Uncommon Love

Uncommon: Love

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: The uncommon love of the Heavenly Father gives us a new name and a new identity to redeem our pain in Christ.  

• Defined by Pain

• Your Old Name 

• Your New Name in Christ

Defined by Pain

So many of us struggle being defined by our painful experiences in life.    

Genesis 35:16-39

“Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”

As Rachel experienced the pain of childbirth, she spoke out of that pain and named her son Ben-Oni. 

Ben Oni is translated as “son of my sorrow.”

Jacob stepped in and renamed him Benjamin, which means “son of the right hand.” 

 “The only love that won’t disappoint you is one that can’t change, that can’t be lost, that is not based on the ups and downs of life or of how well you live. It is something that not even death can take away from you. God’s love is the only thing like that.”

-Timothy Keller 

What experiences, traumas and pains have marked you most significantly in life?

These experiences can include sin, violations or sustained circumstances that were out of your control.  

“But resurrection is not just consolation — it is restoration. We get it all back — the love, the loved ones, the goods, the beauties of this life — but in new, unimaginable degrees of glory and joy and strength.”

-Timothy Keller 

Your Old Name 

With an uncommon love, the Heavenly Father comes to meet us in our pain and redefine our identity in Christ.  

The pain and heartache that previously defined us living in this fallen world will not forever define us in Christ.  

Jacob knew a thing or two about having a past, having a reputation and even the power of names.  

Whereas Jacob can be translated as “supplanter” meaning one who seizes, circumvents or usurps, after his encounter with God, Jacob would be renamed Israel with a new reputation and identity.  

This is the essence of the gospel. 

Genesis 32:22-30 ESV

“The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered."”

How have you chosen to be identified by the pain or loss in life that you’ve experienced?

What hard things is God calling you to wrestle with that you might fully realize your new name and identity in Christ? 

“There are the good things of this world, the hard things of this world, and the best things of this world—God’s love, glory, holiness, beauty. The Bible’s teaching is that the road to the best things is not through the good things but usually through the hard things. . . . There is no message more contrary to the way the world understands life or more subversive to its values.”

-Timothy Keller

Do you believe that God has a new name and identity for you?

Your New Name in Christ

In Jesus, you are given a new name and a new identity by a Heavenly Father who made the ultimate sacrifice for you.   

I Peter 2:1-12 ESV

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

As we repent of our sins and turn to Christ’s perfect sacrifice at the cross for us, not only can we be forgiven, but we can be separated from the shame that used to be attached to our name and experience.  

This is why we are to be ready to declare the excellencies of him (Jesus) who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.  

“I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me alone and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?

“I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”

- Penn Jillette, self-proclaimed atheist

It also means that rather than being a victim, we get to walk in the new authority of our new name, being dual citizens of our country of origin and the Kingdom of God.  

This is given to us by our Heavenly Father to whom we belong in Christ. 

“All Christians have dual citizenship. By natural birth, they are citizens of earthly nations, and they are subject to all the ordinances and requirements of their nations’ lawful governments. But by spiritual rebirth, through faith in Christ, they are also citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom. This is the basis of Paul’s statement, already referred to in the previous chapter, ‘we…are citizens of heaven.’ (Phil 3:20 NEB) As citizens of heaven, Christians are subject to the laws of the heavenly kingdom, but they are also entitled to share in its authority.” 

-Derek Prince in Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Uncommon Grace

Uncommon: Uncommon Grace 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: God gives us uncommon grace to thrive when we are grounded in the eternal life of Christ.   

• General Revelation 

• Special Revelation 

• Common Grace

• Special Grace 

General Revelation 

God has given revelation of his existence, power and love to and through all creation. 

Psalm 145:1-21 ESV 

“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.”

“All the beauty we have looked for in art or faces or places—and all the love we have looked for in the arms of other people—is only fully present in God himself.”

-Timothy Keller

Special Revelation 

God gives special revelation of his love and care to the world through Jesus Christ.  

2 Corinthians 4:4-6 ESV

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

“The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”

-Timothy Keller 

Common Grace

God cares for everyone and desires to show them his grace in Christ. 

I Timothy 2:3-6 ESV 

“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

This does not mean that people, though cared for, will not be judged.  

Ezekial 33:10-11 ESV 

“"And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: 'Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?' Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”

God’s patience means that God is giving people time and opportunity to come to faith and repentance in Christ.  

2 Peter 3:8-10 ESV 

“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.”

This is why our witness to the gospel is so important as we daily, intentionally, share our faith with our family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers. 

We testify to Christ’s historic incarnation, his sinless life, his sacrificial death on the cross for our wrongdoings and the forgiveness of those wrongs by his resurrection from the dead as people repent and believe the good news.   

We testify that people can be reconciled, brought back into friendship with God through Jesus and actually one God intimately - this is eternal life (John 17:3). 

 “While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.”

-Timothy Keller 

We also testify that Jesus has come to give abundant life - life to the full (John 10:10) - and to destroy the work of the devil in our lives (I John 3:8). 

Yet what does it look like that God gives us grace to live day by day? 

Special Grace 

There is special grace to bear up under any circumstance when you are in the will of God through Christ.  

How do I know that this special grace exists?

We see and hear it in the testimony of those who’ve walked through difficulties with supernatural grace while being rooted in Jesus Christ.

The power of God is demonstrated not only when our circumstances change, but the grace that he gives us while we wait for our eternal hope and still thrive in the face of suffering.  

 "It’s possible to practice this in the smaller deaths that we all experience, such as the loss of a career, friend, or loved one. In those painful situations, you have to do essentially the same thing that you have to do when you're told you’re going die: You have to take something abstract that you believe about God and make it real to your heart so He becomes your consolation. You're no longer looking to the things of this world to be your salvation.”

-Timothy Keller

Proof that there is an eternal life is Christ’s resurrection from the dead and the uncommon grace that people who know him demonstrate intimating that there is a reality beyond the grave. 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Samson: A Confusing Paradigm

Samson: A Confusing Paradigm 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Have you ever tried to live with your feet in two worlds - the Kingdom of God and the world?

How did that work for you?

How did it end up in the end?

Focus: Just because you are used of God, doesn’t mean you won’t be judged by God - be holy!

• Then There Was Delilah

• Ignoring all of the Signs 

• Blindness, Death and Redemption

Then There Was Delilah

Samson’s downfall was steady, then all at once. 

Judges 16:1-6 ESV

“Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.” But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron. After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the Lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.””

God loves blessing his children in the right way, at the right time with the right people - all according to his wisdom and eternal plan in Christ (Romans 8).  

One of the goals of our lives is learning to trust this truth.  

When you belong to Jesus, your life is no longer your own.  

When we lose sight of this fact, sin enters in when we decide to do what is best in our own eyes rather than God’s, and we try to take our destinies into our own hands. 

I don’t know how it can be any more clear than this:

I Corinthians 6:12-17 ESV

“"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

“And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.”

I Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Unchecked sin is a slippery slope.  

This is why John the Baptist warned that we should bear fruit in keeping with repentance (a lifestyle of it). 

Matthew 3:8-10 ESV

“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Once you get used to living in one measure of unrepentant sin, it becomes easier to open a door to add additional rebellion. 

Samson’s presumption that God would continually be with him despite his actions resulted in Samson persisting in more consistent and brazen measures of disobedience.  

People have been hurt because they’ve seen men and women of God, who’ve been used mightily of God but were full of sin that destroyed their relationships, their families and even their view of God himself.  

This is to help clarify things.  

The reality is that God will use people for his purposes even when they are in sin.  

This is because God’s great love and compassion for his people and the world will not be short-circuited by individual sin. 

However, it does not mean that he will not judge the individual sin, even while he is using the people in mighty ways.  

Don’t be misled and don’t deceive yourself.  

Jesus is your perfect standard and everyone will be held 

accountable to God.  

In fact, the Scripture tells us that judgment begins in the house of God.  

Jesus also gave this warning:

Matthew 7:15-23 ESV 

“"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'”

Balaam provided a way for Israel to be led into sin - through sexual temptation and immorality. 

Remember that there was nothing that Balaam could do to curse Israel because God had blessed them - but Israel could call curses on themselves through sin. 

The moral of the story - be holy and be pure. 

‭‭

Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”‬‬

Samson’s sin would eventually catch up with him. 

All of the warning signs were there which he chose to ignore because of how his flesh was being satisfied. 

You can not talk about Samson without talking about sexual immorality. 

You can not talk about sexual immorality without talking about pornography. 

God wants to free you and heal you. 

To the unmarried:

• Stop Netflix and chilling with your time and find something more public to do if you want to win. 

• The same self control that you learn to exhibit as a fruit of the Holy Spirit before you are married is the same self control or lack thereof that you will exhibit when you are married.   

• The only difference is it will have greater consequences for better or for worse.  

To the married:

• You will reap what you sow. 

• Learn to sow into and (husbands especially) cultivate your spouse rather than looking for the easy road of uncommitted affection.  

• This is why people love dogs 😆. 

Delilah was eventually introduced as a trap that would play on Samson’s sin, accentuate his disconnect from God and lead to his downfall. 

Ignoring all of the Signs 

God gives many opportunities to wake up and turn before sudden destruction. 

Judges 16:7-22 ESV

“Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” Then the Lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web. And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the Lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the Lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.”

You can not outrun the consequences of sin if you are committed to it. 

Samson begins to lie to Delilah, thinking that if he can just keep stringing her along, he will be able to have his cake and eat it too.  

*It may not be hair, but when we forsake  our consecration, we eventually lose the supernatural grace and power of God, when we try to serve two masters. 

Jesus said:

Matthew 6:24 ESV 

“"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.”

It is not just about you and money. 

You can not serve, for example, God and lust, sex, unholy ambition or just plain old hedonism.  

Enjoy them with the right person at the right time (monogamous, covenantal marriage) and all these things are ultimately blessed.  

“If you asked twenty men today what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old he would have replied, Love. You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance. The negative ideal of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point. I do not think this is the Christian virtue of Love. The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to the desire. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desire, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Blindness, Death and Redemption

Redemption will always come in repentance and death - death to sin and the death of Christ to bring us life.  

Judges 16:23-31 ESV

“Now the Lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” Now the house was full of men and women. All the Lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the Lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.”

Again, a confusing paradigm is how the mighty have fallen, have been greatly used by God, but were full of unrepentant sin.  

May this provide clarification and healing - but also a warning to us all. 

Samson gave up his consecration and was judged - but found redemption in the end through his sacrificial death. 

“We must not be troubled by the unbelievers when they say that this promise of rewards makes the Christian life a mercenary affair. There are different kinds of rewards. There is the reward which has no natural connection with the things you do to earn it, and is quite foreign to the desire that ought to accompany those things. Money is not the natural reward of love; that is why we call a man a mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. But marriage is the proper reward for a real lover, and he is not a mercenary for desiring it. A general who fights well in order to get a peerage is a mercenary; a general who fights for victory is not, victory being the proper reward of battle as marriage is the proper reward of love. The proper rewards are not simply tacked on to the activity for which they are given, but are the activity itself in consummation.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

I Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

Have you been reconciled to God?

*We all need to be prepared for death which will come for us in unexpected ways. 

You will not be right with God because of any of your good works, nor will your evil deeds be ignored.  

The only hope that we have of eternal life is repentance and faith in the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ at the cross for you. 

Through his death, he paid the penalty for our lifetime of disobedience and rebellion against God - to atone for sins. 

By his burial and resurrection, we can put away the old man in baptism and rise through faith in the power of God to the freedom of a forgiven and redirected life.  

We can be new creations living out the rest of our days in our redemption road in Christ - for his pleasure and glory alone.  

I Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

The Lord knows those who are his (II Timothy 2:19).  

Be counted in that number. 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Samson: God in the Midst of Chaos

Samson: God in the Midst of Chaos 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: God can be found, his care felt and his will done, even in the midst of the chaos of our lives.  

• Cycles

• Victories in the Midst of Chaos

• God Still Cares 

Cycles 

All decisions have consequences, even if made impetuously.  

Judges 15:1-8 ESV

“After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat. And he said, “I will go in to my wife in the chamber.” But her father would not allow him to go in. And her father said, “I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.” And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.” So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards. Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. And Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.” And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam.”

The cycle of the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris this year reminds us that life is meant to be a marathon with God, not just a sprint. 

There is a lot of life and unspoken detail in the pages of Scripture that speak to the apex moments we have highlighted from which we can learn lessons from the men and women of who encountered God. 

Life can feel like a marathon that is long and grueling, but understand that it is the sum total of decisions made daily that God wants to use as a testimony to his love, gospel and glory.  

Your life is a testimony (of God’s faithfulness) to be built. 

The impetuous results of our decision making always come with consequences. 

Here, Samson ends up working vengeance against the Philistines because his Philistine wife was given to his companion, his best man at his wedding, when there were perceived marital issues between Samson and his wife (Judges 14:20). 

This begins a cycle of retaliation, where the Philistines burn his wife and father-in-law to death because of Samson burning their stacked grain, standing grain and olive orchards of the Philistines with the 300 foxes.   

Marriage is a beautiful thing instituted by God and people are blessed when they enter into such a covenant. 

Proverbs 18:22

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

However, we need to kill the idolatry that surrounds romantic relationships in our culture where people derive their value, significance, sense of accomplishment and acceptance from such relationships.  

Covenant relationships within the body of Christ are amazingly valuable and are not a consolation prize for those who didn’t find a spouse.   

II Samuel 1:25-27 ESV

“"How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! "Jonathan lies slain on your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women. "How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"”

You can live a happy, fulfilled and life of great Kingdom significance without ever getting married.   

We know this by looking at the life of our Lord and Savior - Jesus.  

Paul said, those who marry will have trouble in the world and he wanted to spare people this (I Corinthians 7). 

Matthew 19:7-9 ESV

“They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."”

After Jesus said you can not divorce a person except for marital unfaithfulness (adultery) Peter said it was better then not to marry, to which Jesus replied: 

Matthew 19:10-12

“The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."”

You can live your entire life as an unmarried single and fulfill the will of God for your life.  

You can die an early death and in it have completely glorified God and fulfilled his will. 

How do I know these things?

It is because they are the very things that Jesus did. 

The more that we reject these truths, the more chaotic things become in our souls and the world we create with impulsive decisions and the problematic cycles that follow. 

“The more people marginalize the true God of the Bible, the more chaotic things become.”

-Dr. Tony Evans

What cycles does Jesus want to break in your life to bring you into his gospel good?

Victories in the Midst of Chaos

God can move even in the midst of the chaos of our lives. 

Judges 15:9-17 ESV

“Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi. And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.” Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.” They said to him, “No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. And Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men.” As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi.”

It may not be your preference, but it could be God’s will - seek Christ in the midst of the chaos.

What is it in your life that you may not have chosen, but God is definitively using for his Kingdom purposes?

“Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom so that you see that He is the Rock at the bottom.”

-Dr. Tony Evans 

God Still Cares 

God still cares for his people, even in the midst of mistakes - this is a gospel of grace. 

Judges 15:18-20 ESV

“And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.”

Sometimes we overspirtualize our need while God wants to give us natural remedies to revive us while breaking cycles in our lives.  

You are spirit, soul (mind, will and emotions) and body.  

I Thessalonians 5:14-24 ESV

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

God made and cares about every aspect of you. 

God gave Samson water out of the hollow place to revive his spirit.  

Though very real, not every challenge is spiritual warfare.  

For example:

• If you are fatigued, you may need to rest and get better sleep.  

• When you are hungry, you may need to eat.  

• If you are lethargic, you may need more exercise and a better diet. 

• If you are stressed, you may need to unplug from devices and get some quiet restoration in nature.  

How this will change our daily living:

How often do we treat the people who are closest to us the worst while giving our best efforts and energy to those who wouldn’t think twice about us if push came to shove?

Here’s the point - the gospel has to translate to the way that I treat my spouse, my kids, my parents, my sister, my neighbors, my co-workers, my friends (which is usually easiest for people) and the world at large. 

God cares about it all. 

If it does not, I am deceiving myself.   

Here is the good news as I seek to find God’s care in the midst of the chaos:

Romans 5:6-11 ESV

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Let’s come to Christ at the cross in repentance and faith to break destructive cycles, find him in the midst of the chaos and ultimately rest in his eternal care.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Samson: Cracks in the Foundation

Samson: Cracks in the Foundation

Pastor Rollan Fisher

This is Pentecost Sunday

Focus: Just because we can, doesn’t mean that we should - we need to obey God. 

• A Question of Values 

• Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should 

• Cracks and the Cross 

A Question of Values 

The choices that we make in life need to be aligned with God’s values in Jesus if they are going to be blessed.  

If we don’t govern ourselves this way, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the consequences. 

Judges 14:1-4 ESV

“Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, "I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife." But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes." His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.”

This is wedding season 

People say to me all of the time - “well God made my mistakes right in the end.” 

The background here is that God had given instruction to the Israelites not to intermarry with the Canaanites who he was driving out of the land - not because of their difference in ethnicity, but because of their difference in values.  

If they gave their sons and daughters in marriage to the people of Canaan, God forewarned that this would lead to the Israelites worshiping other gods, having other things other than Yahweh ruling their lives.  

Deuteronomy 7:1-5

This is a theme that was repeated in the New Testament when God through the apostle Paul commanded the new believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers - those who were not trying to wholeheartedly serve Jesus. 

II Corinthians 6:14-7:1

Have you ever been in a relationship where you were unequally yoked?

Who did you end up choosing in that relationship when it came to living a holy life - God or that romantic interest?

How was that a warning sign to you of things to come?

An important note needs to be made here - just because God used Samson’s disregard for the commands of God, doesn’t mean that God approved of it.  

The issue is that God has plans that are bigger than any of our individual lives, and if he has to use our willful disobedience to accomplish his purposes, including our inevitable demise, he will. 

Samson’s parents appealed to him not to live in disobedience to God, but Samson persisted.  

If you have adult children who are wayward, do not condemn yourself.  

They have decisions and a judgment from God that they must face on their own. 

However, through your fasting, prayers, love and earnest appeals, you can make it as hard as possible for them to go to hell. 

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should 

We think that because we have the the ability to live the way we want without immediate consequence, that somehow God doesn’t see or doesn’t care.  

We couldn’t be more wrong.

Judges 14:5-9

“Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson's eyes. After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.”

Samson’s parents eventually acquiesced to Samson’s appeal for the Philistine wife. 

In parenting, especially with young children, you must not get worn down by their persistent disobedience.  

Do not check out and begin to ignore their behavior, escaping into the entertainment and social media world.  

*Love, clarity and consistency are the keys to godly parenting and discipline.    

Judges 13-17 display 10 feats of strength and heroism by Samson - the first five mentioning the Spirit of the Lord; the last five not.  

This is all very relevant as we consider the significance of Pentecost Sunday when God would pour out his Spirit on those committed to Jesus that they might be supernaturally empowered witnesses of him to the nations (Acts 2). 

Rather than defeating the nations, through Christ’s gospel, we see a harvest of redeemed lives from the nations. 

*Samson was developing patterns of dismissive disobedience. 

Jesus said the Holy Spirit is in the world not only to empower the servants of God, but amongst other things, to convict the world in his kindness of sin, righteousness and the judgment to come.  

You may identify it as your conscience, but the conviction that you feel when things are off is more than that - it is God’s law written upon your heart (Romans 2:15,16) and the Holy Spirit trying to bring you back to the blessing of God’s direction and commands.  

Jesus said:

John 16:7-11 ESV

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

What has the Holy Spirit been convicting you of that you have tried to ignore or remember running from years ago that set a trajectory for your life?  

Romans 2:4-11 ESV

“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.”

Samson’s sin and secrecy started to have detrimental effects. 

Samson had learned to live without dependence on the Spirit of God which would inevitably lead to his demise.  

This is a great threat and danger to us all. 

Yet Jesus, the better Samson, would live in step with the Spirit of God and would inevitably give his life to defeat his people’s enemies - sin and death.  

Cracks and the Cross 

When we recognize the cracks in our life foundations, the pattern of bad decisions that have caused inordinate trouble in our broken lives, it should lead us back to the cross of Jesus Christ. 

Judges 14:10-20 ESV

“His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes, but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes." And they said to him, "Put your riddle, that we may hear it." And he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." And in three days they could not solve the riddle. On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" And Samson's wife wept over him and said, "You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is." And he said to her, "Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?" She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.”

We try to justify why we are where we are and our sin by convoluting them with life’s riddles and saying “this is just the way life goes.”

Yet Jesus sees through all of this.  

The cross is our pathway home. 

At the cross of Jesus Christ are forgiveness, restoration and healing. 

Redemption can come when the family has lost its way and has gone astray.  

Repentance and faith are offered by God.  

Romans 3:23-26 ESV

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

God is both just and wants to be the justifier of those who come to him through Jesus.  

The gifts and call of God are without repentance. 

Romans 11:29 ESV

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

May you listen to the Holy Spirit today as he is beckoning you to the cross and repentance to resurrect callings thought dead and reorder dreams centered on Christ.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Samson: Part 1

Samson: Part 1

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Parents are charged by God to set their children up for a life of love for, consecration to and mission in Jesus.  

• A Mother’s Instruction

• Mission

• My God Who Stirs

A Mother’s Instruction

We should look to God for instruction on how to live consecrated (set apart) lives in Christ.  

Judges 13:1-7 ESV

”And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”“

The challenge today is how to raise our kids in such a taxing world. 

My dad continually says it was easier in his day. 

The good news is there is a God who cares and is seeking to be involved as Lord and Savior of our family lives.  

Mothers have an incalculable place in forming and shaping the lives of their children.  

From birthing to feeding to nurturing and instructing, to comforting, providing, correcting and teaching, the responsibility list for a mother seems endless. 

And often goes thankless.  

Yet we honor and thank our mothers today. 

Over and over again in Scripture, we see the awesome influence of mothers shaping kings and gospel heroes alike.  

We have the model of a godly woman from the lips of a Spirit-led mother instructing her son on how to live:

Proverbs 31:1

“The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:”

and what things to look for in a godly wife:

Proverbs 31:10

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

The apostle Paul speaking to his young disciple Timothy acknowledges the importance of his grandmother and mother:

2 Timothy 1:5

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”

In the case of Samson, it was no different.  

Samson lived about 50 years before Saul would be made the first king of Israel. 

He would be the twelfth and last of the recorded judges who attempted to rule Israel at a time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes, lived in sin and consequently under the oppression of foreign peoples.  

In Samson’s time, Israel lived under the constant oppression of the Philistines.  

When God wanted to raise up a deliverer in Samson, he started first with a godly mother to whom he would give instruction that she would receive and bring to her family.  

What Samson’s mother learned is that when God gives us children, they are to be a gift not only to the family, but understood as a God-given gift to the world for Christ’s purposes.  

v. 5

“…and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 

*Our main objective as parents should be to raise our children to know, love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.  

“Far too many parents are more interested in their kids making the team than making the Kingdom.”

-Dr. Tony Evans 

Did you grow up knowing the gospel?

Do your children know the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ?

A good tool created by Dr. Rice Broocks, author of God’s Not Dead, can be utilized as a memory tool unto this end:

Mission

We should parent and live with God’s gospel mission in view. 

Judges 13:8-14 ESV

“Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born." And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, "Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me." And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to this woman?" And he said, "I am." And Manoah said, "Now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?" And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe."”

Samson’s mother had the initial revelation from the angel regarding how Samson was to be set apart to God.  

When this is the case, run to bring your husband in so that he too may develop a conviction before the Lord. 

When possible, do not leave the child rearing to a single parent - Manoah also prayed to get revelation and a conviction from God as to how they were to raise Samson that they might do so before God in unity.  

When Manoah prayed, the angel appeared again to Samson’s mother while Manoah was away, but she was quick to go get Manoah so that the angel might speak the same thing to Samson’s father. 

“God, teach us how to raise this child!” should be our cry as parents. 

God’s instruction to Samson’s parents was for them to raise Samson in a life of  consecration. 

The Nazirite vow was usually voluntary - in this case it was Samson’s calling from birth. 

12 And Manoah said, "Now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?" And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe."”

We need to ask as parents “what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is their mission?”

*The angel responded not with a detailed report of all that Samson would do, but that which would prepare him for his mission.  

As parents, do not feel pressured to have a life plan for your child, but give them a plan of how they should live before the Lord.  

What things?

Teach them who God is in Jesus as revealed by his word. 

Teach them where to find God while committed to a Biblically grounded church community. 

Teach them how to seek God’s face to serve Jesus as a part of his people on a gospel mission. 

That is our responsibility as parents - to love our children and prepare them for their God-given mission by raising them in the instruction of the Lord.  

“It is far easier to shape a child than to repair an adult.”

-Dr. Tony Evans 

A good resource for this parenting task is:

My God Who Stirs 

We should cultivate a life of encounters with Jesus that our families (both natural and spiritual) might be continually stirred to God’s Kingdom cause in Jesus.  

Parents need to set their children up for encounters with God that will propel that mission by modeling encounters with God themselves.  

Judges 13:15-20 ESV

“Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you." And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord." (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.) And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?" And the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?" So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.”

All sustained Christian mission springs from encounters with the living God.  

Judges 13:21-25 ESV

“The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." But his wife said to him, "If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these." And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”

The same God who instructed Samson’s mother, and then father, began to stir Samson as he lived in Mahaneh-Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. 

As the children grow, we should help them cultivate a relationship with God so that God might bless them and the Spirit of the Lord might begin stirring them to his Kingdom purposes for their lives. 

Samson’s name was derived from the Hebrew word semes, which meant “sun.”

So Samson would bear the attribute of God who is called “a sun and shield” in Psalm 84:11, acting as a protector and watching over the people of Israel in his generation, acting as its judge/leader. 

“Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may not be something that you do but someone you raise.”

-Andy Stanley 

John and Charles Wesley's mother's story. 

Mothers have a unique role in pointing their children to the better Samson. 

We have a better Samson in Jesus whose birth and mission were also prophesied by the angel.  

Jesus had parents who would raise him with the person, purposes and people of God in view (ref. The Gospel of Luke). 

Jesus too was consecrated at birth, and would grow in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.  

Jesus would be stirred even as a child to be in his Father’s house, learning the word and presence of God that would prepare him for his ultimate mission - to save humanity not from the Philistines but from sin and death itself.  

At the cross Jesus would fulfill that mission taking on the punishment that we all deserve for doing what is right in our own eyes as Israel did, living in rebellion to God.  

Though we may have suffered consequences of our choices up to this point, we can be reconciled and set apart to God because of Jesus’ sinless life lived in our place, death on the cross for our wrongdoing and resurrection from the dead.  

Through repentance and faith, we can come back to God and be stirred as his children, by his Spirit, for our Christ-honoring, God ordained purpose in life.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Choose Your Reward: So Many Choices

Choose Your Reward: So Many Choices 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Do what you see the Father doing and you will find your rest in Jesus. 

• My Plans 

• God’s Plans

• What the Father is Doing in Christ

My Plans

My plans aren’t always God’s plans and can lead to worry, burnout and haste. 

John 5:17-30 ESV

”But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”“

‭‭This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.“

Much of the world is frazzled, harried and discontent. 

How many times have we said there is not enough time in the day?

Is there not enough time to do what we want - or what God wants?

There will always be enough time, resources and energy to accomplish what God wants to do in and through your life.  

Doing what God wants does not mean that it does not come without effort, sacrifice or self-denial, but it does mean that what is meant for Christ’s glory and your good is always met with God’s grace to accomplish it.  

The gospel scene above comes after a significant moment when Jesus physically healed a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years (John 5:5-6). 

Jesus asked him a significant question:

John 5:6 ESV

”When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"“

Jesus, though God in the flesh (John 1:1-14), was a Jewish man and would have known the customs - how this healing on the Sabbath would have been perceived by the religious community.  

However, Jesus moved past their criticisms to demonstrate God’s compassion to the ailing man whom he loved.  

Jesus saw what the Father was doing and moved on it.  

Walking with God in faith and obedience is ultimately a matter of trust and submission. 

It is often the case that the love of God moves at a different pace in life than which we move. 

Many in the invalid’s case (John 5:1-16) were used to walking past this man at the pool who needed healing. 

How likely would I have been to do the same in our modern context while plugged into the incessant dopamine hits of my cell phone?

Proverbs 19:2 ESV

”Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.“

*I regularly need to slow down to truly hear/perceive God, see the people God has actually placed in front of me and the opportunity that he is giving me to love them well with the gospel.  

Proverbs 19:17 NIV

”Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.“

 

“IF YOU CAN’T FEED A HUNDRED PEOPLE, THEN FEED JUST ONE.” –MOTHER TERESA

God’s Plans

We need to learn to slow down to look for Jesus in our everyday affairs to give ourselves to what God is doing. 

What God is doing, he will bless. 

What God is not involved in, we should not expect him to bless, but possibly resist.  

This is the definition of a curse.  

The Sabbath was created as a holy rhythm, amongst others, to keep us living at a proper pace with a proper focus.  

When we look to God, he shows us who he is and what he is doing in Christ. 

When we’ve done what we’ve seen the Father doing, we will live well satisfied and at rest. 

Is God at the front and center of all of your planning?   

We need to be discerning enough to know the difference between the resistance of God and the resistance of the enemy.  

God will bless what has been submitted to him for his eternal purposes in Christ, even while the devil tries to resist it.   

The key is to find yourself in the tailwinds of the Father, as Jesus did. 

John 5:19,20

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 

How do I know what God is doing? 

When I study God’s word, I have clear commands that are to be obeyed.  

Psalm 119:9-12 ESV

”How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!“

Psalm 119:35-39 ESV

”Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared. Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good.“

Psalm 119:67,68 ESV

”Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.“

Psalm 119:71,72 ESV

”It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.“

‬‬

Psalm 119:105 ESV

”Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.“

But do I seek the face of God and the application of his word by walking with God moment by moment? 

Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV

”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.“

*Though this is what Scripture instructs, when I want to maintain control of my own life, I’m not looking for what the Father is doing, so that through willful ignorance, I can ultimately do what I want. 

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/0ZY-2KG4ucg

 If you are so locked into your own agenda, you can miss God. 

So what is God doing - what is he planning?

What the Father is Doing in Christ

The Father is always working to reconcile the world to himself in Christ to provide the peace that we so desperately need.  

At the end of the day, you are obligated to nothing more than obedience to God that comes from faith in Jesus (Romans 1:7) - nothing more and nothing less.  

Anything more is presumptuous and is an existence lived at the hands of another task-master.  

Anything less is sin. 

James 4:17

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Do you believe that the will of the Father is actually best for your life?

What do you feel like you’d be missing that you need to add?

God will not allow you to miss out on what is truly important. 

What do you feel like God would require of you that you wish he’d take away?

God will not require anything of you that is not ultimately for his glory and your good (Romans 8).  

We should believe to see the miraculous as we look to God for our daily direction. 

Striving for more than God would have you do leads to fretting and can be driven by either greed or pride. 

Doing less than God would have us do can be a symptom of laziness or self-centered living where we are serving our pleasures/interests rather than Christ’s. 

Walking with God brings peace, stability (even in trial) and fruitfulness because God is the author of your activities and his miraculous hand of blessing can be on their outcomes. 

Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law, commandments and will of God to be our example, as well as the all sufficient sacrifice at the cross for our sins, to reconcile us to God.  

As we turn in repentance from self-sufficiency to faith, we will find our rest in Jesus, the Prince of Peace, as we walk in friendship with and service to our ever-loving, ever-living God.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Choose Your Reward: Jesus on Rewards

Choose Your Reward: Jesus on Rewards

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: When our focus is on Jesus, we see that our public life is fueled by our secret life, which leads to a multiplication of lives impacted for the Kingdom of God.  

• The Public Life 

• The Secret Life

• A Life Multiplied 

The Public Life 

What we do for Jesus in the public place will determine our reward in the eternal place.  

People have made many foolish and costly decisions to publicly identify with groups without a sure reward.  

https://fox4kc.com/news/70-of-chiefs-fans-who-suffered-frostbite-at-bitter-cold-playoff-game-need-amputations/

Matthew 5:9-12

”"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.“

Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are called to be peacemakers in the world around us. 

We do this by introducing a peace with God through the gospel and peace between people with that same good news.  

The Secret Life

What we do in the secret place builds who we are for Jesus in the public place.  

Matthew 6:1-6 ESV

”"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“

What you sow into when only God’s eyes are on you will determine your reward.  

Jesus says that we should learn to give in secret, fast in secret and pray in secret, so that God might see what is done in secret and reward us.  

It is about the motivation of the heart, where we think our rewards come from and whose reward you truly desire.  

People say today that “if you don’t post about it, then it didn’t happen.”

We are pressured today to be a walking advertisement of our resume, our accomplishments and our experiences to convince others around us how good our lives are.  

And we think that if we do this well, somehow we won’t feel left out and will quiet the nagging voice that necessitates us convincing ourselves that our lives are actually worth living.  

But think about how fleeting is other people’s praise and how enslaving it is to validate your existence by continually feeding the beast of public approval.  

God wants to free you from this and bring you into a quality of life that only he can provide.  

In this way, your happiness is not determined by how much money you have amassed (or has passed through your fingers on pleasure seeking expenses), but on how much you have given - and your reward will come from God who cannot be outgiven. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“

How do you think God will reward your giving?

How will he reward your prayers?

How will he reward your fasting? 

When you do these things without looking for public accolades, God rewards your with supernatural provision in your life, answered prayers and supernatural power to break yokes in your life and others. 

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭25‬ ‭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?“

Jesus said that we should lay up our treasure in heaven and not on earth.  

Make no mistake about it, your heart will ultimately follow the places where you put your money.

You want to make sure that your heart is continually aligned with Jesus, sowing into eternal things, things that will last and that God will reward, and not just the temporary things that we would enjoy.  

God created a mechanism for us to do this well by requiring the tithe from his people, where we acknowledge God’s provision with the first and best ten percent of all of our increase/income (Leviticus 27:30-33; Deuteronomy 26), sowing it into Christ’s Kingdom affairs and asking God’s hand of blessing to be upon all that we put our hands to.  

Offerings go above and beyond the tithe to freely and joyfully contribute to the ongoing work of the Lord (II Corinthians 8+9).  

An example of this is serving organizations like Safe Families that help keep children out of the foster care system that Ben and Kendall Foote can tell you about.  

God also provides you with the ability to be free of the tyranny of money, knowing that he will provide for you as you serve him alone as your master. 

How do we do this in our daily living?

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭31‬-‭34‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”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.“

Thanks to many of your faithful tithes and offerings over the years, we have been able to not only preach the gospel and make disciples faithfully, but we now have a church building in Roger’s Park that we will be calling our home for future services, to expand the impact of the gospel in Chicago, in addition to our continued Sunday morning services here in Lincoln Park.  

As we continue to cultivate our relationship with Jesus in these manners, when only his eyes are on us, we will have the strength to walk with Christ when other people’s eyes are on us as well.  

This will lead to lives multiplied as the gospel is preached by us and lived through us. 

A Life Multiplied 

Jesus laid down his life for us so that we might be reconciled to God - that the impact of his mission would be multiplied in us and through us.  

‭‭

John‬ ‭12‬:‭20‬-‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.“

Like Jesus, we need to live for something that is truly bigger and longer lasting than the fleeting time that we have on earth in its present form - we need to live for the eternal Kingdom of God.  

Study after study shows that this is one of the key ingredients to a sustained happiness in life. 

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/23/10/mental-health-challenges-young-adults-illuminated-new-report

When seeds are sown, they metaphorically die in the ground in which they are planted that they might eventually be positioned to bring forth additional life.  

Every seed planted in faith is done so with the hope of bearing more fruit.  

Every aspect of our lives are seeds to be sown for Jesus and his eternal Kingdom. 

Jesus would lay down his life at the cross - a single, innocent life sown in sacrifice to pay for our sins - that through his death,  burial and resurrection, many souls might be born again, and through him, enter into eternal life.  

As Jesus was lifted up on the cross over two thousand years ago, and is continually lifted up through our sharing of the gospel today, he promises to draw all men to himself.   

May the lifting up of Jesus be the focus of all of our giving, our praying and our fasting that he might reconcile this lost and dying world to God.  

And like Jesus, how can we today reevaluate how we will lay down our lives so that as we sow in our giving, prayers and fasting in the secret place, it might result in the great reward of the life of Christ being multiplied in countless souls being redeemed in the Kingdom of God? 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Choose Your Reward: Praise and Pain

Choose Your Reward: Praise and Pain

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Praise from God is greater than praise from people and comes with an enduring reward. 

• Tell Me That I Matter

• Love of Praise 

• Praise from God

Tell Me That I Matter

We all want to feel like we matter in life - we need to get that affirmation from God.   

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭25‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. "Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."“

When I love God first and well, I am better able to love the other important relationships in my life - whether they be parents, spouses, children or friends.  

When we allow God to maintain the preeminent, right place in our lives, it allows us to order every other relationship and decision that follows well. 

Seeking affirmation is not a bad thing - as long as it is for the right reason and from the right source.  

Why is this difficult at times? 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_ONMJFkuXBo

1:54-4:32 

Having affirmation from God who does not change allows you stability in life.  

It allows you to prioritize healthy Kingdom choices and make difficult decisions amidst people who do change.  

Whose praise do you covet the most in life? 

What will you do to get it?

What are you willing to do to keep it?

If your highest value in life is not praise from God, it will lead you to compromise and sin.  

Living for the praise of God alone provides certainty, security and stability in your soul (your mind, will and emotions).  

It is your access to what we so desperately crave - which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit of joy and peace. 

Love of Praise 

What we think that praise will bring us is peace - but it will only bring us peace if it is coming from the right source. 

This is why loss of a loved one can be so difficult, because in them we found, at least temporarily, a source of love, acceptance and a perceived peace.  

 Melancholy by Albert György in Geneva, Switzerland 

This is what grief is.

A hole ripped through the very fabric of your being.

The hole eventually heals along the jagged edges that remain. It may even shrink in size.

But that hole will always be there.

A piece of you always missing.

For where there is deep grief, there was great love.

Don’t be ashamed of your grief.

Don’t judge it.

Don’t suppress it.

Don’t rush it.

Rather, acknowledge it.

Lean into it.

Listen to it.

Feel it.

Sit with it.

Sit with the pain. And remember the love.

This is where the healing will begin.

Monica Bobbit

Yet is there peace beyond the temporal? 

When we set our focus on Jesus, it leads to a lasting, eternal joy and peace. 

‭‭

Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.“

What does it say about your state when you live for other people’s praise?

What does it say about you when you live for God’s praise? 

Living for God’s praise alone does not mean that you have the right to pendulum swing to being a jerk, an independent or an isolationist.  

It means that you love people well when you’ve been grounded in the palpable, enduring love that God has for you.  

Praise from God

Desiring praise from God is what led Jesus to the cross and ultimately to our hope of resurrection life.  

‭‭

John‬ ‭5‬:‭30‬-‭47‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”"I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"“

God will ultimately test the motives of our hearts.  

Proverbs 16:2

”All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.“

What we see in Jesus is that something had to die that we might actually live.  

In your personal life:

What is it that needs to die in your life, that has a death grip on you, that you might actually live?

In terms of our call to make disciples:

To what are you willing to die so that others might actually live?

Your reputation?

Your free time?

Being able to do all that you want with your money? 

Your feelings of acceptance from those who might not love God but whom God loves?

Because Jesus lived for the praise of the Father alone, he was able to live sinlessly, perform miracles, die sacrificially at the cross for our sins and rise victoriously from the dead so that we might have new life in him.  

Let us turn from putting our hope in anyone or anything else above Jesus to make us healthy, happy or whole.  

Let us live for the praise of God alone to know him, experience his freedom and make him known offering the life that is truly life to others through the gospel.  

In doing so, we will be both free and motivated to obey this life-giving command:

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ NIV

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Choose Your Reward: Balaam and Balak

Choose Your Reward: Balaam and Balak

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: When God speaks, we must learn to obey - for his glory and our good.  

Numbers 22-24

• God Has Spoken 

• Say Again? 

• Don’t Negotiate, Trust the Cross 

God Has Spoken

When God speaks, we need to take him at his word so that we and others might be blessed.  

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. And Moab said to the elders of Midian, "This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field." So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, "Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. And he said to them, "Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me." So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. And God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" And Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 'Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.'" God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you." So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, "Balaam refuses to come with us."“

We need to stop looking for omens and trust what God has already said. 

What has God already spoken to you about - in his word and through prayer that he expects you to obey?

“There is no peace like the peace of those whose minds are possessed with full assurance that they have known God, and God has known them, and that this relationship guarantees God’s favor to them in life, through death and on for ever.”

-J.I. Packer

Say Again?

What God has blessed, no man can curse. 

‭‭

Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭15‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: 'Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.'" But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me." And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you." So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.“

Have no doubt about it, Satan and his hordes will try over and over again to throw you off track with God, just as Balaam attempted multiple times to have Israel cursed.  

Each time the devil tempts, the deal will seem sweeter and sweeter to you, and he’ll show you different angles from which to look at his offer. 

The good news is that God is resolute. 

Relationally:

The good news is that in this spiritual battle in which we find ourselves, God is for us, not against us, and is intent on blessing his people.  

“Adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel. The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the family name. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.”

-J.I. Packer 

When we have enemies who arise, because of the righteousness of God and the cross of Christ, even in our imperfections, we remain in the grace of God because he has called his children blessed.  

Covenantally:

When God has spoken by his word (what is revealed in the Scripture) he is communicating to us what he has and will bless.  

No amount of desire, reasoning or cultural shifts will change that - because God is disclosing his immutable character and giving us the blueprints of his all-wise design in creation.  

Yet if we persist in trying to find ways around God’s clearly stated commands and decrees, we will reap the consequences of it.  

Israel would see this later as they gave themselves over to sexual immorality with the Moabites.  

Trying to add or subtract from God’s commands is sin and leads to death. 

God continually says that he opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble; that unless we become like children, we will never enter his kingdom (Matthew 18:3; I Peter 5:5). 

Yet we’ve become like modern oracles with all of our instant access to information deeming it wisdom.  

Yet knowledge and wisdom before God lead to life giving instruction.  

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.“

Knowledge can be cheap and easy to attain - wisdom is found in God’s unchanging word and is gained at the price of humbling ourselves and listening to his instruction.  

I get nervous if my wife and I have been in a disagreement and eventually she says with a certain tone, “that’s fine.”

It usually does not mean that she agrees, but that she is no longer willing to argue and that the consequences of my decisions are now in my hands.  

God’s discipline and wrath are revealed when he turns us over to what we desire (Romans 1:18-32) despite his commands that are contrary to our choices.  

God’s mercy is revealed when people in our lives who we have looked down upon thinking they are less educated, skilled or experienced can be the very voice of God to turn us away from folly and to Christ.  

This was the case with Balaam and the donkey.  

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭22‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you." And the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?" And he said, "No." Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live." Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back." And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.“

Who has it been in your life that has attempted to act as an obstacle to sin and folly?

How have you treated them?

How were your eyes opened to the impending consequences of your choices?  

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.“

Don’t Negotiate, Trust the Cross

When God has spoken, we should not expect him to change his mind. 

Balsam’s Second Oracle 

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭23‬:‭18‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And Balaam took up his discourse and said, "Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox. For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, 'What has God wrought!' Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain." And Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all." But Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell you, 'All that the Lord says, that I must do'?" And Balak said to Balaam, "Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there."“

We often persist in our negotiations with God hoping that he will change his mind.  

However, God has made it clear that he does not change his character, his mind or his commands, regardless of the fluctuating convictions of the environments in which we live.  

What have we tried to hold onto in life, thinking that it held our great reward, that God has told us to let go?

The things that we hold onto that God has told us to let go will be disappointing in the end.  

What I thought to be my numismatic coin collection:

When we understand the cross, we will begin to trust God more in every circumstance because:

1. We know that God loves us and wants what is best for us, demonstrating this in that he was willing to lay down the life of his own beloved son to save ours. 

2. We know that whatever we endure is not the end of the story since through Christ’s resurrection, those who trust and obey him are ushered into an eternal good that far surpasses anything that we feel we might have lost.   

When we embrace these two truths, our prayers begin to change to seek God to fortify our trust in his divine will rather than trying to hold onto what we perceive to be better, our temporary gain. 

Balaam’s negotiation with God was different from Jesus’ prayers offered at Gethsemane.  

Jesus asked the Father if there was any other way, yet when the Father answered, Jesus did not go back to the Father to get a different answer, but the resolve and strength that he needed to go to the cross. 

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."“

Because God has spoken and Jesus has obeyed, we have immutable benefits from the cross of Christ.  

“Readiness to die is the first step in learning to live.”

-J.I. Packer 

Let’s trust Jesus by picking up our cross daily to truly live in the best that he has for us as we focus on God’s glory and he focuses on our good. 

Balaam’s Fourth and Final Oracle 

‭‭

Numbers‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬, ‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 

And he took up his discourse and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.“

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Choose Your Reward: Judas Iscariot

Choose Your Reward: Judas Iscariot

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Your relationship with God must be seen as priceless - as reflected by the cross of Jesus Christ. 

• What is the Value of Your Relationship with God?

• What’s Your Price?

• The Price of the Cross

What is the Value of Your Relationship with God?

Jesus is worth all that we have - worth every act of devotion. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭6‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.“

What is your devotion to Jesus worth to you?

Everything is a trade off and you are always sacrificing one thing for another - whether it be your time, use of your talent, relationships or treasure. 

What’s Your Price?

If there is a price on our love for Jesus, we will eventually sell out.  

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.“

Judas was up close and personal with the one who held all good things in his hands.  

Yet it wasn’t enough for him.  

Judas was focusing on what he didn’t have rather than what he did.  

That discontent led him into sin.  

How has God been good to you?

A good rule of thumb in life is be about God’s business and he’ll be about yours. 

The question we all need to eventually ask ourselves to deepen our love and expression of that love for God:

What can I do without for the sake of and advancement of God’s Kingdom?   

This becomes the essence of living a life of sacrifice.  

I Samuel 2:30 NIV

“Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.”

How are you trying to profit from Jesus rather than simply being blessed by following him? 

How are you using Jesus for your own selfish ends?

This is serving Jesus according to your own whims and desires. 

If you are doing this you are positioning yourself to eventually sell Jesus out. 

The Price of the Cross

Jesus demonstrated the greatest form of love by laying down his life to reconcile repentant sinners to God.  

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."“

Who or what is more valuable to you than Jesus?

For what would you trade your relationship with God?

For what or whom can you be bought?

Ultimately, for what are you willing to die and spend an eternity in hell?

‭‭

John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.“

Why is it all worth it?

“It is a matter of glimpsing that in God's new creation, of which Jesus's resurrection is the start, all that was good in the original creation is reaffirmed. All that has corrupted and defaced it--including many things which are woven so tightly in to the fabric of the world as we know it that we can't imagine being without them--will be done away. Learning to live as a Christian is learning to live as a renewed human being, anticipating the eventual new creation in and with a world which is still longing and groaning for that final redemption.”

-N. T. Wright

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Road to Emmaus

The Road to Emmaus 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: When you meet the resurrected Jesus, he opens your eyes to change you and save your life.  

• Botched Expectations 

• Broken Bread 

• Burning Hearts 

‭‭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.“

“there is an important difference between the apostle martyrs and those who die for their beliefs today. Modern martyrs act solely out of their trust in beliefs that others have taught them. The apostles died for holding to their own testimony that they had personally seen the risen Jesus. Contemporary martyrs die for what they believe to be true. The disciples of Jesus died for what they knew to be either true or false.”

-Gary R. Habermas, The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus

Botched Expectations 

We all have expectations in life that get shattered because of sin and death. 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭13‬-‭24‬ ‭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."“

Issue #1: 

I had skepticism in a world of options. 

“You cannot go on 'seeing through' things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

What I began to see:

“We can start with approximately nine traditional authors of the New Testament. If we consider the critical thesis that other authors wrote the pastoral letters and such letters as Ephesians and 2 Thessalonians, we'd have an even larger number. Another twenty early Christian authors and four heretical writings mention Jesus within 150 years of his death on the cross.  Moreover, nine secular, non-Christian sources mention Jesus within the 150 years: Josephus, the Jewish historian; Tacitus, the Roman historian; Pliny the Younger, a politician of Rome; Phlegon, a freed slave who wrote histories; Lucian, the Greek satirist; Celsus, a Roman philosopher; and probably the historians Suetonius and Thallus, as well as the prisoner Mara Bar-Serapion.  In all, at least forty-two authors, nine of them secular, mention Jesus within 150 years of his death.

In comparison, let's take a look at Julius Caesar, one of Rome's most prominent figures. Caesar is well known for his military conquests. After his Gallic Wars, he made the famous statement, "I came, I saw, I conquered." Only five sources report his military conquests: writings by Caesar himself, Cicero, Livy, the Salona Decree, and Appian.  If Julius Caesar really made a profound impact on Roman society, why didn't more writers of antiquity mention his great military accomplishments? No one questions whether Julius did make a tremendous impact on the Roman Empire. It is evident that he did. Yet in those 150 years after his death, more non-Christian authors alone comment on Jesus than all of the sources who mentioned Julius Caesar's great military conquests within 150 years of his death.

Let's look at an even better example, a contemporary of Jesus. Tiberius Caesar was the Roman emperor at the time of Jesus' ministry and execution. Tiberius is mentioned by ten sources within 150 years of his death: Tacitus, Suetonius, Velleius Paterculus, Plutarch, Pliny the Elder, Strabo, Seneca, Valerius Maximus, Josephus, and Luke.  Compare that to Jesus' forty-two total sources in the same length of time. That's more than four times the number of total sources who mention the Roman emperor during roughly the same period. If we only considered the number of secular non-Christian sources who mention Jesus and Tiberius within 150 years of their lives, we arrive at a tie of nine each.”

-Gary R. Habermas, The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus

Broken Bread 

Jesus comes to reconcile us to God and fill the void that is present in our broken souls.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭25‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”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.“

Issue #2: 

I had motive for a lack of morality. 

"I had motive for not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics, he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do, or why his friends should not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most advantageous to themselves. … For myself, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political." --Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means (London: Chatto & Windus, 1946), pp. 270, 273

Jesus gave me a better option:

John 6:35-40 ESV

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." 

I, those on the road to Emmaus and others were transformed by encounters with the living Jesus.  

"Transformations often occur even based on false causes, but there is a qualitative difference here. It is generally acknowledged that almost anyone who is willing to die for something genuinely believes in that cause. But the chief similarities stop here. Jesus's disciples suffered not only for their belief in a cause, but precisely because they thought they had seen Jesus after his death. In short, their transformation was not simply due to their beliefs, as is the case for those who live and die for other causes, but was expressly based on their experience with the risen Jesus. Without the resurrection experience, there would have been no transformation."

-Gary Habermas

Burning Hearts 

When God is calling us, our hearts burn within us yearning for the promise of a second chance - resurrection life found in Jesus.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭32‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”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.“

Issue #3: 

I had to allow Jesus to cross my intellect and my will. 

Who’s to say?

“If the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection depends on death, destruction, and violence of the strong against the weak, then these things are perfectly natural. On what basis, then, does the atheist judge the natural world to be horribly wrong, unfair, and unjust?”

-Timothy Keller

Would God ever cross me?

“To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible’s teaching is offensive to you assumes that if there is a God he wouldn’t have any views that upset you. Does that belief make sense?”

-Timothy Keller

“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”

-Timothy Keller

What about suffering?

“The basic premise of religion—that if you live a good life, things will go well for you—is wrong.  Jesus was the most morally upright person who ever lived, yet he had a life filled with the experience of poverty, rejection, injustice, and even torture.”

-Timothy Keller

The blind men and the elephant. 

Jesus is self-revelatory truth and was the solution. 

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭36‬-‭49‬ ‭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."“

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

On Prayer: Gethsemane

On Prayer: Gethsemane 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: The end goal of prayer is coming into perfect submission and agreement with the will of God. 

• In our Hearts 

• In our Minds 

• In our Actions

In our Hearts 

The point of a life of prayer is to get to the place where, like Christ, we say “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Leading up to Gethsemane, Jesus was able to walk through a high moment that we recognize during Palm Sunday. 

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Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭36‬-‭46‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."“

On the eve of the biggest decision that Jesus would ever make, holding the fate of the world in his hands, he went to pray. 

Jesus’ disciples were with him, but he took his inner circle even further to the place where he would bear his soul.  

May it be that we would desire to be so intimate with Christ that he would bear his soul regarding the world today with us.  

Don’t try to be a spiritual cowboy or hero. 

People spin out way more often than we’d like to admit in the name of being spiritual, when really what they’re being is simply unaccountable in their independence.  

It said that Jesus “went a little farther” to pray. 

You need to stay close enough to your godly support, even while in prayer, that you can have accountability to stay on the straight and narrow.   

Jesus took with him three of his closest companions in Kingdom affairs, for support for his troubled soul, imploring them to keep watch with him.  

Sometimes the will of God can feel like death to our souls.  

This is the essence of the cross, of which Jesus already warned, 

‭‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "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 and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”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.“

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭21‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." 23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.“

When has the will of God felt like death to your soul?

Have you avoided it or embraced it?

Though they helped Jesus to keep watch, they could not pray for him or make the decision that Jesus would have to make.   

Jesus fell on his face and prayed.  

Jesus appealed to his Heavenly Father who he knew loved him and had what was best for Christ and the whole world in mind.  

Jesus prostrated himself as an ultimate act of humility saying, Father, you are in charge.  

Jesus began with ultimate honesty realizing the task at hand and admitting that he did not want to do it.   

He asked the Father for another way to accomplish his will, if possible, but acquiesced in deference to the Father’s plan and will saying, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

Papa knows best

The difficult part reconciling with the will of God in our hearts is trusting, as Christ did, even as he acknowledged:

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."“

“God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.”

-Timothy Keller 

In our Minds 

When we submit to the plan of God, we are fortified to do his will.  

We need to be fortified in prayer to do the will of God, especially when a cross is involved.  

Jesus came back and found Peter, James and John sleeping. 

How often have we fallen asleep from sorrow or while having to wait on God?

Be warned, we can fall asleep at the most critical hour in our walk with God.  

Mercifully, Jesus comes to wake them up and reminds them to watch and pray.   

Jesus reminds them to, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

The answer to a holy, set apart life where God is fulfilling his purposes in you and through you is one where you don’t just agree that Jesus is who he said he is, but you are staying awake, watching and praying that you might not fall into temptation and be pulled off the path.  

Judas, who walked with Jesus, is an example of this and we’ll speak more about him next week. 

“Prayer is the only entryway into genuine self-knowledge. It is also the main way we experience deep change—the reordering of our loves. Prayer is how God gives us so many of the unimaginable things he has for us. Indeed, prayer makes it safe for God to give us many of the things we most desire. It is the way we know God, the way we finally treat God as God. Prayer is simply the key to everything we need to do and be in life.”

-Timothy Keller

How is the spirit willing but the flesh weak in your life?

When have you failed to watch and pray? 

What has it produced in your life?

“The creeping wilderness will soon take over that church that trusts in its own strength and forgets to watch and pray.”

-AW Towzer

Sometimes, submitting to the will of God is a process.  

Jesus went a second time to the Father, saying,

"My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." 

Resigning to his ultimate destiny at the cross to sacrifice himself to pay for the sins of humanity, Jesus reaffirms the point of his and all of our lives - that God’s will would be done.  

*Have no doubt about it - God’s will for your life will always come with a cross to bear.  

The good news is, just like with Christ, the is resurrection and eternal reward on the other side.  

Are you in pursuit of God’s will for your life, even as it comes with a cross to bear?

How could you easily escape that will?

How could you choose something different?

Do you have a heart to have God’s will in your life done above your own or anyone else’s?

Jesus comes back and finds his support sleeping two more times.  

Mark 14:40,41

And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.  And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.“

You have to get to a point in your life when you are so locked into God that you are going to press on, despite what family members, friends or even co-laborers are doing around you. 

Matthew 26:44

So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.

Pray until you are convinced. 

*There are times when you have to keep going back to prayer to BUILD YOUR CONVICTION so that you can follow through on the will of God.  

Matthew 26:45,46

Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."“

This is the mark of a true spiritual leader. 

Once Jesus established his conviction, he was able to go back to the disciples and mobilize them for the hour at hand.  

Through prayer, Jesus was able to gain the fortitude to become, through action, the savior of the world.  

In our Actions

When we submit to the will of God, we order our lives accordingly.  

*Submission to the will of God is the victory, the end result because you are doing your part in seeing God redeeming and making all things right in the end.  

No matter how many times you stumble, you go again to prayer, that the transforming work of Jesus, including your complete freedom, might be fully be realized in your life. 

This applies to your struggles within and in regards to your struggles with people without.  

“It is hard to stay angry at someone if you are praying for them. It is also hard to stay angry unless you feel superior, and it is hard to feel superior if you are praying for them, since in prayer you approach God as a forgiven sinner.”

-Timothy Keller

Luke 22:43-46

And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."“

Not if, but when things get difficult/hard as you attempt to do the will of God, the answer to getting through is prayer.   

After living blamelessly, Jesus would sacrificially go to the cross, to fulfill the Scriptures so that anyone who would repent of their rebellion and put their trust in his atoning work would receive the gift of eternal life by his resurrection from the dead.  

Let’s go to him daily, bearing our cross, so that we might receive his eternal reward as we submit to his perfect will.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

On Prayer: King David on Prayer

On Prayer: King David on Prayer 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Prayer is always the right response to express our dependence on God and invite his miraculous intervention. 

• The Right Response 

• Dependent 

• Inviting the Miraculous 

The Right Response 

Prayer is the right response to all of life’s circumstances. 

It keeps God involved.  

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Psalm‬ ‭109‬:‭1‬-‭4 ‭ESV‬‬

”Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 

David goes on to speak about the wickedness of his attackers and what we’ve all felt at times - that the treatment that he was receiving was undeserved. 

However, David makes his appeal to God. 

Psalm 109:21-31 ESV

But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me. I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat. I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads. Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it! Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak! With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.“

You should develop the habit of reading  the Scripture and praying at the same time. 

As you read the things that God has said, pray for him to work that part of his will into your heart, your family’s life, the life of your church, nation and the nations.  

Fasting while in need should be a practice to focus our dependence on God.  

Dependent

Prayer communicates dependence. 

God cares about relating with you.  

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭63‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.“

Dead religion is the result of knowing about God but not relating with him.  

Thus you have a “form of godliness yet deny its power.”

God cares about OUR battles.  

Self-sufficiency is a key to frustration, limitation and failure in the Kingdom.  

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Psalm‬ ‭108‬:‭1‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me! God has promised in his holiness: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph." Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.“

There are some battles that are personal and there are others that are corporate.  

We see David not just praying for himself, but his people in Israel who were surrounded by nations continually threatening their existence and the worship of God.  

David understood that there is no battle too small or too great that does not require God’s supernatural intervention.  

*We should regularly pray for that which only God can do. 

No one goes to war alone - we need to stop doing so in prayer.  

Prayer meetings are a great place to learn to pray for others - just as reading the Psalms gives you a picture of Holy Spirit led prayers offered by David and others. 

Some people say: “Prayer is more caught than taught.”

“Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other's hearts in prayer.”

— Charles Finney

Thanos says that he is “inevitable.”

The devil tries to give us gloom and doom reports he proclaims are inevitable as well:

There is no hope for you to overcome your sin. 

Your fate will be just like your family’s

The fate of our city and nation are doomed.  

Yet with one act, God can rewrite the story. 

God started changing things at the cross of Christ, crescendoed with Jesus’ resurrection and poured out his Holy Spirit to continue his work through his people today! 

*When we pray, both individually and with the saints, we step into God’s ability rather than man’s to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.   

In Avengers: End Game, Dr. Strange said of all the possible scenarios, there was only one that would lead to their allied victory.  

It was Tony Stark sacrificing himself while using the Gauntlet to rewrite the history Thanos had destroyed.  

Play this clip:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yu6WaM2u82I

Psalm‬ ‭109‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.“

Psalm 108:11-13

“Have you not rejected us, O God?  You do not go out, O God, with our armies. Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.“

In the same way, the only way out of the falleness and brokenness of the world around us is by coming into God’s supernatural ability through prayer where miracles can be released. 

Inviting the Miraculous 

Prayer invites the miraculous.  

Jesus was the better David making appeals to his Heavenly Father for the miraculous.  

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

”During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.“

All of Christ’s prayers had his redemptive purposes in mind. 

He prayed in such a way that miracles would take place, people’s true needs would be met and God would ultimately get the glory as he brought about people’s good.  

When a desperate father came to Jesus (prayer to God) asking him to deliver his son from a spirit that was repeatedly trying to destroy the boy’s life, this is how Jesus replied:

‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes."“

“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”

— Charles Spurgeon

While living a life of prayer and ministry of the Word of God, Jesus released revival in his time and desires to do the same with us as we pray and preach today. 

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

”“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.“

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

On Prayer: Jesus on Prayer

On Prayer: Paul on Prayer

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Prayer is God’s plan for fueling our hearts and all Kingdom advance. 

• My Prayer for You

• Pray for Me

• Wrestling in Prayer

My Prayer for You

Paul was continually praying for the church and so should we. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.“

We can learn to pray for others by learning to pray the things that Paul prayed for the church.   

The Holy Spirit was not only the author of the Scripture, using the men who wrote it as tools, but the Holy Spirit also highlighted through their writing the things about which we ought to be concerned and that for which we should pray.  

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Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV

”Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.“

Praying the Scriptures is an excellent way to learn to pray and have confidence that you are praying in alignment with the will of God.  

As you pray the Scriptures, you learn God’s heart, see his focus and have your desires molded to conform to his.   

Pray for Me

Paul asked that prayer be made for him as he ministered the gospel of Jesus - and so should we. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,“

*We should not expect what we do not pray for!

Prayer is like the air support that clears out the enemy in the heavenly places before the ground troops engage on land. 

Prayer is the assurance that you have waited on God for direction, have appealed to him to go before you, be with you and continue to cause things to grow in every endeavor as you serve him.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.“

“Life is war.  That’s not all it is.  But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth.  Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief.  It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den.  God has given us prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of Christ advances in the world.  Prayer gives us the significance of frontline forces and gives God the glory of limitless Provider.  The one who gives the power gets the glory.  Thus, prayer safeguards the supremacy of God in missions while linking us with endless grace for every need.”

-John Piper

Our leaders who are the front lines need prayer as surely as we do in our daily lives, aspiring to do the same.  

As we pray for others we see them in the light of the cross, needing the same mercy, forgiveness and grace that we do to stand. 

I will love people like Jesus to the degree that I pray for them. 

Even as we are exhorted to pray without ceasing, setting aside a time of prayer each day ensures that you are making space for God to perform miracles by his intervening hand!‬‬

Wrestling in Prayer

Our aim should be to wrestle in prayer that those that we’re serving and serving with may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.   

Lest you ever think that it was only Paul or the apostles who prayed in this manner…

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Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.“

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.“

God, without question, uses prayer and the exhortation of other believers filled with the Word of God to keep us running the race with Christ, and away from the trappings of the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for pleasures/other things that Jesus said come to choke the word of God, making it unfruitful in your life.

Have no doubt about it - prayer is work whose payoff is seeing the miraculous hand of God move!

As surely as evangelism, discipleship and parenting your children is a labor of love, so crying out to God on behalf of others is Biblically an invaluable use of time and energy!

Jesus wrestled in the garden of Gethsemane on the way to the cross. 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

On Prayer: Jesus on Prayer

On Prayer: Jesus on Prayer

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Jesus gives us perfect instruction on how we should pray. 

• With Impudence

• With Persistence 

• With Faith

With Impudence 

Jesus instructs us to pray with impudence and confidence in the Father’s heart.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation." 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 come to God in prayer to know him, through experience, as our holy, gracious and loving Heavenly Father.  

A life of worship and prayer is the end goal of all of our spirituality - everything begins and ends with our relating with God (John 4:24).  

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Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV

”He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.“‬‬

You were made by God and for him - 

The 1647 Westminster Confession begins with:

What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

The importance of church community in “our daily bread…”

It’s one thing to hear about someone, another to know them through spending time with them in their presence and in the company of those who also know them (example).  

“In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets... Hence true Friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend. They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante, "Here comes one who will augment our loves." For in this love "to divide is not to take away.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Relating with God in his word and prayer is how you learn his mind, his heart and his priorities - his plan for our lives.  

All of the zoe life of God comes out of that place and should inform our business (what we do with our time, our work and what we pursue). 

Our hearts and our lenses must be first shaped and aligned with Jesus in prayer. 

“First, Thy name, Thy kingdom, Thy will; then, give us, forgive us, lead us, deliver us. The lesson is of more importance than we think. In true worship the Father must be first, must be all.”

-Andrew Murray who ministered for 60 years in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa in his book, Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Impudence can be defined as a boldness, audacity or even brazen disposition.  

The more time that we spend with Jesus, in his word and in prayer, the more confidence we have in his goodness, his kindness, his ability and his willingness to do miraculous things for his people and Kingdom.  

 When we have confidence, we dare to ask for amazing things. 

“God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.”

— E.M. Bounds

With Persistence

Jesus tells us to pray with persistence.  

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Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"“

Persistence is equated with faith in the mind of Christ.  

People can be disappointed through unanswered prayers. 

God will never contradict his truth, nature or will and never obligates himself to answer prayers that are not for his glory and our ultimate good.  

What we think is good and what God knows to be best are often worlds apart.  

The Christian must learn to trust God - this is the nature of faith as we walk with Jesus in the unchanging nature of his Kingdom purposes. 

We must first know the word of God, to make sure we are aligned with the heart of God, before we choose to be persistent with God. 

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1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.“

“We will never be happy until we make God the source of our fulfillment and the answer to our longings. He is the only one who should have power over our souls.”

-Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Woman

With Faith

Jesus modeled that we receive faith and power for each day of Kingdom work when we start with him in prayer.  

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬-‭39‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you." And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.“

It is not enough to simply think about prayer or agree that it is good - we must get up and actually pray!

God wants our first and our best of each day!

What you give God in the morning sets the course for everything else. 

“The amount of time we spend with Jesus — meditating on his Word and his majesty, seeking his face — establishes our fruitfulness in the kingdom.”

— Charles Stanley

Time with Jesus in the Word and prayer illuminates the gospel, draws us to the cross and sets us on fire for God’s kingdom purposes.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Set Apart: Holiness Completed

Set Apart: Holiness Completed

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Notes prepared by Bruce Fidler 

Focus: The story of redemption is completed, and God’s people now reflect the holiness of God so that he can dwell among them.

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

1 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. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 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. 4 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.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

The Text in the Story of Redemption

Revelation 21:1–7 are the opening verses for a section (21:1–22:5) describing the new heaven and earth that God’s people will experience in the coming age. Revelation is predominantly an apocalyptic work portraying God’s progressive victory over sin and worldly and spiritual forces of evil. Written explicitly to seven churches in Asia Minor of the Roman empire in the first century, it contains extraordinary, symbolic visions and words given to John. John urges the churches to be faithful to Christ despite persecution, ungodly Roman society, and internal threats from false teaching.

This section begins the celebratory description of God’s consummation of redemption after Jesus has returned to the earth and the final judgment has occurred. John describes the beginning of the new age and our new experience of everlasting life. God has finalized his victory over sin, evil, and death, conformed his people into the image of Jesus, and begun to dwell openly with them in a new world characterized by his holiness and goodness.

The vision is beautiful and compelling, inspiring hope and longing for the Lord’s return and God’s consummation of all things. John intended his message to stir the faith-filled imagination of the believers in Asia Minor with an anticipation of everlasting life with God and one another in the wonderful age to come. His text sought to motivate them to persevere in their love for God and one another, their faithfulness to the gospel, and their commitment to holy living. Despite their difficult trials, a glorious, certain future awaited them.

This sermon should provide a motivational vision to spur us to a life of holiness.  When we see the destination clearly, we will sacrifice to get there.

Successful athletes picture the prize at the end of the season. A young football player may envision holding the FIFA World Cup trophy one day. An aspiring swimmer may imagine herself receiving the gold medal in a future Olympics. These visions empower the athlete to press on through setbacks, injuries, and pain.

In 1968, John Stephen Akhwari represented Tanzania in the men’s marathon. But in a collision with other athletes jockeying for position, he fell to the ground, gashing and dislocating his knee. Most observers assumed he would pull out and go to the hospital. Instead, he received medical attention and returned to the track. Though eighteen of the seventy-five starters had pulled out, he resolved to complete the event.

More than an hour after the winner crossed the line and the awards were distributed, Akhwari finished the race, cheered on by a few thousand remaining spectators. When reporters asked why he’d carried on, he said, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

Temptation, trial, and difficulty militate against a life of holiness, but the vision of the new creation spurs us to action when we get weary of the fight.

Revelation 21 gives us a picture of the race completed and motivates us to press on despite the obstacles.

1. God will bless his people with a new creation and a new city.

21:1–2: 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.

The New Creation

The story of the new creation begins with the Genesis account of God’s original creation. Six times God declared that what he had created “was good” (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). Then God created humans in his image, male and female. He blessed them and told them to be fruitful, fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over all living creatures (1:26–28). After this, “God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (1:31).

The Garden: God planted a garden on the earth in the land of Eden (2:8). The Hebrew word for Eden has a range of meaning that includes joy, delight, and gladness based on favorable circumstances and anything of outstanding quality. God filled the Garden of Eden with visually beautiful trees bearing delicious, nutritious fruit, including the Tree of Life that could impart immortality (2:9). God placed the first humans in his garden (2:8, 18) and tasked them to cultivate and keep it (2:15). The Hebrew terms for this responsibility commonly describe the priestly service rendered to Yahweh in Israel’s Tabernacle and Temple. We should understand Adam and Eve’s garden responsibilities as a way God ordained for them to express worship to him as the Creator.

Adam and Eve were God’s royal representatives to harness the creation’s potential for the glory of God and the good of creation. The result would have been a cultivated earth of worship filled with God’s glorious presence. But man’s sin delayed the fulfillment of God’s intentions. Although they were delayed, they were not terminated.

Jesus will fulfill them through the gospel of his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return.

In Romans 8, Paul looks forward to the final resurrection and Jesus’ return to the earth. God’s glorious presence and power will roll back the curse and liberate the planet. The creation will no longer be subjected to futility but will be freed to fulfill its divinely intended purpose.

Romans 8:19–23

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

God will eradicate sin and evil from the new creation. Nothing and no one unholy will have any part in it (Revelation 21:8, 27). Righteousness will permeate the new heavens and earth (2 Peter 3:13).

The New City

Genesis 1–2 describes God’s mission for humans in a way that implies a broad range of cultural activities.

Genesis 4 purposefully identifies numerous cultural developments, such as animal husbandry, musical instruments, and toolmaking.

But the population increase created cities, leading to greater sin. This is true historically and is true today. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that in 2021, the violent-crime rate in urban areas was 121 percent higher than in rural areas. Violent and property crime rates in the largest cities were three to four times as high as in rural communities. These statistics are accurate in nearly all other nations. There is more violent and property crime in cities worldwide.

In contrast to ungodly cities, God designated Jerusalem as his earthly dwelling place. The Tabernacle and the Temple were located there with their Holy of Holies—the inner sanctuary where God manifested his presence.

Isaiah envisioned a time when the nations would send delegates to Jerusalem to worship and learn God’s law  (Isaiah 2:2–4). Sadly, Jerusalem was judged and destroyed, first by Babylon, then by Rome. The earthly Jerusalem never became what God desired.

Instead, God will bless us with a new city, the New Jerusalem—the city we long for. The author of Hebrews states that Abraham lived as a sojourner in tents, “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (11:10). Instead of longing for their Mesopotamian homeland, the patriarchs lived as “strangers and exiles on the earth,” because they desired “a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (11:13, 16). The author encourages his readers, “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (13:14).

This new Jerusalem will have all the communal and cultural advantages of cities without all the chaos and evil.

Human cultural development stripped of every vestige of sinful influence will continue in the age to come as God’s people, holy and conformed into the image of Christ, worship and serve him and reign together with Christ forever. 

The song “Hallelujah” by the Newsboys expresses the theme of longing for the new creation.

I’m looking up

Holding out

Pressing forward

Without a doubt

Longing for the things unseen

Longing for things I believe

My true country

We hope and wait

For the glorious day

All tears will vanish

Wiped away

On the saints this day already shines

On the saints this day already shines

It already shines

We’ll be singing hallelujah

We’ll be singing hallelujah

At the top of our lungs, hallelujah

To Your glory, hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah

And I know that it’s coming

But I can’t see it now

And I’ve touched it in moments

But I can’t hold it yet

And it glows in the darkness

And it calls us away

To our true destination

To that glorious day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPK9nzF8qzs

2. God will dwell with his people in the new Jerusalem.

21:3–5: 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.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

This is an extraordinary promise. God will live with us former sinners, having cleansed, sanctified, and conformed us into the holy image of Jesus. We will not be ashamed in his presence. Everyone will experience the full extent of his merciful and gracious love. We will know he loves us like a groom loves his newlywed bride (19:7–9).

In profoundly moving terms, a voice from the throne assures John that God will remove all the grief and misery of this world. The sadness of past sins committed and suffered will forever be forgotten. God will wipe the tears from our eyes and comfort us. Never again will anyone or anything cause sorrow in the age to come.

The Lord will put an end to the turbulence of the nations. No longer will kingdom rise against kingdom. God will eradicate greed, covetousness, envy, pride, resentment, vengeance, anger, hatred, and prejudice from our hearts. We will be pure even as God is pure.

Concerning this glorious future, God declares, “Behold, I am making all things new” (21:5). Nothing will be the same as it is now in this sinful, weary, troublesome world. The excitement of God’s people will overflow as we experience all the new things God has planned for us. God’s presence and beauty will permeate everything that we encounter.

Best of all, we will enjoy God. From festive gatherings to direct face-to-face conversations, we will enjoy God’s company.

3. Those who thirst and overcome will inherit life with God in the new creation.

21:6–7: And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Those Who Thirst

John 4:14

Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

In Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, he promised to satisfy our spiritual longing if we would come to him. God offers this water of life “without payment” to thirsty people. If payment were required, we could not receive it because of our indebtedness to God due to sin. Instead, Jesus paid for our sins through his death on the cross. With great love, he offers everlasting life free of charge to everyone who comes to him. He invites all to come and drink from the refreshing water of life.

Those Who Overcome

1 John 5:4–5

Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 

The verb translated three times as “overcome(s)” is the same verb translated as “conquers” in Revelation 21:7.

We conquer when we trust in Jesus. We overcome the world when we persevere in trusting and obeying him.

Overcoming does not depend on age, gender, ethnicity, wealth, education, strength, intelligence, or other human characteristics. Faith overcomes the world and inherits all God has prepared for the new age.

God promises that he will be our God, and we will be his “son(s).” The context implies that this promise belongs to men and women. In the Greco-Roman world, women’s legal standing and inheritance rights varied. Societies were patriarchal, with male heads of households possessing the estate’s legal and property rights. God’s promise, however, belongs to all his redeemed living images, male and female.

God’s inheritance includes a deep, familial relationship with him. God has always desired a parent-child relationship with us. Being made in God’s image and likeness implies God intended to relate to us as his children (Genesis 5:1–3 with 1:26). In the age to come, we will thoroughly know and experience God as our Father, full of grace, rich in kindness, and entirely good. Everyone will confess with John, “We have come to know and to believe the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16). No one will ever again doubt that God loves them as his children. All will know that God’s posture of heart and disposition of mind toward us is always that of a good Father. We will be filled with righteous pride, knowing that our inseparable Father is the great, holy, powerful, sovereign Creator and Ruler of all that exists.

Four Questions

1. How is God glorified in the text?

God’s power, faithfulness, and goodness are on full display as he fulfills his ancient promises to renew the creation and fully redeem all who would come to him.

2. How is our heart transformed in the text?

Our hearts should be filled with hope, longing, adoration, and thankfulness for what God will bring about in the end. We should be motivated to live set apart to him as our heavenly Father.

3. How is the mission accelerated in the text?

The great hope of eternal salvation should motivate us to communicate the gospel to others in the hope that they, too, will inherit the magnificent redemption God has planned.

4. What is the gospel application of the text?

God offers salvation “without payment” (21:6). The Son of God lived, died, and rose again so that we might be forgiven and inherit eternal life in the new creation and new city. Our responsibility is to believe in Jesus and overcome the world as we long for God and the age to come.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Set Apart: Holiness Lived

Set Apart: Holiness Lived

Pastor Joel Magpantay

Jesus gives us a new status of righteousness that enables us to live the daily process of becoming holy.

Colossians 1:21–23 ESV

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 1:10-12 ESV

…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Colossians 4:12 ESV

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

Life Empowered by Christ

• They will bear fruit in every good work (1:10).

• They will grow in the knowledge of God (1:10)

• They will be strengthened with power (1:11).

• They will possess endurance and patience (1:11).

• They will give joyful thanks to the Father (1:12).

Colossians 2:4 ESV

 “I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.”

Colossians 2:8 ESV

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

Colossians 2:21-23 ESV

“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch”  according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Colossians 1:21–23 ESV

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

1.  Alienation

Colossians 1:21 ESV

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds . . .

Colossians 1:21 The Message

“At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got.”

If you fail to see your sin, you have failed to see the Holy God. We don’t consider our sins very evil until we see the goodness and holiness of God.

2.  Reconciliation

Colossians 1:21 ESV

“… he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death . . .”

Hebrews 9:11-12  ESV

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

3.  Restoration

Colossians 1:21 ESV

“. . . in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him . . .”

John 15:15  ESV

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

No matter who you were, you can be transformed into someone new and given access to someplace new…

…God’s presence. 

4.  Faith

Colossians 1:23 ESV

“…if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard . . .”

Everyone who puts their hope in Jesus’ life and death for the forgiveness of their sin has a new status. 

• How will you live differently as a result? 

• Do you believe he has made you holy? 

Jesus has, and you can live each day with that reality shaping who you are and transforming you more and more into his image.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Greatness of Grace

The Greatness of Grace

Bishop Ron Lewis

Focus: God’s grace in Jesus Christ finds you, saves you, keeps you, and empowers you for his glory.

Points:

 I shouldn’t be here…except for the grace of God. 

14 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. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:14-17

• Jesus is full of grace.

• It doesn’t matter how bad or good we’ve been.

• Grace is mentioned 4 times in these 4 verses.

• Jesus came to the lowest place in the world: Israel (geography), manger (like an animal), cross (like a criminal).

• All we can do, is RECEIVE the grace of God. 

• 39 of the 40 miracles in Acts were outside the church.

• Where we are, God is there. 

What is grace?

• God’s→Riches→At→Christ’s→Expense

• Jesus did it all and we can only receive.

• The blood of Jesus Christ for our sins is God’s grace toward us. 

• If we reject God’s grace we must rely on our obedience to the Old Testament standard of righteousness based on perfect obedience to 600+ laws.

• Grace guarantees that we have been acknowledged, accepted, redeemed, chosen, loved, ransomned, adopted and adored by the living God through Jesus Christ. 

We Become New 

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. - 1 Corinthians 15:10

• Grace makes us brand new.

• Grace restores us to God and others 

6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”- Malachi 4:6

We Are Kept 

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, - Titus 2:11-12

• The grace of God brings salvation.

• The grace of God trains us to live godly lives here and now. 

• Before grace sin was normal.

• ‘Hesed’ is God’s covenant kindness to love us, never leave us, or forsake us. 

• This Hesed empowers us to do God’s work.

• We are now living in grace and we can expect good things to happen. 

• Grace is the gift of God that help you be who you’re meant to be.Questions:

• Are you too proud to receive God’s grace in Jesus Christ?

• Does your success keep you from God’s grace?

• Are your failures keeping you from God’s grace?

• No matter what you’re going through God is with you, never leaving you, and is giving you his grace.

• All we can do is say thank you.  

Pray

Thank you God for your grace that finds me, saves me, makes me new, and empowers me to be who you’ve called me to be in Jesus Christ. Fill me again now. Amen.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - John 3:16-17

Second City Church - Bishop Ron Lewis 

Set Apart: Holiness Restored

Set Apart: Holiness Restored

Notes prepared by William Murrell

Focus: Jesus displayed perfect holiness as a man and bore our sins so that we could share his holiness.

Hebrews 7:23–28 ESV

23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.

25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 

28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

The Text in the Story of Redemption

The Hebrews’ author wrote to first-century Jewish Christians tempted to give up because of severe persecution.

Some were tempted to stop gathering for corporate worship—perhaps to protect themselves from the social consequences of following Jesus (10:25). Others were tempted to abandon their Christian confession and return to the familiar rituals and practices of Judaism (10:23)—and in some cases paganism.

To encourage this group of beleaguered disciples, the author of Hebrews calls them to focus on the person of Jesus—our only hope in life and death.

Throughout this rich letter, the author develops two interrelated themes to help us see Jesus more clearly—the Word of God (revelation) and the Work of Christ (redemption). Recognizing that his primary listeners were Jewish believers, the anonymous author roots these themes in the story of Israel in the Old Testament. 

Many potential authors have been suggested for the book of Hebrews. Some have suggested Paul while others have suggested one of Paul’s close ministry associates—like Barnabas, Apollos, or Priscilla.

For the first ten chapters, he demonstrates how Jesus brings about “a better covenant” (7:22) as the ultimate revelation of God (Hebrews 1:2) and the redeemer of God’s people (1:3). Then, in the last three chapters, the author explains how these truths about Jesus can help us live in confidence (10:19), perseverance (12:1), and holiness (12:10).

Because of these thematic links with the Old Testament, Hebrews is an appropriate place to continue our holiness study—and to bridge this theme in the Old and New Testaments. While every New Testament book testifies to Jesus as the Messiah and fulfillment of God’s covenant to Abraham, Hebrews systematically works through specific elements of the Jewish sacrificial system and demonstrates how Jesus brings about “a better covenant.” This theme crescendos in our passage in Hebrews 7.

1. The Problem with Priests

In this passage, the author of Hebrews highlights two weaknesses of the sacrificial system.  Priests die and priests are sinners.

7:23: The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office . . .

7:27: . . . those high priests, offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people . . .

• On Priestly Finitude

It is important not to run past this point without considering the significant implications of human mortality.

Throughout the Old Testament, great spiritual leaders arose, like Moses, Samuel, David, etc., and everyone died. This is a feature of our mortality and a typical pattern in Scripture and history.  A great leader emerges who leads the people well and oversees an era of covenant faithfulness, and then they die. No matter how outstanding and beloved these spiritual leaders are, their work is temporary.

• On Priestly Fallenness

However, most priests weren’t great leaders. For every Moses on the mountain, there is an Aaron in the valley molding a golden calf. For every Samuel serving God from his childhood, there are the sons of Eli preying on women serving in the Tabernacle. For every David—a man after God’s heart, an Ahab leads the people away from God. Even the great priests and spiritual leaders were sinful. Moses, Samuel, and David were all deeply flawed spiritual leaders who needed a substitute to atone for their sins.

This highlights the perennial problem with priests. They all die. They all sin. None of them live forever, and none of them—even the good ones—are holy.

2. The Problem with Lambs

In this passage, the author of Hebrews highlights two weaknesses of the sacrifice itself. All lambs die, and because people keep on sinning, they need more lambs.

• On Sacrifice and Mortality

Most of us live in modern societies that are not structured around a sacrificial system, so it is easy to forget that sacrificial animals are slaughtered at the altar. Because we don’t see it (and smell it) regularly, it is easy to forget that the animal brought to the temple does not come home. When the worshiper returns to sacrifice, he must always bring a new animal. How many goats and lambs were killed to atone for the sins of God’s people over thousands of years? This was an unsustainable solution to the sin problem because “in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (10:3–4).

• On Human Fallenness

The reason why sacrificial animals have been slaughtered in the thousands (millions?) over the millennia is not because they deserved death. It’s because unholy people deserved death. Because of human fallenness, more animals were needed day after day, year after year, and century after century. (How often have we repented of our sins and vowed never to do “that” again—only to find ourselves back where we started?) Another day, another innocent lamb killed.

This is the perennial problem with lambs (and all sacrificial animals). They all die. And we all sin. None of them live forever (as perpetual sacrifices), and none of us—even the “good” ones—is free from sin.

3. The Promise of Jesus

In this passage, the author of Hebrews tells us how Jesus offers “a better covenant” as a better priest and a

better sacrifice.

• A Better Priest

Jesus’ priesthood is the ultimate fulfillment of the Old Testament priesthood. But he is different from every other priest because he lived a perfectly holy life (7:27) and lives forever (7:23). This is good news because, in Jesus, humanity has finally found a truly holy priest who won’t die.

7:24: . . . he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.

7:26–27: For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily . . .

• A Better Sacrifice

The author points to the stunning fact that our perfect high priest also “. . . once for all . . . offered himself up” as the sacrifice (7:27). Not only did Jesus solve the problem with priests but he also simultaneously solved the problem with lambs. All sacrificial victims die, but Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, was sacrificed and rose again from the dead. Moreover, Jesus’ sacrifice was the ultimate sacrifice—the last one ever needed for sins. Though people keep sinning, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross satisfied the wrath of God and atoned for the sins of his people—the dead and living saints and those who will one day put their trust in him.

7:27: He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

4. The Promise for Us

The author packs a lot of good news into this pivotal text in the middle of Hebrews. Even though every priest in human history has sinned and died, Jesus lives forever as a sinless priest making intercession for us. He was the perfect sacrifice who died and rose again, satisfying the problem of sin and death once and for all.

There’s one more promise we should not miss—implied in this text and developed elsewhere in the New Testament. Not only is Jesus our better priest and our better sacrifice, but his mediatorial and sacrificial work also makes us holy.

7:25: . . . he is able to save to the uttermost . . .

The verb to save (sozo) is used absolutely, which means that Christ will save in the most comprehensive sense; he saves us from all we need saving from. Christ’s salvation is a complete deliverance no matter what our need is.

The verb is able (dynatai) refers to power. Christ has the capacity (as other priests did not) to bring complete salvation to all who approach God through him. This is salvation from the guilt of sin, the effects of sin, and the power of sin. Christ’s mediatorial priesthood empowers us to be holy as he is holy.

Through Jesus, God secured our pardon from sin and restored our purpose as humans—to be kings and priests with God. This idea is put beautifully by Peter.

1 Peter 2:9–10

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

This idea of God’s people being redeemed by Jesus to be made holy and to participate in the priestly work of God on the earth is reiterated and cherished in church tradition.

Athanasius, the 4th-century African theologian, discussing God’s goal for our holiness, put it succinctly, “He became what we are so that He might make us what He is.”

Martin Luther, discussing one of his favorite theological topics—the priesthood of the believer, wrote this: “Not only are we the freest kings of all, but we are also priests forever. This is more excellent by far than kingship because through the priesthood we are worthy to appear before God, to pray for others, and to teach one another the things that are of God. For these are the priestly duties that absolutely cannot be bestowed on anyone who does not believe. Christ obtained this priesthood for us if we trust in him so that as we are colleagues, coheirs, co- rulers, so we are co-priests with him, daring to come with confidence into God’s presence in the spirit of faith and cry, ‘Abba, Father,’ to pray for another and to do all the things that we see are done and prefigured by the visible and corporeal office of priests.”

Conclusion

1. No priest was holy, and no priest was immortal—until Jesus, the resurrected and holy high priest.

2. All sacrifices died, and their atoning efficacy always fell short—until Jesus, the resurrected and holy lamb of God.

3. Jesus’ work as a perpetual priest and a holy sacrifice saves us completely.

4. Jesus’ saving work enables us to live a holy life.

Four Questions

1. How is God glorified in the text?

God is glorified in this text because he is the hero of the story. Jesus is the better high priest and the better sacrifice. He is the primary “grammatical subject” in almost every sentence, and we [believers] are the “grammatical objects” of God’s gracious actions.

2. How is our heart transformed in the text?

Our hearts are transformed when we contemplate the reality that Jesus saved (past tense) us as the perfect sacrifice and is interceding for us (present tense) as our high priest. More than any mentor, pastor, or parent, Jesus cares about the state of our soul and wants to lead us into holiness, worship, and mission.

3. How is the mission accelerated in the text?

When we understand that Jesus’ redemptive work has a “missional telos”—that of being a royal priesthood—

then we realize, as Luther put it, that “we are worthy to appear before God, to pray for others, and to teach one

another the things that are of God.”

4. What is the gospel application of the text?

Athanasius says it best: “He became what we are [human] so that he might make us what he is [a holy priest].”

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher