Avalon Church: Recent Episodes
Pastor Don Dodge
Avalon Church is a non-denominational church with a traditional, Bible oriented focus. Our service includes a contemporary worship at the beginning of the service filled with an assortment of music, ranging from full choir to band worship. After a time of singing, there will be a Biblical message followed by a time of reflection and commitment. All sermons can be found and listened to at https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/
God’s story that began before the world was created was a hidden mystery that was finally revealed in Jesus.
Series: A Beautiful Mess,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:15-16, 1 Corinthians 2:6-9, 1 Corinthians 2:16, John 15:5, 1 Corinthians 2:9,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C72fhYn6y1E,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/a-beautiful-mess-the-mystery-of-god-week-5/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-10-31_A-Beautiful-Mess_Week-5_DQ.pdf,
Notes:
Title Slide
... This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. – 2 Peter 3:15-16 (NLT)
Translation Slide
Yet when among mature believers, [we] do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” –1 Corinthians 2:6-9 (NLT)
“[It’s] the moment when the great melody of history has begun to be heard in a major key instead of a minor one.” –NT Wright, Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. –1 Corinthians 2:16b (NLT)
I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. –John 15:5 (NLT)
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” –1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)
Baptism Slide
Communion Slide
The power of the gospel is often revealed in the ordinary, weak, and foolish.
Series: A Beautiful Mess,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Galatians 6:14, 2 Corinthians 5:5, Galatians 5:22-23,
Video: https://youtu.be/vrrdUjSZ2C4,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/a-beautiful-mess-gods-power-is-revealed-in-weakness-week-4/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-10-24_A-Beautiful-Mess_Week-4_DQ.pdf,
Notes:
Title Slide
Map
Ways to Participate
AvalonChurch.org/Commentary
1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)
Vs. 1
Vs. 3
Vs. 2
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. –Galatians 6:14 (NIV)
The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less. –2 Corinthians 5:5 (The Msg)
Vss. 4-5
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. –Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
Pastor William Nieto leads us in studying 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 and why the Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing.
Series: A Beautiful Mess,
Speaker: Pastor William Nieto,
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25,
Video: https://youtu.be/kHUlBqOU1mM,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/a-beautiful-mess-the-foolishness-of-the-gospel-week-3/
As Paul begins his discussion concerning disunity in the Corinthian church, it has striking similarities to today.
Series: A Beautiful Mess,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Acts 18:27-28,
Video: https://youtu.be/9UykHXRZ3LU,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/a-beautiful-mess-unitiy-week-2/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-10-10_A-Beautiful-Message_Week-2_DQ.pdf,
Notes:
Title Slide
New ways to Participate slide
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. – 1 Cor. 1:10-17 (NIV)
(repeat verses 10-12)
Map
When Apollos arrived [in Corinth in Achaia], he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. –Acts 18:27-28 (NIV)
(repeat verses 13-17)
Closing Prayer
This message introduces 1 Corinthians and Paul’s brilliant framing of what happens when Christ is put in the center of our lives.
Series: A Beautiful Mess,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 1:3,
Video: https://youtu.be/dHYSXsfEves,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/a-beautiful-mess-intro-week-1/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-10-03_Beautiful-Mess_Week-1_DQ.pdf,
Notes:
New Prayer Card slide
“Ways to Participate” (1-2)
Ways to Participate” (3) – Bible Project
Ways to Participate (4) – NT Wright Commentary
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, –1 Corinthians 1:1 (NIV)
2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: –1 Corinthians 1:2 (NIV)
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 1:3 (NIV)
Map – overview
Map – Corinth up close
4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.–1 Cor.1:4 (NIV)
5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 1 Cor.1:4 (NIV)
6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. –1 Cor.1:4 (NIV)
7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. –1 Cor.1:4 (NIV)
8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Cor.1:4 (NIV)
9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. –1 Cor.1:4 (NIV)
Ways to Participate (overview)
May every Life Group be inspired to leave the comfort and security of attending church and go together to bless the world.
Series: Follow Me: Transformed Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: John 13:34, Ephesians 4:11, Ephesians 4:12, Ephesians 4:13, Ephesians 4:16,
Video: https://youtu.be/dGRXD_qghx0,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/follow-me-week-7/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-09-26_Follow-Me_Week-7_DQ.pdf,
Notes:
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt.22:37-39, NIV).
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (Jn 13:34, NIV)
Minimum Functions of a Church (slide from last week)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. –Ephesians 4:11 (NLT)
12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. –Ephesians 4:12 (NLT)
13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. –Ephesians 4:13 (NLT)
16 From Christ the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. –Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)
Jesus’ body was blessed to be broken and broken to be given.
Joanna Han
Jenny Chau
Joe Chau
The Church is God's family.
Series: Follow Me: Transformed Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 22:37-39, John 13:34, Luke 5:20,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg9Azu9uCLg,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/follow-me-what-community-looks-like-week-6/,
Discussion Questions: 6-What-Community-Looks-Like-DQ.pdf,
Notes:
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AvalonChurch.org/Groups
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‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39, NIV).
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“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34, NIV)
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“The Chosen” video clip
5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” –Luke 5:20 (NIV)
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Minimum Functions of a. Church slide
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“Chinwendu and Chinazom Enyioha”
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AvalonChurch.org/Groups
Worship is being transformed into Christ's likeness together.
Series: Follow Me: Transformed Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: John 13:34, Romans 12:2,
Video: https://youtu.be/gM88GEHFULI,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/follow-me-what-worship-looks-like-week-5/,
Discussion Questions: 5-What-Worship-looks-like-DQ.pdf,
Notes:
- ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt.22:37-39, NIV).
Each of us in community exists to life as Jesus’ tangible presence in the world.
Series: Follow Me: Transformed Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: John 1:14, John 8:1-11, John 13:34, Matthew 8:2-3, Matthew 8:5-7, Matthew 9:10-11, Matthew 9:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 2:8,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLHciECSHvU,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/follow-me-living-incarnationally-week-4/,
Discussion Questions: 4-Living-Incarnationally-DQ.pdf,
Notes:
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt.22:37-39, NIV).
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (Jn 13:34, NIV)
Euangelion, disciple, ecclesia
AvalonChurch.org/PrayerCard
Zach and Meredith El Zahab
In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. –John 1:1 (NIV)
The Word became flesh [human] and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. –John 1:14 (NIV)
Incarnation
Church Sign 1: Hell-fire
Church sign 2: Do you hear me now?
Church sign 3: Do you know what hell is?
Church sign 4: Don’t dishonor...
A man with leprosy… said, “If you are willing, you can heal me. Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” (Matthew 8:2-3 NLT)
A Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” 7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” (Matthew 8:5-7 NLT)
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:10-11 NLT)
“Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” – Matthew 9:12-13 (NLT)
We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)
Followers of Jesus are part of a Kingdom-community that exists to live out God's original purpose for humanity. It is our responsibility to intentionally GO and GROW together.
Series: Follow Me: Transformed Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Acts 2:42-47, John 13:34, Acts 2:43, Acts 2:44-45, Acts 2:46, Acts 2:47, John 17:21,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIMJP_GDF44,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/follow-me-week-3/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-08-29_Follow-Me_Week-3_DQ.pdf,
Notes:
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‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt.22:37-39, NIV).
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“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (Jn 13:34, NIV)
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Prayer Card: AvalonChurch.org/PrayerCard, Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/avalonchurchprayer
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All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. –Acts 2:42 (NLT)
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A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. –Acts 2:43 (NLT)
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And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. –Acts 2:44-45 (NLT)
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They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— Acts 2:46 (NLT)
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all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. –Acts 2:47 (NLT)
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I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. –John 17:21 (NLT)
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Ecclesia
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Church is the gathered followers
...for worship (becoming like Jesus)
...in community (Loving one another)
...on mission (loving and blessing the world)
Following Jesus is not something you do, it's a person you become... a
person just like Jesus.
Series: Follow Me: Transformed Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Luke 6:40, Rom 8:28-29, Matthew 22:37-39, John 13:34-35, Romans 8:29, Luke 5:15-16,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWw96RaGCio,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/follow-me-week-2/,
Notes:
Prayer Card: AvalonChurch.org/PrayerCard
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‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt.22:37-39, NIV).
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“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (Jn 13:34, NIV)
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Disciple = student, apprentice
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40 Students (disciples) are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained
will become like the teacher. –Luke 6:40 (NLT)
- 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.
–Romans 8:29 (NLT)
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The extent to which we know Jesus is our limit to becoming like him.
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15 But despite Jesus’ instructions [to be quiet], the report of his power spread even faster,
and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus
often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. –Luke 5:15-16 (NLT)
- You cannot give what you do not possess.
In a world where following Jesus is equated with “going to church,” the goal of this series is to recapture Jesus’ idea of what it means to follow him and take responsibility together for becoming like him.
Series: Follow Me: Transformed Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Luke 4:14-21,
Video: https://youtu.be/Sj0XehMLBg4,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/follow-me-week-1/,
Discussion Questions: 1-Good-News-DQ.pdf,
Notes:
Prayer Card: https://avalonchurch.org/PrayerCard
We take a look at Jesus’ differing responses to Mary and Martha concerning what is
most important... hurry or relationships.
Series: ReCreate,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Luke 10:38-42, Matthew 11:28-30,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyCJKpdz3lA2YnZTvE3Neng/live,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/recreate-hurry-is-incompatible-with-relationship-week-2/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-05-09-Week-2-DQ-Mothers-Day-2021.pdf,
Notes:
Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”Hurry DevotionLuke 10:38-42 (NLT)38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”Kosuke Koyama quoteHow much do I care about the things I should care about?
Hurry is the great enemy of a vibrant spiritual life. That's why Jesus invites us to come to him, all who tired and weary. In him is rest and ReCreation.Series: ReCreate, Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30, Matthew 11:28-30:, James 1:8, Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/1815784508579275, Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/recreate-the-hurry-problem-week-1/, Discussion Questions: 2021-05-02-1-DQ-ReCreate-Intro.pdf,Notes: Matthew 11:28-3028 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” – Matthew 11 (NLT)Matthew 11:28-30, The MessageWhen your loyalty is divided between God and the world, you are unstable in everything you do. –James 1:8 (NLT)“The Jesus way wedded to the Jesus truth brings about the Jesus life.” –Eugene Peterson, The Jesus WayThe Silver Chair, C.S. LewisHurry Devo - AvalonChurch.org/HurryDevo
3 Warning Signs to live out Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 7:12-23, James 2:17,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/live,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-warning-signs-part-14/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-04-25-14-DQ-Warning-Signs.pdf,
Notes:
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. –Matthew 7 (NIV) 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. –Matthew 7 (NIV)12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. –Matthew 7 (NIV)13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. –Matthew 7 (NIV)14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. –Matthew 7 (NIV)15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. –Matthew 7 (NIV)16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? –Matthew 7 (NIV)17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. –Matthew 7 (NIV)18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. –Matthew 7 (NIV)19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. –Matthew 7 (NIV)20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. –Matthew 7 (NIV)21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. –Matthew 7 (NIV)22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ –Matthew 7 (NIV)23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ –Matthew 7 (NIV)Question 1 SlideWhat We Usually Ask: If you were to die tonight, do yo know for certain that you'd go to be with God in heaven?* If Jesus returned today, would you be ready to meet God?Question 2 SlideWhat We Should Consider Asking:* If you were to live another fifty years, what kind of person would you like to become--and how will you become that kind of person? If Jesus doesn't return for thousands of years, what kind of world does he want us to work towards?...faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. –James 2:17 (NIV)13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. –Matthew 7 (NIV)15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. –Matthew 7 (NIV)16 By their fruit you will recognize them. –Matthew 7 (NIV)21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. –Matthew 7 (NIV)22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ –Matthew 7 (NIV)23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ –Matthew 7 (NIV)
Jesus invites us to a new perspective on who and why he invites to ask, seek and knock.Series: The Upside Down Life, Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves, Scripture: Matthew 7:7-11, Matthew 7:7-8, James 1:6-7, John 14:13-14, James 4:3, 1 John 5:14-15, Ephesians 1:17, Jeremiah 29:13, Revelation 3:20, 1 John 3:1, Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/360149018748129, Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-you-cant-always-get-what-you-want-part-13/, Discussion Questions: 2021-04-18-PART-13-DQ-The-Upside-Down-LIfe.pdf, Notes: Sermon Image 1Sermon Image 27 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!– Matthew 7:7-11 NIV7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. – Matthew 7:7-8 NIV6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. – James 1:6-7 NIV13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. – John 14:13-14 NIV3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. – James 4:3 NIV14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. – 1 John 5:14-15 NIVSermon Image 1 (again)Sermon Image 2 (again)7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!– Matthew 7:7-11 NIVWho does Jesus Invite? Those who don’t know God as loving, interactive, or relationalWho does Jesus Invite?Those who don’t know God as loving, interactive, or relational.Those who know God but don’t trust him17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. – Ephesians 1:17 NIV13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13 NIV20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. – Revelation 3:20 NIVWho does Jesus Invite?Those who don’t know God as loving, interactive, or relationalThose who know God but don’t trust himThose who are angry with GodSermon Image 3 [Forgiveness chart]See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!– 1 John 3:1 NIV
Judging people is probably what the church is most known for in our culture. We need to be reminded of Jesus’ posture when it comes to pointing out other’s faults.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5, Romans 15:5-6,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFOlIGzo9uM,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-judging-others-part-12/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-04-11-PART-11-DQ-Judging-others.pdf,
Notes:
Starry Night1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. – Matthew 7 (NIV)2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. – Matthew 7 (NIV)3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? – Matthew 7 (NIV)4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? – Matthew 7 (NIV)5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7 (NIV)1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. – Matthew 7 (NIV)CartoonJesus did not call us to be right, he called us to be light.5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Romans 15:5-6
This Easter we are reminded
how God sees the world. We remember what happened to Jesus on Day 3 after the worst day ever. Easter is about hope, even in our worst days. Easter reminds us that God is working, bringing new life, new creation, and resurrection.
Series: Easter Service,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d5JtP9buFk,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/easter-service-april-4-2021/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-04-04-DQ-Easter-2021.pdf
It’s possible to be close to religion, and yet still miss God.
Series: Palm Sunday Service,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 21:1-9, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-38, John 12:12-15, Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah 9:10, Jeremiah 31,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDzhFxGacBM,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/palm-sunday-march-28-2021/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-03-28-DQ-Palm-Sunday-2021.pdf,
Notes:
Palm Sunday Accounts: Matthew 21:1-9, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-38, John 12:12-15“9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. –Zechariah 9:9 (NIV)“He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem. The bow used in battle will be broken; he will speak peace to the nations. His rule will stretch from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the Earth.” –Zechariah 9:1031 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. –Jeremiah 31 (NIV)32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. –Jeremiah 31 (NIV)33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. –Jeremiah 31 (NIV)34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. –Jeremiah 31 (NIV)Maundy ThursdayGood Friday (G-Drive)Easter Sunday
Jesus encourages his followers not to worry, but to trust that God is their Provider.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-7,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYEiwwzh4vg,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-anxious-for-nothing-part-11/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-03-21-PART-10-DQ-Anxious-for-Nothing.pdf,
Notes:
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? – Matthew 6 (NLT)26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? – Matthew 6 (NLT)27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? – Matthew 6 (NLT)28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, – Matthew 6 (NLT29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. – Matthew 6 (NLT)30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? – Matthew 6 (NLT)China Flowers – YellowHolland Flowers – Tulips/WindmillNew Zealand – water/MountainCalifornia – Orange and YellowJapan – Blue flowers and tree31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ – Matthew 6 (NLT32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. – Matthew 6 (NLT)33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. – Matthew 6 (NLT)34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. – Matthew 6 (NLT)6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)Coral reef. N. LightsDesertIce CaveFrog on PennyRylie
Jesus talks about what’s most important to us and what shouldn't be so important.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 6:16-24,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1UBErVJ4R0,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-hidden-treasure-part-10/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-03-14-PART-9-DQ-Hidden-Treasure.pdf,
Notes:
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. –Matthew 6 (NLT)17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. –Matthew 6 (NLT)18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. –Matthew 6 (NLT)3...”I will tell you why!” “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. –Is 58 (NLT)4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. –Is 58 (NLT)9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. –Is 58 (NLT)19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. –Matthew 6 (NLT)20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. –Matthew 6 (NLT)21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. –Matthew 6 (NLT)22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. –Matthew 6 (NLT)23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! –Matthew 6 (NLT)24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. –Matthew 6 (NLT)“An idol is usually a good thing that we make ultimate.” – Tim Keller
Jesus gives his followers a framework about how to pray.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 6:7-14, Matthew 6:9, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:11, Matthew 6:12, Matthew 6:13, Matthew 6:8,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjHNp9jFe7I,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-the-lords-prayer-part-9/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-03-07-PART-8-DQ-The-Lords-Prayer-update.pdf,
Notes:
Words describing what the Church is like?Words describing what the Church should be like?Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, –Matthew 6:9 (NIV)Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. –Matthew 6:10 (NIV)Give us today our daily bread. –Matthew 6:11 (NIV)And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. –Matthew 6:12 (NIV)And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ –Matthew 6:13 (NIV)For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. –Matthew 6:7 (NIV)Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. –Matthew 6:8 (NIV)Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, –Matthew 6:9 (NIV)Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, –Matthew 6:9 (NIV)Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. –Matthew 6:10 (NIV)Give us today our daily bread. –Matthew 6:11 (NIV)And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. –Matthew 6:12 (NIV)And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ –Matthew 6:13 (NIV)Action Steps1. Pray it daily2. Memorize it3. Write your own prayerOur Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, –Matthew 6:9 (NIV)Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. –Matthew 6:10 (NIV)Give us today our daily bread. –Matthew 6:11 (NIV)And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. –Matthew 6:12 (NIV)And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ –Matthew 6:13 (NIV)
Liz Dickson leads us in the topic of "A Secret Place" from Matthew 6:1-6.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Liz Dickson,
Scripture: Matthew 6:1-6,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzuDymEW8ww,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-the-secret-place-part-8/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-02-28-PART-7-DQ-The-Upside-Down-Life.pdf
Pastor John Molloy leads us in a sermon on retaliation from Matthew 5:38-42
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor John Molloy,
Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFJZsYnGzmQ,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-retaliation-part-7/
Jesus discusses the difficult issues of adultery and divorce.Series: The Upside Down Life, Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Scripture: Matthew 5:27-37, 1 Corinthians 9:27, John 3:17, Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Maw1U9c8s, Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-the-d-word-part-6/, Discussion Questions: 2021-02-14-PART-6-DQ-The-D-Word.pdf, Notes: Matthew 5:27-37 (NIV)“NT Teachings on Divorce”27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ – Matthew 5 (NIV)28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. – Matthew 5 (NIV)29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. – Matthew 5 (NIV)30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. – Matthew 5 (NIV)“Our commitment to Jesus permits no desire without love.”27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. –1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT)“Is there any relationship I have that makes you uncomfortable?” 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ – Matthew 5 (NIV)32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. – Matthew 5 (NIV)Truth and Grace.God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. –John 3:17 (NLT)Savage Marriage slide
Jesus begins to illustrate how his followers are to live out the Kingdom ways starting with a discussion on murder, anger, and reconciliation.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26, Matthew 5:17,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT-8YAOaNp8,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-reconciliation-part-5/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-02-07-PART-5-DQ-Reconciliation.pdf,
Notes:
17 I did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets... I came to fulfill them. –Matt 5:1720 For unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. –Matt 5 (NIV)21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ –Matt 5 (NIV)22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna. –Matt 5 (NIV)23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, –Matt 5 (NIV)24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. –Matt 5 (NIV)25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. –Matt 5 (NIV)26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. –Matt 5 (NIV)
Pastor Jim preaches from Matthew 5:17-20 on Christ Fulfilling the Law and our righteousness.Series: The Upside Down Life, Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves, Scripture: Matthew 5:17-20, Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c5fE4qR3_Y, Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-law-righteousness-part-4/Notes:17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! – Matthew 5:17-20 NLT Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” 6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. – Genesis 3:15 NLT Puzzle – Image 1 Puzzle – Image 2 Puzzle – Image 3 Puzzle – Image 4 Puzzle – Image 5 Puzzle – Image 6Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? – Matthew 15:3 NLT Puzzle – Image 7 Puzzle – Image 8You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! – John 5:39 NLT Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” – Luke 24:44 NLT This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. 12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. – 1 Peter 1:10-12 NLTFor Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. – Romans 10:4 NLTJesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:28-30 NLTAfter supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” – Luke 22:20 NLT6 But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. 7 If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. 8 But when God found fault with the people, he said: (I’ll just read verses 8b-12 for them)13 When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. – Hebrews 8:6-13 NLT24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. – Galatians 3:24-25 NLT So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. – Galatians 5:1-4 NLTFor the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. – John 1:17 NLT
The Beatitudes were the “Who?” of the Kingdom that Jesus immediately followed with the “What?” What are we called to? Salt and Light.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16, Luke 12:48, Matthew 5:13-15, Isaiah 51:4, 1 Peter 2:11-12, Luke 22:19, Matthew 26:27-28,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paSfCD9JCUE,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-salty-and-bright-part-3/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-01-24-PART-3-DQ-Salty-and-Bright.pdf,
Notes:
Story of the Bible Video“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return.” Luke 12:48 (NLT)13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. –Matt 5 (NIV)14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. –Matt 5 (NIV)16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)Repeat Matt. 5:13-15 (NIV)Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. –Isaiah 51:4 (NIV)16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. –Matt 5 (NIV)“...12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:11-12 (NIV)Doug and Wendy Gohn video testimonyCommunion backgroundAnd he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” – Luke 22:19 (ESV)And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. –Matthew 26:27-28 (ESV)
Who is blessed by God? Jesus’ answer is surely different than anyone could have expected.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/149106303523481,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-beatitudes-part-2/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-01-17-PART-2-DQ-Beatitudes.pdf
The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ manifesto for the Kingdom. This
introduction sets the stage for our new series “The Upside Down Life” where we explore Jesus’
Sermon section by section.
Series: The Upside Down Life,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 7:24-29,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2841175482792029/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-upside-down-life-intro-part-1/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-01-10_upside-down-life-part-1_discussion-questions.pdf
We must be careful that we are not crusading for righteousness without compassion for the sinner
lest we forget that we all started out in the same place, in need of divine forgiveness. Second chances are for everyone!
Series: New Year's Service,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Luke 7:36-50,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/223204939366431/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/second-chances-new-years-message-january-3-2021/,
Discussion Questions: 2021-01-03_second-changes.pdf
Join us as Pastor John Molloy leads us in finishing the God With Us series for Christmas 2020.
Series: God With Us,
Speaker: Pastor John Molloy,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/159464842627789/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/god-with-us-december-27-2020-part-6/
Christmas Eve Service for 2020 at Avalon Town Park
Series: God With Us,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/848257122691917/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/god-with-us-christmas-eve-service-2020-part-5/
The wise men responded to God’s gift of Jesus with gifts of their own. In this message, Pastor Don discusses how we, too, should respond to God’s amazing gift.
Series: God With Us,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/211209520575383,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/god-with-us-wise-men-part-4/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-12-20_god-with-us-part-4_sermons-slides.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-12-20_god-with-us-part-4_discussion_questions.pdf,
Notes:
See PDF slides: https://www.avalonchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2020/12/2020-12-20_god-with-us-part-4_sermons-slides.pdf
God created a family that eventually rebelled and ran away. But God wanted us back and was willing to do everything necessary to make that happen... even incarnation.Series: God With Us, Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Scripture: John 1:14, John 1:1-5, John 1:9-13, Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWQhrS6vYcQ, Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/god-with-us-skin-matters-part-3/, Discussion Questions: 2020-12-13_god-with-us-part-3_discussion-questions.pdf, Notes: 1. Tu es special2. "Incarnation"3. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." -John 1:14 (NIV)4. "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son," -John 1:14 (Msg)5. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." –John 1:1-5 (NIV)6. "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." –John 1:9-11 (NIV)7. "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." –John 1:12-13 (NIV)
Our story is often not what we want it to be, yet in the midst of our disappointment, weariness, and anxiety, God offers hope.
Series: God With Us,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Isaiah 7:4, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 35:1-4, Isaiah 35:5-6, Hebrews 12:1-3,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s7KckQBCns,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/god-with-us-fear-not-part-2/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-12-06_god-with-us-fear-not-part-2_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
- "Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart..." -Isaiah 7:4 (NIV) 2. "For the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. –Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) 3. "Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, there the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God. With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”" -Isaiah 35:1-4 (NLT) 4. "And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. –Isaiah 35:5-6 (NLT) 5. "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." -Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
When Isaiah promised the birth of a savior for the people of Israel, they didn’t know how long it would take to get the gift which was revealed in Jesus. Like a child waiting for Christmas morning, the believer can be confident that in due time, what God gives will not disappoint. Series: God With Us, Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7, Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7:14, Psalms 72:10-11, Isaiah 9:1, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 35:5-6, Isaiah 53:3, Psalms 22:16-18, Zechariah 12:10, Isaiah 52:14, Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah 53:9, Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96gRsXHW7Y, Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/god-with-us-prophets-version-of-the-story-part-1/, Discussion Questions: 2020-11-29_god-with-us_discussion-questions.pdf, Notes: 1. The Prophet Micah revealed: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. –Micah 5:2 (NLT)2. A prophet named Isaiah also prophesied about this future king: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. –Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)3. He will be so influential that: The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute. The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts. 11 All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him. –Psalm 72:10-11 (NLT)4. Isaiah prophesied: Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles... will be filled with glory. –Isaiah 9:1 (NLT)5. Yet it was in Galilee that Isaiah said: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.–Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)6. But even more, when the King comes: And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! --Isaiah 35:5-6 (NLT)7. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. –Isaiah 53:3 (NLT)8. He said: My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. 17 I can count all my bones (none are broken). My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing. –Psalm 22:16-18 (NLT)9. Zechariah uses similar imagery describing what Messiah will be like when he is killed: “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son.–Zech 12:10 (NLT)10. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. –Isaiah 52:14 (NLT)11. But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. –Isaiah 53:5 (NLT)12. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. –Isaiah 53:9 (NLT)
A Thanksgiving Message for 2020
Series: Thanksgiving Service,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2FlhN5fXFA,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/give-thanks-thanksgiving-message-november-22-2020/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-11-22_give-thanks_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week Pastor John Molloy leads us in Matthew 7.Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus, Speaker: Pastor John Molloy, Scripture: Matthew 7:7-29, Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4auZjwkmUxw, Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-part-11/
God is not taken by surprise by the upside-down times like we are experiencing in 2020. On the contrary, he offers incredible hope and direction.
Series: ,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:4-7, 13-14; Romans 8:22-23; 12:9-21,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6rJF2LVG-I,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/celebration-sunday-november-15-2020/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-11-15_celebration-sunday_discussion-questions.pdf
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week Pastor Jim leads us in Matthew 6:25 - 7:6 to discussion cautions about worrying and judging.
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Matthew 6:25-7:6,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/686170705666458,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-cautions-about-worrying-judging-matthew-625-76-part-10/
A Spiritual Conversation can happen in a moment, but it can also last for hours, days, weeks, months, years, or even decades. Pastor John Molloy leads us in how we can have spiritual conversations with friends, family, strangers and everyone else we meet.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor John Molloy,
Scripture: Acts 26:1-29,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2841603039402028/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-how-to-have-a-spiritual-conversation-part-12/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-11-08_following-together-part-12_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-11-08_following-together-part-12_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
See Sermon Notes PDF: https://www.avalonchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2020/11/2020-11-08_following-together-part-12_sermon-notes.pdf
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week Pastor Jim leads us in Matthew 6:16-24 on Fasting, Treasures and Masters.
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Matthew 6:16-24,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/370070490879741,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-fasting-treasures-masters-matthew-616-24-part-9/
While following Jesus is hearing and obeying, the Israelites are a constant example that it is impossible to do so in our own strength. We need to abide.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-5, 1 Peter 2:9-10, 2 Corinthians 9:7-8,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2575617775996499,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-living-sent-with-part-11/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-11-01_following-together-part-11_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
- Living Sent “WITH” each other, not just “FOR” each other.2. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. –1 Peter 2:2-5 (NLT)3. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy. –1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT)4. “The church is God’s people intentionally committing to die together so that others can find his kingdom.” Hugh Halter and Matt Smay in their book AND.5. Text the word “Team” to 407-559-82106. Celebration Sunday7. don@avalonchurch.org8. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. –2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (NLT)
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week Pastor Jim leads us in Matthew 6:9-15, discussing the Lord's Prayer.
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=667145743803276,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-the-lords-prayer-matthew-69-15-part-8/
Jesus calls us to live as if we are sent, because we are. Our identity as followers of Jesus is to be a people who live to bless.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: John 20:21, 1 Peter 2:11-12,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/373212407360167,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-live-sent-part-10/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-10-25_following-together-part-10_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
- Tangible Kingdom2. "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." –John 20:21 (NIV)3. Emperor Julian4. "It is disgraceful that when... the impious Galileans support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see that our people lack aid from us." -Emperor Julian5. "Dear friends, I warn you as 'temporary residents and foreigners' to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls." –1 Peter 2 (NLT) 6. "Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world." –1 Peter 2 (NLT)7. Action Step 1: Commit to Live Sent 8. Action Step 2: Actually Live Sent 9. More InformationLisa Hernandez - kids@avalonchurch.orgMike Smith - youth@avalonchurch.orgText "Teams" to 407-559-8210AvalonChurch.org/Teams10. Better Man Event11. Celebration Sunday12. Food Pantry Video13. Jennifer Campos and Hal Worrall
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week Pastor Jim leads us in Matthew 5:43 - 6:8, discussing how we are to love our enemy, who exactly is our "enemy" and living without hypocrisy.
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Matthew 5:43 - 6:8, Matthew 5:47,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/417895235881914,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-love-your-enemy-living-without-hypocrisy-part-7/,
Notes:
While following Jesus is hearing and obeying, the Israelites are a constant example
that it is impossible to do so in our own strength. We need to abide.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Exodus 19:3-20, Luke 11:28, Exodus 19:4, Exodus 19:5, Exodus 19:6, Exodus 19:7-8, Exodus 19:16, Exodus 19:18, Exodus 19:19, Exodus 19:20, Exodus 32:1, John 15:5,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1240313883008582,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-responding-when-jesus-speaks-part-9/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-10-18_following-together-part-9_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Jesus said, Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it. –Luke 11:28.... The Lord called to Moses from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to thefamily of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: –Exodus 19:3 (NLT)‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wingsand brought you to myself. –Exodus 19:4 (NLT)Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure fromamong all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. –Exodus 19:5 (NLT)And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must giveto the people of Israel.” –Exodus 19:6 (NLT)The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Mosesbrought their answer back to the Lord. Exodus 19:7-8 (NIV)On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloudcame down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all thepeople trembled. –Exodus 19:16 (NLT)All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in theform of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the wholemountain shook violently. –Exodus 19:18 (NLT)As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thunderedhis reply. –Exodus 19:19 (NLT)The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of themountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. –Exodus 19:20 (NLT)When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain,they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us.We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land ofEgypt.” –Exodus 32:1 (NLT)“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear muchfruit; apart from me you can do nothing. –John 15:5 (NLT)Ask yourself: What is the focus of your story? How much of your story is Jesus’ story?
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week Pastor Don began the study with an overview of last week’s discussion on divorce, and then focused on Matthew 5:33-42 where we discussed “Oaths” and “Jesus’ update of an Eye for an Eye”.
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 5:33-42,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/646847892666280,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-oaths-matthew-533-42-part-6/
God has lots to reveal to us. Pastor Jim shares how God really is for us, wants us to experience life-changing truth, and might have much to say if we are available to anything and everything he wants to say.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Psalms 51:6, John 8:32, John 16:13, John 10:10, Romans 12:2,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/725713954698637,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-hearing-through-confession-part-8/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-10-11_following-together-part-8_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
With God it’s for, not from Confession is not a bad word All is more than you thinkWith God it’s for, not fromBehold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (Psalm 51:6 ESV)Confession is not a bad wordLiz DicksonAll is more than you thinkand you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32 ESV)When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13 ESV)The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV)Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (Psalm 51:6 ESV)For, not from, so no fear Confess – acknowledge and say out loud Then ask and wait Be available to everything and anything the Lord might revealHow do you discover the gray (or black) that needs light?What you feel reveals what you really believePonder what is not peaceful and calm inside?Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 ESV)
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week we cover Matthew 5:27-32 on adultery, lust and divorce.
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Matthew 5:27-32,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/381689746533352,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-adultery-lust-divorce-matthew-527-32-part-5/
Worship provides a framework for our lives where we are open and able to hear from God.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Psalms 95:1-7, Psalms 95:1-2, Psalms 95:3, Psalms 95:7, Hebrews 10:24-25,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/2763032347299153,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-hearing-through-worship-part-7/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-10-04_following-together-part-7_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Psalms 95:1-7 -Leader: 1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!All: Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.Leader: 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.All: 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.Leader: 4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.All: 5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.Leader: 6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God.All: We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care... Listen to his voice today!AvalonChurch.org/PsalmsShelli ReyesShari Hepner1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. –Ps. 95:1-2 (NLT)3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over... – Ps. 95:3, Ps. 95:7 (NLT)Joanna Han24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. –Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)Discovering AvalonLeader: 1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!All: Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.Leader: 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.All: 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.Leader: 4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.All: 5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.Leader: 6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God.All: We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care... Listen to his voice today! –Psalm 95:1-7 (NLT)
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week we cover Matthew 5:21-26 and discuss anger and reconciliation
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/1306346839712261/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-matthew-521-26-anger-reconciliation-part-4/,
Notes:
Time with Jesus stirs the heart and soul. To experience this takes the willingness to be still and know him.Series: Following Together, Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Scripture: Luke 24:13-33, Luke 24:32, Psalms 40:1-3, Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/786204552137705/, Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-be-still-and-hear-part-6/, Discussion Questions: 2020-09-27_following-together-part-6_discussion-questions.pdf, Notes: Luke 24:13-33 (NLT)They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” –Luke 24:32 (NLT)Rhonda BurnsRandy HepneNancy RodriguezPsalms DevotionAvalonChurch.org/PsalmsPsalm 40:1-31 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.
Following Jesus requires hearing Jesus. Is this even possible? And if so, how do we hear Jesus speak?
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: John 17:3, John 15:15, John 10, John 10:27, Luke 11:28, John 14:21, Revelation 3:20,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/671895813423357/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-hear-obey-part-5/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-09-20_following-together-part-5_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. –Jn 17:3 (NLT)I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. –Jn 15:15 (NLT)“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! --Jn 10 (NLT)But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. --Jn 10 (NLT)The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. --Jn 10 (NLT)After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice... --Jn 10 (NLT)But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” --Jn 10 (NLT)The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. --Jn 10 (NLT)After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice... --Jn 10 (NLT)The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. --Jn 10 (NLT)My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. Jesus says it differently elsewhere. –Jn 10:27 (NLT)...blessed are all who hear the word of God and obey it.” –Lk 11:28 (NIV)Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” –Jn 14:21 (NLT)“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. –Rev 3:20 (NLT)AvalonChurch.org/HearingGod
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week we discuss Matthew 5:8-16
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Matthew 5:8-16,
Video: https://business.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/750490172441726/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-a-mountain-with-jesus-part-2/
What does following Jesus have to do with politics? And is it possible to disagree with someone politically and still love them unconditionally? Join in the discussion as Pastor Don tries to answer these questions and more.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: John 17:1, John 17:11, John 17:15, John 17:18, John 17:20-21, John 13:34-35, John 17:21,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/1276839279334421,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-politically-incorrect-part-4/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-09-13_following-together-part-4_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Scripture:Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. –John 17:1 (NIV) I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. –Jn 17:11 (NIV) Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that... –John 17:11 (NIV) ...they may be one as we are one. –Jn 17:11 (NIV) My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. –Jn 17:15 (NIV) As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. –Jn 17:18 (NIV) My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message... --Jn 17:20 (NIV) ...that all of them may be one... –John 17:21 (NIV) ...Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that... ... the world may believe that you have sent me. –Jn 17:21 (NIV) As I have loved you, so you must love one another. –Jn 13:34 (NIV) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn 13:35).Actions:1. Pray Like Jesus Prayed2. Seek an opportunity to love unconditionally.
An interactive study of the practical applications of the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount. This week we discuss Matthew 4:23 - 5:7.
Series: Midweek on a Mountain with Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Matthew 4:23-5:7,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1555296557986708/,
Webpage: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/midweek-on-the-mountain-with-jesus-part-1/,
Notes:
Jesus describes the high cost of following him. Are you ALL IN? Do you "miseo" him more important than all else?
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Luke 14:25-35, Luke 14:26, Luke 14:27, Matthew 10:39, Matthew 6:33,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/live,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-all-in-part-3/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-09-06_following-together-part-3_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Patrick MahomesMichael Phelps“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26 (NIV)miseo - compare 2 things of very different valueapostygeo - To abhor"And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27 (NIV)"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39 (NIV)"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33 (NLT)“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple." Luke 14 (NIV)Discussion Questions: AvalonChurch.org/Sermons
Pastor Mike Smith gives us a message about God's Kingdom and being people of the Kingdom.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Mike Smith,
Scripture: Genesis 1:1-3, Genesis 1:25-27, 2 Corinthians 5:20,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2687133908221131/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-part-2/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-08-30_following-together-part-2_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Are you feeling distant from God? It does not have to be this way. God’s presence is experienced in community. But what does this even look like? Let’s find out together as we explore Jesus’ unexpected, diverse family described in Ephesians 2:11-22.
Series: Following Together,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20, Ephesians 2:11-22,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/781780145925296/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/following-together-commnity-part-1/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-08-23_following-together-part-1_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
“Go and make disciples of all people” –Mt. 28:19-20.
11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews... –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
15 ...He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
17 [Christ] brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
22 Through [Jesus] you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)
This is the final story in 2 Chronicles. It’s one of Exile and Return where God works in the midst of the unthinkable to bring about the unimaginable.
Series: Never Too Late,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 36:17-23, 2 Chronicles 36:18, 2 Chronicles 36:19, 2 Chronicles 36:20, Ezekiel 37:12, Jeremiah 30:10, 2 Chronicles 36:21, 2 Chronicles 36:22, 2 Chronicles 36:23, 2 Corinthians 12:8, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 2 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 13:12, Romans 8:18, Romans 8:29,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/334310537747584/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/never-too-late-cyrus-storms-of-perfection-part-5/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-08-16_never-too-late-part-5_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-08-15_never-too-late-part-5_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
INTRO
Story: Storms of Perfection
Mind if I read some stories today?
Then I’ll reflect on them.
I was seven years old, barely keeping pace as my father strode purposefully through the woods, the dry brush crackling under our feet. August was rarely pleasant in the deep South, but this year had been especially hot; especially dry. Walking the densely forested stand of timber that day, young as I was, I was acutely aware of my father’s mood. The month-long drought our area was experiencing had him worried. I watched in silence as he broke dry twigs from seemingly lifeless trees and examined the wilting, dull color of the new growth under them. We hiked through the dust of the parched creek bed, following it to the beaver pond where our family often came for picnics. The pond was nearly empty and the beaver lodge, usually a site of frantic activity, stood abandoned on dry land. Without warning, the wind shifted. And with the change in direction came a rapid increase in velocity and a perceptible drop in the temperature. It became cool within a matter of seconds, as the wind, whistling above, threatened to send branches crashing down around us. Lightning and thunder worked the atmosphere almost simultaneously, creating explosions of light and sound that terrified me. My father, his arms wrapped around me tightly, was also afraid...and grateful. He was grateful for this violent performance of nature and the hope of water that came with it. As the trees bent with the wind and the thunder covered my cries, my father sat down, pulled me into his lap and said, “Don’t worry. You’ll be all right. Something good is going to come out of this. Be still. Be patient.” While he was comforting me, the rain came. Not with the gentle drops I had seen in the past, but in wild, silver sheets bursting all around us. It wound through the limbs and leaves, over rocks and deep into the tangled thickets leaving nothing untouched. And then, as suddenly as it had begun - it was over. The thunder and lightning and wind and rain were gone, their energy exhausted. It was still again, but even at my young age, I noticed a difference. The forest wasn’t just still...it was calm. With his hand, my father wiped the drops of water from my face. Only my deep sobs betrayed the presence of tears, not raindrops, on my cheeks. Then he smiled, wrung out the front of his shirt, and motioned toward the pond. “It’ll fill back up now,” he said, “and those beavers will be able to spend the winter here like they’d planned.” We turned in time to see a doe and her fawn drinking from the already flowing creek. The frogs had started their own chorus as we headed for home. “Ahh,” my father breathed deeply, “everything just smells clean, doesn’t it?” And it did. The very air, which only a short time ago had been hot and dirty, now seemed almost sweet. “Let’s sit down by this big oak, Son,” he said quietly, “I have something to tell you.” I snuggled in beside him, and in very nearly a whisper, he began. “You know,” he said, watching me from the corner of his eye, “you weren’t the only one scared a little while ago. Those deer were afraid, too. The squirrels squirrels huddled together as close as they could get and what with all the crashes and booms, well, I’m pretty sure the rabbits were worried. But now, something important has happened. The very event that frightened everyone in the forest turned out to be exactly what they needed.” Do you hear the birds?” I nodded. “Remember how quiet they were before the rain? Now they’re hopping around, chirping, drinking from puddles, and feasting on the worms that come out only when the ground is wet. The fish in the pond have more oxygen to breathe and cooler water to swim in. The dust that was on all the plants has been washed away so they are much cleaner for the rabbits and deer to eat. Nobody likes dirty food.” “In fact, Son, all of us are better off now than we were an hour ago. Just because of the storm. What looked like the worst – turned out to be the best. It was a storm of perfection.”
Sermon
Today is our last day in the “Never too late” series
We’re looking at the very last verses that were ever written
in the Jewish Scriptures.
They are recalling what most Jews considered the worst event in their history.
It was truly awful.
Yet it was also the event that totally changed the way they saw how God was working.
This event was what made them never again be tempted by idols.
This event is what made them a people of the Scriptures.
This event is what opened their eyes to the hope of a future Messiah.
This event paved the way for that Messiah, Jesus,
To come and bring not just Jews, but Gentiles in every nation and language to be unified with their Creator God.
In many ways,
This awful event became a Storm of Perfection.
Background
After all the evil of the previous generations,
God finally removed his protection
and forced Judah to stand on their own.
Look at 2 Chronicles 36, vs. 17.
17 So the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonians killed Judah’s young men, even chasing after them into the Temple. They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. –2 Chronicles 36:17 (NLT)
God was like,
I invited you and your ancestors to be my people.
I never forced you, you freely said yes.
I promised to protect you and sustain you.
And I did.
But over and over, you rejected me.
You continually chose to do life on your own terms,
And so now, you will face the consequences
Faced by every other nation.
And immediately Judah realized that on their own,
They were no match for the superpowers surrounding them.
The nation of Babylon was on a mission of conquest.
And Judah was just one nation in its crosshairs.
But then, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar,
Wounded Judah to its core.
Going where even Jews were forbidden to go,
Nebuchadnezzar entered the Holy of Holies.
18 The king took home to Babylon all the articles, large and small, used in the Temple of God, and the treasures from both the Lord’s Temple and from the palace of the king and his officials. –2 Chronicles 36:18 (NLT)
19 Then his army burned the Temple of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the palaces, and completely destroyed everything of value. –2 Chronicles 36:19 (NLT)
This was their identity.
Like the other nations that had fallen before them,
...This was likely to be the end of their existence as a people.
20 The few who survived were taken as exiles to Babylon, and they became servants to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. –2 Chronicles 36:20 (NLT)
Their exile in Babylon lasted decades.
And it was awful,
But not hopeless.
The prophet Ezekiel was one of the exiles
forced to leave Jerusalem and resettle in Babylon.
In Babylon he prophesied,
...that though the people of God were like dead bones,
God will revive them and put flesh on those bones.
12 ... I will open your graves and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. –Ezekiel 37:12 (NLT)
Jeremiah wasn’t forced to leave.
He witnessed the exile from Judah and then hiding in Egypt.
He wrote to encourage God’s people to stay faithful
Because one day
10 ... “For I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return from their exile. Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet, and no one will terrorize them. –Jeremiah 30:10 (NLT)
The writer of Chronicles lived over a hundred years later.
They knew all of this...
And that this prophecy was fulfilled,
But only the first part.
And so he continued...
21 So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said. –2 Chronicles 36:21 (NLT)
So, after decades of exile,
The prophecy that sound so crazy came true.
Babylon was conquered by the emerging kingdom of Persia,
Led by their king, Cyrus the great.
22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: –2 Chronicles 36:22 (NLT)
And here is the proclamation,
23 ...“The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!” –2 Chronicles 36:23 (NLT)
So, the foreign king,
The conqueror of the known world,
The sole Superpower,
Becomes their Savior,
Just as God had said.
But in contrast to God’s own people,
Cyrus was the one who recognized
that his power is from God.
I think the writer of Chronicles
Had a mocking smirk when he wrote that.
And while the New Living Translation
is my favorite translation for Bible stories,
...in this case it glosses over the intended awkwardness
of how the book ends.
The English Standard Version follows the Jewish tradition
of how the book ends...
Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’” –2 Chronicles 36:23 (ESV)
The book literally ends with an incomplete sentence.
It ends in expectation.
The story was not over.
Messiah had not yet come.
The people did not yet live in peace and quiet.
And the small, rebuilt Temple was never filled with God’s presence.
But like a great Hollywood movie,
...the somber story ends in a way that leaves the Jews encouraged
By the fact that God is not finished with his people.
You (Application. So What?)
Like the Apostle Paul struggling with some debilitation
And though he was able to heal others,
He could not find relief for himself.
And after begging the Lord to take it away three times,
9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” –2 Cor 12:8 (NLT)
And Paul had grown to trust the Lord,
That even when it looked like life was out of control,
Paul could say,
9 ...So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. –2 Cor 12:9 (NLT)
10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. –2 Cor 12:10 (NLT)
My Story – worry about kids dying
Maybe tell of my journal struggle with God about the death of my children.
Because Jennifer had died, I was always waiting for the shoe to drop.
I knew that very bad things could happen.
After many months of praying and letting God know that we would not be okay if he allowed for my kids’ death. His response...
Do you not know that I love them more than you?
Do you not know that I know the big picture?
Application
Our hope is not in political leaders.
Maybe mention trump is not the bringer of the KOG.
Neither is Biden the keeper of it.
Our hope is not in our security and affluence.
In fact, Doubt leads to the seeking of truth.
Poverty and uncertainty build faith to trust in the Lord.
Life, whether it be easy or hard,
Comfortable or painful
or joyful or scary
All of this is periphery to one thing.
Jesus Christ, the King.
Jesus Christ, the one who unites us with the Father.
Jesus Christ, the one who makes the Kingdom possible.
Because he is the God who designed and created us.
Because he is the God of the Grand story in which we live.
Because he is the God who entered history with power,
Yet chose not to use that power to coerce us,
But instead chose to forego the exercising of his power
To demonstrate how much he loved us,
Until his life was taken and then the full exercising of his power
Was unleashed in his rising from the dead.
This is why we trust Jesus when life seems to be crashing around us,
When pandemics have devastated life as we know it,
When our children are rushed to the hospital,
When the diagnosis of cancer crushes our plans for the future,
Or when we face grief that brings us to our knees.
We trust because he promises that there is hope.
...that all wrongs will be made right.
...That this is not the end.
...That the big picture, though unclear to us,
Is one of hope and healing and wholeness.
12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. –1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)
Are you living fearful?
Angry?
Worried?
Jesus invites you to trust him.
To know him.
To rest in him.
To have hope in him,
That,
what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. –Romans 8:18 (NLT)
And that God works in all things, good and bad,
Working in us to be
...conformed to the image of his Son. –Romans 8:29 (NIV)
Closing and Challenge
Actions step:
Devotion: Trust by Jaci Velasquez
https://www.AvalonChurch.org/TrustDevo
Prayer
Join us we look at the story of Josiah in 2 Chronicles, seeing how when they hear the truth about how far they have fallen, the entire nation repents. It's never too late!
Series: Never Too Late,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Romans 3:23, 2 Chronicles 34:2, 2 Chronicles 34:5, 2 Chronicles 34:14, 2 Chronicles 34:19, 2 Chronicles 34:21, 2 Chronicles 34:22, 2 Chronicles 34:27-28, 2 Chronicles 24:30-31, 2 Chronicles 34:33, 2 Chronicles 30:9, Psalms 51:16, Psalms 51:17,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/596714734363702/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/never-too-late-josiah-part-4/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-08-09_never-too-late-part-4_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-08-09_never-too-late-part-3_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
INTRO
Thank you – Sound equipment.
Avalonchurch.org/stories
As long as you have breath,
It’s never too late
to find life and purpose and hope in Jesus.
Story – Palace pizza employee who said the walls would cave in.
When he visited, they didn’t.
And he found hope and life.
This is a series looking at stories in the book of Chronicles
Where people’s lives turned around
When they submitted their lives to God.
Before jumping into today’s Scripture,
I’d like to share the story of a man in our church family, Ron Culibao.
Ron Culibao’s story
I was born in the Philippines to a devout Catholic family where my father worked for the Jesuit priests for the 35 years of his working life. He and my mother were very active with our parochial church. Attending and serving in church was a big part of our family life.
I always believed in God, but that didn’t translate to anything in my life. For me, God was just a higher being you prayed to, requesting his blessings. You tried to earn his favor by performing ceremonies and reciting prayers. The concept of a holy or personal God was not something that I understood.
I considered myself a good and moral person. I had my smoking habit and occasional drinking, but I thought I was a good guy. I lived life carefree and the way I wanted.
It was in my first year of college that I felt God’s sovereign hands working.
It was one of the top engineering schools in Manila, but my grades were bad. So, they kicked me out. I remember spending the entire semester break applying to different schools hoping they would accept me. For a long time, none of them did. It was only my first year of college and I was already desperate, feeling worthless and helpless.
The coming semester was about to start when I was finally accepted by a school. I barely made it in. I changed my major from Engineering to Architecture, and looking back now, I truly believe that God was orchestrating those events in my life.
It was in Architecture School where I met Ron, who became my best friend. Ron is a very friendly guy and there was something very different about him.
He invited me to attend a small group gathering called “student fellowship” where I met people who loved studying the Bible and worshipping Jesus. I met people who were full of love and joy, and who were very sincere and bold in their faith. They were different than anyone I had me before.
I liked hanging out with these people. Through them, God slowly started to work in my heart. I started to read the Bible and join in worship services. I had not yet fully committed my life to God, but there were changes happening in me and the way I thought about God.
Then, at a student summer camp in 1986, I put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s also when I met Norma, my wife-to-be.
It was that week at camp where I recognized my sinfulness. I felt so broken. Romans 3:23 says – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The Lord showed how holy he is, and how my sins were an offense to his holiness. I needed His forgiveness and His grace. I needed to humble myself and pray and ask for His forgiveness.
All these years later, I cannot imagine how my life would have been if I didn’t have God in my life. God’s love and forgiveness have given me purpose and direction.
God found me and saved me in His perfect time. He revealed His great love and forgiveness for me even when I wasn’t looking for Him.
He used one person to reach me just by being there as a friend. It wasn’t any deep theological revelations that touched me, it was that sincere and patient love of a friend.
I know that my story is not unique. God can touch a person no matter what stage or situation in life they are in. God immeasurable love can reach any person’s heart.
Now I live my life with my beautiful family under God’s amazing love and grace.
To God be the glory!
Ron Culibao
Response
God is constantly drawing us to himself.
But we want to be in control.
We want life on our terms.
We want to be God.
And we face the consequences of our brokenness.
We are born sinful and self-centered.
But sometimes, our eyes are opened.
When we realize how selfish we can be,
Or we face the awful consequences of our decisions,
Or we see the emptiness of always getting what we want.
It’s in those moments we are faced with a choice.
...Do we submit to a higher authority?
...Do we accept God’s desire and purpose over own?
...Do we die to self,
trusting that it will truly bring life?
What do we do when we’re shown who we really are?
That’s what today’s story is about.
It starts...
God (Background)
1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. –2Chron 34:1 (NLT)
2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right. – 2 Chron. 34:2 (NLT)
Remember, 2 Chronicles was one of the last books
written in the Old Testament.
The writers had perspective.
They were looking hopefully to God’s future rescue.
The days of Abraham and Moses were ancient history for them,
Like a thousand years earlier.
King David was 500 years earlier.
That’s a lot of perspective.
Since King David they had seen,
...Their nation split into 2, North and South.
...The people of God becoming the people of Baal and other gods.
2 weeks ago, we looked Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh,
Who even sacrificed his own children to foreign gods.
The writer of Chronicles saw all this,
...And how it led to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom.
...And then the exile of the Southern Kingdom.
The writer saw how the prophets kept promising
that God would restore
...the nation,
...and the temple,
...and renew his people as a lighthouse to the world.
So when the exiled Jews living in Babylon
were allowed to go home,
...everyone thought that the prophecies
were finally being fulfilled.
But the return was a letdown.
Most of the Jews stayed in Babylon.
And God’s Spirit never returned to the temple.
And Jerusalem was still in ruins.
And the nation was still under the control of foreigners.
And this is why the book of Chronicles is so important.
It was written with perspective
long after all these events happened.
They looked back and recognized that God was NOT done.
...Isaiah’s prophecies of the coming Messiah
Had not been fulfilled.
The Messiah had not come.
...Not yet, anyways.
But this king from the line of David was coming.
And he would be a king like David,
... only better!
He would upright and holy.
He would bring God’s Spirit.
He would free the nation.
He would like a Son of Man,
...God’s King,
...leading the people into God’s kingdom.
And that had not happened yet.
So the writers of Chronicles are looking forward
To the coming of the Messiah who would be called Jesus.
God (Exposition)
So in verse 3,
we see that in his 8th year as King,
At about age 16,
...King Josiah began to seek...
...the God of his great, great, great... grandfather David.
Then, around the age of 20,
He started cleaning up the remnants of the pagan Gods.
...And so he purified Judah and Jerusalem. –2 Chronicles 34:5 (NLT)
And what’s so cool is that
Just like his great grandfather, Hezekiah,
...Who Jim talked about last week,
...Josiah wanted to include the N. Kingdom.
...so that they could all worship as one people of the One God.
Then, after 6 years of cleaning up,
... it was time to restore the Temple of God.
...And this is where the story gets interesting.
14 While they were bringing out the money collected at the Lord’s Temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was written by Moses. –2 Chron 34:14 (NLT)
They found a scroll.
...They knew it was something special,
...something that might change everything.
So they brought the scroll and read it to the king.
19 When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. –2 Chron 34:19 (NLT)
Can this scroll be right?
Could we have missed it by this much?
Josiah needed help understanding what the scroll said.
So he said,
21 “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do.” -2 Chron 34:21
Josiah was saying,
“We need to pray and seek the Lord.”
“And we need to get counsel
...from someone who can teach us
what God is saying through this scroll.”
And ladies, you’re going to love this.
22 So Hilkiah and the other men went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe. –2 Chron 34:22 (NLT)
Of all the prophets at their disposal,
They chose the female prophet Huldah to interpret the scroll.
So, who were the prophets at this time?
Prophets available to Josiah:
Jeremiah (Bible book)
Zephaniah (Bible book)
Nahum (Bible book)
Habakkuk (Bible book)
Huldah (Chosen)
Josiah and his priest had these incredible prophets at their disposal,
And they chose Huldah,
...Not because a man wasn’t available,
...But because she was truly exceptional among the prophets.
And Huldah confirmed the scroll was God’s Torah.
And then, unafraid to tell the truth,
She informed Josiah that judgment was coming,
And that the nation would suffer the consequences
of their disobedience.
But then she spoke for God,
27 You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this city and its people. You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord.
28 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You yourself will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city and its people.’ ” –2 Chron 34:27-28 (NLT)
And as a result of Huldah’s explanation,
Josiah summoned all of the leaders of the nation
to come to the Temple.
And...
30 ...There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord’s Temple. 31 The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence.
He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. –2 Chron. 24:30-31 (NLT)
...And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors. –2 Chron 34:33 (NLT)
Context
Many scholars the scroll that was found
Was the book of Deuteronomy,
...the 5th book of our Bible.
And what we see is that the people
had no idea what the book said.
Reading it opened their eyes to how far they had strayed
...from their God,
...from their history,
...from their purpose.
The people had no idea what was in the scriptures.
And instead of being light and hope to the world,
They made no impact at all.
But once they heard,
They responded well.
And that’s the message for us.
You (Application. So What?)
We have no choice about the way we were raised.
...Some listening were raised by godly parents.
...Others are raised to accomplish more and get more.
...Others, you were abused and left to fend for yourselves.
We have no control how we were brought up.
But what we do control is how we respond
when our eyes are opened to the truth about ourselves;
...Our propensity to be selfish;
...the pain we have caused;
...And how little we can do to change.
Sometimes this moment of clarity
Comes from an event we experience.
Sometimes it’s a conversation with a friend.
For some, it’s listening to a teaching,
...or reading the Scriptures,
...or God just speaking to your heart.
But when those moments of clarity come,
What do you do?
...Do you do nothing?
...Knowing the feeling will eventually pass?
...Because it probably will?
Or do you respond?
Do you repent and begin the process of change?
...Just like Josiah did?
He was only in his 20’s.
But he knew it wasn’t all about him.
And he even recognized his limitations with the Scriptures.
So, he sought counsel from wise people he respected.
Hilkiah the priest.
Huldah the prophet.
They affirmed it was the Lord who was speaking.
And in response, Josiah submitted.
He repented.
He died to self,
...And found life.
In last week’s story we read,
9 ...For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.” – 2 Chron 30:9 (NLT)
King David, who is in the background
of the entire book of Chronicles,
Was caught in the unspeakable sin of adultery and murder.
And when confronted he repented and prayed,
16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. –Psalm 51:16 (NLT)
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. –Psalm 51:17 (NLT)
You see we are all sinners.
None of us measure up to who we were created to be.
Elder story
I met with someone this past week
to invite them to pray about potentially becoming an elder.
They were hesitant.
They said they picture an elder
...having this perfect relationship with God,
...One who knows scripture inside and out,
...and who doesn't struggle with the same sins
the rest of us struggle with.
And I smiled and asked,
“Do you know who you just described?”
“Jesus!”
Becoming like him is our desire and goal
But none of us have arrived, yet.
I asked,
“You know what a real elder looks like?
...The kind who actually exists?”
It’s a person who recognizes their everyday need for Jesus,
It’s a person who spends time with Jesus
and is mature in Jesus.
It’s a person that when Jesus reveals
an area of weakness or sin,
...They humble themselves and repent
and ask for strength to overcome.
It’s a person who continually seeks to submit to the Lord
And NOT their own pride,
God desires humility and brokenness.
He desires a repentant heart.
That when confronted in our sin,
As followers of Jesus, our only response is
“Yes, Lord.”
I was wrong.
Help me follow you.
Transform me into your image.
I can’t do it without you.
So in the moment of clarity,
How do you respond?
And will you respond?
Prayer
In this message, we continue our series learning together from the life of King Hezekiah and how it is never too late, especially when we pray for the lost.
Series: Never Too Late,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 29:1-5, 2 Chronicles 29:16-17, 2 Chronicles 29:21, 2 Chronicles 29:29, 2 Chronicles 29:33-36, 2 Chronicles 30:1, 2 Chronicles 30:5, 2 Chronicles 30:6-9, 2 Chronicles 30:10, 2 Chronicles 30:11, 2 Chronicles 30:15-17, 2 Chronicles 30:18, 1 Samuel 15:22, 2 Chronicles 30:18-20, 2 Chronicles 30:26, Romans 3:22-24, Numbers 9:6-13,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/287342725661679/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/never-too-late-hezekiah-part-3/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-08-02_never-too-late-part-3_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-08-02_never-too-late-part-3_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Never Too Late – Hezekiah | PART 3Avalon Church 8/2/20
Maresea Blackwell – The grace of Jesus Christ and Maresea’s compassionate concern, persistent prayer, obedient outreach
Today we continue our series, Never Too Late (changes of heart in the book of Chronicles) as we learn together from the life of King Hezekiah.
Please go ahead and find 2 Chronicles 29 in your Bible.
As you are doing so, let me invite you to share your story at avalonchurch.org/stories
(Note the cities of Beersheba and Dan – important later in the story)
Saul – David – Solomon – Rehoboam/Jeroboam – Judah/Israel
The division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel was an act of grace by God to all mankind – to you and me – to protect the dynasty of David -- the lineage from which Jesus would come – from the horrendous idolatry in Israel.
Hoshea was the last ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel, for in his day (722 BC), the Assyrians invaded the land, deported many of the citizens, and repopulated Israel with Gentile peoples, usually prisoners, from the lands Assyria had conquered.
The kingdom of Israel became Samaria, named after the capital city, and it was a nation whose citizens were not pure Jews but a comingling of many ethnic strains.
We hear about “the ten lost tribes of Israel,” but the Bible never uses that phrase.
But they definitely lost their identity as they were deported and dispersed or assimilated with the peoples brought into the land by the Assyrians to become the hated Samaritans of Jesus’ day.
Sadly, the manmade religion of Israel had infected Judah and it was only by the grace of God that a faithful remnant remained after their own exile to keep the bloodline to Jesus the Messiah intact. But that’s a different story.
Last Sunday, Don told us about Manasseh, whose gross sins likely led to the eventual invasion and exile of Judah.
Manasseh’s grandfather was Ahaz who imitated the wicked kings of Israel and the pagan practices of Assyria.
He, too, adopted the horrible worship practices of the pagans and sacrificed his sons to Baal.
Sandwiched in between these two is Hezekiah, a man glad to have made it past the sacrifice of his brothers.
He was a teenager or young adult when the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom in 722.
He witnessed many of the same practices in his father’s reign as were done in Israel.
So, he was very familiar with all the wrong ways to lead a nation.
But Hezekiah was one of the good guys. When he became king, good and right things started happening right away. 29:1-5
The Levites consecrated themselves and set about to purify the temple. 29:16-17
Once done, they told King Hezekiah who gathers the city’s officials together and made some serious sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary and for Judah. 29:21
Who thinks of interceding for their rebellious, sinful, disrespectful “brother?”
Hezekiah values the sinful Israelites of the north because they are still part of the nation (family)
Once the temple is restored to service, he offers sacrifices on their behalf (even though they don’t know it and haven’t asked for it)
And then they humbly worshiped. 29:29
And then the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings – which almost overwhelmed them. 29:33-34
In the end “the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished.” 29:35-36
Three times each year, the Jewish men were required to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles – and Hezekiah intended to celebrate Passover.
Unfortunately, the prescribed time for Passover had occurred while the temple – and the priests, for that matter -- were still being cleansed.
Neither the temple nor the priests and Levites had been ready in the first month.
However, the Law of Moses, specifically Numbers 9:6-13, made provision for celebrating the Passover in the second month and Hezekiah took advantage of this provision.
Passover commemorated the release of the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage, so it was a national celebration.
For this reason, Hezekiah invites the Jews from both Judah and Israel (now Samaria) to come to Jerusalem for the feast. He goes out of his way to extend the invitation to come get right with God. 30:1, 5
Here is the proclamation. Hear the heart of Hezekiah as he appeals to remnant of Israel to come repent with Judah.
He is obviously aware of their sin but tries to communicate that their sin is not bigger than God’s grace. Note the words about God’s grace. 30:6-9
Sadly, the remnant in bondage to Assyria were just as stiff-necked as their ancestors. 30:10
Here was an opportunity to make a new beginning and glorify the Lord by seeking and accepting his compassion, grace and mercy
But most of the people outside of Judah rejected the invitation.
They mocked and belittled Hezekiah and his messengers – but in so doing, they rejected the blessing the Lord had for them.
However, there were some people who had the courage to disagree with their families and friends – and the courage to face their own rebellion and sin – and go to Jerusalem for the feast. 30:11
So Passover happens – but not without some big problems. 30:15-17
But worse, the brave souls from the north were not purified – they had not been able to perform all the rituals required in the Law. 30:18a
This was one of the reasons for the exception in Numbers to delay the Passover to the second month if people were not purified in the first month.
However, Hezekiah accepts them as they are and intercedes for them to God about not being purified when they partook of the Passover
Hezekiah knew that God was concerned about the hearts of the worshipers and not the details of meeting ceremonial requirements. 1 Samuel 15:22
So Hezekiah prayed God would cleanse and accept them. 30:18b-20
This is grace.
What’s happening here is often compared in the Hebrew scripture to marriage
God desired to relate to the nation of Israel, so much so that he “marries” her
Israel has sex with the neighbor’s spouse on the wedding night
God reaches down and relates to the nation of Israel
Grace is more than just leniency and unconditional acceptance; and much more than mere tolerance.
Divine grace is God’s relentless and loving pursuit of His enemies, who are unthankful, unworthy, and unlovable.
In this case it is His own people, both inside and outside of Jerusalem and Judah.
We might be tempted to focus on Hezekiah, a legitimately good king whose efforts resulted in a return to proper worship of God.
But let me share some insights from Dr Preston Sprinkle in his recent book, Charis:
We tend to read the Bible, especially the Hebrew scriptures, morally. That is, we look for human characters to emulate – perhaps Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Joseph or David – while others are examples of lifestyles and choices to avoid – maybe Cain, Judah, Samson, or Manasseh.
However, an honest reading of scripture reveals that these people were all flawed, some horribly. And while there are moments of faith and obedience, for the most part, they are terribly disappointing, and we really don’t want to be anything like them.
“Grace is the spine that holds the whole thing together. Look at any story, any chapter, and you’ll find a story of God’s relentless pursuit of His rebellious children. Take grace out of the Old Testament, and, like pulling a thread from a sweater, the whole thing will come undone. Every character, every event, every single page from the Old Testament bleeds grace.”
This moment bleeds grace. And the assembled congregation knew it.
They partied for seven days – and then seven days more – just like Solomon had when the temple had first been dedicated.
And there was great joy in Jerusalem. 30:26
Apparently, none in the assembly were upset or offended that God had poured his grace on those who had offended them or were “horrible sinners.”
No one – including those from Israel and other foreigners – were defined by the sin in their lives – even the past sin in their lives – but rather by the grace that forgave that sin and the God who extended that grace.
Let me bring this full circle this morning by reminding you of Maresea’s testimony.
Maresea, our modern day Hezekiah
She had herself experienced the grace of God through Jesus Christ
She had a deep concern for those in her own family
While personally aware of the depth of her grandfather’s and father’s sin, she diligently tried to communicate that their sin was not bigger than God’s grace.
The apostle Paul describes it like this:
Preston Sprinkle would add:
Divine grace is God’s relentless and loving pursuit of His enemies, who are unthankful, unworthy, and unlovable. Grace is not just God’s ability to save sinners, but God’s stubborn delight in His enemies. Grace means that despite our filth, despite the sewage running through our veins, despite our odd addiction to food, drink, sex, porn, pride, self, money, comfort, and success, God desires to transform us into real ingredients of divine happiness
Never Too Late is the theme of this series.
We learned from Maresea that it is not too late at 96 years of age.
We learned from Maresea that it is not too late even when your father says that Jesus could never forgive him “because what he had done was too bad and too hurtful for a lot of people”
But there is a point when it is too late.
When the Israelites ridiculed and rejected the invitation to come back to God, it was too late and they were absorbed into darkness.
And for each of us and the ones we love tomorrow could be too late, for we are not promised tomorrow
Here is my two-fold challenge to you today:
God desires to relate to your grandfather, your mother, your brother, your friend.
Put the name of one person who needs to know Jesus on a 3x5 card taped to the bathroom mirror, or used as a bookmark in the book you’re reading, or a daily reminder on your phone that will prompt you to pray every day for that person’s salvation.
For some here or watching online today, your name is on someone’s prayer card.
I prayed this morning for you – not by name but to a gracious God who knows your name and calls you from darkness and despair into a relationship with him through Jesus Christ.
In the building, grab Don or Mike after service
In the building or watching online, simply text “life” to 407-559-8210 and we’ll contact you
Let’s pray.
Manasseh was the worst king the kingdom of Judah had ever seen. Yet, God was not done with him. Let’s dive into this truly “Never too late” story that gives hope to all of us!
Series: Never Too Late,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 33:1-2, 2 Chronicles 33:3, Deuteronomy 31:16-17, 2 Chronicles 33:4-5, 2 Chronicles 33:6, 2 Kings 21:13-14, 2 Chronicles 33:10-11, 2 Chronicles 33:14-17,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/288008619126745/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/never-too-late-manasseh-part-2/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-07-26_never-too-late-part-2_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-07-26_never-too-late-part-2_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Manasseh
Intro Series:
It’s never too late.
Stories of the heart change that led to a huge impact
in their lives and the lives of generations after.
Intro Rian.
Elder
Scariest interviewer that I ever had the privilege of being interviewed by.
Great sense of humor.
Rian’s story is intriguing
and it’s a good intro to the scripture today.
Story: Rian Seipler
Rian shares his stories.
Overview of Chronicles
Last book of OT
With so many promises that were fulfilled,
With their exile to Babylon reversed.
They were still oppressed by other nations.
Jerusalem was still a mess,
The Temple still just a shadow of the past.
It was like they were still in exile.
...still waiting for God to do something big.
Though Chronicles ends the OT story looking for a conclusion,
...It is a story that was intended to offer hope.
That God was going to finish what he started.
...That he would send the Messiah,
...The King from the line of David,
...Who would be better than David!
...Who would come and restore
Everything that was broken.
So today we’re going to look at the story
of a King named Manasseh.
Probably the worst king
the S. kingdom of Judah had ever known.
The story takes place in 2 Chron.33.
How bad he was
1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. – 2 Chron. 33:1-2 (NLT)
For 55 years, he led the nation away from God.
55 years of corruption.
There was no Congress to slow him down.
No other branches of government to stop him.
There were no protestors who could do anything about it.
He was King.
Where he went, the country went.
The only one who could stop him,
...Was another king.
3 He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had broken down. He constructed altars for the images of Baal and set up Asherah poles. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them. – 2 Chron. 33:3 (NLT)
These included the sex gods and temple prostitution.
These included infanticide.
There was some awful things people did
To appease the gods.
So for 55 years,
King Manasseh hedged his bets.
He worshiped all the gods of the ancient world,
...just in case.
In doing so,
he forgot what got him there in the first place.
He forgot God’s promise to Abraham,
...Bringing a child to a couple that could not have kids,
...Promising a nation by which the world would be blessed.
He forgot the slavery in Egypt,
...And how God raised up Moses,
...He forgot Passover and the parting of the Red Sea,
...And witnessing God’s power
to lead the people to the Promised Land
He forgot the prediction that was given to Moses
Right before he died;
16 ...these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. – Deut 31:16-17
Manasseh forgot how he got there,
That his great, great, great grandfather David,
Was chosen to lead these people differently than the other nations.
...That YHWH God was the ultimate ruler,
...And his temple was just down the road from Manasseh’s palace.
Instead,
4 [Manasseh] built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. – 2 Chron. 33:4-5 (NLT)
6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger. – 2 Chron. 33:6 (NLT)
Manasseh’s Father was Hezekiah
a very good King who we’ll talk about next week.
Manasseh completely rejected his family... his heritage.
...till eventually he sacrificed some of his own children
to appease the gods of the surrounding nations.
He practiced sorcery and witchcraft
...Knowing that this is why King Saul’s family was not king.
Sometimes, we keep taking one bad step after another,
...Until one day we look back
And we can’t believe how far we have fallen
And how wide the wake of destruction trailing behind us.
Verse 7.
7 Manasseh even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in God’s Temple, the very place where God had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel. 8 If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws, decrees, and regulations given through Moses—I will not send them into exile from this land that I set aside for your ancestors.” 9 But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land. –2 Chron.33:7-9 (NLT)
Manasseh was arrogant.
Prideful.
And short-sighted.
This is what Moses warned about:
...God asked,
and you said you wanted to be the people of God,
...You said you would follow me,
YHWH, your Lord.
...And I promised that I would bless you
with a land to call your own,
...A land through which I would bless all nations through you.
But if you forget me,
if you reject me,
...You will lose my protection,
...You will lose this land.
In other words,
With me you'll become a superpower.
But don’t ever become so arrogant
to think that you are a super-power kind of people.
I’m not looking for a super-power kind of people.
I’m looking for a humble-people who will
...follow me,
...And trust me
...the Super-Power God!
But like every king in the N. Kingdom,
Manasseh forgot.
...He wanted to run with the big boys,
...The Super-Powers.
...And God warned him.
...The prophets warned him.
Vs. 10,
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. –2 Chron.33:10 (NLT)
In the 2 Kings version of the story,
...There's a lot of detail about what will happen.
I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. – 2 Kings 21:13-14 (NLT)
Bottom line,
if you want to do life on your own;
...If you want to play in the same arena
as Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, and Persia?
...You’re gonna lose.
And it ain’t gonna be pretty.
...And it wasn’t.
But you wouldn’t know that in 2 Kings.
Because this is where Manasseh’s story ends.
But Chronicles was written hundreds of years later.
It has perspective.
It gives you the rest of the story.
Chronicles was pointing towards a future Messiah,
...Who would be a king like none other before him,
...Who would save Israel from foreign nations,
...And would bring justice and peace.
This king would be from the line of David.
Which was Manasseh’s line.
So the story continues,
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. 11 So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. – 2 Chron. 33:10-11 (NLT)
Don’t rush past this.
Manasseh was led 900 miles
shackled with a hook in his nose.
He knew he was going to die,
Just not sure how.
Foreign powers would often
slowly and brutally kill a captured king,
Often after making him watch
As they brutally murdered his family.
The tactic inspired fear.
And it made the newly conquered people
change allegiance very quickly.
But look at verse 12,
12 In [Manasseh’s] distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God. – 2 Chron.33:10-13 (NLT)
How did he know the Lord was God?
He prayed and God listened.
His heart was broken and remorseful
...and he experienced God’s forgiveness.
...He witnessed the impossible change in his heart and life.
It’s the example of the verse from last week.
If my people humble themselves and pray,
I will hear from heaven and heal them.
You can pray to the Baals.
You can plead with those in power.
But they’re deaf to your cries.
They don’t need you or want you.
It is the Lord who seeks you out.
It is the Lord who desires you
...And desires you to return.
Like a loving Father longing for his lost son,
It is never too late.
That’s the hope of Chronicles.
It’s never too late.
Stop trying to do life on your own.
Return to one who designed you
... who loves you
...and who is inviting you back into the family.
Remember who this story is written to...
The Exiles who had returned to Jerusalem.
The writer of Chronicles blames Manasseh
for the Babylonian exile.
Yet, In Babylon, Manasseh Repented
and was restored by God.
Perhaps the same is available to all of us.
How he responded
And as a result of what God had done in his life,
...The way God showed love and mercy,
And Manasseh reciprocated in kind.
His life was changed.
14 Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David.... 15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God. –2 Chron 33:14-17 (NLT)
You (Application. So What?)
Compare Manasseh’s response to Rian’s (brag on Rian a bit).
Salvation – Never too late
Church – how does your life show that you’re his? (How have you changed?
Share your story
AvalonChurch.org/Stories
The Old Testament is a story desperate for a conclusion. This introductory message to the book of Chronicles demonstrates that the story finds its fulfillment in Jesus.
Series: Never Too Late,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 36:23, 2 Chronicles 7:13-15, Matthew 1:1, John 1:1, John 1:14,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1007829879649744/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/never-too-late-hope-part-1/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-07-19_never-too-late-part-1_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-07-19_never-too-late-part-1_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
I’d like to begin today reading the story of Audrey Mahn,
Her and her husband Rich have done so much
to help us communicate to you during this COVID pandemic.
Audrey’s story is powerful,
And common throughout the world.
Audrey’s Story
I was born in a small city in China. Most were Buddhist. There were no Christians around me. Though my family was not Buddhist, we had Buddha statues at home. Sometimes we would pray to them. When I was 9 or 10 years old, I liked going out on our balcony and looking at the sky and other buildings and I would talk to God. I didn’t know how I knew there was a God at that time, but when I had troubles, I prayed to him... or at least made a wish.
During this time, my dad also had a friend who claimed to have supernatural power. He called it a “third eye” on his forehead, and said he could see and do supernatural things. This man’s daughter and I played together and pretended to have “third eye” power.
When I was around 13, my mom began practicing a new cult religion emphasizing the supernatural. I was innocent and naïve and would join my mom and practice this for fun.
However, when I was around 15 years old, I began hearing a voice and had destructive, evil, even suicidal thoughts. I tried to resist, but the voice and the thoughts tortured me. I felt so helpless. I couldn’t sleep at night because my heart beat so fast. I read lots of psychology and philosophy books. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I thought it was a battle of my will... and I was losing. It was much later I learned that this was a spiritual battle between good and evil.
When I went to college, I chose English as my major. Part of learning western culture was reading the Bible. I was even invited to a bible study, and that’s where I decided to become a Christian.
That summer I was invited to stay with an American friend, Hannah, who was living in China. One night I shared with her my experiences of hearing that voice and fighting against those evil thoughts; how I felt this spiritual oppression and was scared. She noted that “I couldn’t even look her in the eyes.” We prayed in Jesus name that God would free me.
Hannah called a friend of ours, Pauline, an American who was a Christian psychologist. Pauline invited me to kneel and confess my sins; to forgive those in my life who hurt me. I prayed and invited the Holy Spirit to come and occupy every area of my heart. We prayed for 2 hours. I was shaking and felt this battle inside me. Pauline asked for the demon’s name and I heard a voice inside say an English name that none of us recognized. We looked it up in the dictionary and the word meant “the third eye,” that supernatural power I practiced as a child. It was then when that power left me.
It was an immediate change. I looked at the mirror and saw the light in my eyes return. And I could look straight to my friends’ eyes. I felt so free. God set me free and broke the chains on me. I had been tortured by evil for 7 years. I had no hope, but now God had saved me. He had a great plan for me and I could now live for him and tell his story so others would know God could change their life, too.
INTRO
We’re starting a new series called “Never Too Late”
For the next 5 weeks, we’re going to look at some stories
from the book of 2 Chronicles
...where God unexpectedly got a hold of someone’s heart,
And their life was changed forever.
My hope is that some of your stories will be shared, too.
...We have some great stories in our church-family.
Whether you write them out or record a video,
I think it would be encouraging for all of us
to hear each others stories
...of how God has transformed,
...and is continuing to transform people’s lives.
We’ve set up a webpage for you to share your story.
AvalonChurch.org/Stories
You can write it out,
You can share a video.
Whatever you want.
That way we can all read what God has done,
...and I’d like to share a story each week
As we look at various stories in 2 Chronicles.
God
Background
Before jumping in,
I need to frame the book of Chronicles,
...Because every story leads to a singular purpose,
...Hope.
You may be aware that in our OT,
1-2 Chronicles follows the books of Samuel and Kings,
...and to the frustration of many readers,
...And after 9 chapters of genealogies,
It repeats a lot content from both of those books.
So often, when people realize they’ve already read
some of these stories before,
...they just skip these books.
Which is a shame.
Because Chronicles is doing something very different than
The books of Samuel and Kings.
Which is much more obvious to Jewish readers.
...Because the books in our OT
Are in a different order than the Hebrew Bible of the Jews.
In our Bible, Chronicles is right in the middle of all the historical books.
But in the Hebrew Bible,
Chronicles is the very last book.
The reason is that Chronicles is one of the
last of the OT books that were written.
The books of 1-2 Chronicles were always read as 1 book;
But they couldn’t fit on just 1 scroll,
...so Chronicles Scroll 1 and 2.
Chronicles summarizes the entire story of God.
It chronicles the story,
...Starting with Adam and Abraham and Moses,
And then King David,
And when Israel split into 2 kingdoms.
And it touches a little on the N. Kingdom’s destruction,
...but really focuses on the S. Kingdom, David’s kingdom,
Before and after it was defeated by Babylon.
. eventual destruction of the North
all the way through the Jewish exile and return.
Why do I tell you all this?
Because when Babylon captured Jerusalem
And destroyed the Temple,
...It looked like the end of the Jewish people,
...And the end of YHWH’s story.
Yet, God, through his prophets,
continued to offer hope that one day they would return home.
Exiles returning was unprecedented.
But the prophets promised
...Jerusalem would be restored,
...And the temple would be rebuilt.
And that God would again live among them,
And that Messiah would rule as God’s anointed king,
...that he would take back what they had lost
...and that all nations would come and live under his rule.
This was the promise as Jerusalem lied in rubble.
And as the people made new homes in Babylon.
So around 50-60 years later,
When the kingdom of Persia defeated Babylon,
...And when Cyrus, King of Persia
allowed the Jewish exiles to return home,
They saw the beginning of the fulfillment
Of those prophetic promises.
And that is what the book of Chronicles is all about.
When it was written,
Jews had been living back in the Promised Land for generations.
Yet, none of the other promises had been fulfilled.
There was no Messiah.
The rebuilt temple was just a shadow of the first temple.
And they were still under foreign control.
So the writer of Chronicles
retold and reshaped the stories of the past.
They wanted to rekindle hope for the future,
The hope for the coming Messianic King.
The One who would come from the line of David.
So the focus of Chronicles is exclusively
on the kings from David’s lineage.
Every story is a story pointing towards hope.
That David was a good king,
And the coming Messiah was going to be like David,
...But even better!
Everything was written to help the Jewish people
learn from their family history
...To prepare themselves for the coming Messiah.
This is true even to the very last line.
It’s a quote from Cyrus, The Persian king,
after defeating Babylon.
He said,
“Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up...” (2 Chronicles 36:23, ESV).
And it literally ends with an incomplete sentence.
It ends in expectation.
Of course, the writer of Chronicles knew what happened
when the Jews returned home.
He knew the book of Ezra about rebuilding the 2nd Temple
And the book of Nehemiah about rebuilding the wall.
But clearly these were not seen
as fulfillment of the prophetic hope.
For the author, hope is set on another return from exile
When Messiah will finally come,
...when the temple will be rebuilt,
...And God’s people will be restored.
The book of Chronicles,
And the entire Hebrew Scriptures,
...end by pointing forward.
The OT story is a story that is incomplete.
It ends unfulfilled,
...It’s like a show that is “to be continued.”
And Chronicles wants the people to know:
God is not done.
God has a plan to finish what he started.
God is brining restoration.
And like he did in the past,
God is inviting you and me back to him.
This is a theme that occurs over and over in the book.
We see it in the famous passage
...Where the Lord appeared to Solomon
at the inauguration of the 1st temple,
...and said...
“13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. --2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (NLT)
It’s never too late.
I will never forget you.
You have freedom to run from me.
You have freedom to reject me.
...But I will always be here.
...Always inviting,
...always willing to restore our relationship,
...And welcome you home.
That’s good news!
That’s the invitation for all of us.
And that’s the promise that Chronicles points to,
...That God will finally bring peace and restoration to the world
...through this king from the line of David,
...Through this Messiah.
That’s why the Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy.
1This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: --Matt 1:1 (NLT)
It’s saying,
The One you’ve been waiting for,
The One who would fulfill all of the promises of the Prophets,
...He is here.
...His name is Jesus.
The Messianic King from the line of David.
This is why the Gospel of John begins:
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.... 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. –John 1:1,14 (NLT)
The disciples of Jesus knew their Hebrew Bible.
They knew the promises.
And they wanted to make sure everyone knew
...The promises of the Hebrew Scriptures
Were all fulfilled in Jesus.
You (Application. So What?)
And what does that mean for us?
You, too, are made for a purpose.
You, too, are desired by God.
...And that he came, suffered, died, and rose again,
...for you.
You have not gone too far.
It’s never too late.
God used the writer of Chronicles to spread hope.
And to tell God’s story BACK THEN.
...he wants you to do the same... NOW.
...To share the story that it’s never too late.
So during this series,
As I share stories from the past,
...I pray you will share your stories
of what God has done in your life.
AvalonChurch.org/Stories
You can write it out.
You can post a video.
But tell God’s story.
Share how it’s never too late to say yes to him,
...and find life in him.
(Pray)
We (Closing and Challenge)
Action Steps: crushed
Salvation.
For Church
Life Group Questions (send to Dennis)
Mention Connection Card and Prayer Team
Sabbath is the key to understanding real joy and rest. But what does that actually mean for those who follow Jesus? Join us for the last message and most important message in our Staycation series.
Series: Staycation,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Genesis 1, Genesis 2:2, Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:18-20, Matthew 11:28-30,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/694949671351531/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/staycation-sabbath-story-of-gods-promise-part-4/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-07-12_staycation-part-4_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-07-12_staycation-part-4_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
INTRO
When I was a teenager,
I had a friend who couldn’t hang out on Sundays.
He couldn’t wash his car.
He couldn’t play video games.
Nothing.
Why?
His mom said that there was no work on the Sabbath.
I was kinda glad my parents didn’t read that part of the Bible. :)
We (tension)
But so it has been for the Jews for 3000 years!
Even today in Israel,
Friday afternoons are a madhouse
...of last minute shopping
and hurrying to make preparations for Shabat,
...the Hebrew word for Sabbath which begins at sunset.
Families come from wherever they are
to gather around the dinner table
...for prayers and reading the Scriptures
if they’re religious,
...followed by a good meal, laughing, talking.
It’s a beautiful tradition.
The next morning, many wake and go to synagogue,
Then spend the rest of the day with family and neighbors.
Sabbath often ends with a celebratory meal
...Welcoming the 8th day,
The first day of the new week.
God
Story
I want to tell a story that most of you already know.
...not just “A” bible story,
...but “THE” Bible story.
...how things begin.
...and how they end.
But I’m going to share the story through a very different lens,
...a Jewish lens
...that may just reveal why
...You feel that your faith may be missing something.
The story begins in Genesis 1.
In the beginning,
God began to create;
...Bringing light and order
out of darkness and disorder.
...For 6 days.
Each ending with the statement
“And there was evening and morning.”
Finally, on the 7th day,
God was finished and he rested.
He Shabat, the Hebrew word for stop or cease.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [Shabbat] from all his work. – Gen 2 (NIV)
It never says there was evening and morning.
The 7th day was to be a day with no end.
The work was done.
Life was now full and complete.
God’s presence now filled his creation.
Every need taken care of;
As God appointed people to join him
In take care of the creation.
God dwelling with humanity, forever.
This is God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
...When all is right between God and people,
...And people with each other.
In the Jewish mind, this is what the # 7 represented.
The 7th day of God’s fullness and completion and rest.
But human beings were deceived by a dark power
and ended up forfeiting the 7th day of rest.
We call this the Fall.
...When Adam and Eve decided
they no longer wanted to submit.
They wanted to rule under their own authority
They wanted to be God.
And this story is perpetuated every time we put ourselves first.
Every time we choose our story as the main story.
That’s what sin is.
I’m more important than you... or even God.
And as a result of their sin,
The 7th day came to a close.
...they were exiled into the wilderness.
...Condemned to work as slaves to the land.
Separated from God
and alienated from each other.
That was never God’s design.
Yet, in the midst of their rebellion,
...God continued to love people and dwell with them.
...And always intended to restore humanity
...back to the 7th day rest.
And you see, that’s the story from Genesis chapter 4
Repeated over and over through the end in Revelation.
God chooses a people, the family of Israel,
...offering an opportunity to walk with God
into 7th day rest,
...so they can share it with others.
God rescues them from the darkness of slavery in Egypt,
...And walks the long journey with them,
Through the wilderness.
Every journey on this side of Eden
is the hard journey through the wilderness.
And like all of us,
they continually chose their own way.
And God never stopped inviting them
and re-inviting them
...to start living as if they were already in the promised land.
That was the blessing of the Sabbath.
Every 7th day they are to stop working,
To Shabat.
To rest.
You’ve done good work all week.
It is time to rest in the Lord;
...To enjoy God’s good world
together with God and his people;
...To take a whole day
to live as if ultimate rest has already come.
And it didn’t stop there.
The weekly Sabbath is just one of 7 festivals
that Israel practiced throughout the year.
Like Passover
Pentecost.
The Day of Atonement.
Each festival anticipating the future return
Of God’s ultimate 7th day of rest.
But there’s more.
In addition to the weekly Sabbath,
And 7 annual festivals,
Every 7th year was called the “Sabbath Year.”
...where the land was to remain at rest,
...the poor could eat freely from what grows naturally.
It was a year where,
...forgiveness was to be extended,
...and servants released from their obligations.
A year where they experienced his kingdom come
On earth as it is in heaven.
But wait, there’s more! :)
Every seven times seven years, Every 49 years,
Was the Year of Jubilee,
...where every debt was cancelled.
...Every slave was freed.
...And all land was returned to the original owner.
Everything was restored.
Jubilee was the ultimate Sabbath expression
...of living out God’s promised rest,
...while you were still living in the wilderness.
But like we all do,
They forgot their God,
And they continued to live in oppression,
And eventually,
They even lost the Promised Land.
And though it looked impossible,
The prophets kept promising God would restore the 7th day.
Isaiah prophesied,
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor... –Isaiah 61:1-2 (NIV)
God is going to send someone
Who will usher In the Year of the Lord’s favor.
He’s talking about the eternal 7th Day,
...When God’s kingdom is reestablished
on earth as it is in heaven,
Where brokenness is restored
And people are made whole
And for 500 years the people waited.
No rest.
No Jubilee.
Just these promises that were
Drifting further into the past.
As empire after empire continually oppressed them.
It’s at this dark point in the story
Where Jesus appears,
And he launched his public ministry on the Sabbath
Reading from that ancient prophet, Isaiah.
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” – Luke 4 (NIV)
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” –Luke 4 (NIV)
And then he dropped the mic.
That 7th day Sabbath rest;
The ultimate Jubilee,
He was sitting in front of them.
And immediately,
...Jesus left that synagogue
and to confront disorder and darkness in all its forms.
He freed people from sickness, sin, even death itself.
As Isaiah prophesied,
In Jesus, Everything broken is made right;
...And everyone, regardless of their sin,
Is invited into the 7th day.
Jesus’ entire ministry pointed to that day.
But then Jesus died.
And it seemed that the darkness had won.
...So it seemed.
Yet, Jesus’ death took place at the end of the week.
What was his body doing on the Sabbath?
On Saturday?
It was Resting.
It was shabatting.
And then what happened on Day 8?
The first day of a new week?
Jesus rose from the dead.
His resurrection was like the first day of a “new creation.”
God’s light had broken into the darkness.
Death was defeated.
The power of sin had been broken,
...and its debt paid.
Yet, as Jesus walked through the wilderness,
So still, do we.
We still struggle.
We still experience pain.
But Jesus invites us to experience a taste of real rest
As we follow him.
Jesus said,
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” –Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
Jesus gives rest. Sabbath.
And what was so beautiful and life-giving,
Had become such a burden.
Rabbi’s and religious leaders argued about Sabbath
And created rules for Sabbath
...that became a list of checkboxes
that few could do.
This is the exact opposite of Sabbath.
So Jesus was redefining Sabbath
back to its original meaning.
Stopping to rest in the Lord.
Sabbath pointed to a day when God’s mercy would fall
like rain on a parched land.
...And in Jesus, that day had come.
And in this wilderness as we walk with Jesus,
...Waiting expectantly for the day when his kingdom is fully realized.
Until then,
We take a break from the broken rhythms of hurry
And create moments to recognize that he is Lord,
...And we are his family.
We discipline ourselves to disconnect
And experience his presence,
...And to extend his rest and invitation
to the world around us.
You (Application. So What?)
So what does this mean for us today?
One thing is for sure,
...it’s not creating a bunch of new rules
For how we spend our weekends.
No, Sabbath rest is an invitation to practice for eternity.
It’s the discipline of stopping and resting,
...so we can experience God’s presence,
And make room for him to take up residence in our lives,
Like running a marathon,
...Sabbath is not natural.
It’s a discipline.
It takes practice.
Sabbath is living the reality
That the world doesn’t revolve around me.
That God is my provider,
And that I trust him,
That this is God’s world,
And God’s story,
A story in which he has invited us to participate!
Dallas Willard, one of the great spiritual writers of our time,
Once said
Hurry is “the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.”
--Dallas Willard
Hurry is not compatible with meaningful relationships.
Loving someone
And caring for them,
And being interested in them
...is extremely time-consuming.
Every parent and every lover know that’s true.
It takes an enormous amount of time to love well.
All of my worst moments as a father and husband,
...can be associated with hurry.
God walks slowly with us because love is slow.
...Love is patient.
...Love pays attention.
...Love appreciates this moment, right here, right now.
This is how we choose joy in the everyday;
...making time for regular, rhythmic periods
...Where we are quiet.
Where the tv and phone are off
And we can reflect.
And everyone should also create regular, rhythmic periods
Where you spend time with others,
...eating,
...laughing,
...and just enjoying each other’s company,
Just fully in the moment
...knowing that God is in your midst.
This is the discipline of Sabbath.
This is Shalom;
God’s peace,
God’s rest,
God’s fullness... experienced.
...Living as the anticipation of God’s kingdom coming.
Do you have regular, rhythmic periods like this?
We (Closing and Challenge)
Jesus is inviting you to come.
He gives rest to the weary and burdened.
For some, it’s time to make Jesus Lord.
His story is rest, and joy, and peace.
Our story is wilderness, and hurry, and angst.
So live your life trusting that this is his story,
...his story is better.
Maybe it’s just beginning to discipline yourself to STOP.
Take 5 minutes a day to just be quiet.
To observe and listen.
And just breath.
You may be shocked at how long 5 minutes is.
But soon, you’ll crave even more.
Maybe you’d like some practice.
There’s a great 5-day YouVersion devotion called
AvalonChurch.org/HurryDevo
I went through this twice before writing today’s message.
And maybe you’d like to find out more about Sabbath.
BibleProject.com/explore/what-is-the-sabbath
The Bible Project has a great video along with study materials.
May we grow to be a people that live as the anticipation of God’s Eternal 7th Day.
(Pray)
Pastor Jim Groves, in this final lesson on James, leads us in our midweek study of the Book of James. This week the study is on James 5:7-20, discussing patience and prayer. The study was held & recorded on Zoom.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: James 5:7-20,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/875423816313812/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-11/
Praising the Lord is not the default setting at birth. Once we have full awareness of our "default settings" we learn how to have joy in the everyday. Join us as we challenge ourselves to change our default settings.
Series: Staycation,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Psalms 103:1-22, Mark 12:28-31, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 2 Samuel 6, Luke 21:1-3, John 7:38-39,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/396231907999935/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/staycation-default-settings-part-3/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-07-05_staycation-part-3_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-07-05_staycation-part-3_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Psalms 103:1-22 NIV
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Default Settings
– we know what these are (printers, for example)
In 2005 the brilliant author and professor David Foster Wallace offered the commencement address at Kenyon College in Ohio in which he spoke about default settings:
“Here is just one example of the total wrongness of something I tend to be automatically sure of: everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe; the realist, most vivid and important person in existence. We rarely think about this sort of natural, basic self-centeredness because it's so socially repulsive. But it's pretty much the same for all of us.
"It is our default setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth. Think about it: there is no experience you have had that you are not the absolute center of. The world as you experience it is there in front of YOU or behind YOU, to the left or right of YOU, on YOUR TV or YOUR monitor. And so on. Other people's thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent, real.”
He continued:
“[And so] petty, frustrating [stuff] like traffic jams and crowded aisles and long checkout lines in the grocery store give me time to think, and if I don't make a conscious decision about how to think and what to pay attention to, I'm gonna be [upset] and miserable every time I have to shop.
"Because my natural default setting is the certainty that situations like this are really all about me. About MY hungriness and MY fatigue and MY desire to just get home, and it's going to seem for all the world like everybody else is just in my way.”
Wallace followed that with a clear statement to the seniors gathered that it’s a matter of choice to do the hard work of somehow altering or getting free of the natural, hard-wired default setting which is to be deeply and literally self-centered and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self.
Wallace, who was raised by parents who were atheists, spoke of one more default setting:
“In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the best reason for choosing a God to worship is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things—if they are where you tap real meaning in life—then you will never have enough. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. Worship power—you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart—you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on. The insidious thing about these forms of worship is that they are unconscious. They are default settings.”
Our message series, Staycation, is subtitled, “Chasing Joy in the Everyday.”
Three years after his commencement address, at the age of 46, David Foster Wallace committed suicide
He found no joy in the default settings
King David pens Psalm 103 with a full awareness of default settings. Look at how he begins:
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Ps 103:1-2 NIV)
--
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Psalm 103:1-2 ESV)
“Bless the Lord” or “Praise the Lord” is not the default setting at birth
Praise should be but is not very often natural
David writes an exhortation to himself – and shares with us as an example
The Hebrew word for bless is barak and has a distinct meaning of expressing joyful gratitude as an enrichment of God
That is, the praise (however expressed) will make more people aware of the person and works of the Lord, and so God’s reputation will be enriched
This act does not revolve around me at all – in fact, it only includes me as an undeserving recipient of the blessing of God
It is fully adoration
“All that is within me” (all my inmost being)
Mark 12:28-31 (NIV):One of the teachers of the law asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ [Deuteronomy 6:4-5]
What does it look like to bless and praise with all that is within me?
I don’t know -- David doesn’t tell us
Probably because each of us is uniquely created by God and he relates to us and us to him as uniquely as a father does each of his children
What God receives as blessing and praise from you may not be his expectation for me, at all
I would guess that our immediate response to this question would include enthusiastic singing, perhaps even a little dancing or shouting
Doris caught up in Hillsong concert
Mike Smith understands that
King David would understand that
2 Samuel 6 records that when the ark of God was being brought into Jerusalem, King David was leaping and dancing before the Lord
But later he sits down and writes Psalm 103 because getting caught up in praise – which is good, by the way – is different than choosing and determining to praise
I would suggest that certain widow “blessed and praised the Lord”
Luke 21:1-3 (NIV): As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
It took all of her heart, mind, soul and strength to make that offering – and it blessed God
Let me additionally suggest that “all that is within me” changes over time
I loved Debbie with all that was within me when I was 20 and we got married
How that love looks is radically different (and significantly deeper and more intimate) 48 years later
So, while I cannot give you specifics, I can assure you that blessing and praising the Lord involves aligning all of who I am in intentional, God-centered adoration
With an audience of one
“And forget not all his benefits”
This is more than a mental activity – like “it slipped my mind”
It has to do with actions – intentionally make the effort not to forget
This is not just “don’t do something” – it is definitely “do something!”
David goes on to list so many things that God had done
But more to reveal God’s character than make a list of deeds
This is about who God is, not so much what he has done
God forgives – and heals – and redeems – and crowns with love and compassion
He satisfies and strengthens – and intercedes on behalf of the oppressed
He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love
Our Father does not stay angry or treat us as our sinful behavior deserves
Instead, he has compassion on his children and treats us tenderly
David is so correct
But David can only recite what he has seen in the past
He had no idea of how much bigger and better it would be for those of us on the other side of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah
He could have never imagined the magnitude of love that God would display by sending his son, Jesus, into the world to pay the final and full payment for sin
And neither could he have imagined the gift of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and the role he would play in blessing and praising
John 7:38-39 (NIV): Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
David implores himself and all of us to do the hard work of changing our default settings so blessings and praise flow freely from within
Like John Molloy’s jelly-filled donut
Let me close by reminding you of a Kay Warren quote that Pastor Don shared last Sunday:
Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; all that is within me bless his holy name!”
My challenge to you this week – work on changing your default settings. Memorize and meditate on Psalm 103:1-2, them make the choice to praise the Lord.
In a world of social distancing you may not feel comfortable coming forward to ask for prayer or talk more about Jesus
But we really do want to hear from you and speak with you
Please take advantage of our text number 407-559-8210
Text the word “prayer” to make a prayer request
Text the word “life” if you would like to ask questions about following Jesus or to let us know you have already made that decision but would like some guidance on the journey
Pastor Jim Groves leads us in our midweek study of the Book of James. This week the study is on James 4:11 - 5:6, discussing more about words, planning without God, and the ungodly rich. The study was held & recorded on Zoom.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: James 4:11-5:6,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2592021821010707/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-10/
Discover how joy in the Lord can be experienced regardless of the circumstances.
Series: Staycation,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 1:4, Philippians 2:17-18, Philippians 3:1,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/365907467717368/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/staycation-joy-no-matter-what-part-2/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-06-28_staycation-part-2_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-06-28_staycation-part-2_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
INTRO
Good morning, Avalon Church.
Last week, we began a series called Staycation.
It’s about living in the present.
Appreciating this moment;
Not allowing our obsession with past or the future,
To cheat us from what God is doing
... Right here, right now.
Last week we looked at Ecclesiastes chapter 8
Where we are given permission to have fun.
To enjoy good meals
And good company.
Because there will always be enough work.
There will always be something else to do.
Taking a break and enjoying the moment
will rarely sneak up on you.
Living this way takes intentionality.
And so does joy.
We (tension)
How is it,
...That I can pray with someone on their deathbed,
And joy and gratefulness just seem
...to pour out of them
into every family member and every nurse
...in that hospital room?
Yet, I can sit with a couple
...in their beautiful, spacious living room
...illustrating careers which earn a very good income,
...Healthy children playing upstairs,
...They appear to have everything necessary to be happy,
To find reasons for joy,
...yet they are filled with anxiety,
or anger,
Or jealousy,
or the insatiable desire to get more?
Why don’t they experience joy?
How is it that immense joy
can be found in the poverty of Haiti,
...Yet be noticeably absent
in the wealth and security of Avalon Park?
God
Background
This morning, we are going to look at Paul’s posture of joy,
...And his teaching the persecuted Christians
in the city of Philippi
that they can experience joy
regardless of their circumstances.
Paul knew what he was talking about.
It’s something you just may need hear.
Paul was suffering in prison,
very likely in the Roman capital.
Nero was the emperor,
And he was a tyrant.
And a narcissist.
Like all Emperors,
he proudly received the expected praise
“Nero is Lord.”
He was not a fan of this new religion,
And especially its leaders,
...That usurped his title
Declaring “Jesus is Lord.”
Nero eventually killed Paul.
And Peter.
And the Christians in Philippi were facing a similar fate.
And in the midst of this impossible situation,
Paul wrote the following words to the Philippian believers
That will lead into our passage today.
4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, -- Phil 1:4 (NLT)
17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. 18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy. –Phil 2:17-18 (NLT)
You can experience joy,
even if you lose your life!
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. –Phil 3:1 (NLT)
You see, Paul knew something we often miss.
So let’s listen in on his conversation
With these Philippian believers
as he seeks to help them experience joy,
...Right here, right now,
In the midst of the uncontrollable circumstances of life.
Disagreement between Euodia and Syntyche.
To set up this passage,
it’s helpful to understand that
...Paul’s deepest concern in most of his letters,
is unity among the followers of Christ.
Unity is proof of Christ’s love.
As Jesus offered his life for us,
We offer ours to others.
We give up our rights for their benefit.
And when we love others as Christ loved us,
Unity and Joy are the result.
And so, in the final chapter of Philippians,
...Paul cuts to the chase
and calls out an argument
...between two specific people in the church.
He says, [You-O’-dia and Sin’-ti-key]
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. –Phil 4 (NLT)
These two women are family.
They are leaders in the church,
Yet they can’t come to an agreement on some issue.
Yeah, we don’t know what that’s like, right?
Two good people at an impasse?
And Paul asks for other trusted leaders
to help them sort it out.
And it’s in the midst of this argument,
To a church that’s being severely persecuted,
By an apostle in prison facing execution,
That these words are spoken...
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! –Phil 4 (NLT)
Rejoice!
We tend to think of joy as an emotion
Welling up inside us,
...Making us happy from the inside out.
And that’s true.
But in Paul’s day,
...an admonition to “rejoice”
would specifically relate to a public celebration.
In Roman culture,
Great festivals and games were organized
to celebrate cities and their gods,
... especially the god that united them all,
... Caesar himself!
And so, Paul uses this familiar language
for those in the kingdom of Jesus.
As others celebrate earthly kings,
How much more should followers of King Jesus
celebrate exuberantly!?
Not just with parties and festivals,
But through our daily lives
...Worshiping and serving one another.
...Enjoying each moment together,
...Remembering Jesus together through the bread and wine.
Paul is not an optimist.
He is under no illusion
that we can just will our attitudes to become joyful.
No.
Rejoice,
... In the Lord.
Paul has used this phrase “in the Lord”
...Throughout the letter.
Followers of Jesus are citizens of a new Kingdom,
A kingdom within the sphere of Christ’s Lordship,
We are equipped to experience joy and unity,
...Not through our own strength,
...But through the power of Jesus’ Spirit living in us.
Rejoice in the Lord, Always.
Again, I say rejoice.
5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. –Phil 4 (NLT)
Regardless of what you’re going through,
Be gentle, be considerate
...Knowing that this is not the end.
We have hope that no matter what happens,
Jesus is near.
And Jesus will restore everything soon.
Our current situation will not last forever.
That’s why he could continue to say,
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. –Phil 4 (NLT)
In the ancient world, anxiety was a way of life.
There were no safety nets when things went wrong.
No doctors to fix broken legs or heal diseases.
No subsidies if your crop was destroyed.
You just went hungry.
There were no homeless ministries and food shelters.
No social security when you were too old to work.
You were on your own.
For the ancients,
...suffering meant the gods weren’t happy,
...And they never told you why.
All of life was filled with anxiety
that the shoe could drop at any minute.
But with the God who had revealed himself in Jesus,
Suffering was understood as part of a fallen world.
Fallenness Jesus had overcome.
So, while there was no guarantee against suffering,
There was certainty
...that God was in control,
...And working through you, his people
to right the wrongs in the world,
...And God was walking with you
...And shaping you,
...And listening to you.
That no prayer is too trivial
Because God cares about every aspect of your life.
If it matters to you,
it matters to God.
You (Application. So What?)
Paul’s life was difficult.
The Philippian believers were struggling.
So are some of you.
Some have lost jobs.
Others have been diagnosed with COVID.
Money, Debt, Family,
Loneliness, Depression...
There is plenty to worry about.
But if you turn your thoughts
toward the hope you have in Christ,
If you pray
Sharing your worries and your needs with God,
If you develop an attitude of gratitude,
A thankful heart for what God has blessed you with,
Paul says in verse 7,
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. –Phil 4 (NLT)
This isn’t manufactured peace.
This isn’t false optimism.
This is peace that only God gives.
Despite their present reality,
Paul was reassuring them.
Don’t focus on all the things you can’t control,
The past and the future.
Give it to Jesus.
Pray about all of it,
...And be intentional to look for
all the things God has already done for you.
And when you do that,
you will experience peace that frankly doesn’t make sense.
Illustrations of Peace
It’s a peace some of you have experienced
when you hit rock bottom and had nowhere else to go,
And you prayed and offered it to God,
And were overwhelmed
at the seemingly ridiculous peace you experienced.
It’s a peace some of you have shared about
when your sin was exposed and you were humiliated.
You had nowhere else to go.
And when you offered yourself to God,
you found forgiveness and acceptance
... and peace and freedom you couldn’t describe.
No matter what would happen
as a result of your failure,
God was with you,
And that was enough.
Our Story of Peace
In 2016, Rae Lynn and I both lost our jobs within the same month.
We were broke
BEFORE losing the jobs!
We should have freaked out.
And we were tempted to freak out.
But God had proven himself in the past
And we knew he was our only hope.
We prayed together as a family.
We asked God to renew of our minds.
Every time anxiety creeped in,
We offered it to God.
And I can’t explain the peace that we experienced.
God was with us.
And now, when we look back at that season,
Rae Lynn and Ali and Rylie and me,
We have a mile marker in our faith.
When the future is uncertain,
...We can remember that time when it looked so bleak
But we put our trust in God,
...And he took care of us.
How To
So how do you do this?
How do you renew your mind?
How do you “not worry”?
How can you experience God’s peace
In this moment?
..A peace that guards your minds
as you live in Christ Jesus?
That’s how Paul closes this section.
He says in verse 8,
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. –Phil 4 (NLT)
You want to experience joy?
You want to experience peace.
Fix your eyes
...On that which is true and honorable,
...And right and pure,
...And lovely, and admirable.
We live in a culture that pursues and celebrates
...Other people’s failures
and things that tear them down.
This is not the ways of Jesus’ kingdom.
When you fix your eyes on the characteristics of Jesus,
You become more like Jesus.
Verse 9, so...
9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. –Phil 4 (NLT)
Paul was being transformed to become more and more like Jesus.
And he’s saying, follow me as I follow Jesus.
I’ve found Joy and peace in him,
...In becoming more and more like him.
Kay Warren
Author Kay Warren knows despair.
Her and her husband Rick Warren,
The author of the Purpose Driven Life,
...Had a son with mental illness.
In 2013, at age 27, their son committed suicide.
They were wrecked.
This was a tragic end
To a lifetime of depression and pain.
Kay knows the deep pain of living in this world,
Through lot of time reading Scripture,
And dealing with her loss,
She eventually wrote a book called
Choose Joy: Because Happiness isn’t enough.
In it, she offers a definition of joy
...that reminds us of God’s powerful truths
when joy is not expected.
I think her definition is worth memorizing.
Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.
Would you read this aloud with me.
Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control
of all the details of my life,
the quiet confidence that ultimately everything
is going to be all right,
and the determined choice
to praise God in all things.
This has the power to change your life.
Joy is a settled conviction ABOUT God.
He is powerful... and sovereign.
That he is in control.
It’s a quiet confidence IN God,
That he is working, in the midst of pain, towards something,
And that something ends very, very well.
And finally,
Joy is a determined choice to give my praise TO God.
He is worthy and beautiful and good.
In fact, he is most worthy,
Most beautiful,
And most good.
We (Closing and Challenge)
I’d like to invite you to join each other
In Kay’s devotion Choose Joy.
It’s linked on our “Resources to Help You Grow” page.
Or just type the address at the bottom: AvalonChurch.org/JoyDevo
Choosing joy is not a one and done.
It’s not hearing and moving on.
Like everything about our faith,
It’s a journey.
...A journey to follow Jesus,
...A journey of continual death and resurrection
...dying to self and finding new life in Jesus,
...Through which God accomplishes the good purpose
of reconciling the world to himself.
Pastor Jim Groves leads us in our midweek study of the Book of James. This week the study is on James 3:14-4:10, discussing Wisdom and Wars. The study was held & recorded on Zoom.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: James 3:14-4:10,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1928614143941541/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-9/
Sometimes we just need permission to enjoy life! Join us as we look at Ecclesiastes 8:14-17.
Series: Staycation,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 8:14-17,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/266508924567195/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/staycation-lets-have-some-fun-part-1/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-06-21_staycation-part-1_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-06-21_staycation-part-1_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Intro
Happy Father’s Day, everyone!
As I’ve mentioned before,
My Dad was a police officer.
Our family struggled to make ends meet,
So Dad was always working extra jobs.
He wasn’t around much,
And we weren’t that close.
We weren’t a religious family,
So, when I I chose to follow Jesus in HS
…I proudly, and yes I know, weirdly,
Put this picture of Jesus on my stereo.
…my Dad thought I had joined a cult.
I still laugh at that picture
Which looks more like a Ponce de Leon from Spain
than a Middle Eastern Jew.
Dad and I were never very close.
Then, in my 30’s,
Rae Lynn and I invited dad and his wife
to stay with us while they were in town.
It was the best week ever as we really connected
for the first time in my life.
My dad loves jokes,
…and so I told him one about Baptists and dancing.
I got a lot of flack my first Sunday here when I told the joke,
But my dad laughed and laughed.
That was 20 years ago.
And he passed away almost 4 years ago,
But it was a moment I’ll never forget.
And when I laugh,
I am always astounded at how much I sound like my dad.
A Dad’s influence is so powerful.
Regardless of the mistakes, there is so much grace.
Intro Series
So today, on Father’s Day,
we’re starting a new series called Staycation.
A series about enjoying life
Right where you are.
2020 is the perfect time for this series,
And Father’s Day is the perfect day to start.
After 3 months of shutting down,
…Only to see the number of COVID cases rising
as we begin opening up,
Then, with recent abuses of power,
…resulting in murder,
…And country mourning and protesting ongoing injustice
With the heaviness that we are all experiencing,
It’s so easy to forget
…God’s gift of Joy.
Me
As I’ve spent time doing missions,
…In the mountains of Jamaica,
…witnessing poverty in Haiti and in Aguascalientes, Mexico,
The smiles on those children,
…And the gratitude of their parents
…Is a reminder that JOY is independent of circumstance.
God
Our focus Scripture today is from OT,
In the book of Ecclesiastes.
Now, Ecclesiastes does NOT tell stories from history,
Like the first half of the OT.
And it’s not about judgment or the future hope,
Like the prophets in the second half.
Ecclesiastes is about right now,
in this present moment.
The author asks a lot of questions,
…And points out a lot of inconsistency in life.
...Knowing they will never get satisfying answers.
That’s what happens in 8:14.
After frustration over injustice in the world,
The author says,
14 And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless! –Ecc 8 (NLT)
How is it that a drunk driver kills some young mother,
While the driver lives?
Why do good people sometimes get cancer,
While bad people get a promotion.
It’s so frustrating.
It’s so.. so… meaningless.
So what do we do?
They continue…
15 So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun. –Ecc 8 (NLT)
Isn’t that great!?
You don’t hear that preached very much.
Don’t spend all your time worrying
about the things you can’t control.
Don’t miss out on what’s in front of you
because you’re always thinking
…about what happened in the past,
…or what could happen in the future.
Let God worry about these.
Live where you are,
…in the present.
Look around at the blessings.
Enjoy what God has provided.
Have fun sharing meals with those close to you.
Breaking bread and drinking wine together,
While you share in conversation and interests together.
Don’t get so caught up,
…Cleaning the house,
…and catching up at work,
…and making sure you look like you have it all together.
I have been told people are leaving a church
because there is too much laughing.
I get that I can go overboard.
And know that I have a wife and a staff that calls me on it.
But where did this expectation come
…that when God’s people gather
it’s not supposed to be fun.
I eventually discarded that first picture of Jesus.
And while I’m not one to seek out pictures of Jesus,
…I do like this one.
Because there are few things better than a good belly laugh.
Laughing can heal a grieving soul.
It can create deep bonds and lasting memories.
…and also get you in trouble.
Why is it things are so much funnier
…at a funeral, or a wedding,
…during a sermon,
…or wherever you’re supposed to be quiet?
The writer says,
15 So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun. –Ecc 8 (NLT)
Hard work is inevitable.
And it’s good.
But it’s not everything.
They continue,
16 In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night. 17 I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim. –Ecc 8 (NLT)
Some of us are constantly working:
…Planning stuff,
…Accomplishing stuff,
and organizing stuff.
If that’s you, Because it is me,
This message is for us.
We will never finish checking all the boxes.
So make sure that goals and pursuits
Don’t engross your whole life.
It will destroy your soul.
And it will destroy the soul of your spouse and kids.
It’s okay to have fun.
It’s more than okay.
Don’t allow your busy-ness
To cause you to miss out on what’s really important.
…the Joy of eating together,
…and conversation over a cup of coffee,
…or going to the beach with friends,
…or playing Nintendo Switch or Barbie with your son or daughter,
…going for a walk
You (Application. So What?)
As the original audience read Ecclesiastes
Their world was a constant tension between different kingdoms.
They remembered the stories of the Egyptian pharaoh,
He was powerful and ruthless.
And he was considered a god.
He required servanthood from Israel,
a harshly imposed, oppressive slavery.
After they were rescued by God,
And after they entered the Promised land,
The struggle continued against the surrounding kingdoms
Who tried to get ahead at their expense,
While their king tried to get ahead
At the expense of the other kingdoms.
Then came Jesus,
Inviting people into his Kingdom,
…A Kingdom where the last are first,
…And the strong take care of the weak,
…Where life is found in sacrificing oneself for others,
…even our enemies.
Jesus turned everything upside down.
And the tension continues.
We still live in a kingdom where we want to be god,
…Doing things our own way,
…Reaping the benefits of our effort,
Where we want to achieve more, and acquire more.
Frankly, that’s the American Dream.
And we spend the brief time on earth
…Ignoring what we already have,
To acquire what we don’t yet have…
Money
Power,
Notariety,
A better title
A new relationship
The next shiny whatever,
Things that will never fulfil us.
And we miss what is right in front of us.
…The people God has put in our lives.
…And we miss our whole purpose,
…a relationship and partnership with him.
God’s kingdom is unlike ours.
In God’s kingdom there is a time to work
and a time to play.
…A time to accomplish
and a time to laugh and dance.
…a time to build
and a time to rest.
…A time to GO,
And a time to GROW.
In God’s kingdom,
there are moments to stop working,
…and celebrate together.
There are times to go and do,
And there are times to stay and be.
In God’s kingdom,
Sometimes the best thing you can do
is give all of yourself to help your neighbor,
And other times the most important thing you can do
is break the bread and share the wine
together with those you most love.
Productivity makes a very poor god.
Let’s look at this passage one more time.
14 And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless! –Ecc 8 (NLT)
15 So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun. –Ecc 8 (NLT)
16 In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night. 17 I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim. –Ecc 8 (NLT)
As followers of Jesus, we dance to a new song,
We listen to a different voice.
We are motivated not by acquiring more,
but by Jesus’ overwhelming love towards what truly matters,
…Loving God,
…And loving people.
Laying down our desires and our goals
…Our kingdom,
…And aligning with his.
We live in one kingdom, an earthly kingdom
yet give our allegiance to another.
We are citizens of Jesus’ kingdom,
…yet residents here,
So how do we live, right here, right now?
We live intentionally.
We make time to work,
And make time to stop.
But more importantly, in everything we do,
We seek Jesus and his Kingdom.
It is only through the power of his Spirit,
And him opening our eyes to the way he sees the world
That we can ever truly be
the people we were always designed to be.
Pray:
Relax.
Trust the Lord.
Give yourself permission to enjoy life.
Allow for fun in church.
Pastor Jim Groves leads us in our midweek study of the Book of James. This week the study is on James 3:1-12. The study was held & recorded on Zoom.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: James 3:1-12,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/266537484688895/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-8/
What will our new normal look like? No one knows. But like he did with the Samaritan woman, Jesus invites us to walk with him into the unknown… together.
Series: A New Normal,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: John 3:16-17, John 4:3-30, John 4:39-40, Psalm 139:23-24, John 4:7-8, John 4:10, John 4:26, Genesis 50:20,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/203695394087777/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/a-new-normal-coming-back-message/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-06-14_a-new-normal_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-06-14_a-new-normal_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
INTRO
Welcome back, Avalon Church Family!
…At least some of the Avalon Church-family!
For those of you who are still at home,
…We miss you!
…We love you!
And we can’t wait for you to join us soon.
Like every crisis before us,
God knew the Coronavirus pandemic was going to happen.
Crisis is part of living in a fallen world.
Me/We
And I heard someone say a few weeks ago,
“Never, ever waste a crisis.”
Because more than any other time in our lives,
It is in times of crisis,
…That we are more open to a change in our perspective,
…And more open to allow God to change us.
That’s been true to my experience.
And through this COVID crisis,
It seems the Church has realized
…Buildings are not a necessity,
But they are a huge blessing.
COVID has opened our eyes
…To our being defined as a family and community,
Not a Sunday service that we attend.
It has helped us appreciate the importance of being a community
…That GOES TOGETHER
…To love and serve and meet needs in Jesus name,
Sharing the life and hope and dignity Jesus offers.
…A family that GROWS TOGETHER,
Strengthening each other’s faith,
And caring for one another.
COVID has reminded us,
…That when we keep our light in the building,
no one can see it.
So once again,
A crisis offers us a new beginning.
Our lives have changed.
The way we work, and shop, and go to school has changed.
And the way we worship has changed.
The future is unknown.
But it will be different… better.
Because one thing we do know,
We can’t do this alone.
We need God.
And when we recognize our need for God,
It’s the beginning of something brand new.
God
I want to tell you a story that many of you are familiar with.
It’s in the Gospel of John, chapter 4.
It’s a long story, so I have to skip some of the details.
But I think it will help bring some perspective
to where we are today.
Because John wrote his Gospel,
His version of Jesus’ story,
With you in mind.
Jesus was the Jewish Messiah
And John wanted to make sure you knew
Jesus came for Everyone!
And today’s story comes right after
some of the most recognized words in the whole Bible,
16 For God so loved the WORLD that he gave his one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in him shall not perish but have eternal LIFE. –Jn 3:16-17 (NIV)
Today’s story is about the “Whoever.”
Those willing to be open to something new.
Willing to be humble, and admit they don’t know everything.
Today’s story is about accepting God’s offer of life
Through Jesus,
… God becoming a man.
Samaritan Woman
The story begins…
So Jesus left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. –Jn 4:3-4 (NIV)
Jesus and his disciples were around Jerusalem in the south
And were walking home to the north.
There were 2 ways to go.
…The quick way was straight through
a region known as Samaria.
The long way avoided Samaria and went up the Jordan River.
Very few Jewish people went the short way,
Because Jews despised Samaritans.
They considered them half-breeds.
Half Jewish, Half Gentile.
Diluting the Jewish faith with that of other religions.
Over the centuries,
the Jewish people oppressed the Samaritans,
…Robbed them of dignity,
…and even burned down their temple.
Hostility always boiled just below the surface.
Guess which route Jesus chose to travel?
Yep! Right through Samaria.
John tells us
5 [Jesus] came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. –Jn 4:5-6 (NIV)
Jacob was the grandson of Abraham,
The famous Abraham… the Father of the Jews.
…and also, the Father of the Samaritans.
Possessing Jacob’s well gave the Samaritans religious credibility.
They believed they were the true descendants of Abraham.
…and the well was his gift to them!
7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) John 4:7-8
So, a Jewish man, and a rabbi at that,
Engaged in conversation with an unknown woman?
Even today in the Middle East, this does not happen!
Rabbi’s didn’t even talk to their wives in public.
And this was a Samaritan!
Normally, it was expected that a man
would withdraw twenty or thirty feet away
as the woman retrieved water.
The woman was stunned.
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) –Jn 4:9 (NIV)
In the parentheses, John was explaining the situation
to his non-Jewish readers.
Responding to her shock,
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” --John 4:10 (NIV)
“Living water” was a common phrase.
That’s what they called moving water, like in a river or stream.
But there were no streams or rivers in the area;
There was no living water around Jacob’s well.
She knew that, so Jesus’ statement didn’t make sense.
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? –Jn 4:11 (NIV)
Leading to the key question…
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” –Jn 4:12 (NIV)
Jacob, our Father, chose us.
Are you greater than Jacob?
It was a rhetorical question.
No one would claim to be greater than Jacob, right?!
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” –Jn 4:13-14 (NIV)
Am I better than Jacob?
Jacob gave you a well
that will quench your thirst on a hot day like this.
But, I offer that which quenches your deepest thirst;
…Water that gushes into a spring of full, abundant, eternal life.
I offer life and you will never be thirsty again.
She still doesn’t understand.
Is he offering magic water? I
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” --Jn 4:15 (NIV)
Jesus changes direction to clarify what he’s talking about.
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” –Jn 4:16 (NIV)
What?! She says,
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right…. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.” – Jn 4:17-18 (NIV)
Now, I’d like to clarify something here.
Most sermons I’ve heard condemn this Samaritan woman
as really bad.
5 previous husbands?
And now living with a guy?
It is interesting that for the first 1500 years of Christianity,
this Samaritan woman was considered a hero.
…She was inquisitive and courageous.
Her lifestyle was never in question.
But somewhere around the 1500’s,
…Pastors and priests began assuming that she was sinful…
…divorced 5x.
And that she went to the well at noon to avoid people.
This version became THE story.
I guess it could be true,
but it really goes against history.
In Jesus’ day, women married very young… like 13 and 14 years old.
And their husbands often died very young.
When a husband died, his widow was destitute.
She couldn’t own land. She couldn’t get a job.
She would often move in with family or friends to survive,
…Until she remarried.
So a woman to be married 2-3 times was common.
Five times. Not so much.
Her living arrangement was very likely
the result of a lot of tragedy.
Never judge someone when you don’t even know their story.
But this we know, Jesus never condemned her.
He doesn’t say “Go and sin no more” like he does elsewhere.
But Jesus does reveal something very extraordinary about her life… something no one could guess.
And she is taken aback.
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
Here’s that difference in religion.
If you are a prophet, You’re a Jewish prophet.
…you’re NOT OUR prophet.
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. –Jn 4:21-22 (NIV)
Salvation through the expected Messiah,
which the Samaritans were very familiar with,
…Will come from the Jews.
But the surprise for both Jews and Samaritans,
is who the salvation is for.
Jesus continued,
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. –Jn 4:23-24 (NIV)
But concerning worship… both groups have it wrong.
It’s not about your heritage.
It’s not about how you do religion activities.
It’s not about where you worship.
It’s about God living in and among his people,
…those who worship Him.
We don’t go to a holy place to worship and meet God.
The people are the holy place.
It’s about spirit and truth.
…about our hearts being real before God.
Immediately, you can sense her eyes being opened...
Could this be… the Promised One?
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” –Jn 4:25 (NIV)
And Jesus replies…
“I, the one speaking to you—I am he. John 4:26 (NIV)
In the original text, the word “he” at the end is not there.
Jesus says, “I, the one speaking to you -- I AM.”
Jesus uses the name of God revealed to Moses
and says, “I AM.”
Boom!
I am before Abraham.
I am greater than Jacob.
I am the expected Messiah.
I find it interesting.
He hadn’t even spoken like this to the disciples.
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. –Jn 4:29 (NIV)
Verse 39 records…
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony... 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. –Jn 4:39-40 (NIV)
So, Jesus, the Jewish rabbi,
stayed with the Samaritans for 2 days.
Eating Samaritan food.
Staying in a Samaritan house.
Sleeping on a Samaritan bed.
And he discipled them.
I cannot overemphasize how unexpected this is?
The disciples would have never done this before following Jesus.
YOU
So What?
For this community,
Jesus offered a new beginning.
For his disciples,
this unexpected encounter unleashed a new beginning.
They had no idea what the future held.
For God so loved the world he sent his Son,
…INTO THE WORLD!
Jesus wasn’t separate.
He broke every kosher law
to live among the Samaritans for those 2 days.
And what was the result?
Look at vs. 42.
42 They [The Samaritans] said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” –Jn 4:42 (NIV)
Jesus really is the Savior of the World!
Jesus loved those who were despised.
The marginalized.
The rejected.
The judged.
Those who didn’t care,
Those who sinned without regard,
…Even those who killed him.
No matter what anyone had done
or who they had become;
Jesus invested in them,
And invited them to follow him,
…To discover life, and forgiveness,
and purity, and freedom.
The essence of Christianity is loving God
And loving those he loves.
Christianity is not about separation… from people,
It’s about separation from the world’s idea that it’s all about me.
The call of Christianity is to live alongside people,
Building relationships,
And Loving people,
And listening to other people’s stories,
And sharing how Jesus has impacted your story.
That’s what the woman at the well did.
And it changed everything for those in her town.
They found everything they were looking for,
…in Jesus.
YOU
So What?
This has to be our Passion;
…What we live to do;
…Being intentional.
Developing relationships with those who are not like us.
Looking around and asking God to open our eyes
…To the things he sees,
…to ways we can be his hands, and feet, and voice.
It’s a new beginning
as God opens our eyes to how he sees our world.
…To share our lives with each other,
…And share our lives with everyone,
…Regardless of what they believe,
…And if they believe.
We are ambassadors of Jesus.
We invest in everyone we can,
…and we invite all to take steps toward God.
…appropriate steps for them.
You (Application. So What?)
Pray, Psalm 139:23-24 and finish with the words “Help me see as you see and respond as you would respond.”
Pray for my church leaders that God would do Gen 50:20
“Help me to see as you see and respond as you respond.”
Begin an ongoing dialogue with someone whose skin is a different color from you. When they suggest you read or listen, do so. Ask for permission to ask questions when you don’t understand. Be a student first and have patience before criticizing.
Closing Announcements
Connection Card and Prayer Team
Andy Stanley: Better for it
Closing Prayer
God, we are available to you.
As individuals and as a church,
Use us in the lives of others
That they might be filled with Living Water
And proclaim with us,
“Jesus is the Savior of the World!”
Pastor Jim Groves leads us in our midweek study of the Book of James. This week we studied James 2:14-26. Study was held & recorded on Zoom.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: James 2:14-26,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/598439920805423/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-7/
The human situation is way worse than we thought. But there’s hope in Jesus - if we’ll “glue” ourselves to Him.
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, John 14:30-31, 1 John 5:19, John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Romans 5:9, Ephesians 5:6, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 1:31, Ephesians 2:1-3, Matthew 28:18, Ephesians 2:4-10, Ephesians 6:12,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/379942916298382/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-glued-to-jesus-my-true-identity-part-11/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-06-07_uncertain-part-11_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-06-07_uncertain-part-11_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
I’m Jim and I am honored to finish the Uncertain series. Debbie and I watch the Today show some mornings. First, they get you up-to-date with all the bad things happening in the world, then they share some “good news” to keep you above water.
This message with be a bit like the Today show
First, a very dark and ominous reality
Then the “morning boost,” some “good news”
Ephesians 2:1-3
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Paul, writing to the Christian believers in Ephesus, holds nothing back – you were dead!
Not physically dead – soul separated from body
But spiritually dead – spirit dead due to separation from God
Dead people have no relation to God
Dead people have distorted relations with each other
Dead people are powerless to change
And what killed them – sin
The sin that permeated and controlled their lives when they:
Followed their sinful nature that leaves God out of the picture
And without God, desires are the lord in control
Romans 1 describes lust and desires out of control
Followed the ways of the world which are bodies of belief, cultures, patterns of influence (like advertising, media and social media), organizations, and world-wide systems
Which either leave God out of the picture or are openly hostile to him
Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18)
But another power is also at work
Followed the Ruler of the kingdom of the air – the heavenly places – the very real spiritual world
John 14:30-31 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this worldis coming.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
Satan and the demons are both at work in disobedient people and through a world order over which they have power and influence
And Paul says it’s not just the folks in Ephesus – it’s All of us – We all – also lived among them
Paul’s concern is not that Christians once lived among the disobedient, but that they also lived like them
All people are headed for an encounter with God’s wrath – God’s constant displeasure and reaction against sin
Both his present wrath (John 3:36; Romans 1:18)
And his future wrath (Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:6)
Dead – Disobedient – Destined for Wrath
The picture the text paints is bleak.
Because of sins, humans are the living dead.
Okay, so here’s the problem. We don’t take this passage seriously.
For the most part, we do not believe the picture of ourselves is as bad as Paul says.
Are the lives we so carefully manage meaningless – a living death – without God in the picture?
At first glance Paul’s description of life without Christ appears too harsh.
Is everyone as degraded as he suggests?
Does not life also have joy and happiness in it?
Are there not many good, ethical people for whom this description does not fit?
Is everyone destined for God’s wrath?
Unfortunately, Paul’s estimate of humanity without God is NOT unduly harsh—we just tend to see it through a different lens.
Our lens is typically very microscopic on our 32828 zipcode experience, rather than the more full and complete view of Paul (or things occurring 10 miles away)
To grasp Paul’s perspective, we need only reflect on the evil in our own society,
our suicide rate, our divorce rate, human trafficking
escapism through alcohol, drugs and social media
the challenges all of us experience as we face disease and injustice
Well over one billion people live in dire poverty
War and terrorism afflict people all over the world.
But it’s not just “out there” or “those people.”
I have spent years working with couples who argue, demean and mistreat one another and literally fight each other.
And in the majority of cases each are adamant that they are “right” and are unwilling to try to understand the other one’s experience and feelings.
From the seeds of two people who oppress one another sprout entire world systems of injustice
Not just isolated, contemporary moments but decades, even centuries of oppression and violence – because prejudice, racism and marginalizing are ingrained in humanity
The word ALL: All black people – all cops – all LGBT – all Chinese over Covid19 – all Jews – and on and on
Sometime we are truly ignorant about such things; if so, God demands we get smart.
Sometimes we just don’t want it to be true, so to us it is not.
This text says we live in keeping with the world and its “ruler,” but we are deluded and deceived into believing that’s not true
We tell ourselves we are not susceptible to peer pressure, that we do what we want, without ever asking what or who determines our wants.
All of us are children of our time, and the truth is that our time is geared away from God and towards sin
And that incurs the wrath of God – which is another concept that some modern Christians view as archaic or inconsistent with a God of love.
However, a third century theologian wrote that “he who does not get angry does not care.”
If God can look at the sin and injustice in this world and not get angry, he is not much of a God!
The God of the Bible is not some unmovable, unfeeling force, but a God who cares.
The story of the Bible is the story of God himself taking action to keep his anger from destroying humanity.
After the fall -- in the wilderness, with the sacrificial system -- with the prophets -- in the Exile and Return -- and most of all on the cross, God was at work dealing with his own anger and showing mercy.
And just to clarify – Sometimes we have the impression that God is angry at humans but Jesus loves humans and gains God’s favor for us by dying on the cross.
But the cross does not gain back God’s favor.
Actually, God’s favor is the basis of Jesus’ death.
Romans 5:8 reminds us that God demonstrated his love in sending Christ, while we were still sinners.
Which brings us to the good news!
Ephesians 2:4-10
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
“But God” – the picture was bleak, but God acted because of his love and mercy.
Mercy and love are revelations of God’s being, not a response to something that merits love in the individual.
God is not an onlooker in the salvation process or in an “angry huff” waiting to be appeased.
God is the primary actor, the one who by his love deals with his own wrath and shows mercy to his people.
And it is mercy in abundance.
We are alive
God raised us up with Christ -- God creates life in the midst of death – our spirits are resurrected from death
Seated with Christ
Believers now have life with Christ, and with that life come privilege, honor, security and
In the Heavenly realms
Not heaven but in the very real spiritual reality around us where God’s wisdom is made known to the powers (3:10) and the place of battle with evil forces (6:12)
In Christ Jesus
To Paul, Christ’s death and resurrection are not merely events that produced benefit for believers
They are events in which believers are included.
We either live in sin and under its influence or in Christ and under his influence.
And we are a present (in the real heavenly world) and eternal display of God’s grace.
Saved by grace
The tense of the word in the Greek points to a past event and its continuing results.
Salvation is viewed here are something that has occurred and is currently experienced by those who are in Christ
Grace means the completely undeserved, loving commitment of God to us.
For some reason we will never understand, but is rooted in his nature, God gives himself to us, attaches himself to us, and acts to rescue us.
The initiative always lies only and completely with him.
Faith
Describes the means by which salvation is appropriated.
Christians are saved by grace, not by their faith.
Faith is the only means by which grace is received.
Faith cannot be limited to mental assent or to believing certain ideas.
Faith is relational, describing the reliance on a reliable God.
Faith is a covenant word, expressing the commitment and trust that bind two parties together.
Paul’s frequent use of phrases such as “with Christ” and “in Christ” show his conviction that faith joins them to Jesus Christ so strongly that they are in him and that what is true of him is true of them.
Faith has an adhesive quality to it; it binds the believer to the one who is believed.
Salvation does not come from believing ideas or an emotional decision, but from being bound to Christ
This is not of yourselves
Here, “this” is neuter whereas “faith” is a feminine noun.
“This” most likely refers to the whole process of God’s saving people by grace.
Not by works – any human condition or accomplishment by which one thinks to gain status or privilege before God.
In reality, nothing we do grants standing with God.
Praise should only go to God. The only legitimate boasting is in what God has done (1 Cor 1:31)
We are God’s workmanship
We are the result of his activity. The New Testament assumes that God’s act in Christ is parallel to creation itself.
Who is “we”?
Be careful not to define that word just in terms of ourselves.
The purpose of God’s creative activity is not merely to have a work of art to hang near his throne.
Rather, this new creation is to be active and productive and like the Creator.
When the early Christians tried to describe Jesus and his work, they did not merely describe him as an individual to whom certain things happened.
They saw him as the beginning of a new order, as a new Adam heading up a new race.
Consequently, they no longer saw themselves merely as individuals, but as individuals taken up in and involved with Jesus.
“Black Lives Matter” is a familiar phrase/ But let me share a different phrase based on this passage: “Dead People Matter”
How do we know? Because God showed unmeasurable grace and mercy to people dead in their sins
While dead people were will sinning, Jesus died for us
At the judgment seat of Christ all colors of the humanity will gather
But there will be only two groups of people – alive or dead
For those who are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, there are “good works” to be done
Of first importance is sharing the message of life with the dead
If the dead cannot hear us because of the noise of injustice and the cry for justice, we need do something to first quiet the noise
And, God forbid, if we are the source of the noise, we need to repent
This is the real war going on – and it is not black and white
It is right and wrong, justice and injustice, love and hate
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:12)
One more thing and then I am done
Faith – lost in translation
We – especially we who lead – need to be clear about what faith means in this passage (and the rest of the New Testament) and faith in the modern world
Paul’s understanding of “faith” includes attachment, union, and solidarity with Christ
To much of the modern church “faith” means assent, decision, or the teachings one affirms and embraces.
Paul thought “faith” is life-changing and productive of good deeds
For much of the church, change is desirable with faith, but not necessary, and “not by works” means one does not have to do anything.
A decision, the right prayer prayed, is enough to go to heaven.
How did faith in Jesus get perverted into simply thinking about Jesus? How did all the focus get placed on getting into heaven?
How can anyone read the New Testament and conclude we do not have to do anything?
Faith joins us to Christ and affects the whole reality of our lives.
[the Glue illustration]
This passage contrasts two ways of living, the former life in sins and the present life in Christ.
By implication the text asks, “Where will you live?”
Paul tells what life in the world is really like and this is what life with God is really like.
The focus is identity. Who are we and who is God?
From knowing who we are, we know how to live.
If one lives in sin, one’s identity is determined by sin, the old world order, and the “ruler of the kingdom of the air.”
Such a person is controlled by sinful desires and reasonings and, consequently, lives under the wrath of God.
And it is bigger than the individual and the choices one makes. There is a world order and a power of evil.
How did the United States become so distorted with racism?
Why does materialism have such a deep grip on modern society?
How do cravings become needs?
How does sexual practice become idolatrous?
The good is distorted by a world system that leaves God out of the picture, which is what sin always does.
Sin is personal, individual, and corporate (Nehemiah)
The problem for Christians is that two overlapping realms or ages exist.
Though a new age exists in Christ, the old age is still with us and at work.
Which realm will define us?
Paul attempts to describe what was formerly true, but for many Christians that is still their reality. A break with the past has not really occurred.
Christians need to be much more aware that the old order still wants to define who we are.
Our true identity is not determined by personal characteristics, experiences, and abilities, even though those items are important.
It is determined by life in and with Jesus Christ.
To be in and with Christ means that ours is not longer an individual identity.
We are in solidarity with Christ.
Life is relational, and our primary relation is with Jesus.
Our true identity – Glued to Jesus
Here are my challenges to us today:
Let’s look for the opportunities God is already orchestrating to share life with a dead person
Let’s ask the Lord to clearly reveal to us if we are in any way contributing to making sure a dead person stays dead
If you are dead and want to learn more about being made alive, text “life” to 407-559-8210
We are simply not going to agree with everyone; in fact, I am pretty confident that some listening today don’t agree with everything I’ve said this morning. But let me invite you to join me in a five-day devotional on You Version:
“How to Love People You Disagree With”
(please note, it did not say “people who are wrong”)
Joe Chau – Friday – Walk of Mourning – 3,000 heartbroken and repenting over the mistreatment of black people in our nation
Mike Smith
“I pray that in these scary times our Jesus-filled officers will rise up! I have family, friends and a loved one in law enforcement and others that are serving to protect our country. Praying for their spouse and families. These are scary times for them, too! Jesus weed out every evil spirit, expose it! That your light and love may shine!! You always win, Lord!”
Christianity was birthed in an environment of racial tension that was even more complex than our own. If unity in Jesus was possible in the first century, there’s still hope for the Church today!
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Acts 10:15, Acts 10:20, Acts 10:27-28, Psalm 139:23-24, Acts 10:34-35, Acts 10:28,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2664655110477146/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-protecting-the-image-part-10/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-05-31_10_uncertain-part-10_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-05-31_10_uncertain-part-10_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
INTRO
Today we’re going to talk about the results of Pentecost.
But before I jump in today,
I need to give a little perspective.
I grew up in a police officer’s family.
My Dad was a cop in Miami for 9 years,
and retired from the Lakeland Police Department.
My grandfather was the police chief in Miramar Florida.
I love police men and women.
I’m grateful for all they do to protect us.
I respect them.
I don’t idolize them, their normal people.
But my inclination is to trust them.
I don’t worry about my daughter’s safety
If she’s pulled over by a police officer.
Any conversation about it would likely begin
with advice about making sure
you pull of the road so you don’t block traffic.
Maybe, “Smile. Be nice.”
The expectation is,
No matter what happens, you’re safe.
That’s the experience I grew up with.
That is not everyone’s experience.
We (tension) – perspective
Earlier this week,
I watched a young, black pastor share his story.
In college, a group of his friends,
white and black, went for a drive.
The white friend was driving.
They were pulled over.
The driver respectfully challenged
the officer’s reason for pulling them over.
The exchange was brief… and cordial.
He was given the ticket and they left.
For the black pastor,
This was eye-opening.
He was shocked at the freedom white people felt
to question a police officer.
As a black man, he never felt that freedom.
Never.
In fact, he was taught never to reach for his wallet.
…To always ask for permission first,
…or invite the officer to get it.
He was taught to look down,
And never look a police officer in the eyes.
Years later, he was pulled over for speeding in a white neighborhood.
He knew he was doing 27 in a 30,
Because he knew he was in a white neighborhood,
And that there was an officer behind him.
He explained this,
And was quickly told to get out of the car,
…Because he looked drunk.
He got out and quietly explained he was a pastor
visiting a family in his church.
A Bible was on the front seat.
After a very long minute of looking him over,
The pastor was allowed to leave.
This pastor was scared.
That’s not been my experience.
And then, this week,
There was a story of a black man who, while birdwatching,
Asked a woman to leash her dog,
…Which was the law.
And she called 911 saying her life was threatened.
And then, that picture of George Floyd
With the officer’s knee on his neck
…for 9 minutes.
I first saw the picture next to Colin Kapernaek’s
Where he was kneeling during the national anthem.
It said that if Kapernaek’s non-violent protest gets you more upset than a cuffed man with another man’s knee on his neck.
…There is a problem.
I saw that picture before I knew Mr. Floyd had died.
I was wrecked.
This is not okay.
This is not just a race issue.
It’s an image of God issue.
God
When Jesus began his ministry,
He invited very diverse people to follow him.
There was Simon the Zealot
who urged for violent rebellion against anything Roman.
There was Matthew the tax-collecting traitor
A Jew who sold out for Rome.
Both invited to follow Jesus as one family.
Imagine those fireside chats!
After the resurrection, when Christianity was born,
Wealthy Pharisees joined the poor Jews they used to oppress,
As one united family in Jesus.
And as the story of Jesus’ resurrection
exploded around the Roman Empire,
…the racial and cultural division was off the charts.
The Jews believed they were chosen by God,
…Which made them better than anyone else.
The Gentiles hated the Jews
for being so prejudice and judgmental.
And there were slaves
…who were, well, rejected by everyone.
And then there were women,
they were granted no rights whatsoever.
And finally, there were the Roman citizens.
They were the ones in power.
They controlled the system.
They tilted everything in their favor.
And this is an oversimplification.
The issues were very complex.
And suddenly, all these groups
Found themselves worshiping Jesus together.
As one family.
And through much struggle,
And many NT letters,
They made it work.
Which gives us hope!
Because Jesus is bigger what divided them.
But the struggle lasted a long time.
Think about Peter;
He walked with Jesus for 3 years.
He watched Jesus offer to go to a Roman soldier’s house,
…and heal a family member.
He had long conversations with a woman,
..even a Samaritan woman,
…and even stayed in her village for days.
He ministered to the poor,
…children,
…and prostitutes,
…and beggars,
…and those with special needs.
And Peter was there through it all.
Yet, 15 years after the resurrection, he still struggled.
The book of Acts tells us about Peter
having a vision while he was praying.
God told him to eat food that wasn’t kosher,
…that wasn’t allowed in the Law of Moses.
At first, Peter wouldn’t do it,
Until God told him
15 “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” –Acts 10 (NLT)
And that’s when Peter heard a knock at the door.
A Gentile, A Roman centurion named Cornelius,
would like to see him.
A Roman Oppressor.
The worst of the worst.
But the Holy Spirit said to Peter,
20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.” –Acts 10:20 (NLT)
They want to hear about Jesus
So after about a day’s walk,
Peter met Cornelius outside his house.
27 So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled. –Acts 10:27 (NLT)
Now remember,
This was not allowed in the Jewish religion.
Gentiles were inferior.
Dirty.
You can see it in Peter’s reaction.
He had never been in a Gentile’s home.
Before the vision,
he would never go into a Gentile’s home.
I imagine Peter standing at the door,
Wondering if he should have asked God for some I.D.
when he had that vision,
And Cornelius, he’s excited.
He’s invited everyone he knows.
Friends, family,
Anyone intrigued about the Jewish man who rose from the dead.
And listen to what Peter says,
…Like, out loud.
Filter off.
You know, saying what you’re thinking
before thinking about what you’re saying?
So Peter says,
28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you...—Acts 10:28 (NLT)
This is how he starts.
Hi, everyone. As you know, I shouldn’t be here.
We Jews don’t go into houses of Gentile people.
Can you imagine if a white man said this
When invited into the home of a black family?
That’s how bad it was.
The division was palpable.
You could feel it in the air.
But look at the rest of the verse.
But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. –Acts 10:28 (NLT)
Think about what Peter is saying,
Up until this moment,
I considered all of you impure and unclean.
But God has shown me
I shouldn’t call you that anymore.
And I imagine them thinking,
Well, thank you?
I feel so much better now.
I imagine them wondering…
So, God told you that?
Do you believe it?
You’ve spent your entire life
looking down on us and judging us.
Do you believe we are no unclean and unworthy?
It’s the way Peter was raised.
Judgment and resentment,
…They were his default.
For the rest of his life,
…he would constantly have to test
his default way of thinking,
to the ways of God’s Kingdom.
But here is where there is hope.
And let me change the emphasized words.
But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. –Acts 10:28 (NLT)
But God has shown me.
God has opened my eyes and now I see… differently.
How I grew up,
What I was taught,
The disappointment that I might cause,
…this doesn’t have to define me,
…Because God is changing me.
And God has shown me
that we are all made in the image of God.
God revealed to Peter his prejudice and intolerance.
God exposed Peter’s bent towards injustice.
And in allegiance to his King,
Peter submitted to what God revealed.
And because he did,
And Because Paul did,
And because James did,
The Gentiles were soon welcomed into the family of Jesus
…AS EQUALS.
That is what made it possible for us today.
The Church is made of
Jews and Gentiles,
Blacks and whites and Hispanics and Asians,
Men and women,
Singles and marrieds,
Rich and poor,
Liars, cheaters, Adulterers, and addicts,
Forgiven sinners now deemed saints
Living as one people in Jesus.
Many different parts unified in one purpose…
God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
God’s love on earth as it is in heaven,
Life and freedom and wholeness on earth as it is in heaven.
America has a race issue.
So does the church.
America has a problem judging people.
So does the church.
But as the church, As Jesus’ family,
we have incredible hope.
Because we know it changed once.
And God can do it again.
This is not a black and white issue.
This is a human issue.
It’s an image of God issue.
You (Application. So What?)
We must protect the image.
We must bestow dignity on all people.
All people reflect the image of God.
You know, if anyone hurts my girls,
I will come to their rescue.
You see, you cannot mistreat my children
and be okay with me.
In the same way, we cannot mistreat others, God’s children,
and be okay with our Father in heaven.
We must defend those who are different from us.
We must stand in the gap when we see injustice.
We must never demean or reject those who believe differently,
…or vote differently,
…or live differently.
Jesus’ invitation is offered to all.
As his family, we welcome all to the journey.
So how do we do that?
What does love require of us?
Look at that powerful verse again,
But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. –Acts 10:28 (NLT)
Seeing people as God sees them,
…it requires a work of God in us.
As Peter prayed, God spoke to him.
And Peter chose the hard road of humility,
Conceding that he was wrong,
That the way he was brought up,
…was not God’s way.
Peter’s heart-change wasn’t easy,
And it wasn’t quick,
But God transformed him.
And God transformed the church under his leadership.
When we foster our relationship with God,
he speaks.
So we seek God,
…knowing that as he changes us,
…he will bring an end
to the patterns of racism and prejudice in our lives.
So we ask God to reveal any damaging ways in us.
…Opening our eyes and our hearts
to love those who are different.
To stand up for the marginalized.
To meet needs without prejudice.
Martin Luther King Jr. said,
I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don't know each other… Martin Luther King, Jr.
It’s when we get to know people,
…That we begin to understand
how different their experience is from ours.
It’s when we spend time with people
That we appreciate the complexities of their situation.
We become humble.
And we become intentional.
Reaching out to neighbors and coworkers
who are different from us.
Asking questions about what they care about
And sharing meals together.
I pray you will begin to ask God
to expose what’s in your heart. prejudices.
I want to encourage you
to pray 2 verses every day this week.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. –Psalm 139 (NIV)
Pray, open my eyes, Lord.
Help me spot any prejudice or judgment towards others.
Help me see the way you do.
Instead of justifying it,
Give me the courage to eradicate any prejudice from my heart.
God created a beautiful and messy and diverse church before.
I believe he can do it again.
Let’s pray.
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” -Acts 10:34-35 (NIV)
A Midweek Bible Study with the Staff of Avalon Church. In part 6 we look at James 2:1-13.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Debbie Iannetti, Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: James 2:1-13,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/577486693176014/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-6/
One of God’s primary ministries in our life is our vocation. This message in 2 Corinthians 5:15-21 demonstrates how to live our everyday lives for Jesus and his kingdom.
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:15-21,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/612142276313239/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-a-better-job-ambassador-at-work-part-9/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-05-24_uncertain_part-9_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-05-24_uncertain_part-9_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
INTRO
Good morning, everyone!
I’m so excited!
I hope you’ve heard.
On Sunday, June 14,
We’re meeting back together in person!
I also want to invite you
to our interactive “Discovering Avalon” class.
…It will be a Zoom meeting
On Sunday, May 31 right after the service.
It’s a free class.
You can register at
AvalonChurch.org/DiscoverAvalon
So we only have a few weeks left in our Uncertain series:
Discovering who we are, In Christ, through difficult times.
And thank you, Pastor John,
…For last week’s powerful message
about transformation as we wrestle with God.
Me
Before coming to Avalon Church
It felt like we were wrestling with God.
We had moved to Wisconsin a couple of years earlier
to help a struggling young church
while I worked on my doctorate.
Within quickly realized we moved there
to close the church well,
and care for the few remaining people.
So, I suddenly found myself a doctoral student out of a job.
I needed income with flexibility.
So, I became a substitute teacher.
After a while I was paired with a Spanish intern, Seniora Hernandez, who had permanently been hired while she finished her certification.
She was a really good teacher,
And I didn’t know much Spanish,
but the law required a certified teacher, or substitute,
be in the room as she taught.
And for a whole semester, I was
Señior Dode’ hay.
And that semester,
spending all that time with Sra Hernandez,
who had grown up with atheist parents,
We had some of the best conversations about life and God
that I’ve ever had… even as a pastor.
It completely changed my view
of how God uses our daily lives for his kingdom.
We
Here’s a question to think about…
Where do you spend most of your Christian life?
The church?
Maybe if you’re a staff member.
Is there any difference between your Christian life
and your regular life?
There shouldn’t be.
As followers of Jesus,
he is involved in every aspect of our lives.
Right?
And where do we spend most of our lives?
Where are most of us called to minister?
I believe that the primary ministry of Jesus’ followers
happens nowhere near the walls of a church building,
…but happens where you live and work.
See, I believe that
What you do for a living,
…if it’s not illegal or immoral,
is extremely valuable to God
I believe that your job,
…Whether you love or hate it,
…Whether it’s exciting or boring,
Is the opportunity to use your abilities
To contribute to the greater good of the community.
That’s part of God’s original plan for us.
…To be stewards of his Creation
…working under his authority
…to bring his kingdom to the world
like it is in heaven.
Obviously, this is easy to forget.
But I think God has imparted to each of us
…talents and skills and jobs and relationships
…through which we demonstrate
the life of Christ in each of us!
Let me show you what I mean…
God
The Apostle Paul spent a year and a half
in the city of Corinth
…Investing in the community,
…Sharing about what Jesus had done.
As a result, many chose to follow Jesus
And a church was born.
When Paul finally left
to continue starting churches elsewhere,
the church in Corinth kept growing.
And like so many now,
…They started separating their
“Christian Life” from their “regular” life.
And their regular life just began
creeping into the Jesus community.
The church was becoming known
…As selfish,
…and judgmental
…and hypocritical,
…and close-minded.
And the church was losing its influence
in the surrounding community.
Sounds kinda familiar, doesn’t it?
When Paul heard how quickly
they were abandoning the ways of Jesus,
…He was devastated.
He wrote the letter that we call 2 Corinthians
to help them understand the purpose of their “Regular Life”
… in Jesus.
So if you’re looking for your purpose in life,
Here it is… directly from Paul.
He begins,
15 And [Christ] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again. –2 Corinthians 5 (NIV)
That when you chose to follow Christ,
…You recognized that your own way
was the path towards brokenness
and separation from God’s design for your life.
But Jesus’ death on the cross provided the means for rescue.
His death paid the penalty for your sin.
His resurrection is proof that this is true.
That he is King of God’s Upside Down Kingdom.
That’s why we give our allegiance to Jesus.
He created and designed us for life in him.
And Paul continues…
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. –2 Corinthians 5 (NIV)
As followers of Christ,
…We don’t care how much people make,
…what titles they have,
…Where they live
…Or what they drive.
Our value is not longer based on what separates us.
Those who believe differently,
And those who vote differently,
Straight people,
And gay people,
Drug addicts and porn addicts,
And those with multiple divorces,
And those who have destroyed their own families
And those who are bankrupt,
And those who seem destined to attract the wrong relationships,
And those with special needs,
And those with cancer,
And those who put on a good Christian mask,
but inside are scared of being exposed,
We are all desired by God.
We are all invited to the table.
Paul is saying,
Yes, we used to judge people by these standards,
But no longer.
Paul used to think Jesus was nothing but a crucified criminal,
Until he met the resurrected Jesus.
Jesus changed his perspective.
Jesus changed everything.
That’s what Paul means in the next verse:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! –2 Corinthians 5 (NIV)
We are new in Jesus.
The old no longer owns us.
Jesus’ Spirit lives in us
and is continually transforming us.
We are no longer in bondage
to the actions and beliefs that damage us.
We are “In Christ.”
And as we submit to Christ,
he transforms us to become more and more like him.
In Christ, we are literally exchange death for life.
Hopelessness to Hopefulness.
God is working and we’ll never be the same.
And then Paul puts feet to what God is doing
in all who follow Jesus.
He answers the “So What?” question that I love so much.
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. –2 Corinthians 5 (NIV)
God is the Initiator;
…The one who offers life;
…The one inviting us back.
We don’t have to figure out how to please God.
We don’t have to jump through all these hoops
for God to accept us.
He took that burden upon himself.
He did everything necessary.
And now he invites us to come back.
…to be reconciled.
…and to join him in sharing this invitation with everyone else.
It doesn’t matter how big your failure.
God’s love is bigger.
His death and resurrection… more powerful.
God is in the restoration business.
And in the same way someone shared his love with you,
You go and do the same.
He’s talking to you and me.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us…. –2 Corinthians 5 (NIV)
You are Jesus’ invitation to the world,
…to experience the sacrificial love God has for them.
…to be reconciled with the One who created them,
…To discover the purpose for which they were designed.
You (Application)
So here’s the question for all of us?
Where do you most often rub shoulders
with those who need to experience God’s love?
At our jobs.
And in our schools.
These are some of the most important areas of ministry
that exist in your life.
This is where you engage with people
God is drawing to himself.
Where you work and study
…Is where you model integrity,
…And righteousness,
…And justice in Jesus’ name.
This is where you live out the kingdom.
This is where you shine like stars in a dark and dying world.
This is how God sees your job, your school, and your home.
Before you go to work each day,
...Pray for eyes to see what God is doing
in the lives of those around you.
…Pray for the boldness to join him
in what he is doing.
…Engage in conversations,
Asking about what really matters in people’s lives.
Ask questions about their families
and the things they love most.
And share about yours when they ask.
Be vulnerable about your own struggles.
And share about what God is doing in your life;
…How you joined with your church family
To give away food during COVID,
…or how you joined others to bless
our 20 or so graduating seniors.
Share about what God is teaching you.
Don’t force it.
Allow the conversation about Jesus to occur naturally.
And here is an important one.
ASK how you can pray for them,
…And make sure you pray for them!
Whether right there or later.
I can’t think of one time I ever had someone tell me
they would rather me not pray for them.
Just make friends with people.
And maybe you work with a couple of other believers.
Ask them to join together daily or weekly.
Talk about what God is doing at work.
Pray for people who need Jesus, or who are hurting.
Meet needs together.
And care for people… together.
And invite others to join you.
Following Jesus is learning
…To simply ask God to use you,
…Listening for his voice,
…And saying yes when he provides opportunity.
Paul’s vocation
Do you know Paul did for a living?
He was a tentmaker.
And in his culture,
tent-making was very profitable… and strategic.
Think about who needed tents:
The Roman military.
Sailors that needed the fabric for sails.
Merchants needed tents for their stalls in the market.
And travelers who needed them on long trips.
Virtually every segment of society needed tents.
And Paul utilized his skill to build relationships,
And to build credibility through his integrity,
…and the quality of his craft.
Paul understood that he had a greater purpose,
…he found life in Jesus,
…and it was time to share that life with everyone else.
It is the greatest calling in the world.
It’s a calling that changes people’s world,
…just like it changed yours.
We (Closing and Challenge)
So, will you pray that God opens your eyes
to see your vocation as he does
Will you pray that God gives you boldness to love others,
and ask questions, and offer to pray for people’s concerns?
And I want to invite you to join me in a YouVersion devotion
To spur some thought about this idea.
YouVersion Devo:
And maybe you’re watching and God is moving in your own heart, inviting you to be reconciled to himself.
Our invitation is Paul’s invitation…
20…We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. –2 Corinthians 5 (NIV)
I invite you to follow Jesus.
(Pray)
And would you let me give you some resources
to help you begin this journey.
Just let me know you are choosing to follow Jesus.
You can
Text “Life” to 407-559-8210,
Pastor John shares how the story of Jacob is a story of God transforming Jacob from a jealous deceiver to the man God had designed him to be. Jesus wants to do the same thing in your life.
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor John Molloy,
Scripture: Genesis 25:19-26, Genesis 27:41, Genesis 32:22-30, Genesis 35:16-21,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/615680209293295/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-whats-in-a-name-part-8/,
Sermon Notes: Jacobs-Transformation-Identity-2020-05-17-r-00.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-05-17_uncertain-part-8_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Subtitle: Transformation and Identity
A Midweek Bible Study with the Staff of Avalon Church. In part 6 we look at James 1:22-27.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Liz Dickson, Pastor Jim Groves, Pastor John Molloy,
Scripture: James 1:22-27,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1110767365957766/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-5/
The perfect mom does not exist. But living a noble life of virtue and valor can happen as we move beyond comparison into the freedom and liberation that Jesus offers.
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Proverbs 31:29, Ruth 3:11, John 8:36, Exodus 15, Judges 4-5, 2 Kings 22, Romans 16:7, Acts 18:26, Romans 16:1-2,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2592412387664931/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-mothers-day-part-7/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-05-10_uncertain-part-7_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-05-10_uncertain-part-7_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
INTRO
Happy Mother’s Day!
Today’s message is for moms,
but not just for moms.
It’s for all of us.
Some want to be a mom,
but have been unable.
Some this year,
…are grieving the loss of their mom,
…or a child.
It’s in times of Uncertainty,
In times of Difficulty,
…We often discover who we are,
…And are open to God showing us
who we are made to be.
My hope is that today will be part of your journey
To discover liberation… and freedom in Christ
…to be exactly who YOU
were made to be.
Eshet Chayil
The video we just saw ended with a verse:
There are many virtuous and capable women in all the world, but you surpass them all. --Proverbs 31:29 (NLT)
What a beautiful ode to a wife and mother.
Virtuous and capable.
May that be said of all of us!
Those 2 words come from a single Hebrew word
chayil = valor
It literally means a person of valor.
Say that with me.
It’s not Chy-Eel.
Use the back of the throat.
Chayil. (One syllable, CHayl)
Chayil.
Woman of valor = eshet chayil (E’shet CHayl)
Man of valor = gibor chayil
The whole chapter of Proverbs 31,
describing the… the perfect woman.
She’s trustworthy.
Good follows her everywhere.
She has her own business.
Yet, she wakes up early to take care of her family.
Then she stays up late
…investing wisely and working hard.
She cooks.
She helps the poor.
She makes clothes for her family,
…And extras to sell.
She doesn’t worry.
She is wise, yet kind with her advice.
She never seems to get tired.
Her husband is honored and successful.
And her kids have nothing but good things to say about her.
this picture of the perfect woman,
Looks very different from some tweets I saw this week.
One woman stated,
I never thought the hardest part of battling a global pandemic would be 4th grade math.
Another,
Quarantine - School Day #2: At what point can I request a transfer for my 2nd grader?
Quarantine School Day #3: I moved a table into the living room. Now the kids have a great workspace to sit… and throw fruit snacks at each other.
And the last,
Sure. Paint the dog’s toenails. Cut your brother’s hair. Whatever. #My House Is A Zoo
Which one sounds more like your life?
Proverbs 31 or these tweets?
Trying to measure up to Proverbs 31
I’ve heard several messages aboutthe Proverbs 31 woman.
I’m sure these messages… all by men,
intended to inspire and encourage women,
Unfortunately, they usually didn’t.
Being compared to perfection
Can easily leave women feeling guilty and inadequate
For men, our bible heroes are wonderfully imperfect.
Moses sinned and wasn’t allowed into the Promised Land.
David committed adultery and murder.
Peter and the disciples,
…They betrayed Jesus.
These were deeply flawed men,
Yet, God used them mightily.
We can all relate to that.
So, when we come to this list describing the perfect woman,
It’s hard,
No, it’s impossible,
…to measure up.
Yet, I don’t think that is the intent of the Proverb,
…To be a “checklist” for women?
…Because this is not how the Jews read it
for the thousand or so years before Jesus was born?
And 2000 years since.
God
Proverbs 31 is actually a poem,
…Each line beginning with the next letter
of the Hebrew alphabet.
What’s interesting
is the poem wasn’t really written TO women.
There’s only one instruction in the entire poem.
It’s in verse 31,
…and it’s to men.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Why? Because she is an…
“Eshet Chayil” (E’shet CHayl)
A woman of valor
…Not because of how she measures up.
…And not because of some role she perfectly fulfills.
Proverbs 31 is not the job-description for a woman of God.
Being a woman of valor is not condensed to marriage,
or motherhood, or staying at home.
And how do we know that?
Because this isn’t the only place in the Hebrew Scriptures
Where we see the phrase “Eshet Chayil.” (E’shet CHayl)
In fact, this term was also used for Ruth in the Bible.
Ruth
And Ruth didn’t make clothes for her husband.
She wasn’t married.
In fact, she was a widow,
…The most marginalized of people in her culture.
Ruth’s children didn’t rise up and call her blessed.
She was childless.
She didn’t have her own business
…Or keep up her immaculate home.
She worked all day in the scorching sun,
Gleaning leftovers from other people’s fields.
She was the poorest of poor.
And guess what Boaz, a leader in the community,
Said about Ruth,
…Before she got married,
…Before she had a child,
…Before she was wealthy and influential.
All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character (eshet chayil) --Ruth 3:11 (NIV)
There’s that phrase,
“Eshet Chayil.” (E’shet CHayl)
Ruth is identified as a woman of valor,
Not because she checked off some to-do list,
…But because she lived her life
with incredible bravery, wisdom, strength, and faith.
Throughout Jewish culture,
This phrase is at its core,
…A blessing,
One that was never meant to be earned,
…but to be bestowed unconditionally.
It’s encouragement,
…Not about following a list of rules,
…But a character or spirit of how you live.
It’s like, “You go, girl!”
Imagine, men, how the women in our lives would feel
IF we encouraged them this way.
They get accepted into the school or program they applied to.
“Way to go woman of valor!”
They get an “A” on that test.
Nice job, Woman of Valor!
They announce their pregnant!
Congratulations, woman of valor!
Being a man or woman of valor is NOT about what you do,
…it’s about how you do it.
He finally gets to cleaning out the garage.
Thank you, Man of Valor!
She stumbles through the front door after a long day
Holding a take-out pizza for dinner,
…Pizza?! You truly are a woman of valor!
Imagine what a little poetry can do in a relationship!
Proverbs 31 is no more a list of how every woman should live
Any more than Ruth’s life is.
Think about the different women heroes in Scripture.
Old Testament
Ruth
Miriam (Exodus 15)
Deborah (Judges 4-5)
Huldah (2 Kings 22)
Esther
New Testament
Women of Resurrection (Gospels)
Junia (Romans 16:7)
Priscilla (Acts 18:26)
Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2)
Miriam - she was a prophet and worship leader
as the Israelites fled Egypt. (Ex.15)
Deborah, the judge and prophet who led Israel to victory
over the oppressive Canaanites. (Judges 4-5)
Huldah, the great prophet who was chosen by King Josiah in 2Kings 22 to read and interpret the Scriptures.
Josiah could have called Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Nahum, & Habakkuk, but he chose Huldah!
And let’s not forget Esther,
who saved the Jews in Babylon from genocide.
And in the New Testament,
Those women who were chosen before anyone else,
to see the resurrected Jesus.
And Junia - the female apostle that Paul considered
outstanding among the apostles. (Romans 16:7)
And Priscilla, who was a teacher of Scripture and theology
alongside with her husband. (Acts 18:26)
And Phoebe, who was a deacon at the Church in Cenchrae
and a benefactor of Paul’s ministry. (Rom.16:1-2)
Some were married.
Others not.
Some had children.
Other’s didn’t.
They were rich, poor,
teachers, and students,
Leaders and followers.
It’s not what they did.
It’s how they lived.
Application
Maybe you’re a stay-at-home mom or dad,
Be a stay-at-home mom or dad of valor.
Be strong.
Know that God is using you in the lives of your family.
If you’re a nurse,
Be a nurse of valor.
Be Jesus’ hands of healing and encouragement.
If you’re a CEO or a barista at Starbucks,
If you’re rich or poor,
Single or married
Live as a person of valor.
Be confident…
…You are valuable to God
Right where you are.
Maybe you have dreams that have gone unfulfilled.
Maybe you long for something else.
You, too, can live
As a Man or Woman of Valor.
Rae Lynn
You know, my wife Rae Lynn
Always had a dream of being a stay-at-home mom.
When Ali, our high school senior, was about 18 months old,
Rae Lynn ended her career and came home.
Unfortunately, within a month or two,
Rae Lynn’s mom became paralyzed and had to move in with us.
Overnight, Rae Lynn became her mom’s full-time care-giver.
A year or so later,
Her mom required more care than we could provide.
We were planting a church at the time,
And my salary suddenly became non-existent for a while.
Rae Lynn went back to work so we could survive.
Her sacrifice allowed me to remain a pastor.
She is a woman of valor.
She inspires me to be a man of valor.
Idea of Biblical womanhood
When you observe the godly men and women in Scripture,
And in our lives today,
There is no single model for womanhood or manhood.
No one-size-fits-all.
Jesus invites all men and woman to follow him.
To live lives of faith
…Pursuing Jesus and his kingdom
Without limits.
To invest our energy and creativity
towards helping bring God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
…Loving God and loving others.
…blessing your family,
…helping the needy and marginalized,
…succeeding in your jobs
…and investing in your community and beyond.
Being a people of valor,
…And not worrying about measuring up
to what others think you should be.
I think it was Judy Garland who said,
“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.”
You are free in Christ to live
exactly how he has gifted you to live.
He has given you passions to pursue.
And skills to use.
So, experiment.
Take risks.
Work hard.
Make mistakes and then
get up the next morning and try again.
And surround yourself
with people who will cheer you on.
And be a person who cheers others on.
When you see someone step out in faith
Or try something new,
Or take baby-steps towards a goal,
Cheer them on.
“You Go”…
Man of Valor
Woman of Valor!
Being a person of valor,
…is NOT what you DO or accomplish.
It’s the integrity and bravery you bring.
So, don’t compare yourself to anyone.
The perfect mother,
The perfect father,
The perfect business owner
And the perfect job,
The perfect Christian
Even the perfect pastor,
These only exist in the Land of Unicorns.
We all feel inadequate at times.
We all get overwhelmed and overtired.
We all screw up royally at times.
Valor is recognizing that we need Jesus,
Right now. Right here.
Valor is trusting that I am his,
And he is working in me,
…In the mundane, everyday activities of life.
Valor is living for an audience of One.
Jesus.
Knowing that Jesus delights in you.
No matter what you have done,
…or what you have become.
He offers grace.
He offers acceptance.
He offers valor.
So exhale,
…and relax the death-grip of comparison on your own soul.
Embrace the you Jesus created you to be.
Live in freedom and confidence in him.
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.--John 8:36 (NIV)
I want to close with a prayer by reading a prayer.
Read along with me.
Oh God, let me not live by comparison,
But trust that you made me with purpose.
Grow me into the person you designed me to be,
…A person experiencing freedom and liberation.
I want to live as a person of valor.
…and cheer on others to be people of valor.
I can do that because you, God, are enough.
Whoever has you in their life has everything.
In you I can live confidently and bravely.
Amen
A Midweek Bible Study with the Staff of Avalon Church. In part 4 we look at James 1:19-21.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Liz Dickson, Pastor Jim Groves, Pastor John Molloy,
Scripture: James 1:19-21,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/239943467211685/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-4/
Friendship God means that God is not just for us… he is with us. But what does “God with us” look like in our daily lives?
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Ephesians 1:6-8, John 15:12-16, Joshua 1:5, Psalm 34:17-18, Isaiah 41:8-10, Matthew 1:23, John 1:14, Matthew 18:12, Mark 4:34, Matthew 28:19-20, Revelation 3:20, Revelation 21:3-4, Psalm 23, John 15:12-14, John 15:15-16, Isaiah 7:14,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/live,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-i-am-a-friend-with-god-part-6/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-05-03_uncertain-part-6_sermon-notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-05-04_uncertain-part-6_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Good morning, Avalon Church.
Make sure you grab your communion elements for later.
So, our series called “Uncertain.”
But it’s the subtitle that is most important,
…Discovering Who We Are THROUGH Difficult Times.
You see,
…It’s IN the difficult times that we are moldable.
…when we’re most open to change.
I hope these have been helpful messages.
Our identity is found “in Christ,”
It’s in him that we truly find abundant life
And experience hope no matter what we go through.
And we are going through it, right now,
Aren’t we?
Which is what we’re talking about today.
Today’s message it titled,
“I am a friend WITH God.”
…Not just a friend ‘OF’ God.”
We’re going to focus on a specific aspect of that friendship,
…That God is with us.
And to begin,
I want to share my best experience of friendship.
I want to share a story about a friend named Ronnie.
Ronnie
I was in 10th grade when I finally heard,
…Really heard the invitation to follow Jesus,
I was all in.
There was an 11th grader in the youth group.
His name was Ronnie.
We quickly became best friends.
2 years later, we went to PBAU together
…Lived in the same dorm.
…Had the same major.
We became known as the “Ronnie and Donnie Show!”
We were inseparable.
He truly was one of the greatest gifts God ever gave me.
My relationship with Jesus,
Me being a pastor,
All of it was shaped with Ronnie.
I got married in college and Ronnie was my best man.
He graduated from college a year before I did
And moved back to Lakeland about 4 hours away.
It was toward the end of my final year in college
that my wife unexpectedly died.
It was after midnight on March 3.
I have no idea how the word got out so late at night,
…But at 10am that morning,
…Ronnie and my youth pastor were there
to pick me up and take me home.
4 hours each way,
Just so I wouldn’t have to be alone.
That’s true friendship,
He was WITH me.
A couple nights later, Ronnie brought 4 or 5 other friends over.
We grieved together and wept for a bit.
Then we started sharing stories.
And for the next hour we laughed like I have rarely laughed since.
It was such an incredible time of healing.
Being with my friends during the worst moment of my life.
“Being With.”
We
I was told once,
“Jesus is not our friend; he’s our King.”
Half of that is true.
The other… so wrong.
Jesus is our king.
And he is our truest friend.
Being a friend doesn’t minimize his glory,
It magnifies it.
…It shows his immeasurable love and
…grace, which he has freely given us. That he has lavished upon us. –Ephesians 1:6-8 (NIV)
Lavish
That’s a word of adoration.
It’s a word of love.
It’s a “friend-kind-of-word.”
Devotional
Let’s do something a bit different today.
Rather than a sermon,
…Let’s make today more like a devotional.
There are so many amazing Scriptures
about God being with us.
Let’s listen to how God speaks to us through his Word.
Maybe you’ll want to grab a notebook
to write down the verse numbers
and read them later.
Because we’re going to be all over the place.
Buty let’s start with Jesus’ words about friendship.
Before going to the cross,
Here’s what he said to his followers.
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. –John 15:12-14 (NIV)
Jesus gives us a command.
Love the way I love you.
But then he explains, that the greatest way to love someone
is to lay down your life for them.
But… But people lay their life down for kings.
…NOT the other way around.
And that week,
King Jesus did just that.
“You are my friends,” He said.
You are my family,
…Not because of power or authority,
…But because of love.
That’s what I command.
And he continues…
15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you… –John 15:15-16 (NIV)
Kings usually have servants.
But the ultimate relationship our king desires with us,
…is friendship.
And what does friendship look like to Jesus,
…To God in the flesh?
He says it right here;
…Sharing with you my deepest secrets.
…Choosing friendship with you before you even chose me.
To Abraham, to his children,
To Moses, to Joshua,
The message was the same…
I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. –Joshua 1:5 (NIV)
Wherever you are,
I am with you.
Whatever you go through,
I will go through it with you.
You are not alone.
The Psalmist declares,
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. –Psalm 34:17-18 (NIV)
God is close to us.
He listens to us.
He is with us.
When the Jews were facing exile
And the end of everything they knew,
God told them,
…You descendants of my friend, Abraham…
Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you… --Isaiah 41:8-10 (NIV)
You are scared.
You are facing a troubling and unknown future.
I am with you.
I will walk with you through the struggle.
I know you want it to end now.
Trust me in the unknown.
I am with you.
In fact, that is what the name Immanuel means.
“God with us.”
When Isaiah made that prophecy that we quote each Christmas, that…
14 … The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’). –Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 (NIV)
God was affirming that his promised Messiah
Would truly be “God with us!”
Jesus is “God with us.”
That’s the definition of Incarnation.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. –John 1:14 (NIV)
God become human.
His glory became flesh and dwelt among us.
He walked with us.
Invited us to follow him,
And find life in him.
And what does “God being with us” look like?
What does friendship with Jesus look like?
12… leaving the ninety-nine to go to look for the one that wandered off? –Matthew 18:12.
It’s leaving the comfort and security of home
to pursue others and love on them
…and invite them to come home with you.
… To talk with you.
But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. –Mark 4:34 (NIV)
It’s Jesus patiently explaining over and over
…How his kingdom is the exact opposite
of anything they expected,
…and allowing them the time to process and change.
The Great Commission,
where we get Avalon Church’s Mission Statement to
GO and GROW TOGETHER
…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. –Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
“Go and Grow Together.”
Jesus says that surely he is with us, always,
To the very end of this age
…Through Coronaviruses,
…And layoffs,
…And wars,
…And tragedies,
Through it all, I will be with you each step of the way.
Of that, you can be certain.
And in the age to come?
After this age is over?
That’s when we feast together at his banquet table.
To all those who have heard my voice and opened the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. --Revelation 3:20
As we have been imitating through Communion for 2,000 years,
There will be a day when we sit at the table of the King,
Feasting together,
…Not as servants,
…But as friends,
…Made possible because the greatest friend
displayed the greatest love when he laid down his life for us.
And that banquet will happen
when heaven and earth are re-united,
…A new heaven a new earth,
And we will hear a loud voice from the throne of God saying
Words that describe what eternity will be like…
3…Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ u or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” --Revelation 21:
We will be his people.
And God himself with be with us.
God desires friendship.
Being together.
Walking together.
Growing us.
And transforming us into a people of maturity…
…Who experience life, and peace,
and wholeness in Jesus’ name.
Like my experience with Ronnie
before he, too, passed away,
…Genuine friendships are always transformative.
You cannot remain stagnant in a friendship.
You cannot remain the same.
I didn’t.
Application: So What?
That’s why it’s so critical to grow your relationship with God.
Mutually pursuing him as he continually pursues you.
Choosing to be with him
as he continually chooses to be with you.
I want to give you an action step that you can either
Do on your own or with your life group this week.
I want you to spend some time in a very famous Psalm this week,
Psalm 23.
You know, “The Lord is my shepherd.”
Every single line of this Psalm reveals
a new and different attribute of God’s relationship with us.
I encourage you to read the Psalm several times this week.
And, as you read,
…Write how the Psalm says that
God cares for you and shows love to you.
And then write down examples
How this is true in your own life.
For instance,
“The Lord is my shepherd, I have all I need.”
So… God is my provider.
Write that down.
Then list some specific ways he provides for you.
Maybe it’s a job.
Or the ability to work.
Food. Housing.
Maybe he’s provided a safe place while you look for a job.
Or medical care for you or a loved one.
The list is endless for this one attribute.
It might take you a couple of days to get through the whole Psalm,
But it will be worth it.
You will begin to recognize God’s love
in new and fresh ways,
Who’s willing to do that with me?
Closing and Challenge
I want to close in prayer,
But I also want to offer you an opportunity.
Maybe you don’t experience God as a friend.
Maybe you haven’t chosen to follow Jesus
as your King and Lord and Friend.
He is inviting you to do that today.
Right now.
IF that is your desire,
As I pray,
Make this prayer your prayer.
A Midweek Bible Study with the Staff of Avalon Church. In part 3, we will look at James 1:13-19.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Lisa Hernandez, Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: James 1:13-19,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/247046076489927/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-3/
God is faithful and keeps his promises. Not in our time frame, but he always keeps his Promise. It’s who he is. It’s his character. And it’s God’s desire for ALL to know him and for ALL to experience life in him. We look at his promises and how we can depend on them.
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:9, Genesis 12:1-3, Exodus 19:5-6, 2 Samuel 7:16, Isaiah 49:6, Matthew 5:14, Acts 1:4-5, Acts 1:8, Hebrews 11:39-40, Hebrews 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Hebrews 12:2,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/265447084489729/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-people-of-a-great-promise-part-5/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-04-26_uncertain-part-5-people-of-a-great-promise_sermon-transcript.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-04-26_uncertain-part-5-people-of-a-great-promise_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
There’s a song written by Matt Langsten
Of the alternative rock group eleventyseven.It’s called All the Doubt in Town.It’s inspired by his grandpa,
…his Papa.
In the 1940’s,
…his grandpa and grandma were two young teenagers
Who got pregnant.
As a result, they got married way too young.
So they bought an old house in a low-income area of town,
And the wife was just so upset.
She told her new husband,
Maybe this was a mistake.
Maybe we should end it.
The husband’s response is the chorus of the song.
eleventyseven – All the Doubt in Town
All the doubt in town
Ain’t enough to shake the ground
That my feet have been walking on.
Cause girl, I love you now,
And ‘til I hear that trumpet sound,
Wherever you are, I belong.
The story continues with the husband losing his job
And them struggling just to make ends meet.
The wife was scared.
They had a new baby, now.
She talked about leaving
and moving back home with her parents.
And the husband with resolve said
All the doubt in town
Ain’t enough to shake the ground
That my feet have been walking on.
Cause girl, I love you now,
And til I hear that trumpet sound,
Wherever you are, I belong.
Then the story jumps to the their 60th anniversary.
Papa is in the hospital
surrounded by the kids and grandkids.
Mama is reflecting on how fast the years went by,
Praying her faithful man would not die.
Asking him how he knew they would make it this far.
And he responds,
Girl I love you now
But I hear that trumpet sound
And I gotta be moving on
Though I leave you now
I’ll be up there looking down
Keeping Heaven's porch light on.
And then the chorus repeats
No matter how much doubt,
No matter what the struggle.
I made a promise to you
And I’m going to keep that promise.
My daughter Ali and I
share a love for this song.
There’s something moving about
the willingness to sacrifice to keep a promise.
It’s inspiring.
And did you know that Scripture records
God making over 7,000 promises to people.
7,000 promises.
Some were very specific,
And not all of them relate to us.
But God is a God who keeps his word.
Many years after God in the flesh,
Died a cross to keep his promise,
Peter, one of the disciples,
was reflecting on the journey with Jesus,
…And God’s faithfulness to keep his promises,
Even in the midst of the suffering
That these young believers were facing.
He said to them,
9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
God is faithful.
God keeps his promises.
Not in our time frame,
But he always keeps his Promise.
It’s who he is.
It’s his character.
And it’s God’s desire
…For ALL to know him.
…ALL to experience life in him.
Review
Last week we talked about
being a people of a grand story.
That we’re part of this epic journey with God;
…Something so much bigger than we can imagine.
God is moving the story forward.
With us or in spite of us.
We have the freedom to join him
…or reject him.
But his deepest desire,
Revealed through his willingness to die on that cross,
Is to share the story with us.
The story is huge.
And we often lose sight of how we fit in it.
So God, throughout history, has given us these promises
…Kind of like
…mile markers.
The promises, they assure us
that the story is true.
It is good.
The promises arouse faith.
Those that have been fulfilled
Assure us of the promises yet to be fulfilled.
Like the lyrics I shared at the beginning,
It’s when we look back that we see
…How big and how faithful
is the God we trust.
So what are these promises?
At the end of the message
I’m going to recommend a devotion
that will lead you to discover some great ones,
But I want to quickly mention
…the greatest,
…the most ginormous and important promises
…And how they relate to our story with God,
And form us into a people of a great promise.
These are the pillars of our story with God.
In fact, I would say
Every promise we have been given
Is under God’s promise to Abraham.
Abraham was told to “go”,
And God promised,
2 “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” –Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)
Through this one chosen family,
God would bless all families.
Through the nation they would become,
God would bless all nations.
This promise revealed God’s love for humanity,
And how we would participate in his story.
This promise marked the early chapter of God’s story,
Where he pursued all of us
..Offering life and restoration and redemption.
And God’s promise to Abraham’s
Led to a more specific promise to the nation of his descendants,
…Moses and the Israelites
5 “Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant… 6 you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.”–Ex.19 (NLT)
Their part of the story,
God’s promise to them was --
IF they would remain faithful to God,
They would become the instrument
through which God would bring
the whole world back to himself.
They would be a nation of priests.
God’s tangible presence in the world.
But it was too hard.
They couldn’t do it.
So God made another promise,
…This time to King David,
Another mile marker in the story.
16 [David], your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’ ” –2 Sam 7:16 (NLT)
And then the poo hit the fan,
Because a civil war started and Israel split in two.
Then the Northern kingdom was obliterated.
And the Southern Kingdom exiled to Babylon.
Honestly, it looked like God
was not going to keep this promise.
And right in the middle of lost hope,
The prophet Isaiah makes a promise
…About a special person sent from God,
…A Messiah in the line of David,
6 [The Lord] says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” –Is 49:6 (NLT)
Where have we heard this before?
Oh yeah, Jesus.
“You are the light of the world” – Matt. 5:14
“Baptized with the Holy Spirit” – Acts 1:4-5
“…witnesses to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
He told his followers,
You are the light of the world.
And when you are filled with God’s Spirit,
You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea,
in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises.
And as followers of Jesus,
…We are a people of a great promise.
…We are a people PARTICIPATING in the great promise!
A letter in the NT, Hebrews,
written by one of the leaders of the early church
…Inspired a group of suffering Jewish Christians,
With these words…
39 All these people (Abraham, Moses, David, the Prophets) earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. –Heb 11 (NLT)
These people were given a promise from God,
…And they believed God even though
they never saw the fulfillment in their lifetime.
Abraham never saw more than 2 descendants.
Isaac and Ismael.
Moses didn’t even enter the Promised Land.
David’s kingdom fell apart after 2 generations.
They never saw the fulfillment.
But we have!
You (Application. So What?)
So the writer of Hebrews tells those Jewish Christians,
…And he tells us…
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. –Hebrews 12 (NLT)
The men and women who went before us
…They trusted God to be faithful,
Despite never seeing the fulfillment of his promises.
If they could trust God before seeing the promise,
How much more can we
…Living on this side of Jesus?
Here’s how…
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. –Hebrews 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t keep your eyes on COVID.
Don’t keep your eyes fixed on the struggle.
We are a people of a great promise.
Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
He is the fulfillment of that promise.
For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” –2 Corinthians 1:20 (NLT)
Live your life as a disciple of the One
Who is the fulfillment of God’s epic story.
Get to know him.
Begin reading the NT stories and letters.
Pray the Psalms, the prayer book Jesus’ used.
Live as Jesus’ hands and feet to those around you.
Love as Jesus loves you.
Be someone who keeps their promises.
Do what you say you will do,
Even if it costs you something.
We follow a God who keeps his promises.
Keep our eyes fixed on our Lord of integrity.
Be a person of integrity.
There’s something powerful and moving
When people are willingness to sacrifice to keep a promise.
That’s what Jesus did.
I want to encourage you to join me
to discover more of God’s promises together.
Just go to AvalonChurch.org/PromisesDevo and accept the invite.
It’s a 5-day devotion where we can interact together.
Let’s pray together.
A midweek Bible study where the pastors and staff lead an interactive study in the book of James. Other members joined by watching and commenting on Facebook and YouTube Live. Part 2 is a look at James 1:5-12.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves, Pastor Mike Smith,
Scripture: James 1:5-12,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/545570443031699/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-2/
In 1 Chronicles 21, we learn that Just like King David, In an uncertain world you can be certain that you are part the grand, epic story of God.
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 1 Chron 21:18, 1 Chron 21:21-24, 1 Chron 22:1, Gen.22:2, 1 Chronicles 21:18, 1 Chronicles 21:22, 1 Chronicles 21:23, 1 Chronicles 21:24, Genesis 22,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2391690934455692/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-becertain-people-of-god-part-4/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-04-19_uncertain-part-4_notes.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-04-19_uncertain-part-4_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Good morning, Avalon Church!
Each week, we will observe communion together
at the end of our gathering.
Make sure you grab some bread and juice.
Several weeks ago we began this series called Uncertain.
It seemed fitting.
We all feel displaced.
We have no idea when it will end,
…or what the world will be like when it does.
But as followers of Jesus,
No matter how uncertain we are about what is happening around us,
…In Christ, we have certainty.
Last week was Easter.
We talked about the certainty of Jesus’ resurrection,
…And the transformed lives that have occurred because of it.
Transformed lives is what this series is about.
…Discovering who we are as followers of Christ.
…Our identity in him.
God
I’d like to tell you a story this morning.
It’s a story about God working in the midst of a plague.
Pretty relevant!
It was during the time of David,
Towards the end of his life.
David was comfortable in his role as king.
He had fallen into the trap we all struggle with.
And his passion was towards success.
For him that meant security and power.
He was the king.
He had all the control.
God had become routine.
It took 2nd place.
And then came the plague.
It rattled David to the core.
He recognized that he had no power to control this.
He was watching his people suffer,
…It was a wake-up call.
…It was a moment of divine clarity.
That beautiful moment when you realize
The world doesn’t revolve around you.
That there is something bigger going on here.
And rather than fighting for control,
David responded so well.
He turned back to God.
He repented of his self-centeredness.
And he prayed for God’s deliverance.
This is what made David so great.
It’s not that he was pure.
He wasn’t.
He was a hot mess,
But when confronted with his sin… his brokenness,
He always responded humbly to God.
With always returned with a broken and contrite heart.
So in the midst of this plague,
David threw himself before God.
And God sent a prophet named Gad.
He told David,
18 …“Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite–1 Chron. 21:18 (NLT)
Go to this specific piece of property in Jerusalem.
This is where you must build an altar.
Seems a little weird.
So King David shows up at the property unannounced,
…And Araunah (AH’ Rauna), the owner,
A foreigner… is shaken.
He bows.
And the King says,
Let me buy this threshing floor from you at its full price. Then I will build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.” – 1 Chron 21:22 (NLT)
Araunah is just grateful that’s all David wants.
He exclaims,
Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, and the threshing boards for wood to build a fire on the altar, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you.” –1 Chron 21:23 (NLT)
Take it. All of it.
Use it as you wish.
I’ll give you everything you need for the sacrifice.
It’s yours at no cost.
24 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!” –1 Chron 21:24 (NLT)
David is like,
My life is the Lord’s.
You don’t need to sacrifice for my obedience.
I will not force you to obey what God has told me to do.
There’s a powerful message in here,
But I want to focus on the bigger picture.
Because, I don’t know if David realized
all that was happening when he purchased that land,
But the writer of 1 Chronicles did.
He knew David was part of a much bigger story.
We catch a glimpse of that story a few verses later.
1 Then David said, “This will be the location for the Temple of the Lord God and the place of the altar for Israel’s burnt offerings!” – 1 Chron 22:1 (NLT)
Think about it.
God told David to buy that piece of property.
And as a result,
…David is convinced this is where the Temple should be built.
…Which his son Solomon did after David died.
For the next 2500 years,
Even til today,
Whether the temple was there or destroyed,
All of Judaism would center on this piece of property.
But why here?
Why this spot?
I wonder if David knew how special this spot was.
…That this very piece of land
is mentioned in Genesis 22, when God told Abraham,
2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” –Gen.22:2 (NLT)
Now, as you know, God never did require that sacrifice.
Instead, God provided the sacrifice
…and Isaac lived to a very old age.
But, I’m not sure if you know this detail,
…But the Land of Moriah where Abraham was told to sacrifice…
…That’s Jerusalem.
It was this very spot,
The threshing floor of Arauna (AH’ Rauna), the Jebusite.
The spot that David purchased,
…The spot that he would not take freely,
But required a sacrifice,
Was the exact spot where God provided a substitute sacrifice
for Abraham and Isaac
And now, 1100 years later,
David makes a sacrifice and purchases this property
to save the people from the plague.
And this piece of property would soon be
where the Temple was built,
Where Jews would offer sacrifices to God
As a substitution for the forgiveness of their sins,
And it was this very piece of property where 1000 years later,
Jesus would hang on the cross as God’s sacrifice,
…bearing our sins upon himself.
…to save the world
from the plague of sin and death.
All of that happened right here
on this very mountain top.
Abraham had no idea that this his willingness
to sacrifice on this mountain what was most precious,
…Would be a foretaste… the anticipation
of what God would actually carry out
when he sacrifice his son, Jesus.
David had no idea that when he obeyed
and purchased this property,
…He was purchasing the land
where Temple sacrifices would preview
…God’s ultimate sacrifice
to save the world.
It’s a good story, isn’t it?
And none of them knew it.
None of them knew the part they were playing
in God’s grand story.
You (Application. So What?)
And that’s the point!
There is so much going on
…and we are completely unaware.
This story reminds us that
No matter how crazy things get,
No matter how out of control they seem,
We can be sure that God has a grand plan,
…And all of this is going somewhere.
God is continually involved in history.
He is working in the midst of our decisions,
Good and bad.
He is working in the midst of a fallen word
Of plagues, and tsunamis, and cancer.
No matter what is going on around us,
God has a plan to redeem us,
…and restore us,
…And eventually… resurrect us.
Even now, in the midst of all we are experiencing,
God is working out his plan.
A plan to repair our brokenness and restore us to wholeness.
…to return us to the intimate relationship with him
that we were designed for.
…to reestablish our original purpose of participating with him,
overseeing his will in the world.
To accomplish this plan,
Sometimes he steps into history,
That’s what he did when he promised Abraham
His descendants would be God’s special means
… to bring the world back to him.
God stepped into history
when he spoke through the Prophet Gad
…Telling David to buy this property.
And God stepped into history
When he chose to become human.
…And Jesus taught about God’s grand plan… his kingdom.
…Living it out through the miracles, and signs, and wonders.
…Especially by dying and rising from the dead,
…And sending his Spirit to live in us continually.
God is working his plan.
Moving the story towards its designed end.
…using our good choices and bad ones,
…And the good consequences and the bad ones,
…even using things beyond our control,
Results of living in a fallen world,
Like COVID-19.
God has a plan.
Of that we can be certain.
And a plague can’t stop it.
Governments can’t stop it.
Bad decisions can’t stop it.
Pain and suffering can’t stop it.
And neither can death.
God uses everything a broken world throws at him,
…And he redeems it.
…He uses it to open hearts and reveal our need for him.
…He uses everything to bring people to himself
to receive THE life, hope, and peace we were all designed for.
God’s plan is the eventual restoration of all creation.
We are truly people of a grand story.
So here’s the question for you.
Are you a David?
Are you allowing God to work out his story through you?
Or, is God working out his story in spite of you?
You can live life on your own terms.
…Suffering the painful and empty consequences of
Selfishness, and pride, and sin.
…Or you can live the life you were designed for,
A life in God,
and with God,
and through God.
It’s your choice.
But you were made
for a life of joy and wholeness in Christ.
That no matter what plagues and uncertainty surround us,
…We have hope because we are part of a grand plan
That God is working out in the world.
…A plan that is so much bigger than this life.
Is that the life you are experiencing?
Because that is the life you’re offered.
And right now, Jesus is offering you the opportunity once again.
Will you choose to follow him?
Will you choose to find your identity and purpose in him,
…In his story.
You will never regret it.
(pray for salvation)
If you did that.
If you have questions.
Text “life” to 407-559-8210.
Next week,
we are going to look at our identity as a people of a great promise.
I hope you’ll join us.
A midweek Bible study where the pastors and staff lead an interactive study in the book of James. Other members joined by watching and commenting on Facebook and YouTube Live. Part 1 is a look at James 1:1-4.
Series: The Book of James,
Speaker: Lisa Hernandez, Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves, Pastor Mike Smith, Pastor William Nieto,
Scripture: James 1:1-4,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/837701356640972/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-book-of-james-part-1/
In a world of uncertainty following Jesus’ death, the disciples never expected resurrection. So what could convince them that Jesus was alive? Listen to this Easter message to discover how you can “Be Certain” that Jesus is alive and discover his resurrection life for yourself.
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:14-19, John 20:1-8, John 14:9, John 20:19-31, John 3:16,, John 20:2, John 20:6-7, John 20:8, John 20:19-20, John 20:25, John 20:31,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1086234075082459/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/be-certain-we-are-defined-by-jesus-resurrection/,
Sermon Notes: 2020-04-12_be-certain_pastor-don-doge.pdf,
Discussion Questions: 2020-04-12_uncertain-part-3_discussion-questions.pdf,
Notes:
Jesus died on Friday.
For his original followers,
…The world ended.
The only thing worse than Friday…
Was Saturday.
…They felt betrayed.
…Every hope they had… disintegrated.
It was on Saturday when the realization sunk in,
…Everything they had believed about Jesus,
…was wrong.
They had believed Jesus was sent from God.
That he was God’s long-awaited Messiah,
Israel’s promised King from the line of David.
But Messiahs are supposed to rule,
…They’re not supposed to be crucified as a criminal.
Saturday was a day of Uncertainty.
All was still not right in the world.
This COVID-19 crisis reminds us
that we are still connected to Saturday.
Watching on video
rather than being together on this holiest holiday,
…Reminds us that we live in Saturday.
But Church,
Saturday was not the end,
And Saturday is not the end.
Because Sundays are about resurrection.
Sundays are about new life.
On Saturday, few even dream of resurrection.
Jesus’ disciples sure didn’t.
Sometimes Saturdays seem hopeless,
But they’re not.
Because Sunday is just a few hours away!
You see, the resurrection
is what convinced Jesus’ followers
…that he was Messiah,
…the Son of God,
…God in a human body.
It wasn’t his teaching or the miracles
that convinced people of this.
…The power of all that was lost
when Jesus was hanging on the cross.
It was the resurrection that convinced them.
And it is the resurrection
That has been convincing people for the last 2000 years.
That’s why the Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor.15,
And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God…. [And] if your faith is useless, you are still guilty of your sins… [and] we are to be pitied more than anyone in the world. –1 Cor.15:14-19 (NLT)
If Jesus did not rise from the dead,
…If this story didn’t really happen,
…if the resurrection is NOT history,
…It’s time to get all you can,
…Make all you can,
…Experience all you can in this life
because when we die, it’s over.
But if Jesus is alive,
If he rose from the dead like he said he would…
Well now…
…That changes everything!
But how did we know?
How can we be sure this really happened?
…How did Paul know?
…How did the disciples know?
I’ll tell you one thing,
it was a surprise for them, too.
God
Because none of them expected a crucifixion,
…And none expected a resurrection.
Jesus never did what was expected.
On Palm Sunday,
As Jesus entered Jerusalem to the praises of the crowd,
…the disciples probably thought,
“Finally!
He’s acting like the king he has declared himself to be!
But then on Good Friday,
He declared himself a sacrifice,
Nothing fit their expectation.
And on that Saturday,
…As his body laid in that tomb,
Jesus disciples mourned,
Stunned… confused,
…And they expected Jesus to do
what all dead people do;
… stay dead.
In their minds,
…This was the end.
…Three squandered years of wasted hope.
What now?
But then, John, one of those in the room,
would later write, that
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. –John 20:1 (NLT)
Soon after,
…Mary was banging on the door
Where the other disciples were all hiding.
Peter and John answered.
Mary Magdalene was panicked and sobbing.
She says,
She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” –John 20:2 (NLT)
She wasn’t expecting a resurrection.
She was confused.
Scared.
And uncertain.
The body was gone,
and there is only one logical conclusion.
Someone took it.
In vs.3 and 4,
3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
John and Peter took off for the tomb.
John tells us that he outran Peter,
I have a feeling this was a detail he loved sharing,
…especially when Peter was around.
And when they arrived,
they saw something they truly did not expect.
He noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. –John 20:6-7 (NLT)
Who steals a body
Without the linens used for embalming?
…And who folds them?
John tells us this is the moment
when it started to dawn on him.
Verse 8 tells us,
This is when he first
he saw and believed. –John 20:8 (NLT)
This was NOT a body stolen.
This was a body come back to life.
This is the moment when a glimmer of hope
began to rise inside them.
Jesus’ miracles,
…they meant something.
Walking on water and calming the storm,
…it was real.
And that moment two days earlier,
when Philip asked Jesus
to show them what God, the Father, looked like,
… and Jesus left them stunned when he responded,
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. –John 14:9 (NLT)
In that moment standing there in an empty tomb,
They began to realize it all just might be true,
Jesus might be alive!
Then, that evening,
…As the disciples were all together
sharing about what they had seen earlier,
John tells us,
19… the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! –John 20:19-20 (NLT)
Filled with joy?!
That’s the understatement of the year!
Defeat was suddenly transformed to victory.
Despair to hope,
…For most of them.
But one of them was missing?
Do you remember who?
Look at verse 24,
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” –John 20 (NIV)
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” – John 20:25 (NIV)
Honestly, I think I’d have been just like Thomas.
Know why?
Dead people stay dead!
Vs.26, But…
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” –John 20 (NIV)
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
“Thomas… it’s me.
I’m alive.
…This was my plan all along.”
And Thomas’ response?
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
It was all true!
What made these disciples believe Jesus was alive?
They were eye-witnesses?
That’s why we believe?
Almost every one of these eye-witnesses died
because they wouldn’t deny what they had seen.
Something turned their fear into boldness.
No one dies for something they know is a lie?
Telling what happened didn’t make them rich,
It cost them everything.
It didn’t make them famous,
They were despised everywhere they went.
They didn’t become comfortable,
Instead suffering persecution.
Our New Testament is a collection
of their writings about what they saw.
We believe because the resurrection changed their lives.
We believe because they shared it with us at great cost.
And we believe because Jesus continues to transform lives.
And we keep sharing.
You see, John knew this.
That’s why he closes this chapter with an invitation.
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. -- John 20:31 (NIV)
John shared what happened
…because he wants you
to personally know that Jesus is alive.
He saw him!
And he invites you to trust in Jesus as your Lord and God;
…To give your allegiance to him.
…To find your identity in him.
So that you can experience Jesus’ resurrection life yourself.
That’s why he wrote toward the beginning of the account,
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. –John 3:16 (NLT)
You see,
Because of the resurrection,
We can be certain that what Jesus said and did is true.
We can be certain that God loves us.
We can be certain that Jesus died and rose again.
And we can be certain that he offers us eternal life.
It’s now up to you to receive it.
That’s the invitation to all of us.
Will you put your faith in Jesus?
…Crucified to pay for your sins,
Resurrected in victory over death?
He invites you to follow him,
To participate with him in what he is doing in the world.
Will you say yes?
Like Thomas,
…will you acknowledge him as your Lord and God?
(Pray)
Mention that if you have chosen to follow Christ, we would like to give you some next steps.
Just
Text “Life” to 407-559-8210
Let’s worship our King!
Closing:
During lunch,
…Share what has changed because of Jesus’ resurrection.
And share what has changed in you.
If you have questions or said yes to Jesus today,
Please let me know.
Text “life” to 407-559-8210.
Good Friday Message
Speakers: Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves
Series: Good Friday Service,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: Luke22:14-16, Luke22:19, Matthew 26:27-30, Matthew 26:36-39, Luke 22:42-48, John 18:4-6, Luke 22:49-53, Mark 14:50, Matthew 26:57, Matthew 26:63-67, Matthew 27:1-2, John 18:28-40, Luke 23:20-21, Luke 23:24, Matthew 27:27-31, Luke 23:32-35, Mark 15:25-26, Luke 23:39-43, John 19:25-27, Matthew 27:45-49, John 19:28-30, Luke 15:46, Matthew 27:51-54, Matthew 27:57, John 19:38-39, John 19:41-42, Matthew 27:59-60,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/553801122006869/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/good-friday-service-april-10-2020/
Palm Sunday Message
Main Passage: Luke 19:28-44
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Luke 19:28-44,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/146979376737414/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-discovering-who-we-are-through-difficult-times-part-2/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-04-05_uncertain-part-2_discussion-questions.pdf
Ask Us ANYTHING! From April 1, 2020, our 2nd A.M.A.: an open time of Q&A with the leaders of Avalon Church. Was streamed live on both Facebook Live and YouTube Live.
Series: Ask Me Anything!,
Speaker: Lisa Hernandez, Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves, Pastor Mike Smith, Pastor William Nieto,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1156341158051779/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/ask-me-anything-april-1-2020/
God has a way of using uncertainty to reveal who we really are. Let’s explore together how he is using the COVID-19 crisis to reveal our true identity in Jesus and to shape us to become more like him.
Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: James 1:2-4, John 1:12-13, Ephesians 1:4-5,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/202571889761757/videos/616926708885529/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/uncertain-discovering-who-we-are-through-difficult-times-part-1/,
Discussion Questions: 2020-03-29_uncertain-part-1_discussion-questions.pdf
Ask Me ANYTHING! This was held online live on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, an open time of Q&A with the leaders of Avalon Church. Enjoy the humor, the seriousness and the interaction of some of Avalon Church's leaders: Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves, Pastor William Nieto, Worship and Youth Leader Mike Smith, and Children's Leader Lisa Hernandez.
Series: Ask Me Anything!,
Speaker: Lisa Hernandez, Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Jim Groves, Pastor Mike Smith, Pastor William Nieto,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/3942008142483499/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/ask-me-anything-march-25-2020/
Worship Can Happen Anywhere! Message for Sunday, March 22, 2020. Jesus knows more about what is happening to us than we might think!
Series: Encounters With Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Scripture: John 19:28,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/221953635674557/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/encounters-with-jesus-part-4/
Series: Encounters With Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Psalm 22:18, John 19:25-27, Luke 23:34, Luke 23:43, Mark 3:33-34, Revelation 12:11, 1 Peter 2:9,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/209640430395212/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/encounters-with-jesus-part-3/
Series: Encounters With Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Mark 10:17-26, Luke 23:32-33, Luke 23:38-43, Revelation 2:7,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1495163767318629/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/encounters-with-jesus-part-2/
Series: Encounters With Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Scripture: Matthew 7:28-29, Luke 5:18-25, Luke 23:33-37, John 1:29, Luke 23:34, 2 Cor 5:19,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1104583896559374/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/encounters-with-jesus-part-1/
Series: As He Loved...,
Speaker: Pastor John Molloy,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1241947482671362/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/as-he-loved-part-2/
Series: As He Loved...,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/591302138389365/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/as-he-loved-part-1/
Series: Own the Vision,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2544080825913926/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/own-the-vision-part-5/
Series: Own the Vision,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/139241790412177/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/own-the-vision-part-4/
Series: Own the Vision,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/152203459535777/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/own-the-vision-part-3/
Series: Own the Vision,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/615853335887242/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/own-the-vision-part-2/
Series: Own the Vision,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/564930084101087/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/own-the-vision-part-1/
Series: The Revolution Begins,
Speaker: Pastor John Molloy,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2544152042305250/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-revolution-begins-final-message-part-6/
Series: The Revolution Begins,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/385504055582562/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-revolution-begins-christmas-eve-service-part-5/
Series: The Revolution Begins,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/463720534335239/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-revolution-begins-part-4/
Series: The Revolution Begins,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2615525745200650/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-revolution-begins-part-3/
Series: The Revolution Begins,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/533479300568776/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-revolution-begins-part-2/
Series: The Revolution Begins,
Speaker: Ed Diaz,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/735249420319361/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-revolution-begins-part-1/
Series: Thanksgiving Service,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/580216669474310/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/thanksgiving-sins-november-24-2019/
Series: Threads,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/404080767166642/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/threads-part-8/
Series: Threads,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/669006846839666/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/threads-part-7/
Series: Threads,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/696402850851634/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/threads-part-6/
Series: Threads,
Speaker: Ed Diaz,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2508549175867411/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/threads-part-5/
Series: Threads,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/532105234024301/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/threads-part-4/
Series: Threads,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2434855900172050/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/threads-part-3/
Series: Threads,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/966806540318847/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/threads-part-2/
Series: Threads,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2320552811541317/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/threads-introduction-part-1/
Series: Dust - Following the Steps of Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/470577556828155/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/dust-part-7/
Series: Dust - Following the Steps of Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/394449737934934/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/dust-part-6/
Series: Dust - Following the Steps of Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/3093324027361919/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/dust-part-5/
Series: Dust - Following the Steps of Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/443370369597482/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/dust-part-4/
Series: Dust - Following the Steps of Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/541316173273507/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/dust-part-3/
Series: Dust - Following the Steps of Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/510913336379763/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/dust-part-2/
Series: Dust - Following the Steps of Jesus,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/528867094602941/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/dust-part-1/
Series: Heaven On Earth,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Pastor Mike Smith,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2141492502646162/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/heaven-on-earth-part-5/
Series: Heaven On Earth,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/838810659829761/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/heaven-on-earth-part-4/
Series: Heaven On Earth,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/432456123976494/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/heaven-on-earth-part-3/
Series: Heaven On Earth,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/667082450399763/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/heaven-on-earth-part-2/
Series: Heaven On Earth,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1386168931534909/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/heaven-on-earth-part-1/
Series: FAQ Series,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/298799584402737/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/faq-is-god-really-in-pain-and-suffering-part-5/
Series: FAQ Series,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/776912289481748/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/faq-is-the-church-really-anti-lgbt-part-4/
Series: FAQ Series,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge, Rae Lynn Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/491129678092134/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/faq-mothers-day-testimony-part-3/
Series: FAQ Series,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/2144957582224720/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/faq-how-do-i-know-if-god-is-speaking-to-me-part-2/
Series: FAQ Series,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/1139359639590010/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/faq-are-religion-and-science-incompatible-part-1/
Series: Easter Service,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/344018659805531/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/easter-service-april-21-2019/
Series: Palm Sunday Service,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/palm-sunday-service-april-14-2019/
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/718589135204012/,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/galatians-part-9/
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-OAaL8ONzk,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/galatians-part-8/
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCQClHfjG2A,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/freedom-part-7/
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5_5wDYa5-s,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/a-pastors-heart-part-6/
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfIrq40LY2w,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/the-long-ball-part-5/
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDLuzTkq3Ps&t=2553s,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/clarifying-conversation-part-4/
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDLuzTkq3Ps&t=2365s,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/identity-crisis-part-3/
The video of this message is not available due to technical difficulties.
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/whos-in-part-2/
Series: Galatians -- Jesus + Nothing,
Speaker: Pastor Don Dodge,
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yS4VOGKguY,
Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/welcome-to-galatia-part-1/