Fruit Inspection: Mixed Fruit

Fruit Inspection: Mixed Fruit

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Jesus must be Lord of your tongue as well as Lord of your heart for you to be truly set free. 

• Tainted Taste Buds

• Mixed Fruit

• Heavenly Fruit

Tainted Taste Buds

Taming the tongue is the key to setting so much of the direction of our lives.  

‭‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-6a ‭ESV‬‬

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. 

God clearly says that what comes out of our mouths helps steer the direction of our lives - whether it be what fills our hearts, captures our thinking or defines our relationships.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man's hand comes back to him.”

This is why it was an imperative to the apostle Paul that we learn to take captive every thought to run it through the grid of and make it obedient to Christ.  

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

During the middle stages of the Covid pandemic, it was reported that in 8 of 10 individuals, the temporary loss of smell and taste was an indicator that you had been infected, even if you didn’t realize it.  

Our loose tongues reveal symptoms showing us what is actually in our hearts.  

I love it when scientific discoveries confirm what God has already been saying for generations in his Word.  

Annie Wright, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) made reference to an old Cherokee parable: 

“An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”  – First People’s Two Wolves Legend”

This sounds much like what Paul had already spoken about in the battle between the flesh and Spirit in Galatians 5.  

Annie when on to report:

“…What neuroscience and magnetic resonance imaging have been able to show us in the last several decades is astonishing: the brain is “plastic.”

What this means is that far from our brains being “fixed” and “rigid” – a thought popularized by famed Harvard psychologist William James in his landmark 1890 text The Principles of Psychology – we have the capacity to change and grow our brains by creating new neural pathways throughout our life.

One of the most popular studies on this was done on, of all populations, London taxi cab drivers which showed that, in the course of learning the voluminous amount of complex information and geography continuously required for their jobs, the grey matter in their brains literally grew.

…A neural pathway is a connection between a number of neurons (nerve cells) in different parts of the brain which are connected by and communicate with synapses. The more those certain neurons fire and communicate, the stronger the neural pathway becomes.”

“As a thought travels through your brain, neurons fire together in distinctive ways based on the specific information being handled, and those patterns of neural activity actually change your neural structure.” 

– How Your Thoughts Change Your Brain, Cells, and Genes

-Annie Wright LMFT

The connection between our hearts, our thoughts and our lips can not be underestimated in the Kingdom of God.

“The terrible, tragic fallacy of the last hundred years has been to think that all man's troubles are due to his environment, and that to change the man you have nothing to do but change his environment. That is a tragic fallacy. It overlooks the fact that it was in Paradise that man fell.”

-Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This is why God continually had his servants say that we had to not just develop new habits, but be made new creations by the power of the Holy Spirit (II Corinthians 5:17) and have ongoing, transformed minds by the washing of God’s word (Romans 12:1,2). 

As Jesus said many centuries before, 

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭33‬-‭37‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."”

Let’s go a little further. 

Mixed Fruit

The mixed fruit off of our lips reveal the two worlds in which we are trying to live.  

James 3:6b-12

“The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”

Annie Wright made mention of thoughts and then speech to which people regularly bow:

“I married the wrong guy – her husband/boyfriend is a way better catch. I just settled.”

“There’s no way I can get a promotion, he only favors the men on the team. I can’t get ahead because I’m a woman in tech.”

“The kind of people I’m interested in dating don’t go for someone with my body type. What’s the point of trying to date anyway?”

“Good things happen to other people. Not to me.”

“Every thought you have causes neurochemical changes, some temporary and some lasting. For instance, when people consciously practice gratitude, they get a surge of rewarding neurotransmitters, like dopamine, and experience a general alerting and brightening of the mind, probably correlated with more of the neurochemical norepinephrine.” – How Your Thoughts Change Your Brain, Cells, and Genes

“So, if you have been bombarding your cells with peptides from negative thoughts, you are literally programming your cells to receive more of the same negative peptides in the future. What’s even worse is that you’re lessening the number of receptors of positive peptides on the cells, making yourself more inclined towards negativity.” 

– How Your Thoughts Change Your Brain, Cells, and Genes”

What are the negative words that are habitually coming off of your mouth creating godless (without Jesus at the center) patterns and relationships for you?

Heavenly Fruit

The wisdom that comes from God allows the realities of heaven to invade our earthly state. 

‭‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

If by the evaluation of our speech, we see there are ungodly things in our hearts, we should not boast about it, ignore it or take it lightly.  

We do not want to affirm or empower demonic lies or influences in our lives.  

Instead, we need to choose to sow new seed with our lips so that a new harvest will be produced. 

It is a harvest of righteousness by those striving to make peace - peace with God and one another. 

Through repentance from our sin and faith in Jesus’ supernatural work, God’s Spirit moves on and literally transforms our natural state.  

The cross and the altar provide a new pathway:

‭‭

Isaiah‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."”

When we are transformed by Jesus’ grace, we have the power, the discipline and the Word to go out and bring good news (the gospel) to the world stuck in sin and death.  

We are commissioned to be reconciling agents - bringing people back into healed relationships with God and one another through the cross - the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Faith for Freedom

Faith for Freedom

Guest Speaker: Matt Rasch

Faith for Freedom

•    Freedom only comes to our lives because God is redemptive.

•    Redemption is a theological term that describes the saving action of God from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation.

•    Let’s define redemption a little better

Redemption & Redeemer

-   Larousse:

•    Action bring someone back to a well state. To buy back (Larousse)

-   GoogleOxford Dictionary:

•    The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.

•    The action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment or clearing a debt.2

-   From the root Latin word “redimere” we understand the meaning of ‘buying back’.2

-   Hebrew גָּאַל g̱â’al 

•    a primitive root, to redeem according to the Oriental law of kinship

-   to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative's property, marry his widow, etc.):

•    avenger, deliver (perform the part of near or next)

•    kinsfolk(-man), purchase, ransom, redeem, rescue, or liberate.3

-   A redeemer is someone who buys back or rescues.4

-   Chris Wright explains that there are three main aspects of redemption in the Old Testament:

1.     Avenging of shed blood

•    If someone was murdered, a member of the victim’s family took responsibility for bringing the guilty one to receive justice.

2.     Redeeming land or slaves

•    If one had to sell one’s land to stay economically afloat, a near relative had the responsibility to buy it for it to stay in the family.

•    If someone because of economic difficulty, had to sell themselves into bonded labor, it was the duty of a wealthier relative to buy the person back. (lev. 25 for the rules)

3.     Providing an heir

1.     If a man died without a son to inherit his name and property, a kinsman had a moral and legal duty to take the dead man’s widow and seek to raise an heir for the deceased.

2.     The story of Ruth and Boaz is one of the most illustrative of this law found in Ruth 4.

Redemption in the Fall

-   We are blessed as we read the Bible from the beginning because we see the theme of redemption from the beginning.

-   We start with Adam and Eve giving into temptation and sinning against God.

•    In their disobedience to His simple command, they end up banned from Eden, and the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from them.

•    These are the consequences of their sin.

•    There are always consequences for our sin; most of the time they start with shame and fear.

-   We see these two in Adam and Eve’s response.

•    Genesis 3:10

-   “I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

-   they were both afraid of God and the consequences of disobedience, but they were also ashamed of their nakedness.

-   Interpretation Commentary,

•    “They had wanted knowledge rather than trust. And now they have it. They now know more than they could have wanted to know. And there is no place to run.”5

-   Interpretation Commentary,

•    “The speech of the indicted couple is revealing, for it is all “I.” Therein lies the primal offense: “I heard . . . , I was afraid . . . , I was naked; I hid. . . . I ate. . . . I ate” (3:10–13). Their own speech indicts them. It makes clear that their preoccupation with the Gardener, with his vocation, his permission, his prohibition, has been given up. Now the preoccupation is “I.” The fear and the hiding helped no more than the eating.”5

•    One would think that all this would only enrage God to kill them and start over.

-   The miracle in this story is not that God punished them but that they lived!

-   In this, God redeems them from certain temporal death.

-   He removes them from the Garden of Eden to keep them from living forever in a state of knowledge of evil and good.

-   This is the beginning of age limitations, and within which the option to serve God is the choice determining one’s eternal destiny.

-   In fact, after God gave out their punishment, He steps in and graciously covers them with clothes that they couldn’t make for themselves, in the process redeeming them.

Overview of Old Testament Redemption

-   Moving to a bird’s eye view of the Old Testament, we see God’s redemption in the following:

•    Genesis 48:16

-   Jacob, near the end of his life, says while blessing Joseph his son,

•    “the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

-   Chris Wright re-phrases with biblical background understanding, “the angel who stood up for me, and defended me against all my enemies and tough circumstances”6

-   Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:16-17 that when no one else stood with him, “the Lord stood with him and strengthened him” for the task of preaching the gospel.

•    Exodus 6:6 and Exodus 15:13 show God’s redemptive nature through delivering the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery.

-   They had originally come to Egypt escaping the famine.

-   What started out as generosity and kindness to the Hebrew people by the Egyptians turned into enslavement.

•    “‘I’ am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.”

-   And after the Exodus miracle:

•    “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.”

-   We see God’s love redeeming and leading towards abiding in God.

•    We see this manifest again in Christ’s words found in John 15:4,

-   “Abide in me, and I in you”

•    God delivers the Hebrew people from Egypt when they leave, but then the Egyptians change their minds and try to chase them down in their chariots.

-   God once again delivers His people through the miracle of the Red Sea parting.

-   This is a metaphor for baptism in water

-   We are saved when we are freed from Egypt, but Egypt always tries to come back

-   Baptism in water cuts away supernaturally from the unclean past so that we may be free.

•    After the people’s deliverance through the Red Sea, we see the people wandering in the desert for 40 years experiencing hardships but learning to trust God.

-   During this period of time, God is sanctifying them, cleansing them from Egypt’s idolatrous ways.

-   This is the restoration period where God is healing the past, restoring our souls and hearts to be whole again.

-   It may take longer than 40 years, but we are called to go through this to come into the Promise Land.

•    Our Promise Land is not unlike the land promised to the Israelites, but to enter it we must be living in obedience to the Lord

-   Joshua 5:6

•    “For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, to whom the Lord had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

•    As a metaphor for us today living born again by Jesus, this Promised Land is not a geographical place, but a place made by Jesus in the Spirit.

-   When we abide in Him, we experience the full benefits of the abundance of the Kingdom of God:

•    Righteousness, Peace, & Joy in the Holy Spirit.

-   No matter our career, our family, our mistakes or weaknesses, as we abide in Jesus, obeying and enjoying Him, we will experience the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7).

•    The people of God experience again and again the redemption of God as they enter the Promise Land and defeat their enemies.

•    The people of God get fat living off of the Promise Land and then turn back to idols.

-   Deuteronomy 31:20 prophesies this

•    “For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant.”

•    The consequence of turning to idols was to allow their enemies to capture them again, allowing the discipline of the Lord to awaken His people.

-   As a result, throughout the Old Testament, we see the pattern repeated:

•    Love God - experience God’s goodness and peace.

•    Prosper - get lazy and start worshipping idols

•    Idolatry

•    Punishment - in the form of other nations defeating and ruling Israel

•    Wakeup - repent, cry out for mercy and salvation

•    God’s redemption - redeems them and the pattern starts again.

-   This pattern repeats itself until Jesus shows up

Redemption in Jesus

-   Luke 19:10

•    “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

-   Jesus’ ministry was that of redeeming mankind from the effects of a sinful world

•    Jesus healed the sick,

•    Jesus cast demons out of those oppressed and possessed,

•    Jesus restored hope to the hopeless

•    Jesus bound up the broken hearted

•    Jesus set the captives free.

-   Overall, we see the ministry of Jesus being a mere precursor to His ultimate intention - the Redemption of humanity once and for all.

•    When Jesus died on the cross, He did something for all Israel and the whole world.

•    Caiaphas the high priest at the time of Jesus’ ministry had a prophetic point that he made in the midst of arguing with the Pharisees and chief priests about the ministry of Jesus.

-   John 11:47-52

•    “So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”

•    As a result of Jesus’ death on the cross, the price was paid to redeem all of Israel from the vicious pattern that sin forced them into.

-   Israel had a huge debt it owed to God for its selfish and sinful ways.

-   Just like the rest of the world.

-   We all owe God for our sinful and selfish ways

-   But God!

-   Ephesians 2:4-8

•    “But[a] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

•    So we see that in Christ redemption has come to the world.

-   And not only our salvation, but He has raised us up out of the pit and spiritually positioned us in Christ, seated with Him.

-   He wants to show us immeasurable riches his grace and kindness!

-   All free gift!!!

God’s redemption through His church

-   God charges us all to bring the good news to the nations all around us each day in Matthew 28:19-20

-   “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”

God’s redemption in Revelation

-   Today we don't have enough time, but suffice it to say, in the book of Revelation we see God bringing His redemption to the earth and all that He has created.

•    Revelation 21:1-5

-   “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.””

Conclusion

-   God is a redeemer

-   He takes anything and everything bad we can throw at Him, and He turns it around for good, saving us in the process.

-   He is our justice, our deliverer, and our inheritance.

-   He is truly all we need to be free and stay free.

-   Look to Him today

Prayer

1Larousse

2Oxford Google Dictionary

3Olive Tree Enhanced Bible Dictionary

4Dale Patrick - NIDB

5 New Interpreters Commentary

6The Mission of God, Chris Wright

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Fruit Inspection: Make Believe Fruit

Fruit Inspection: Make Believe Fruit

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: You can tell how real your relationship is with Jesus by how you live on a daily basis, not once a week at church.  

• Playing Favorites 

• Fantasy Faith

• Real Faith 

Fantasy Football - The two most popular fantasy draft weeks are the week before and after Labor Day (Beginning August 27-Sept 2, 2023) 

Playing Favorites 

Playing favorites based on people’s station in life reveals our aggrandizement of the world’s values, the distortion of our faith and smallness of our love.

‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?”

The Scripture makes it clear that because of the cross of Jesus Christ, there is no room for us to play favorites amongst men and women.  

“The ground is level at the foot of the cross.”

-Billy Graham

The value that is placed on human life is restored through the heart and eyes of God, who made all of mankind in his image.  

People who live without God in the world not only lose a compass for the dignity of human life, but all of morality itself. 

“In a world without God, who’s to say whose values are right and whose are wrong? There can be no objective right and wrong, only our culturally and personally relative, subjective judgments. Think of what that means! It means it’s impossible to condemn war, oppression, or crime as evil. Nor can you praise generosity, self-sacrifice, and love as good. To kill someone or to love someone is morally equivalent. For in a universe without God, good and evil do not exist—there is only the bare, valueless fact of existence, and there is no one to say you are right and I am wrong.”

-William Lane Craig, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision

Fantasy Faith

A faith that diminishes sin is not one that understands either the judgment of God or the cross of Christ.  

‭‭

James‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

“The nearer a man gets to God, the greater he sees his sin.”

-Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Jesus Christ came to save sinners by perfectly fulfilling the law of God and then dying sacrificially for those sins, in our place.  

To come to a genuine faith in Jesus means to turn to God in repentance from all sin, not those that we simply can not tolerate.  

As with fantasy football, the truth is we are not really playing football, no matter how into the game, trading and coaching that we get if we’re not on the field playing by the rules. 

The time, effort and dedication that the athletes put into actually being on that field for crowns that will not last should inspire our true lives for rewards that will in Christ (I Corinthians 9).    

“The cross shows the seriousness of our sin—but it also shows us the immeasurable love of God.”

-Billy Graham

How have you diminished the seriousness of sin in your life?

How have you diminished the mercy of God? 

Real Faith 

Real faith is that which produces actionable love for Jesus and others.  

‭‭

James‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

When people do not have a Biblical faith in Jesus, it is reflected in the way that they live.  

It can begin in the extreme:

“if God does not exist and there is no immortality, then all the evil acts of men go unpunished and all the sacrifices of good men go unrewarded. But who can live with such a view? Richard Wurmbrand, who has been tortured for his faith in communist prisons, says,

The cruelty of atheism is hard to believe when man has no faith in the reward of good or the punishment of evil. There is no reason to be human. There is no restraint from the depths of evil which is in man. The communist torturers often said, 'There is no God, no Hereafter, no punishment for evil. We can do what we wish.' I have heard one torturer even say, 'I thank God, in whom I don't believe, that I have lived to this hour when I can express all the evil in my heart.' He expressed it in unbelievable brutality and torture inflicted on prisoners.”

-William Lane Craig

The faith that we claim to have in Jesus should have a direct impact on the way that we spend our time, energy, resources and talents for Jesus.  

Yet faith without works is the carbon monoxide in the closed room of our hearts - it is the silent killer of our daily lives.

What does real faith look like?

“I am not asking whether you know things about Him but do you know God, are you enjoying God, is God the centre of your life, the soul of your being, the source of your greatest joy? He is meant to be.”

-Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Fruit Inspection: Bruised Fruit

Fruit Inspection: Bruised Fruit 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: The trials of life reveal what is in us that we might be led to the cross and joy found only in Jesus Christ. 

• What’s on the Inside?

• Revealed

• But Jesus Changes Everything 

What’s on the inside?

Our trials not only test our faith, but are meant to produce the completing work of God in our lives.  

‭‭

James‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  

The trials of life will change you - you must ask for the grace of God to ensure that they are sanctifying and not corrupting changes.  

Trials are meant to draw you closer to Jesus rather than pushing you away from him. 

Our job is to ask God for wisdom in the midst of the trial to know how to glorify him as we depend on his strength. 

“You will never really understand your heart when things are going well. It is only when things go badly that you can see it truly. And that’s because it is only when suffering comes that you realize who is the true God and what are the false gods of your lives.”

-Timothy Keller

Revealed

Trials show us what is inside of us with which we need to be deal. 

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.”

-Charles Spurgeon

Just as we are who we really are when nobody's watching or when we’re away from the public eye, so trials are used by God to show where we truly are in relationship to him. 

Trials are meant to strengthen us even as they break us of the things that are not of God.  

The hope of the gospel is that Jesus has the power to make us new creations, set us free from our sins and truly change everything!

But Jesus Changes Everything 

When God allows things to come to the surface he is showing us what he intends to heal through the gospel - either now or at the resurrection. 

‭‭

James‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

God’s word shows us God’s goals.  

We must be doers of the word and not simply hearers.  

We must put God’s word into practice by being about his life and Kingdom mission in our city and the nations. 

The cross of Jesus Christ makes this all possible no matter what we’ve previously seen come out of us through trial because God’s grace changes everything. 

At the cross, Jesus not only paved the way for our forgiveness, but broke the power of sin and death for those who come to him by faith.  

Jesus gives us steps through which we are discipled and transformed into his image.  

What are the steps that you are taking with God to become more like Christ and be more about his mission?

You walk this new life out being connected to the body of Christ - the head, who is Jesus, and interdependent with our other brothers and sisters in him.  

“The Christian husband is not a free-standing moral agent, doing whatever he pleases in this marriage. He is a member — an arm, a leg, a finger, an ear, a tongue — of Christ and responsible to Christ as the head and to other members, especially the leaders of the body of Christ that he’s a part of. That’s true of the wife as well, which means that this marriage is not an isolated couple with no accountable relationships. They are part of the body of Christ. She and he have recourse to the church for help. They are members of Christ’s body.”

-John Piper

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

More Than Enough: Kindness

More Than Enough: Kindness

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We must redefine our shallow idea of kindness to fully embrace the depth of God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ. 

• Kinda Kind

• Real Kindness 

• The Kindness of God 

Kinda Kind

We could all use and give more kindness in our worlds.  

But the question is, how would you define kindness?

We see the reflection of kindness all throughout God’s word.  

Kindness in its purest form comes from the Holy Spirit of God.  

Kindness encourages. 

Kindness serves. 

Kindness gives. 

Kindness speaks life, not death.  

Kindness initiates rather than remaining passive in relationships. 

Kindness looks to use the authority of Christ to build others up, and not simply tear them down. 

“Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.”

- Blaise Pascal

“He that is kind is free, though he is a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king.”

- Augustine

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting…Don’t only give your care, but give your heart as well.”

-Mother Teresa

Yet at the end of the day, being kind and being nice are not the same thing. 

Though the two can overlap, if you are simply trying to be nice, you will avoid necessary conflict for the betterment of your neighbor and loved ones.  

The problem of a kindness that is not God-centered is that it is deceptive and incomplete.  

How many times have you had people deliver niceties to you but not address something that in retrospect would have really helped you?

Real Kindness 

Real kindness grounds people in the truths of God which make sense of life and our existence.  

God’s appeal to all mankind sounds like this:

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.”

Kindness is not avoidance.  

Consider such passages:

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

God is in no way speaking of or condoning abuse here.  

He is not giving parents a cart blanche to express their frustrations in outbursts of anger towards their children.  

Instead, just as we are image bearers of God, stewarding and cultivating his creation, so parents are to be imitators of God executing careful, loving, instructive correction for the shaping of their children’s character and souls.  

Yet think about this, for a beautiful garden to grow, continual pruning (cutting) and weeding (pulling up that which does not belong) must take place.  

Kindness is not overlooking the ways that people are destroying their own lives through destructive relationships, addictions and pursuit of peace in identities that are superficial and untrue.   

The kindness of God addresses sin that is leading to people’s death that they might be led to repentance through grace and truth.    

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

You can not be an enabler of sin if you truly love people.  

Whether it be disciplining your children or rebuking and correcting a friend, real love is found in speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15,16). 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

You have to be close enough and open enough to others for the Holy Spirit to be able to produce the sparks of sanctification in the midst of your relationships.  

With remote work, where we interact through avatars and are continually moving to spending more time in the virtual world (Apple’s new products, Meta’s educational ambitions), we lose the power of a shared life to which the early disciples were devoted (Acts 2). 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.”

Kindness is not simply a sentiment in the heart, but is a diligent pursuit to seek God to know what to say and how to communicate the loving thoughts of Christ to others.  

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.”

If you have truly experienced the grace of God, that means that you look to love your neighbor, family and friends, even when they disagree with you.

This is how Jesus treated us when he came to sacrifice himself at the cross for us, communicating both grace and truth (John 1; Romans 5). 

He is the only one who can be both just and the justifier of those who come to faith through his sinless life, substitutionary death in our place and resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:26).  

“Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.”

-George Washington Carver

The Kindness of God 

The kindness of God leads to true life through repentance and faith in Jesus.   

‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.”

True kindness allows people to see the cross of Christ.  

The greatest gift anyone can receive is the gift of eternal life through reconciliation with God and the forgiveness of their sins.  

Sharing the gospel with others that they might see and understand God’s kindness when they know all too well the harsh realities of our fallen world is a gift that you are continually called to give to others. 

Kindness is delivering to others the eternal hope of God through Jesus’ sinless life, substitutionary death at the cross and resurrection from the dead to usher us into God’s grace forever.  

“The gospel is the good news that God became man in Jesus Christ. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died—in our place. Three days later He rose from the dead, proving that He is the Son of God and offering the gift of salvation to those who repent and believe in Him.”

-Rice Broocks, Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

More Than Enough: Goodness & Gentleness

More Than Enough: Goodness & Gentleness 

Associate Pastor Cole Parleir

Warm Up: How do you define good and gentle?

Word: Psalm 34:8-10, Matthew 11:25-30, Mark 10:17-31

Focus: God is good and gentle with us so that we can be shepherded into abundant life.

• Points:

• God is good

• God is gentle

• The Gospel of The Good Shepherd

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."  "Knowledge of the Holy: What God is like" by A. W. Tozer, Caleb Sinclair -

Message

God is good (Psalm 34:8-10)

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭34‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.34.8-10.ESV

God is good, therefore he defines what is good.  (Genesis 1)

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.1.31.ESV

The English definition of “good” is: 

To be desired or approved of. 

Having the qualities required for a particular role.  

The quality of being morally good or virtuous. 

"The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people." 

-"Knowledge of the Holy: What God is like" by A. W. Tozer, Caleb Sinclai

God created that which he desired and approved of. 

Everything God makes is perfectly equipped for the purpose in which he made it. 

Did God make you?

Then he did not make a mistake.

The qualities that you have are for the particular role he created you to accomplish.

In Genesis 2 we see the battle we all face: 

Will I trust God with what he says is good or will I choose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil making this choice myself?

We also see in Genesis 2 God’s first pronouncement that something is “not good”: the man alone. 

We can trust that God is good all the time, even when it means telling us that something is not good.

We see God defining for us clearly what is good for food and fellowship. He has told us where and whom to draw life from.

Eat from the tree of life: the Cross. 

Become a tree of life: carry your cross.

Live in the garden: God’s presence. 

Commune with God’s people: the Church (the vineyard)

Work that which he plants: make disciples of all nations.  

This is the good life of God. 

This is the life that is blessed and multiplies into eternity.  

God’s goodness is vividly displayed in the calling of Peter. 

“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.5.1-11.ESV

An experience of God’s goodness makes us aware of our sinfulness. 

God’s goodness changes us.

His goodness is a reality to be experienced. 

His goodness protects, provides, and blesses. 

Have you had this kind of experience?  This fear of being in the presence of a holy god while being a sinner?

When we have experienced the goodness of God we become those who have more than enough goodness to share with a corrupt, sad world in need of a good God. 

God is gentle (Matthew 11:25-30)

“At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬-‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.11.25-30.ESV

God’s gentleness is an invitation to come and rest in his goodness.

English definitions having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament or character.

As Adam and Eve were innocent and naked in the garden, we too can be vulnerable with a gentle God. 

When we believe that God is harsh, not completely good all the time, we are afraid to stop laboring for our salvation, because we are not sure he can be trusted or if he is safe. 

In contrast…

Gentleness does not mean weak.  

Gentleness is a commitment to apply strength for the benefit of the beloved. 

As a father of a very strong toddler, I have come to understand that my gentleness is in proportion to the strength of the person fighting against me. 

Gentleness is a commitment to avoid unnecessary roughness while getting us where we need to be.

I tell my toddler “stop fighting me and trust me because I love you”. 

The gentle, humble, and meek shall inherit the Earth.

““Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.5.5.ESV

The same Greek word is used by Jesus to describe who will inherit the Earth as well as his own character that brings rest to people souls. 

The Gospel of The Good Shepherd (Mark 10:17-31)

“And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/mrk.10.17-31.ESV

This wealthy young man desired eternal life, but did not desire the approval of the One who bestows it. 

In essence, this young man wanted success and not life. 

Do you want your idea of Heaven or do you want God’s Kingdom where Jesus His Son, the Good Shepherd, rules and serves?

“So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭7‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.10.7-11.ESV

The Good Shepherd came to give life to this man and all who rejected him.

He does this by laying down his life for him while he’s still a sinner.  

Because of God‘s goodness and gentleness today is the day of salvation. 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

More Than Enough: Patience

More Than Enough Patience

Associate Pastor Cole Parleir

Warm Up: How do you know if you are patient?

Word: Galatians 5:16-25, James 5:7-12, 2 Peter 3:1-13

Focus: Patience is godly character that when grown produces righteousness and salvation for you and those whom God loves.  

Points:

• Patience is Fruit of the Spirit

• Patience is Profitable

• Patience is Necessary For Salvation

• Patience Is Fruit 

Galatians 5:16-25 ESV

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[a] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do[b] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit."

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit in opposition to the works (passions and desires) of the flesh.

The fruit (singular) of the spirit all compliment and compound each other for one purpose  

The works (plural) of the flesh are at odds not only with the spirit but even each other..

Definition: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset:

The Fruit of The Spirit: Patience, helps us wait for the impossible in a manner that would be impossible without it.  

The fruits of the Spirit all compliment and compound each other.

Like an edible fruit that needs to be peeled, opened, washed, etc we cultivate the fruit of patience by crucifying the flesh with is passions and desires.  

Crucifixion is a public, slow, and painful death. 

“There is scholarly support for several[42] possible causes of death: heart failure or arrhythmia,[44][45]hypovolemic shock,[41] acidosis,[46] dehydration,[36] and pulmonary embolism.[47] Death could result from any combination of those factors, or from other causes, including sepsis following infection due to the wounds caused by the nails or by the scourging that often preceded crucifixion, or from stabbing by the guards”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion

My father died of bladder cancer, however sepsis almost took him out before the cancer.  It caused hallucination in him. 

The flesh will fight you.  The flesh will “gaslight” you into thinking you need something you don’t. 

The Apostle Paul considered himself crucified with Christ. Yet he died daily. 

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/gal.2.20-21.ESV

This crucifixion of the flesh is what Jesus means when he tells his followers that they must take up their cross and follow him.

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.16.24-27.ESV

If we crucify the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit and let the fruit of patience do its work, we can wholeheartedly look forward to Jesus‘s return, and the reward that will be with him.

However if we do not crucify the flesh by the power of the spirit and continue in sin, we will not inherit the kingdom of God but will reap from the flesh a kingdom of our own making. 

Spirit produced patience plays a part in overcoming every work of the flesh listed here in verse 19-21

1. Sexual immorality - sex outside of God’s design for marriage of one man and one woman. 

2. Impurity - compromise.  

3. Sensuality - more than you need.  

4. Idolatry - worship of the creation rather than the creator. 

5. Sorcery - spiritual manipulation. 

6. Enmity - active hostility.  

7. Strife - angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues. 

8. Jealousy  

9. Fits of anger

10. Rivalries - selfish ambition. 

11. Dissensions -  disagreement that leads to discord.

12. Divisions - conflict within your community. 

13. Envy

14. Drunkenness

15. Orgies and things like these

Patience, perseverance, suffering, and praying all go together. 

Patience is Profitable

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”

‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/jas.5.7-12.ESV

Patience will be needed until Christ returns.

Patience waits for the coming of the Lord in the return of Christ,  but also for the presence of Lord to lead us into all righteousness.

James echoes the Psalmist…

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭27‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.27.14.ESV

Patience is waiting, but it is not laziness.

Patience is the posture from which our hearts take courage in the Lord. 

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11 NIV

https://proverbs.bible/proverbs-19-11

The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom. 

This holy wisdom yields patience. This holy patience gives power to overlook an offense. This patience is glorious. 

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.13.4.ESV

The overarching purpose of life and God’s ultimate command for humanity is to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is holy worship.

The fruits of the spirit enable us to the love and worship God in holiness even while we live in the body, this side of heaven. 

This beautiful intimate worship is a foretaste of Heaven. 

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/col.3.12-13.ESV

This holy patience empowers us to forgive others in the same way Kreist has forgiven us. This is the kingdom of God advancing.

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/2ti.2.24.ESV

Holy Spirit, patience, empowers us to endure evil. 

“A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.15.18.ESV

Patients breaks up fights. Patience gives more time for truth to enter the equation.  

Patience protects us as evil comes to into the light. 

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.16.32.ESV

Patience is true might.

“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

Psalm‬ ‭145‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.145.8.ESV

Patience is godliness.

"Enthusiasm is very common.  Endurance is very rare." (Patience)  - Donald Miller via Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast

When have I ever regretted yielding to the holy Spirit by being patient?

Patience is Necessary For Salvation

2 Peter 3:1-13 ESV

“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/2pe.3.1-13.ESV

God’s patience is for our salvation.

Patience delays  judgement and condemnation because people CAN change.  Patience creates margin for the Gospel to work.  

God has a plan of salvation. 

Plans require patience as they work.

God‘s plan of salvation is that through the preaching of the gospel sinners may be saved. 

The gospel is the good news that God sent his one unique Son Jesus Christ into the world. 

Jesus lived the perfect sinless life that we should have lived. 

Though he himself was sinless and not deserving of death, he died the death of a sinner on the cross.

He was buried and three days later, raised from the dead by the power of God proving that his sacrifice for sin was accepted. 

All who by faith turn from sin and trust in Jesus for their forgiveness are promised salvation. 

You were called to Freedom in Christ, and patience is proof of your freedom and the method in which we stand firm in that freedom awaiting the promises of redemption of our bodies, our prayers for the salvation of others, and Heaven. 

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:11‭-‬12 ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.6.11-12.ESV

Illustrations

• Patience is easier when you're focused and on mission.  What do you do while waiting in line? You get engaged with something, whether your phone, a book, or a conversation.  Being engaged helps you be patient.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we can constantly be on the mission he's sent us on to make disciples: jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.  God has provided the mission of discipleship for the salvation of the lost but also for your endurance to the end.  

• A dog in the hunt doesn't know it has fleas.  (Photo)

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

More Than Enough: Self Control

More Than Enough: Self Control

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: God’s abundant grace gives you not only unmerited favor, but power over sin to live a victorious Christ-centered life.

• Power Over the Darkness 

• God’s Abundant Grace

• The Christ-Centered Life 

Power Over the Darkness

God gives you more than enough power over the darkness.

Especially pertinent in the summer months is the good news that God has given you more than enough power to overcome lust, sexual temptation and other like sin. 

The truth would have come as welcome news in light of the recent scandal revealed in the Illinois Catholic Church.  

I’ve observed over and over again:

Those who are living in the light are winning.  

Those who try to hide temptation and sin are covered in shame and condemnation. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

People today are talking about where and what is your power.

*As you come into the light of Jesus, he literally sets you free from things that you once thought gave you power (and control of your life), but come to realize actually had power over you.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”

Lewis B. Smedes, Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve

God’s Abundant Grace

God gives you abundant grace to overcome the darkness while walking in his unmerited favor.

This means we have more than enough self control as a fruit and by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

We need the grace of God to do what God said to do - to walk in love and obedience to him. 

To refuse to live a life congruent with God’s commands and dependent on the Holy Spirit’s help to fulfill those mandates is to live a life of pride.  

“Pride in the religious sense is the arrogant refusal to let God be God. It is to grab God’s status for one’s self. In the vivid language of the Bible, pride is puffing yourself up in God’s face. Pride is turning down God’s invitation to join the dance of life as a creature in his garden and wishing instead to be the Creator, Independent, reliant on one’s own resources. Never does pride want to pray for strength, ask for grace, plead for mercy, or give thanks to God. Pride is the grand illusion, the fantasy of fantasies, the cosmic put-on.

The fantasy that we can make it as little gods leaves us empty at the center. Once we decide we have to make it on our own, we are attacked by the demons of fear and anxiety. We are worried that we cannot keep our balance as long as we carry no more inside our empty heart than what we can put there. We suspect that we lack the power to become what our pride makes us think we are. So we learn to swagger, to bluff, to use symbols to cover up our fears that we lack substance. We force other people to act as buttresses for the shaky ego that pride created by emptying our soul of God. In the words of God’s love song, we become arrogant.

Vanity is emptiness. A person who is empty at the center of life is vain, and a vain person is almost always arrogant. Every new situation calls forth the questions: ‘What can I get out of this to support the need of my ego for power and applause?’ As he encounters new people, he wonders, ‘How can this person contribute to my need for applause and power?’ He projects his own anxieties onto other people, so when others come to him he wonders, ‘What is this person’s pitch? What does he want from me?’ Life becomes a campaign to use people to support oneself and a constant battle to avoid having others use oneself that way. Vanity creates the need to use people because we cannot keep our balance spiritually if we are empty at the center.”

— Lewis B. Smedes, Love Within Limits: Realizing Selfless Love in a Selfish World (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1978), pp. 34-35

As opposed to pride, humility and dependence on the grace of God enables us to overcome sin.

‭‭Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”

God gives us this grace in abundance as not even day by day, but moment by moment, we look to Christ.  

This is what it means to walk with God and keep in step with the Holy Spirit.  

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

You must know what you have available to you from God through his word and discipline yourself to continually walk in it by faith.  

As was said, the recent Attorney General’s report of child sex abuse by Illinois Catholic clergy is said to have spanned the state for decades.  

This is condemnable before God and was not authored by God.

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”

If you or someone that you love has been affected by such sin, we are here to help - Jesus is able to comfort, restore and heal you.

A powerful picture of someone born again and being both healed and sanctified:

The Christ-Centered Life 

The Christ-centered life is the key to living in this abundant life and power.  

‭‭

1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

This means that we have more than enough power to go to the nations and actually believe what Scripture says will happen.

“I believed, therefore I have spoken.”

As Titus says, Jesus is God in the flesh who lived the perfect, sinless life that everyone of us should have lived.  

Jesus drove out demons and worked miracles showing the world that he has more than enough power to change circumstances and lives.  

Jesus went to the cross to not only sacrificially take the wrath of God for the sins that we’ve committed, but also the punishment for those that have violated you and deserve such wrath.  

The access to this same grace of God comes through the cross where all may repent of their sins, no matter how heinous, and beg forgiveness of the one who died and was raised again to make men and women new.  

The truth is none of us deserve to be forgiven.  

We are only forgiven because a price has been paid and grace has been given through the love of Christ.  

“Any person who only sticks with Christianity as long as things are going his or her way, is a stranger to the cross.”

-Timothy Keller

The truth also is that no one can free their own hearts - it too is a supernatural work by the power and gospel of God.  

All we have to do is repent, believe and ask.  

When we do, we will have more than enough power to continually walk with God because he has already distributed his mercy through the cross of Christ through which he provides forgiveness and a second chance for us every time we come to him.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

More than Enough: Purpose

More Than Enough: Purpose 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Happy Father’s Day!

“The obviously well kept secret of the ‘ordinary’ is that it is that it is made to be a receptacle of the divine, a place where the life of God flows.”

-Dallas Willard in The Divine Conspiracy

Focus: God, the giver of life, is also the giver of purpose which brings our sense of value, meaning and fulfillment in life through Christ.

• Value Shopping 

• Looking for Meaning 

• Found in Christ 

Value Shopping 

God is the author and giver of value for all human life.  

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

““I myself said, “ ‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,” declares the Lord. A cry is heard on the barren heights, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, because they have perverted their ways and have forgotten the Lord their God. “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” “Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God. Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.”

There is no other objective measure for life giving value but God. 

It is the same for any type of measure of ethics.  

There must be an uncreated plumb line. 

“Brother John, why is there such value and mystery to your existence? The really deep reason is because of this tiny, fragile, vulnerable, precious thing about you called your soul. You are not just a self; you are a soul. ‘The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ You’re a soul made by God, made for God, and made to need God, which means you were not made to be self-sufficient.” In one of his books, Dallas (Willard) further explained,

What is running your life at any given moment is your soul. Not external circumstances, not your thoughts, not your intentions, not even your feelings, but your soul. The soul is that aspect of your whole being that correlates, integrates, and enlivens everything going on in the various dimensions of the self. The soul is the life center of human beings.

We all have two worlds, an outer world that is visible and public and obvious, and an inner world that may be chaotic and dark or may be gloriously beautiful. In the end, the outer world fades. We are left with the inner world. It is what we will take with us. I am an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God’s glorious universe.”

-John Ortberg in Soul Keeping

Everyone desires to be valued. 

Our value is found in being image bearers of God.  

“The modern self is exceptionally fragile. While having the freedom to define and validate oneself is superficially liberating, it is also exhausting: You and you alone must create and sustain your identity. This has contributed to unprecedented levels of depression and anxiety and never-satisfied longings for affirmation. The modern self is also fragmenting, as Bellah argued, its individualism leading to the erosion of family, community, and unity of shared values in the nation. The breakdown of neighborhoods and communities means that, more and more, our lives are run by faceless, massive bureaucracies and inhumane technologies aimed solely at economic efficiency.

-Timothy Keller 

Looking for Meaning 

God desires to be a Father to you who gives meaning to your life.  

Everyone is searching for meaning in life.  

We find meaning in God’s story of creation, the Fall and his redemption in Jesus.   

Our greatest question heading into retirement should not just be, 

“How much did I make?” or “How will I be remembered?” but, “How will I be judged and held accountable by the living God?”

https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/401216/global-rise-unhappiness.aspx

“In 2006, Gallup began conducting global research on subjective wellbeing, which is used interchangeably with "happiness." The goal of the research was to definitively report -- by country -- how people's lives were going from their perspective. Was the world getting more stressed? Were people more hopeful? Were they getting angrier?

…

You might think that income inequality explains wellbeing inequality and, therefore, rising unhappiness. That is certainly part of it. But a great life is more than just money. After studying the 20% of people who report having a great life, Gallup finds they have five things in common: They are fulfilled by their work, have little financial stress, live in great communities, have good physical health, and have loved ones they can turn to for help.

The 20% of people who rate their lives the worst have very little of any of those things. They don't have a quality job, their income is not enough to get by, they live in broken communities, they are hungry or malnourished, and they don't have anyone in their life they can count on for help. And the 20% who rate their lives this low are getting sadder, more stressed and angrier than ever before.” 

Your purpose is not just to “get yours” - consuming the infinite supply of deceptive, temporary pleasures and empty, falsely advertised experiences in life. 

“God is not glorified when we keep for ourselves (no matter how thankfully) what we ought to be using to alleviate the misery of unevangelized, uneducated, unmedicated, and unfed millions. The evidence that many professing Christians have been deceived by this doctrine is how little they give and how much they own. God has prospered them. And by an almost irresistible law of consumer culture (baptized by a doctrine of health, wealth, and prosperity) they have bought bigger (and more) houses, newer (and more) cars, fancier (and more) clothes, better (and more) meat, and all manner of trinkets and gadgets and containers and devices and equipment to make life more fun. They will object: Does not the Old Testament promise that God will prosper his people? Indeed! God increases our yield, so that by giving we can prove our yield is not our god. God does not prosper a man's business so that he can move from a Ford to a Cadillac. God prospers a business so that 17,000 unreached people can be reached with the gospel. He prospers the business so that 12 percent of the world's population can move a step back from the precipice of starvation.”

-John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭31‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!”

*Things inevitably break down when we don’t seek the Lord first to lean on his direction, wisdom and strength (in our personal health, mental well being, families, relationships, careers and pursuits). 

We are to seek first the Kingdom of God.

This does not mean that we are all called to be monastic.  

What this means is that all of your work is not only worship, but is the field and people that you are called to cultivate for the Kingdom of God.

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭34‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

We find meaning in life when we realize that there was a perfect example of humanity found in the sinless life of Christ, that the wrath of God directed against the evil in the world was taken at the cross with the substitutionary death of Jesus (for your sins and mine) and that eternal hope was revealed to the world by Christ’s resurrection from the dead offering us the promise of eternal life in him. 

Found in Christ 

God the Father gives both purpose and true eternal fulfillment in Jesus and his gospel. 

When we are found by Christ, we are reunited to our Creator and his purpose for our lives.  

The sin of greed and selfish ambition are continually crucified at the cross of Christ when we seek his face to accomplish his will.   

All of the suffering of life finds context in the cross of Christ and God’s redemption in him.  

‭‭

Psalm‬ ‭92‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

“As we grow older and our bodies weaken, we must learn from the Puritan pastor Richard Baxter (who died in 1691) to redouble our efforts to find strength from spiritual joy, not natural supplies.”

-John Piper, Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

There is purpose in Christ from the cradle to the grave when we repent of our sin, come to know Jesus as Lord and live in the light of the resurrection. 

“God is calling us to live for the sake of Christ and to do that through suffering. Christ chose suffering; it didn’t just happen to Him. He chose it as the way to create and perfect the church. Now He calls us to choose suffering. That is, He calls us to take up our cross and follow Him on the Calvary road and deny ourselves and make sacrifices for the sake of ministering to the church and presenting His sufferings to the world.”

-John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

As you live in this posture, the God who owns cattle on thousand hills, opens doors that no man can shut and shuts for us doors that no man can open, provides abundantly for our every need as we do his Kingdom will.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

More than Enough: Peace

More Than Enough: Peace 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: We will have more than enough peace as we realize that God is both willing and able to supply abundantly for all of our needs as we find ourselves in Christ, orienting all of our doing around his Kingdom purposes.  

• Power to Produce 

• Promise of Provision 

• Posture to Receive  

Power to Produce 

In God’s covenant with his people, he has given us the power to produce wealth.

This means that God is willing to provide for you.

This is for the timid.

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. "Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.”

Through his covenant relationship with us, God endows each of his people with creative ability to produce in this world.

This means that no matter how hard you work, what degrees or job get, income or accolades you may receive, the ultimate source of all of these things is God.

No one created in the image of God or with hopes of seeing the glory of God should ever simply be a consumer.

He gives you both the skill and the strength to produce based on the unique gifting, talents and acumen that he has entrusted to you.  

This means that as you develop your gifts and talents, you will develop your ability to PRODUCE wealth.

(CNBC’s app has an inspiring section called “Make It” that can be encouraging for those looking to put their gifts and talents to work in unique ways)

i.e. - While my daughter continues to work at Chick-Fil-A, during the Pandemic, my son started an eBay business and does window washing to help pay for upcoming undergrad costs (their Dad is proud of them 😆). 

In addition to their professional careers, we have friends in here who’ve started their own businesses, done side hustles of DoorDash, created vlogs, converted their home for Airbnb use, flipped houses for sale or rentals, invested in the stock market, start-ups and the like, all giving God additional avenues to confirm his covenant by enabling his people to produce wealth.  

According to God’s command through Moses in Deuteronomy, the key is that as you do these things and God blesses you, you do not forget the Lord.  

In fact, Jesus said to make sure we put him first, which we’ll speak more about next week.  

Work is honorable and is worship before the Lord.  

Work or the product of your work is not to be your idol, but it is to be a manner in which you worship the Lord. 

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”

If God is the one who ultimately arranges our reward, then as we work, we must do it with the right attitude. 

***Without complaint***

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”

Entitlement mentalities today are sinful and often have at its root the sin of covetousness. 

These attitudes simultaneously strip people of both a Biblical work ethic and peace.  

“Lord, 

I worry because I forget your wisdom.

I resent because I forget your mercy.

I covet because I forget your beauty.

I sin because I forget your holiness.

I fear because I forget your sovereignty.

You always remember me. Help me to remember you.

Amen…”

-Timothy Keller

When we renew our minds by the Word of God, we are able to live in his promises.   

Promise of Provision

God promises to provide for his people as we diligently execute our work as service unto him.  

This means that God is able to provide for you as you follow his ways. 

This is for those who are unsure.

If we see our work as service to God, it prevents a lack of balance where we either overwork, making an idol of career success; or underwork, never reaching our Christ-ordained potential.  

Jesus is interested in neither sluggards nor workaholics - rather he is seeking those who see each of their pursuits as a calling (John 5:19-20), part of the good works which God has prepared in advance for each of us to do (Ephesians 2:10). 

Diligence is a virtue with a promise in Scripture.  

It is juxtaposed with laziness or the mentality of the sluggard.  

What does the Bible say about each?

Everyone needs an element of being a self-starter within them. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

Why?

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

We begin to see in progression that God is showing us his ways, and giving us sure promises when we choose to follow them.  

‭‭

Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”

Fantasies are big ideas without a plan - without prayer, godly counsel or the work needed to see it come to fruition. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

“I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work.  That is the recipe.  It will not always get you to the top, but it will get you pretty near.”

-Margaret Thatcher

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.”

In a recent Desiring God article, contributor Greg Morse challenges men in particular who attempt to look and sound busy, but would better be characterized as the hunting sluggard.  

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/roast-what-you-kill?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_campaign=NTP+–+USA&hsa_acc=1624234290982548&hsa_cam=23853351830210267&hsa_grp=23853351830270267&hsa_ad=23854952712480267&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3

“The wise king of Proverbs shows us this active sluggard. He, unlike the traditional sloth, is up early in the morning. He has his eggs and drinks his coffee. Instead of being discovered in the sloth’s usual habitat — buried beneath sheets and pillows — he is up and about, stalking through the forest, pursuing his prey. He is a hunter.

See him tracking his animal — thoughtful, calculated, alert. He sets his traps and camouflages himself for the kill. He knows his target; he knows his weapon; he lies in wait. While his brother sloth is sleeping in the trees, he is armed in the bushes. While the other excuses inaction by complaining of lions in the streets, he is crouched where lions roar. When he sees his quarry, he times his assault perfectly and springs violently. The king sees this man return in the morning with a carcass draped over his shoulder.

So far, he is full of manful action. But notice where the laziness of this hunting sluggard manifests:

The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting. (Proverbs 12:27 NKJV)

What a strange picture. The man woke up early. He prepared his tools. He lay in wait. He acted deliberately, forcefully. He took the prize, brought home the meat — but never cooked it. Perhaps he decided he had worked hard enough for one day. Perhaps he realized just how tired he felt. His enthusiasm died before the meal was prepared.

He labored promisingly, for a time. He remained focused, for a while. His was hard but unfinished work. In the end, his plate is just as empty as that of the other sluggard, waking at his return.

Incomplete

Men, how many tasks have you started strong and finished weak (or not at all)? How many deer have we killed but never tasted? How much nourishment has laziness robbed from our souls, our families, our churches, our world?

I think this spirit of so-far-and-no-farther plagues our generation. We recreate at life; we rarely commit. Manhood seems less tethered to follow-through, to roasting the meat we hunt.”

He then gives at least three poignant examples:

• Relationships : date but never marry. 

• Church : attend, but never join. 

• Work : labor, but for appearances. 

I would say this also applies to when God opens doors of relationship with the gospel and there is a lack of follow-through to see men and women become disciples.  

Proverbs continues with the frustrations we see so prevalent around us.  

‭‭

Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

“The harder I worked, the luckier I got.”

-Thomas Jefferson

We also see the dangers of laziness:

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.”

You need to make prayerful plans buffered by godly, biblical counsel. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.”

Some people spend all of their time jumping from get rich quick scheme to scheme, never wanting to put in the time it takes to make things grow.  

Others have a poverty mentality spending all of their energy finding reasons why the promises of God and the diligence that he requires won’t work.  

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭26‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!" As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.”

We need to repent of such thinking and live as people of faith.  

We need to crush excuses (one of my favorite t-shirts) and allow God to come through at the appropriate time on his promises!

Posture to Receive

The power to produce is based on God’s promise to bless those who live according to his ways.

This means that we are able to live in more than enough peace as we set our hearts on that which Christ has provided for us.

This is for us all.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”

Our highest aim should be to, in all of our work, enter the Sabbath rest and righteousness of God found in Jesus Christ alone.

Hebrews 4‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Because God showed that he provided for our most dire needs through Jesus’ sinless existence lived for us, his sacrificial death to pay the price for our sins and Christ’s resurrection from the dead to pave the way to eternal life, how much more so should we have confidence that he will take care of our earthly needs?  

Once we’ve done all that we can, we need to receive what God has for us.  

This is the essence of the gospel - coming to the end of your own efforts and depending on God’s abundant wisdom and grace found in Christ.  

“There’s an old saying that we should “pray as if everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on you.” It’s been attributed to St. Ignatius, who said something similar, if not using those exact words, as reported in Vida del Bienaventurado Padre Ignacio de Loyola by Pedro de Rivadeneira. Many think the phrase captures the Ignatian spirit: turning it all over to God in prayer and then working tirelessly and urgently to do God’s work.

I prefer to reverse it: “pray as if everything depends on you, and work as if everything depends on God.” This means that prayer has to be urgent: God has to do something dramatic if everything depends on me. It also puts our work in the right perspective: if it depends on God, we can let it go. We can work hard but leave the outcome up to him. If God is in charge we can tolerate mixed results and endure failure. 

Ignatius writes about work and human effort in a letter to an aristocrat named Jerome Vines, whom I imagine was a busy, hard-charging, Type A character who was getting upset about the fate of his many projects. A busy man, Ignatius writes, “must make up his mind to do what he can, without afflicting himself if he cannot do all that he wishes. You must have patience and not think that God our Lord requires what man cannot accomplish.” He concludes with this: “There is no need to wear yourself out, but make a competent and sufficient effort, and leave the rest to him who can do all he pleases.”

-Jim Manney (author of God Finds Us)

We can therefore live in the reality of having more than enough peace as our King and our God has provided for us not only salvation, but will provide all things pertaining to life and godliness through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

More than Enough: Love

More than Enough

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: There is more than enough love for you in the Kingdom of God when you discover your place amongst his people, recognize your evolving role in his family and find the living God in the midst of it all. 

• Know Your Place 

• Know Your Role

• Know Your God 

Know Your Place

You are called to thrive when you find your place within the family of God.  

How does God view relationships?

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭68‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV

“Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.”

‬‬

You enter into the family of God when you are born again, repenting of your rebellion while putting your trust in the sinless life, substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. 

You then learn that the Kingdom of God is all about God’s truth forming and shaping our lives, families, cities and nations through relationships - relationship with God and one another.  

God has for each of us a spiritual home within which we are to settle and grow in those relationships.  

Though once prisoners, in the spiritual home, God leads us to the prospering of our souls.  

Those who reject God’s design live in a parched land. 

We see this playing out in our everyday world. 

A May 2nd NPR podcast relayed our present realities from the U.S. Surgeon General:

(https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connection-mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general#:~:text=There%20is%20an%20epidemic%20of,from%20the%20U.S.%20Surgeon%20General.)

“There is an epidemic of loneliness in the United States and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to a new advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General.

The report released on Tuesday, titled "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation," finds that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, about half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness.

And it warns that the physical consequences of poor connection can be devastating, including a 29% increased risk of heart disease; a 32% increased risk of stroke; and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.

"It's hard to put a price tag, if you will, on the amount of human suffering that people are experiencing right now," Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told All Things Considered.

"In the last few decades, we've just lived through a dramatic pace of change. We move more, we change jobs more often, we are living with technology that has profoundly changed how we interact with each other and how we talk to each other."

"And you can feel lonely even if you have a lot of people around you, because loneliness is about the quality of your connections."

Across age groups, people are spending less time with each other in person than two decades ago. The advisory reported that this was most pronounced in young people aged 15-24 who had 70% less social interaction with their friends.

Murthy said that many young people now use social media as a replacement for in-person relationships, and this often meant lower-quality connections.

"We also know that for some kids, being online has been a way to find community at a time when many of them have not been able to," he said. "What we need to protect against, though, are the elements of technology, and social media in particular, that seek to maximize the amount of time that our children are spending online at the expense of their in-person interactions."

So the question becomes for us, if God and his ways are more than enough, what types of relationships should I prioritize?

There are two types:

1. Those that will help you grow in Christ and his Kingdom 

‭‭

Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭31‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you." And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."”

Why would Jesus say such a thing?

“Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance, growing old, and inevitably, death.”

-Rick Warren

Even the apostle Paul understood this, even as he was used uniquely in the history of the church by the Holy Spirit to write approximately three fourths of the New Testament letters and birth many of the early churches in the Gentile world. 

‭‭

Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.”

It is great when the natural and spiritual overlap, but when it doesn’t God has you. 

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭27‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, Lord, do I seek." Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

When natural and spiritual families do overlap, there is also a blessed confirmation and strengthening through supplementation of God-ordained relationships beyond your bloodline.  

God speaks a lot about family in the Bible where we would experience the abundance of love that he has for us.  

Loving, Christ-centered families are God’s blueprint for a healthy society.  

God desires to begin building such a society in the natural, but in a fallen world, rebuilds what was lost through sin by Christ’s redemption and through the church - which is the household of the living God (I Timothy 3:15). 

God has the writers of the New Testament speak in familial terms when they describe their relationships with one another. 

Does God really mean these terms?  

If so, what do they imply in the Spirit?

What will we have when we walk in such Scriptural dynamics?  

What will we lack when we don’t?

2. The second type of relationships that we should prioritize are those that you are praying for and believing to play a part in bringing into the Kingdom of God

Know your role

You are designed to grow as you learn to give and receive love while embracing your evolving role in the family of God.  

How can I build Kingdom relationships?

A man or woman with friends must show themselves friendly. 

‭‭

Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Be proactive. 

Come and get what God has provided for you.   

We often look for echo chambers and facsimiles of ourselves with whom to relate.   

What we see that God is building Scripturally and throughout history is a Kingdom of worshippers devoted to his commands that are multiethnic, multicultural and multigenerational. 

God described himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

*This means that God is moving across demographics, seasons and generations. 

God is making a point by giving different designations to people during different seasons of their lives, whether they be  mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters.   

*The breakdown in relationships today comes when people are looking at everyone else as if they are supposed to be and relate to them as solely as their peers, when they are not.  

For example, I am not going to come to your apartment and play video games with you, but if you want to talk about what it means to be a husband, father, serve God in your workplace, etc. I am delighted to do so.  

*Many people never find their church home because they are looking for homogeneous environments, where amongst other things, they are surrounded by people in the same season and stage in life.  

This is not the natural dynamic of a blood family, nor is it of a spiritual family.  

God places you in his body with people of different ages and in different stages of life because like in any other family, you have a God ordained role to fill.  

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” –Desmond Tutu

In the family, you fulfill a role, using your gifting.  

Gifting is a matter of function. 

Role is a matter of your place in another person’s life. 

You can walk out your role with a variety of gifts.  

You can only fulfill your God-given role with genuine love and faithfulness. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.”

Your role in the body of Christ grows and expands with age, experience and faithfulness.  

Faithfulness is literally the fruit of faith lived out to obey and do the works of God over and over again. 

You then make disciples of Jesus by teaching others to do the same. 

We need mothers and fathers in the house. 

To be in God’s best for you, you should always be able to identify three sets of people in your life:

• Fathers and Mothers (Mentors)

• Brothers and Sisters (Peers)

• Children (Disciples of the Lord)

‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”

Know Your God

We are destined to live an eternally rich and fulfilled life when we strive to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ as a genuine part of the family of God. 

‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."”

The parable of the sower reminds us that Jesus’ theme is that we’d bear fruit that lasts in and through our lives, no matter the circumstances, in every season of life (whether a youth, in college, a young professional, single, married, with children or retired). 

Because he identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he is showing us the importance of relating within the loving spiritual family unit to fulfill his purposes throughout the generations.  

We do this through constantly by remembering the baton pass.  

Our methodology for seeing this baton pass effectively passed is every individual, community group and ministry team continuously referring to our 

Growth tracks. 

“The very condition of having Friends is that we should want something else besides Friends. Where the truthful answer to the question "Do you see the same truth?" would be "I see nothing and I don't care about the truth; I only want a Friend," no Friendship can arise - though Affection of course may. There would be nothing for the Friendship to be about; and Friendship must be about something, even if it were only an enthusiasm for dominoes or white mice. Those who have nothing can share nothing; those who are going nowhere can have no fellow-travellers.”

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

More than Enough: Joy

More than Enough: Joy

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Joyful relationship with God must be our highest aim and a prioritized goal within itself from which all of the rest of life and ministry flow.  

• God is 

• The Bible is 

• The Cross is

God Is

Knowing God and Jesus Christ whom he’s sent is the aim of eternal life.  

Prior to his crucifixion for which he would die for the sins of the world and provide a pathway to reconciliation with God, Jesus would clearly communicate the end game. 

‭‭

John‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

If God describes eternal life in this manner, then there is nothing higher or better.  

“The dearest friend on earth is a mere shadow compared to Jesus Christ.”

-Oswald Chambers

The Psalmist would speak about his relationship with God this way:

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭84‬:‭1‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”

A dwelling place implies a place of habitation and a place of meeting. 

Our desire must be to meet with God and not to simply know about him.  

There is no substitute for God in our pursuit of joy because he is both the giver true joy and sustainer of it.  

This is why joy is characterized as a fruit of the Holy Spirit.    

When the Psalmist speaks of the sparrow and swallow finding a home near the altar of God, it speaks of the security, peace and eternal provision that only God can provide. 

“Our need for worth is so powerful that whatever we base our identity and value on we essentially “deify.”

-Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Until your soul longs and faints to meet with God, you will never be satisfied with earthly things.  

No amount of success, wealth, sex, companionship, travel, enlightenment, prominence or accolades will ever be able to replace a growing relationship with Jesus. 

The Sons of Korah acknowledge God as their King, their ruler, their Lord.  

This is the only way to come to God, in repentance from sin and faith in Jesus as Lord, in obedience to his Word.  

The Bible is 

Daily feeding on the Word of God is the only way to truly know this abundant life in Jesus.  

“Normal Christian life is a process of restoration and renewal. Our joy is not static. It fluctuates with real life. It is vulnerable to satan's attacks.”

-John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

I had to learn that having margin in your life is not sin. 

You have to have the time and space to seek the Lord.  ‭‭

John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

What does the Word tell us about meeting with God?

Psalm 84:5-8

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.  O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

When you are invited into fellowship with God and pursue dwelling in his house, it means you have found a home both personally and corporately.  

What was Zion and what does it represent?

Zion was the city where the temple was and where corporate worship took place.  

This means to relate with God fully, you must go to Zion. 

Even an only child has parents with whom they must relate to remain healthy and grow.  

When you live in the community of faith, God gives you continual encouragement and a song of praise to him to sing.  

Selah means to pause and think about this reality.  

You find your strength in God as your heart leads you to Zion. 

There is no knowing the fullness of God without his body because a heart full of God leads you to Zion, the city of worship amidst the community of believers.  

It is then, that as you go through the Valley of Baca (which means weeping), that you turn it into a place of soul satisfying springs for you and others.  

God pours out continual refreshment upon his people from Heaven and gives pools (abundance) where people can relieve their thirsts together.  

They go from strength to strength as each appears before God in Zion. 

We are meant to be relational people, a communal people.  

This starts and ends with God as we obey his word to dwell in his house. 

What this means for us: 

When you realize that God is more than enough, you are able to endure trial with joy, knowing that he who is in charge is trustworthy.  

You are able to serve with joy because you know that the one who leads you is worthy.  

You are able to obey his commands with joy because you want to love the one who has loved you more than any person ever has or ever will.  

When God is your goal, you have a new measure of success.  

You are freed from insecurities because your success is found in knowing him and making him known (think about the prophets).  

“The Calvary road with Jesus is not a joyless road. It is a painful one, but it is a profoundly happy one. When we choose the fleeting pleasures of comfort and security over the sacrifices and sufferings of missions and evangelism and ministry and love, we choose against joy.”

-John Piper, Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

The Cross is

The cross of Jesus will forever be your ticket to a growing relationship with God and his Kingdom purpose for your life.  

‭‭

Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."”

The cross is how we find rest in the presence of a Holy and righteous God who will judge sin. 

Psalm 84:9-12

Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”

When we meet with God understanding our unworthiness, but his greatness, we begin to learn that there is no better place to be than the with the one who literally gave his life for ours, in love.  

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”

You must be made a new creation to fully enjoy the joys of Christ.  

You must remember the power and purpose of the cross to continue to daily live in the joy of that life.   

“The pursuit of joy in God is not optional. It is not an “extra” that a person might grow into after he comes to faith. It is not simply a way to “enhance” your walk with the Lord. Until your heart has hit upon this pursuit, your “faith” cannot please God. It is not saving faith. Saving faith is the confidence that if you sell all you have and forsake all sinful pleasures, the hidden treasure of holy joy will satisfy your deepest desires. Saving faith is the heartfelt conviction not only that Christ is reliable, but also that He is desirable. It is the confidence that He will come through with His promises and that what He promises is more to be desired than all the world.”

-John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Stay Filled by Faith

Stay Filled by Faith 

Pastor Cole Parleir

Focus: The same faith that enables us to ask for the baptism of the Holy Spirit enables  us to be filled again and again. 

• Don’t Be Foolish

• Be Free-er

• Expect More

Don’t Be Foolish

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/gal.3.1-7.NIV

We can be filled again and again by avoiding spiritual foolishness.

The fool says in his heart there is no God.

The “Christian fool” is so nearsighted they forget that Christ was crucified for our sins.

There is no other Gospel than the gospel of grace by faith, for we were spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins.

To be a fool is to reject or forget that we are saved by grace through faith.

This free gift of grace is so that no man may boast and that the flesh may be crucified.

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.9.23.NIV

Part of this denial of self is “self effort” to deserve or purchase that which is priceless.

““For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!””

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/gal.2.19-21.NIV

The forgiveness of sin leading to salvation is a miracle. 

Miracles are not deserved and cannot purchased.

It is the nature of the flesh to take credit for that which God alone miraculously has done.

This is the pride of life.

It doesn’t stop there.

If we forget salvation is a miracle we will fall into the trap of endless toil trying to produce miracles by the flesh rather than by faith in our miracle working God.  

One may say “I am saved now and don’t need any miracles from God.”

This is a slippery slope.

This sounds like contentment but is actually fear, selfishness and an abdication of the command to love others as Christ has loved us.

We then being deceived ourselves, become deceivers preaching a gospel of self-help rather than Christ’s unmatched and unmerited help.

The Christian life can only begin, be lived, and finished by the filling and subsequent power of the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ alone.

Theological Questions

• Does the Christian always have the Holy Spirit with them? Yes.

• Is the Holy Spirit always working in the Christian’s life? Yes.

• Can the Christian quench the work of the Holy Spirit? Yes.

• Are miracles normal in the Christian life?

  • The Bible makes it seem so with exhortations to love people with spiritual fruit and by using spiritual gifts to reveal Christ in power to them while preaching the true gospel.

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.2.1-5.ESV

What do you have to serve God with that he did not provide? (A negative form of the question)

We need to daily embrace the wisdom and power of God by faith to walk in the miracles he wants us too that others may be healed and saved.

He wants to fill us with his Holy Spirit all day everyday, so let’s ask.

Be Free-er

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/gal.5.1.ESV

By faith in Christ God HAS set you free from sin.

You ARE forgiven, cleansed, and free by repentance and faith in the blood of Christ. 

God wants you to remain free and experience that freedom here and now in increasing measure.

This is what it means to stay in step with the Spirit.

This increasing experience of freedom requires an increase of obedience by faith in his grace to work powerfully in you.

Faith makes room for this grace by emptying ourselves of selfish ambition and becoming servants whom look to the interests of others and not just ourselves. 

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/php.2.3-8.ESV

This attitude is the opposite of quenching the Spirit of God.

Again, this is how we stay in step with the Spirit. 

It feels like we are being filled over and over again because we vacillate in our level of obedience. 

Biblically, the promise is that the Holy Spirit becomes a river inside of us. We just keep damming up the river with unbelief. (Maybe the logs in our eyes are being used to build the dam?)

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’””

John‬ ‭7‬:‭38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.7.38.ESV

That river can flow freely out of us bringing salvation, healing, and any miracle God wants to a despondent world as we grow in discipleship (obedience) by faith.

As we get Free-er those around us see Christ more clearly and experience him more powerfully.

Expect More

In our walk of faith by the Spirit of God we will experience highs and lows, mountain tops and valleys, prosperity and persecution.

The promise of God’s presence and help remains.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.16.33.ESV

The ups and downs are God’s boot camp for faith.

He breaks us down to build us up like a work out.

When our faith is stretched it is permanently increased and our minds are permanently expanded regarding God’s greatness, ability, and goodness.

God fills us to the level at which we are satisfied. 

This increased faith leads to greater applications as God allows new opportunities to serve and share the gospel.

When we repeatedly apply faith to our challenges a spiritual momentum builds.

We find ourselves seeking God more and more because we now need Him more and more as engage in his mission.

Come to Jesus today to be saved from your sin and filled with His Spirit to live a new life of eternal purpose.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. - Matthew 10:39 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Be Filled: Part 5

Be Filled: Part 5

Pastor Rollan Fisher

 Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Focus: Being aware of the gifts that God wants to invest in you makes you a more useful and fruitful servant of Christ. 

• You’re so Full of It 

• Understanding Your Gift 

• Clinging to the Cross

You’re so Full of It 

God’s care for you is present even when you don’t feel it and his gifts are available even when you don’t realize it.  

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  

What better way to enter this month, than being aware of the following:

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭14‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. Your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you. Lift up your eyes around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the Lord, you shall put them all on as an ornament; you shall bind them on as a bride does. "Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land— surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: 'The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell in.' Then you will say in your heart: 'Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?'" Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.”

God wants you to be full of the Spirit so that you can be full of Holy gifts to share.  

Can anyone lay hands for the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“"I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."”

*Jesus is the one who does the baptizing - we merely do the praying. 

Therefore everyone is a candidate to pray to the Lord who is the baptizer of men and women.  

“As God's children, we are not to be observers; we're to participate actively in the Lord's work. Spectators sit and watch, but we are called to use our spiritual gifts and serve continually.”

-Charles Stanley

Understanding Your Gift 

When baptized in the Holy Spirit, everyone has a gift or mix of gifts to bring to the table.  

Description of the gifts. 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit.”

God wants us to be informed about spiritual gifts and understand that the gifts of the Spirit point to the resurrected Jesus as Lord of all. 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

According to God, each part is indispensable - which means we can’t get where we are going as the body of Christ unless you contribute your invaluable part!

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭27‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”

How to identify your gifts -

1. Prophetic revelation and impartation

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

• What do you already operate in?

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:”

• In what have people encouraged you?

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”

• What do you desire?

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”

“When you find your spiritual gift, God will give you an opportunity to use it.”

-John C. Maxwell

Clinging to the Cross

The point of the gifts is to lead people to encounters with Jesus that they might put their faith in his finished work at the cross. 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."”

Our great joy and confidence should be in the fact that we belong to the Father and that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.  

It is out of that security that we follow God into his Kingdom works, as the Father glorifies and draws people to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

“...revivals (or any other spiritual gifts and graces) come only to those who want them badly enough. It may be said without qualification that every man is as holy and as full of the Spirit as he wants to be. He may not be as full as he wishes he were, but he is most certainly as full as he wants to be.”

-Aiden Wilson (A.W.) Tozer

Just as we do not earn salvation, but is it the gift of God as we turn away from our sin to Jesus in repentance and faith in his substationary work at the cross, so we do not earn our right to work in the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:1-6).  

“It is very possible to be proud of the spiritual gifts God has entrusted to us and to strut about ostentatiously, forgetting that we have nothing which we have not received, that grace is a gift, an undeserved favor. We can actually be filled with pride at the eloquence and brilliance of our sermon on humility.”

-J. Oswald Sanders

“God prepares leaders with a specific place and task in mind. Training methods are adapted to the mission, and natural and spiritual gifts are given with clear purpose.”

-J. Oswald Sanders

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Be Filled: Part 4

Be Filled: Part 4

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Being filled with the Holy Spirit brings dry bones to life.  

• Dry Bones

• Overflow 

• A River from the Throne 

Dry Bones

God breathes life into our dry bones by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭37‬:‭1‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord." So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord."”

When God breathes life into us by his Spirit, we are filled with vitality for our everyday lives and are empowered for Kingdom mission with him. 

Would the Lord have me prophesy to my/our dry bones?

Yes!

The Scripture continually speaks about the power of our spoken words. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬ ‭

“From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man's hand comes back to him.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

When we share the gospel with people, calling them to repent of sin, giving them the hope of forgiveness through Christ’s substitutionary death at the cross and resurrection from the dead, we are prophesying to dead bones that they might live.  

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ 

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

When we apply a Biblical worldview, it provides change to the environments that surround us to the glory of God. 

“Only a "dry as dust" religion prompts a minister to extol the glories of Heaven while ignoring the social conditions that cause men an Earthly hell.”

-Martin Luther King Jr.

When God fills us with his Spirit, we have vigor to function as more than simple church goers. 

Instead, we have strength to reach the lost with the gospel, make disciples by Christ’s Word; all the while seeing broken lives made whole, families redeemed and the communities in which they live developed to the glory of God.  

We can minister the gospel with great generosity as we pray for miracles, the healing of the sick, the deliverance of those oppressed by tormenting spirits and prophesy the Word of God to people that they might be strengthened, encouraged and comforted in the Lord.  

Overflow

Jesus desires you to live in the overflowing life of the Holy Spirit.  

John‬ ‭7‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

We can not give that which we do not have.  

The goal of being filled with the Holy Spirit is that living water would continually flow out of your heart.  

“When the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus at his baptism, he hears a voice say, ‘This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased. You are my Son and I delight in you.’ In the same way, Romans 8:16 tells us that the Spirit bears witness to our hearts that we are children of God. Part of the mission of the Spirit is to tell you about God’s love for you, his delight in you, and the fact that you are his child. These things you may know in your head, but the Holy Spirit makes them a fiery reality in your life. 

Thomas Goodwin, a seventeenth-century Puritan pastor, wrote that he saw a father and son walking along the street. Suddenly the father swept the son up into his arms and hugged him and kissed him and told the boy he loved him – and then after a minute he put the boy back down. Was the little boy more a son in the father’s arms than he was down on the street? Objectively and legally there was no difference, but subjectively and experientially, there was all the difference in the world. In his father’s arms, the boy was experiencing his sonship. 

When the Holy Spirit comes down on you in fullness, you can sense your Father’s arms beneath you. It is an assurance of who you are. The Spirit enables you to say to yourself: ‘If someone as all-powerful as that loves me like this, delights in me, has gone to infinite lengths to save me, says he will never let me go, and is going to glorify me and make me perfect and take everything bad out of my life – if all of that is true – why am I worried about anything? At a minimum this means joy, and a lack of fear and self-consciousness.”

-Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God

Before God sends us to proclaim life to others, he brings life to our barren hearts.  

As we continue to live at the tap of God’s throne, in the Word, worship, Biblical fellowship (Ephesians 5) and prayer, we are healed by God so that we can all bring healing to others.  

Where are the areas that you need to ask God for the influence and glory of the Holy Spirit to increase to overflowing in your life?

The answer is wherever you lack love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control - wherever you lack trust in God’s unfailing love to supply grace to your every need as you delight yourself in him (Psalm 37:5).

Have you made room for God in your heart or are you filling it with other things?

A River From the Throne

The blood of Jesus shed at the cross paved the way for the overflow life of the Holy Spirit. 

When we are born again, we become temples of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19).  

Ezekiel‬ ‭47‬:‭1‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side. Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. And he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he led me back to the bank of the river. As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. And he said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing."”

When we meet with God, we should ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts that God might bring his ever-increasing freedom and glory in and through our lives.  

We want to be a people who live in powerful, advancing faith in God!

So again, how do we access this ever increasing flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

We do so by continually and progressively submitting to the Lordship of Jesus in EVERY AREA of our lives. 

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

The river of life that brings healing will forever flow from the throne of God.  

The throne will forever be the place that God rules and reigns.  

This means that to the degree we submit to his Lordship is the degree to which he brings faith, freedom and healing in our lives.  

Have you allowed God to establish his throne in your heart?  

What areas are you holding back from God, leaving untouched by the water of the Spirit, where God could otherwise bring healing and life?

• Is it a relationship?

• Is it your identity?

• Is it your fear of the future and death grip on finances?

• Is it your pursuit of pleasures that you think will fill the vacuous hole in your soul?

Just as Jesus went to the cross to pay the price in substitute for the forgiveness of our sins, so we too must die to being master of our own lives before we can truly live.  

Let’s repent of self-sufficiency, self-righteousness and sin today that we might be filled to overflowing with the life giving waters of the Spirit of God!

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Be Filled: Part 3

Be Filled: Part 3

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: You are filled with the Holy Spirit to live an abundant life in Jesus. 

• Time Well Spent 

• Asking For a Friend

• Abundant Life 

Time Well Spent 

Time spent seeking the face of Jesus leads to the filling of the Holy Spirit and abundant life.  

Abundant life is what Jesus came to bring.   

Yet contrary to our modern ideas and social media postings, abundant life is not solely about me getting what I want, when I want, doing what I want with who I want and finding happiness as a result.  

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Jesus purchased abundant life for us by laying down his life in sacrifice for us.  

The pattern of Scripture is that we would learn to do the same for him and find the eternal life that he won for us. 

Let’s dive a bit into what this looks like when we are looking to follow Christ, filled with both his Word and Spirit.  

To seek the face of God is to interact with him in prayer, the reading of God’s word, worship through song, music and dance. 

It is to have Christ-centered fellowship with God and the rest of his body - with other believers serving him together as the church.  

https://churchleaders.com/outreach-missions/outreach-missions-articles/347177-why-i-attend-church.html

There is an exchange that takes place when you choose to relate with God.  

The things not of God are brought to the surface and exposed - things that the devil literally uses to steal from you, kill you and destroy your life.  

This includes attacks on your feelings of self worth, significance, belonging, well being and purpose.  

Worldly thoughts are replaced with godly thinking when you seek God.  

You have an ability to heal from sins that have been committed against you and through repentance, the consequences of sins that you have committed on your own.  

God’s grace washes over you and you are literally delivered from unclean things.   

When you spend time with God, he cleans you like a vessel and makes room for the fruit of his Spirit to displace the the fruit of the flesh.  

Why do I seem stopped up?

You can’t outwork a bad diet.  

II Corinth 6:14-7:1

Eating at the table of demons is what people do without even realizing it - in their entertainment, in what they indulge in with their time (1 Corinthians 8 + 10).  

Clean eating is a key to health. 

Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. 

“Christ can be trusted to keep His Word that He will exchange our drab existence for joyous living, abundant life! And while true love, total acceptance, and complete security are rare in our frantic world, the biblical evidence that our desires in these areas will be fulfilled in Christ is abundant.”

-Josh McDowell

Asking For a Friend 

God’s Spirit and gifts are released when we ask him for them.  

That’s who we were talking about?

As we continue to walk with God, we all have our “guess who’s coming to dinner” moments where he lovingly, graciously and powerfully surprises us with who he is.  

If you grew up in church, think about how over the course of time, the depth of the hymns that you sung or the symbols that you saw became more powerful realities to you (i.e. - Methodist symbols and liturgy from childhood). 

The Old and New Testaments show us very clearly that to walk with God is to be called into a life of faithful service and pure adventure.  

Once we put our trust in Jesus, we must understand that to follow him in his call and mission is not to simply resign to a passive, mental ascent, but to instead have a proactive, lifelong pursuit.  

Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith, meaning that God both introduces us to faith and has means by which he causes it to grow (Hebrews 12:2).  

God has us exercise our faith through interaction - instructing us to proactively ask him for that which he has promised.   

Why would Jesus say to ask for what we already have if we had all that we need?

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"”

We can ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit individually.   

Yet there is also a corporate aspect to being filled with the Spirit that our filling might strengthen us and encourage others.  

How were believers filled with and directed by the Holy Spirit in the Bible?

1. Through the laying on of hands 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:9-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great.  And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”

2. In corporate gatherings under the preaching of the Word. 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭34‬-‭48‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.”

Why the continual mention of praying in tongues?

If we are fighting a spiritual battle, we need spiritual weapons.  

The gifts of the Spirit help us engage that battle with the arsenal of God and not just our own. 

According to I Corinthians 14, as with any other gift of the Holy Spirit, when you are enabled to speak in tongues by the Spirit, you are:

1. Uttering mysteries to God by the Holy Spirit, and thus 

2. Praying things on the mind and heart of God (Romans 8:26,27)

3. Fellowshipping purely with God in a language which you have more than likely never cursed or profaned the name of Jesus 

4. Being built up with encouragement and strength to fulfill the works of God (Think about this - the apostle Paul, who was whipped, beaten, stoned and shipwrecked in his proclamation of the gospel, said “I thank God that I pray in tongues more than all of you” <1 Corinthians 14:18> because he knew he needed the gift in his fight to fulfill the will of God.)

5. In times of corporate worship, fasting and prayer 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

It was significant that in these moments of corporate worship and prayer, Paul and Barnabas were not just turned inward to further reflect on their personal struggles or angst, but were turned outward to the mission of God to make disciples of Jesus in the nations. 

So often, we find the blessed life for which we are looking we embrace Christ’s words that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).  

*The filling of the Holy Spirit continually sanctifies our hearts, freeing us of self-centeredness, myopia and pride so that as John the Baptist spoke, Jesus might become greater, and we might become less (John 3:30). 

“Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

3. Through ongoing instruction in the Word and ways of God. 

Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.”

It was significant to note that these men on whom Paul placed his hands to receive the Holy Spirit were already called disciples and it was indicated that they had already come to believe.  

Yet God had more for them.  

*When we pursue God wholeheartedly, it is safe to say that our expectations of God needn’t be any less than what the believers experienced in these Scriptural examples (Romans 15:4). 

May we never stop in our pursuit of the whole counsel and the full life that Jesus purchased for us at the cross.  

Abundant Life 

When we spend time with and are filled with the Spirit of God, we are ushered into abundant life as our momentary trials are swallowed up in that which is lasting, pursuits which are eternal.  

“Our dreams, like the disciples’, are always too small. We are here to fulfill God’s dream—that we will bring Him glory through a remarkably abundant life. That’s how we find our greatest personal fulfillment, now and for eternity.”

-Bruce Wilkinson

You should experience abundant life in your psyche, in your emotions, in your family, in your relationships and in your calling. 

The more full of Jesus and the Holy Spirit you become, the less room there is for the empty calories of this world.  

I continually hear that, with exercise, you eat greater amounts of protein to build muscle and shed fat. 

It’s not that we can not be a Christian without the things that we are discussing today, but it does seem like it is part of God’s Biblical directives to live an abundant life in him.   

“It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God does not guarantee success in a career or even ministry. Never focus on temporary crowns.”

-Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?

Let’s repent of our sin today, be forgiven because of Christ’s atoning work at the cross and be filled with the Holy Spirit of God that we might live for the reward of heaven.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Be Filled: Part 2

Be Filled: Part 2

Pastor Rollan Fisher

In this series, we want to discuss things concerning the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and how of the Holy Spirit.  Last week we spoke about the who, the what and the when.  We were reminded that God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit when we turn to the resurrected Jesus in repentance and faith. We were exhorted to be in a daily pursuit of being filled.  Today we’ll speak a bit more about where and why.  

As we live increasingly in a post-Christendom society, many believe that what the church today is in desperate need of revival.  

Focus: When we wait upon the Lord, he renews our strength by the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish his will.   

• Why (be filled?)

• Wait (for the Lord?) 

• (The) Wonder(s of God)

Why 

God instructs us to wait on him that he might fill us with his strength to run with him, walking in his will.    

Isaiah 40:27-31

“Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

To walk with God is to cultivate not just knowledge about, but relationship with the Holy Spirit.  

Think about any good marriage. 

Cultivating relationships takes time, focus and a humble curiosity to learn about the one you love.  

What were the believers doing in between Jesus’ ascension and the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)?  

They were waiting and praying as Jesus commanded (Acts 1). 

This is why we wait on God. 

“Be curious, not judgmental.”

-Walt Whitman

You will know God by His word.  

You will recognize God by the fruit of His Spirit. 

Never will God contradict his Word or the fruit of his Spirit.  

Never will God encourage us to settle for less than what his Word describes or that which he makes available by the power of his Holy Spirit.  

Wait 

As we wait on God, he fills us with the Holy Spirit that we might be built and so build his church. 

It is the Bible, not local church tradition, that must inform our understanding of why our interaction with the Holy Spirit is so important.  

We must have sound exegetical practice to cultivate our relationship with the Holy Spirit. 

In the New Testament, there is no mention of dispensations regarding the post resurrection work of the Holy Spirit which would otherwise indicate that God would desire to move differently in our times than in Biblical times.  

To the contrary, the prophet Joel introduces quite an expectation of how God will move amongst and through his people in the last days:

‭‭Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭28‬-‭32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”

When God pours out his Spirit and fills his people with power, the result is that the gospel will be on display and people will call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved.

Calling upon the Lord always entails a turning from rebellion and clinging to Jesus’ atoning work at the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.  

Before we dive into our New Testament connection to Joel, let’s look at some of the things the Apostle Paul made clear in the New Testament.  

Let’s attempt to employ sound Biblical hermeneutics to understand the outplay of the promise God made through Joel. 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:8-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

It would seem that the perfect which is to come would be not when we have the canonized Scripture (as many have concluded with eisegesis), but when we see our risen king Jesus face to face upon his return and have the opportunity to know him fully.   

Demystifying the Holy Spirit for you:

According to Scripture, there is both a private and a corporate aspect to being filled with the Holy Spirit, leading to manifestations, or displays, of the Holy Spirit’s power.  

The standard for Christ-honoring worship is orderly worship.  

Private worship vs. public worship

• Private worship builds up the individual (I Corinthians 14:1-5)

• Public worship involves building others up, the church 

*Privately, the goal is to develop a God awareness wherever you find yourself - whether in the workplace, with family or friends, knowing that you are filled with his Spirit. 

*In doing so, you have not only God’s involvement in all that you put your hands to, but his blessing as you follow his leadership.  

Publiclly, being filled with the Spirit is useful in glorifying God and advancing his Kingdom as you participate in edifying his church.  

*May we never diminish that which God has spoken about or that which HE has placed value upon.  

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

I repeat, when God pours out his Spirit and fills his people with power, the result is that the gospel will be on display and people will call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”

You will know a tree by its fruit. 

Whatever is done in the name of Jesus must agree with the word and character of Christ. 

Anyone who has been around for any period of time - you know how we conduct ourselves in God. 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭36‬-‭40‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.”

I also repeat that the standard for Christ-honoring worship is orderly worship.  

Wonder

It is through the filling of the Holy Spirit that God manifests wonders for both the believing and unbelieving world as we look to fulfill his mission.  

What does God say about the times in which we are living?

The Book of Acts was also known as the Acts of the Apostles or the Acts of the Holy Spirit by whom believers did their work. 

“The people of God are not merely to mark time, waiting for God to step in and set right all that is wrong. Rather, they are to model the new heaven and new earth, and by so doing awaken longings for what God will someday bring to pass.”

-Philip Yancey

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

It has definitively been the last days since the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.   

“Most of us use ‘I’m waiting for God to reveal His calling on my life’ as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn’t that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God.”

-Francis Chan

I repeat one more time, when God pours out his Spirit and fills his people with power, the result is that the gospel will be on display and people will call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved.

Let’s be filled with the Spirit and join the Lord in his eternal work proclaiming the resurrected Jesus today!

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Be Filled

Be Filled : Part 1

Pastor Rollan Fisher

The series title will be called “Be Filled”.  It will focus on us cultivating our relationship with the Holy Spirit in light of the resurrection, the abundant life Jesus has called us to and the work he has commissioned us to do.  

Focus: Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a daily goal, not a one time event.  

• Power 

• Purity 

• Proclamation 

Power 

Being filled with the Holy Spirit provides power to be a witness for the resurrected Jesus. 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."”

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. 

Power can come in the form of:

1. Boldness

2. Gifts of the Spirit

3. Strength to minister

‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭27‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

When was the last time you operated in the power of God?

The purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit is that we might be power filled witnesses of the resurrected Christ, both in word and in deed.  

Purity

Being filled with the Holy Spirit enables us to grow in life-giving fellowship with God and the rest of his body. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭15‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”‬‬

The point of the Scriptural examples is not only to marvel at what has happened, but to hunger and thirst for that which we need.  

One commentator put it this way: 

The Amplified Version does a decent job with the imperative, present, passive verb for “filled”

1. being imperative, God commands us to be filled;

2. being present tense, it is to be repeated, it is an ongoing responsibility; and

3. being passive, we are to yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit.

The sanctifying work of God in a believer’s life is the result of continually  feeding on the Word, doing what it says and having prayerful/worshipful fellowship with God that we might be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.  

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“"I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."”

“D L Moody was once asked why he urged Christians to be filled constantly with the Holy Spirit. “Well,” he said, “I need a continual infilling because I leak!” He pointed to a water tank which had sprung a leak. “I’m like that!” he said. It’s a fact that living in this sinful world we do need to be replenished by the Spirit.”

-Owen Bourgaize 

Proclamation 

Being filled with the Spirit enables us to love and motivates us to consistently proclaim Jesus. 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

Many people do not want to be a witness for Christ because they believe it is not their right to tell someone else what to believe or think.

“The problem is that tolerant has changed its meaning. It used to mean 'I may disagree with you completely, but I will treat you with respect. Today, tolerant means - 'you must approve of everything I do.' There's a difference between tolerance and approval. Jesus accepted everyone no matter who they were. He doesn't approve of everything I do, or you do, or anybody else does either. You can be accepting without being approving.”

-Rick Warren

That is why Jesus said to be a witness, of what you’ve seen of him, heard and come to know.  

It is the Holy Spirit’s job as we pray and proclaim Jesus to draw people to himself and give them revelation of the truth (Matthew 16:13-20 ; John 6:44; 16:8).

There is no way around it - people come to saving relationship with Jesus as we share the good news of his life, identity, miracles, death, burial and resurrection (Romans 10:8-17). 

Bold love, not obnoxious behavior, is what is necessary to be a witness of Christ's resurrection in a world that stands opposed to his message and life.  

“Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”

-Rick Warren

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

He is Risen

 The Good News According to Luke: Chapter 24

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: The risen Christ can change your life by bringing dead things to life.   

• Empty 

• Risen

• Commissioned  

Empty

Without Christ, the world can seem an empty and meaningless place. 

Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.”

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things..”

-Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

“Made for spirituality, we wallow in introspection. Made for joy, we settle for pleasure. Made for justice, we clamor for vengeance. Made for relationship, we insist on our own way. Made for beauty, we are satisfied with sentiment. But new creation has already begun. The sun has begun to rise. Christians are called to leave behind, in the tomb of Jesus Christ, all that belongs to the brokenness and incompleteness of the present world ... That, quite simply, is what it means to be Christian: to follow Jesus Christ into the new world, God's new world, which he has thrown open before us.”

N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

Risen

Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the miracle that saves us from our sins, nihilism and death.   

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭13‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

“Historians employ a number of common-sense principles in assessing the strength of a testimony. Here are five of those principles:

1. Testimony attested to by multiple independent witnesses is usually considered stronger than the testimony of one witness.

2. Affirmation by a neutral or hostile source is usually considered stronger than affirmation from a friendly source, since bias in favor of the person or position is absent.

3. People usually don't make up details regarding a story that would tend to weaken their position.

4. Eyewitness testimony is usually considered stronger than testimony heard from a second- or thirdhand source.

5. An early testimony from very close to the event in question is usually considered more reliable than one received years after the event.

Gary R. Habermas, The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus

Christ’s resurrection from the dead means that what you do today matters forever.  

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead means that you are an immortal soul with eternal consequences to which you look forward.  

Despite our present trajectory, or the world’s, Jesus’ resurrection gives us the hope of a better ending. 

“...left to ourselves we lapse into a kind of collusion with entrophy, acquiescing in the general belief that things may be getting worse but that there's nothing much we can do about them. And we are wrong. Our task in the present...is to live as resurrection people in between Easter and the final day, with our Christian life, corporate and individual, in both worship and mission, as a sign of the first and a foretaste of the second.”

N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Commissioned

Jesus fills life with meaning again by commissioning us with the eternal purpose for which we were made.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭36‬-‭53‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.”

“There is a virtual consensus among scholars who study Jesus' resurrection that, subsequent to Jesus' death by crucifixion, his disciples really believed that he appeared to them risen from the dead. This conclusion has been reached by data that suggest that (1) the disciples themselves claimed that the risen Jesus had appeared to them, and (2) subsequent to Jesus' death by crucifixion, his disciples were radically transformed from fearful, cowering individuals who denied and abandoned him at his arrest and execution into bold proclaimers of the gospel of the risen Lord. They remained steadfast in the face of imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom. It is very clear that they sincerely believed that Jesus rose from the dead.”

Gary R. Habermas, The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus

“The point of the resurrection…is that the present bodily life is not valueless just because it will die…What you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it…What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God's future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether (as the hymn so mistakenly puts it…). They are part of what we may call building for God's kingdom.”

N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Emotionally Healthy, Spiritually Healthy

Emotionally Healthy, Spiritually Healthy

Pastor Dihan Lee

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF

Psalm 139:1-18 NIV

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;  you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a] Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you Or “How amazing are your thoughts concerning me”

II. GOD IN MY EVERYDAY

III. GOD IN MY EMOTIONS

“Ignoring our emotions is turning our back on reality. Listening to our emotions usher us into reality. And reality is where we meet God…Emotions are the language of the soul. They are the cry that gives the heart a voice…However we often turn a deaf ear--through emotional denial, distortion, or disengagement. We strain out anything disturbing in order to gain tenuous control of our inner world. We are frightened and ashamed of what leaks into our consciousness. In neglecting our intense emotions, we are false to ourselves and lose a wonderful opportunity to know God. We forget that change comes through brutal honesty and vulnerability before God.”

Dan Allendar & Tremper Longman

IV. GOD IN MY ESSENCE

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher