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Worship
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Selected SermonsOccasionally Pastor Dave will post his recent sermons. If you have questions or comments, or would like to speak to Pastor Dave, please visit our contacts page. Come visit us and hear Pastor Dave preach. Join us as together we discover the difference Jesus can make - in our lives . . . and through our lives!!! |
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“ON A WILD AND WINDY MOUNTAIN”
I. I have no cute story to begin this sermon -No beach chair and swimming trunks no rendition of Bill Cosby’s “Noah and the Ark” -Perhaps that’s good – because on the surface there is no more dark painful troubling story in all the OT -It has been said that “the world hurts you most through what it does to your kids” and every parent in the room knows how true that is -Every time they walk out the door you pray for their safety -Abraham was no different -For years he and Sarah has waited for God’s promise of a child to come true – and finally Isaac was born -Finally Abraham had a child to love a family to protect -But Isaac was barely home from the hospital when Abraham face something no parent should ever have to face -The death of a child your child is excruciating enough – but at your own hands!!! -Children aren’t supposed to die – and never in this way -Who’s the perpetrator of this ghastly request? -God is!?!? -I have trouble even comprehending that – don’t you? -God wants Abraham to sacrifice his own child?!?!?! -I wouldn’t have gone near that mountain w/ Christen – how about you and your 1st born? -Be honest – even on your worst day you wouldn’t think of it -What possible reason did God have for this awful request? -The Bible says God wanted to test Abraham’s faith – but that doesn’t make any sense -From the minute he left Haran to follow God to Canaan – Abraham has been the epitome of faith -You want to test people’s faith – try Lot Ishmael Abimelech – but leave Abraham alone -He doesn’t deserve this -But there he is – trudging up that mountain w/ Isaac in one hand and kindling wood in the other
II. Will the angel arrive in time? -Will Isaac survive? -Will Abraham pass the test? -On this wild and windy mountain there is an awful lot at stake -But lets be clear – at risk is a whole lot more than a child -At risk is a promise!!! -This Isaac is not just any old Isaac – he’s the child of the promise of God to make Israel a great nation -He’s the one who will give birth to the 12 tribes of Israel -Without him there is no Jacob Joseph David Son of David – who Himself will 1 day trudge up Another mountain and use His own body For kindling -Without Isaac – God’s plan to redeem recreate the world will never come true -He cant die -Because if he does – God’s kingdom dies too!!
III. And the angel comes -And Abraham’s knife is stopped – and Almighty God on this mountain provides a ram in a thicket bush – just as on another mountain He will later provide a lamb on a cross -And Abraham names the place “The Lord will provide” -And folks – that’s what this story is all about -It’s not about Abraham – or Isaac – its about God -It’s about God’s absolute refusal to allow anything to block His promise hinder His kingdom -God wants us to know that He will not allow Isaac to perish because He will not allow His creation to perish either -A ram in a thicket bush -A lamb on a cross -God will stop at nothing to keep His Word -His promise to Abraham will come true!! -Nothing will stand in His way -Do you believe that? -That cancer ALS AIDS drug addiction dementia will never separate you from the love of God – and even if they kill you on this side of the grave – God will resurrect you on the next -You believe that? -That no matter how broken our homes our neighborhoods our churches nations get – God’s power to heal will always be stronger than our power to destroy -You believe that? -That the violent terrorism of Pol Pot Osama Ben Laden Fidel Castro KKK will 1 day melt like wax when placed against Love of God for every person in the world -On a wild and windy mountain God provided a ram in a thicket bush to assure us that nothing will stop Him -Years later on another wild and windy mountain God provided a lamb on a cross just in case we missed it the first time -His kingdom WILL come -His promise WILL come true -To that God be all the glory!!
“SET FREE”
I. Shawshank is a prison -The movie’s main character is a man named Andy Dufresne – who before he was convicted of a crime he didn’t commit – was a banker -As an inmate he distinguished himself by giving the warden/guards good financial counsel and doing their taxes -For that he was rewarded by being made prison librarian -He writes letters to the state – asking for more books for the prisoners -After years of writing he’s finally rewarded -A big shipment of books arrives in the warden’s office – and Andy is told to take them to the library -He finds himself alone in the office – with all those boxes -Inside them he finds not only books but records -He pulls out 1 record and puts in on the record player in the warden’s office – and begins to play it -It’s Mozart – the gorgeous female duet from the “Marriage of Figaro” -Andy turns on the loud speaker system in the warden’s office – and the music begins to pour out into the entire prison -He locks himself inside -The camera shifts to the prison yard machine shop infirmary where sick prisoners are actually getting out of bed -Out in the yard 100’s of prisoners stop in their tracks lift up their faces – startled by the sudden beauty of the music -A penitentiary filling up with great music -The warden guards rush to the office beat on the door – ordering Andy to stop the music -The warden screams – “Open the door Dufresne, open it up Stop the music Dufresne, I am ordering you to turn that off” -Andy leans forward and turns it up! -As the camera cuts to a prison yard filled w/ uplifted faces – Andy’s friend Red narrates these lines… …”I have no idea what those 2 Italian women were singing about I’d like to think they were singing about something so beautiful It cant be expressed in words I tell you those voices soared higher Farther than anybody in a grey
World dares to dream And for the briefest moment – every man in Shawshenk felt Free!”
II. Never has a voice soared higher and farther than Mary’s -Of all the gazillion words that have ever been spoken – none of them are as life-changing as hers -They are exactly what a grey world needs to hear -“I HAVE SEEN THE LORD” -He’s alive………He’s free!!! -Light has invaded darkness hope has overcome despair death has lost its sting -Dare to dream -Dream of a world where cancer heart disease AIDS do not exist -Because of Easter that world is coming and until it does God will be at the bedside of every patient and in the homes of every family – bringing them healing on this side of the grave and resurrection on the next -Dare to dream -Dream of a world where soup kitchens and homeless shelters rehab centers and divorce courts are all empty -Because of Easter that day is coming and Almighty God will wipe away every tear from our eyes – and until He does, let us be little Christs for each and do it ourselves -Dare to dream -Dream of a world where we are free at last – free from racism free from loneliness free from guilt free from the rat race of life free from bondage to anything anybody -Because of Easter it WILL happen – and 1 day Jesus will enter our lives in a way He has never entered before – and He will show us the truth about who we are what’s really important – and that truth will set us free -“I HAVE SEEN THE LORD” -Because of Easter – God has walked into whatever prison holds you captive – to provide for you a way out – a way home
III. My fellow inmates – that penitentiary out there needs to hear the music of the Gospel -It needs to hear the words we have just heard – “I HAVE SEEN THE LORD” -Turn it up -Share it w/ everyone you meet -Then maybe those people – in that grey world – will dare to dream!!!!
“BITS AND PIECES”
I. Its 1 of the great movie scenes of all time -Two marines are on trial for murder – and their lawyer, Leut. Daniel Caffey, is questioning the commander of the marine base at Guantamano Bay – Col Nathan R. Jessup -It’s a heated questioning – and Leut Caffey finally asks Col Jessup – “Did you or did you not order the code red?” -The judge says to Col Jessup – “You don’t have to answer the question” -Jessup responds – “I’ll answer the question” -Turning to Caffey – Jessup bellows “You want answers?” -Caffey – “I think I’m entitled” -“You want answers” -“I want the truth” -Jessup – “You cant handle the truth”
II. Isnt that what Jesus is saying? -“I have many things to say to you, but you cant handle them now When the Spirit comes – He’ll tell you the truth” -In other words – its only in bits and pieces hints and glimpses that we can comprehend God can even begin to fathom His glory -God is so big so majestic so incomprehensible that if He came to us full in the face it would incinerate us -Moses only caught a glimpse of His back Job only saw Him in a whirlwind Peter only found Him hidden in a cloud -Bits and pieces are all we can handle -Don’t you wish it was different? -Don’t you wish God would write His name in big print would come out from behind the whirlwind clouds coincidences and show Himself in all His splendor? -Then people would believe -Then there would be no doubt
III. But Jesus says we cant handle that -We cant handle the truth -So God comes to us in ways we CAN handle – in bits and pieces -Maybe that’s why Jesus told parables – ordinary stories about ordinary people
-Fishing nets and oil lamps lost sheep and misplaced coins weeds in a wheatfield and seeds planted in the ground -Maybe that’s why Jesus told stories about a woman making bread about laborers getting paid about dishonest stewards trying to stay out of jail -God’s world breaks into our world in ordinary ways people events -Maybe that as much of His glory as we can handle
IV. The problem is we’re so caught up in the spectacular that we miss the ordinary -We live such busy cluttered lives that we miss God’s bits and pieces -We miss the presence of God that can only be heard in the whispers of life -A reporter for the Wash Post recently tried an experiment… …street performers – mimes, musicians, dancers that ply their trade in metro stations as public passes by …fantastic musician on streets playing most beautiful music in world …Joshua Bell, world acclaimed violinist who had just sold out Boston’s Symphany Hall – to go to a Wash metro station during rush Hour 1 am playing music on his Stradivarious …before experiment, asked Leonard Slotkin, Dir of Nat Symphany Orchestra – “what do you think will happen?” …“Even if people don’t recognize Joshua Bell, the music itself will draw a crowd …Slotkin was wrong …except for a few children – Washingtonians rushed by w/out so much as noticing – and after Joshua Bell had played his concert, he had $32 in change in his violin case -I wonder how many times the beautiful music of the Gospel has been playing in the metro stations of our lives and we’ve rushed by on the other side!!
V. “I HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT YOU CANT BEAR THEM NOW” -So God comes to us in bits and pieces in bread and wine in the metro stations and wheatfields of life -Comes to us in the ordinary everydayness of East Cobb -If only we’re paying attention enough to notice…
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