Happy Father’s Day!

A great day set aside to celebrate our earthly fathers and to express love to them.  Many of us, our fathers have passed away, but I am sure that their influence is still with us in some way or the other. There are times that I do something or say something and I realize that is exactly what my dad would have done or said. The impact of a father on his children cannot be measured but rest assured that it is one of the most important jobs on the planet.

So how can we tie the role of a father to the power and in-filling of the Holy Spirit? I am so glad you asked! The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:18 (NLT) “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit...” What is Paul saying here? He is saying do not be intoxicated by anything that will destroy your life but rather be filled with the Holy Spirit. Life Church has always been blessed with many great men of God…emulate them and lead your family into a life in Christ.

Many fathers are intoxicated by their work or some other thing spending way too much valuable time away from their families and away from their heavenly Father. I exhort you, Fathers, to not get caught up with anything or anyone who distracts you from your God given responsibilities. Nothing is more needed in our society than men of God who will be leaders at home and in the market place. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and lead your family into God’s presence at home and church! Remember Jesus’ words: John 10:10 (NLT) “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”  Get baptized in the Holy Spirit and lead your family to Life – “Living in Freedom Every Day!”  

We have been doing a series on Walking on Water...

... on Wednesday nights and God has been giving us lots of insights on getting out of the boat and stepping out in faith. Wednesday nights are pretty awesome…you should come and let God minister to you. Jesus comes to the disciples on the stormy sea and reveals to them that it is Him. Matthew 14:27‑29 (NKJV) “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.” Peter began to sink. Was he a failure? As you attempt to walk on water you will be challenged to respond to failure in a proper way.

Jonas Salk tried two hundred times to develop a vaccine for polio before he discovered the right one.  Somebody asked him...How did it feel to fail 200 times? Salk said, “I never failed 200 times in my life. I was taught to never use the word ‘failure’. I just discovered 200 ways how not to vaccinate for polio.” Winston Churchill was asked what most prepared him to risk political suicide by speaking out against Hitler during the years of appeasement in the mid-1930s and then to lead Britain against Nazi-Germany. He said it was the time he had to repeat a grade in elementary school. “You mean you failed a year in grade school?’ he was asked.

Churchill said “I never failed anything in my life. I was given a second opportunity to get it right.”

As you attempt to walk on water you will be challenged to respond to failure as an opportunity to grow.

Because Peter put himself in a position to fail, he also put himself in a position to grow. Ortberg said “Failure is an indispensable, irreplaceable part of learning and growth. Here is the principle involved: Failure does not shape you: the way you respond to failure shapes you.” As you attempt to walk on water you will be challenged to have a deeper connection with God. Jesus is still looking for people to get out of the boat but why even risk getting out of the boat? There are many good reasons to get out of the boat but one surpasses them all...The water is where Jesus is.

–Sir Edmund Hillary made several unsuccessful attempts at scaling Mt. Everest before he finally succeeded. After one of his attempts he stood at the base of the mountain and shook his fist at it and said...I’ll defeat you yet, he said in defiance, because you are as big as you will ever be but I am still growing.

–Every time Hillary climbed he failed and every time he failed he learned, he grew and tried again. And one day he didn’t fail.  

2 Peter 3:17‑18 (NLT) 

17 I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 

18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen. 

3. As you attempt to walk on water you will be challenged to wait on the Lord.

–Even though this story is much about risk it is also a story about waiting on the Lord. The disciples had to wait until 3 in the morning before Jesus came to them. Even with that Jesus did not immediately relieve them from the storm.

–Jesus could have easily caused the storm to calm down before Peter got out of the boat. Why didn’t He?  Maybe because they, like us, need to learn something about waiting.

We have been talking about “I can’t Stay Here” ...

... and we have used Elijah as an example.1 Kings 19:4 (NLT2) “Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” Maybe it is just my imagination but it seems like more and more of my conversations with friends and church people are spent on weariness, over commitment, and just being border line ready to quit. When you run into someone you know and you just ask a simple question like…What is going on with you these days? I am way too busy…I am on the edge of burnout…I am doing way too much. So what is the result of this pushing and pushing and going and going? We are doing more and enjoying it less.

1. We deal with inner weariness. We have all had our list of commitments and obligations grow and grow (all good things) and many do not know when enough is enough. I have warned our pastors about once a month commitments. The good news about being this busy is having so many opportunities to use our gifts and skills for God. The bad news is the increasing amount of fatigue and frustration in our spirits.

2. There is always one more thing to do. I constantly pray that nothing will happen in my week to interrupt what I already have to get done without having a major sense of dis-ease about things still undone. Notice the two words – dis-ease and disease. MacDonald – Anyone who has given themselves to the leading, caring, or developing of people knows that there is always one more thing that could be done or done better and more completely. Psalm 27:4 (NKJV) “One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.” Jesus is our example of just slowing down. J.B. Phillips – “It is refreshing to study the poise and quietness of Christ. His task and responsibility might well have driven a man out of his mind. But He was never in a hurry, never impressed by numbers, never a slave of the clock. He was acting, He said, as He observed God to act---never in a hurry.” I can’t stay here…I must be like Jesus and I must seek Jesus! 

Last week we started this series…I Can’t Stay Here…

...and it seemed to connect with many of you as well as with myself. We all can relate to Elijah at some point. 1 Kings 19:1-8 (NLT2) “Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
We talked about how ninety percent of our lives can be going so well but that ten percent that we cannot control is chewing us up. Your percentage might be different. 80-20, 70-30, or whatever it is. Where did these people go who finally just couldn’t take it anymore? The sadness, the broken-ness, the emptiness of not arriving to that magical place of peace made them disappear into oblivion. 

Please tell us what are you saying, Pastor Rick. I am telling you that you are blessed but I am also telling you that you are only one phone call or attack away from a major test or temptation in your life. It may be a doctor saying you have a brain tumor, Leukemia, lung cancer. It may be a spouse who says I am done. It may be a son or daughter who is addicted to drugs. You fill in the blanks. Life changes quickly. Somewhere along the way I believe we have bought into a myth in the church that we have to be at 100% all the time and if we are not, something is wrong with our faith. Just confess the bad away!

1. I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) This has probably been one of the most abused verses in the Bible. When we process the Word of God through a gospel of prosperity…the ‘all things’ in this verse become whatever we want. If you read Paul in context, he was talking about an enduring faith that would carry him through whatever life would throw at him. Paul endured so much opposition and pain.

2. I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. Philippians 4:11-12 (NKJV) “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Please read it for what it says. I can do all things and I can be content. Our answer is Jesus!

Today we are starting a new series that I feel is going...

... to resonate with many of us, including myself. Sometimes, after serving God for a while, we find ourselves in a place much like Elijah. He had been greatly and miraculously used by God but now his life all of a sudden appears to be dark and empty. Before he felt he was headed for a specific destination but now he seems lost. Someone was sharing with me the other day their frustration with life and how empty they felt. I knew their story so I took the liberty to do an evaluation of where they were. This person (older than me) had been very successful in their career, had plenty of finances to retire, surrounded by family and friends, and had a miraculous encounter with Jesus…this person was healed. 

I told this person…you have felt so blessed in so many ways…you have even felt successful in ways you could have only dreamed, ninety percent of your life absolutely could not be better. The problem is that 10% that you cannot ever seem to get where you want it to be. You pray, you fast, you beg God, you read books, you do everything, yet that part of your life is sucking the life out of you. Sadly, this is not something you have dealt with for a few days, a few months, and not even a few years. This has become your thorn in the flesh that seems to have plagued you for years. They asked…How did you know? I did not ask this person what the 10% was because that was between them and God. How did I know? I knew because I have had the 10% syndrome also making me feel the same way. 

Why is human nature that way that, 90% of our lives can be wonderful but we can’t seem to enjoy it because the 10% keeps us pre-occupied with hurt and frustration. Emptiness and pain. It is as though our lives are a mindless and spiritless journey crammed with events (not experiences) and contacts (not relationships). Where am I going? What does all this mean? Why has this journey with Jesus turned into a wearisome journey? When will I find tranquility and peace again? To claim that such questions do not occur to a Christian is to be unrealistic, and actually, unhelpful. With God’s help we will be attempting to answer some of these questions.

When things do not go well for us we all have a default mechanism that we run to…hopefully it is God, but many times, that is not the case. Porn, drugs, relationships, alcohol…maybe you go fishing or play tennis.

The point is…I can’t stay here and neither can you! You must declare…I can’t stay here!

Today we will conclude this ten-week series...

... on “I Love my Church” and I hope you see how important it is to be in community with the family of God. Today, in my sermon, I broke down the word community, and for simplicity, I am going to give you the Pastor Rick definition of the Community of God. Community of God – A group of born again believers worshiping together, loving each other, encouraging each other, and sharing their possessions and responsibilities in complex unity for the glory of God. Here’s the point, we are stronger together than we are apart. As we learn to love each other, as we realize none of us are perfect, and as we work toward common goals that are Biblical and godly, Jesus will be pleased with us. 

Today we are looking at the Day of Pentecost and how God poured out Holy Spirit power to people (120) who were all in one mind and one spirit. God had given this promise about the outpouring of the Spirit: Acts 1:8 (NKJV) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Because 120 people didn’t get discouraged after close to 400 other believers decided not to wait to be endued with power, the Holy Spirit came upon them in unity and power. The 120 quickly grew to over 3100. That can happen here!

No surprise, a day of persecution came. The apostles were arrested and commanded not to preach in Jesus Name again. They quickly went to the community of God and gave a report. Acts 4:23-24 (NLT2)
^“As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God.” The result of the prayer meeting…the place was shaken, they were all filled with Holy Spirit, they spoke the Word with boldness, and the church grew to over 5000. Community works. 

We are calling the community of God to unity in regard to missions. We can obviously do more together perpetuating the gospel than we can apart. I challenge you to be in one mind and one accord with your pastors and leadership. The end result will be that the Kingdom of God will grow by thousands of souls coming to Christ because of our unity and vision. Community works when we all bear responsibility and do our part! Hebrews 10:24-25 (NCV) “Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the Day coming.”

Today we continue the series on community...

... and we continue speaking about the paralyzed man and his four friends. Luke 5:18-19 (NLT2) “Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” Today for a moment please imagine with me that you are the man on the mat.

1. The trust issue with your friends. You wonder if you can trust your friends to keep you safe. What are these guys getting me into? Are they going to drop me? Ground level wouldn’t be so bad but from the roof…it could be bad! Whenever you venture out to share Christ with someone, are you a person who can be trusted to not drop them? Can you deliver on what you are promising them? Be careful what you promise people. Matthew 11:19 (NIV) “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."' People want to know they are loved and that we truly do care for them. Love keeps showing up, love keeps listening, love keeps making sure that people are not hurt…love keeps directing people to Jesus!

2. Trust issues with the crowd. The crowd could have looked at this as a form of butting ahead and no one likes for anyone to jump in line in front of them. He was in no place to defend himself if people got physical. The crowd (congregation) should rejoice with those who get to Jesus and find salvation or healing. Romans 12:15-16 (NLT2) “Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”

3. Trust issues with Jesus. This man’s friends must have wondered how Jesus would respond (we still wonder). Jesus looks up and sees the faces of the friends looking down at Him. The verse says He saw their faith. We have no indication that these men said anything to Jesus but he saw their faith. He saw men working hard to get their friend to Him and their only thought was…We must get our friend close to Jesus. James 2:17 (NKJV) “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” What does Jesus see when He sees you?