity (Luke 21:10-12)
Culture Shock Part 2: Covid Christianity (Luke 21:10-12)
There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic is the core issue of 2020. It has reeked havoc on our society, it has wrecked our economy, and it has ruined our plans in ways we could never have imagined. Nothing like this has ever happened in our lifetimes. And we can choose to let it discourage us and defeat us, or we can allow it to be used for something greater than our misery. And, this is where we are confronted with one of our greatest personal conflicts of this year. Here's where the real struggle lies. Many of us feel that we have been treated unfairly by God. Many of us probably feel that we have been oppressed by the government. We say things like, how could God allow this to happen, or how could our government be so restrictive and take away our freedoms? And in the midst of it all we are left simply thinking of ourselves. We are throwing our own private pity party. Isn't it a shame that some of us have been so focused on how this has affected us that we have neglected to see the struggles and the afflictions of those outside our homes? Or worse, we have grown bitter and disenfranchised to the point of blaming and then abandoning God. And, so, that leaves us with a important question this morning; in the midst of Covid-19, how can we take our eyes off of ourselves, and our struggles, and focus on what God says in his Word? As we dive into scripture, we discover what our reaction as believers should be to our God, to the government, and to our neighbors as it relates to this pandemic. What God shows us is that; "The way the Church responds to Covid could determine how the world responds to Christ."
- Sep 13, 2020Culture Shock Part 1: Welcome To The Twilight Zone (Matthew 24:1-14)
Culture Shock Part 1: Welcome To The Twilight Zone (Matthew 24:1-14)
We live in a very shocking culture, with ever changing goal lines, and it can make you dizzy. I was talking with a friend the other day and he said that 2020 feels just like we've walked into an episode of the Twilight Zone. It feels almost like we are living in an alternate reality. We've never seen anything like this before. But, be assured, Jesus makes it clear that this is where we are headed as we get closer to the rapture and the second coming of Christ. The closer we get to the day of the Lord, the worse things are going to get. So, in reality... we haven't entered a parallel universe, we haven't entered the twilight zone.. we are actually just seeing scripture fulfilled. It was always going to get shockingly worse before it got better. We are in the last days. And instead of just ranting on Facebook, or protesting at the capitol, or cowering in our homes... we need to learn how to respond to all of this according to scripture. How do we confront all of this... in a righteous way that brings glory to God? We can make a difference for Christ in a shocking culture! Romans 12:2 says.... “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds... This is so true for us today. We are in the world but not of the world. We must change the world without chasing it. Today I want us to see that Our Culture May Shock Us But We Mustn't Let It Shake Us.